Topic: Showrunner

Larry Blydener shares the story of creating and co-producing the CBS reality series "Wickedly Perfect," which was originally titled "Finding Martha" following Martha Stewart's imprisonment. Blydener describes the process of pitching the show and how the network eventually "watered it down." Adam Curry confirms that the guest hosts are being paid through the show's Value-for-Value model.

A discussion regarding the financial difficulties of NPR's podcast division and the specific role of a "showrunner" in television and audio production. The technicality of how showrunners are listed in credits—typically as the last executive producer before the writer—is explained using Dana Brunetti's work on House of Cards as an example.

An analysis of the TV show *NCIS* focuses on the role of the showrunner, specifically the late Gary Glasberg. The discussion highlights how showrunners have the authority to insert specific humor, such as a "dumb blonde" joke involving a character confusing the word "deceased" for a name. This is contrasted with older shows like *Two and a Half Men*, which are described as containing dialogue that would be considered unairable by modern standards.

A visit to Paramount Studios included a meeting with Luke Reiter, a producer for "The Blacklist," and the show's creators. Observations of the studio lot noted that the executive dining room and commissary are surprisingly similar to Silicon Valley corporate cafeterias. The host also discovered that the guest Wi-Fi password at Paramount was "downsizing," a reference to a then-current production.

The hosts explain the difference between executive producer credits in film versus television. In TV, the "showrunner" is typically the final executive producer listed in the credits and is often the person who created the show. They cite John Bokenkamp of "The Blacklist" as an example and suggest this knowledge is useful for those trying to contact decision-makers in the industry.