showrunner

noun

show·​run·​ner ˈshō-ˌrə-nər 

variants or less commonly show-runner or show runner

plural showrunners also show-runners or show runners

: a person who oversees the writing and production of each episode of a television series and has ultimate managerial and creative control over the series

A showrunner is more than just a producer. He or she is the creator or co-creator of a show and is a writer as well. These people are the guiding lights for a production. They are making decisions about casting, story arcs, as well as the day-to-day issues of getting a show done and ready for air.

—G. Michael Dobbs

Examples of showrunner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

John Rogers serves as showrunner and executive producer and Chris Downey is executive producer. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2025

Beyond the Gates has assembled the Avengers of daytime storytellers, led by creator and showrunner Michele Val Jean, whose work on soaps like General Hospital (1993–2007) and The Bold and the Beautiful (2012–2024) earned her seven Daytime Emmy Awards. —Andy Swift, TVLine, 24 Feb. 2025

Raj Kapoor, executive producer and showrunner of the 2025 Oscars, was an executive producer of this year’s Grammy telecast as well. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 24 Feb. 2025

Original showrunner Aaron Korsh is back for a West Coast version of the legal dramedy filled with characters that talk with the same brashness as their New York counterparts but spend marginally more time outdoors. —Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 23 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for showrunner

• forerunner
• brunner
• gunnar
• gunner
• runner
• tonner