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. … 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

Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026

Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers serve as co-showrunners for Strange New Worlds. —Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2026

Andrea Newman, who has been on NBC‘s firefighter drama for its entire 14-season run to date and showrunner for the past three seasons, is leaving. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026

Those are the dilemmas that showrunner David E. Kelley’s series ponders in a refreshingly nonjudgmental way, an approach that makes this one of Kelley’s best series. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for showrunner

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