TV shows that have had showrunner changes: The Handmaid’s Tale, more

Chances are, if your favorite show has felt different over the years, there was a showrunner shift at some point behind the scenes.

Law and Order: Organized Crime he tried to stiffen as a successful spinoff of Law and Order: SVU but instead it continued to make headlines for many showrunners leaving the series. The police procedural, which premiered in 2021 on NBC, stars Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, reprising his SVU role.

By the time the show was renewed for its fifth season – and moved to Peacock — went through seven showrunner changes. No official announcement has been made about the numerous exchanges in the writers’ room.

Meantime, The Handmaid’s Tale became a term with Bruce Miller at the helm. The hit series then faced turmoil just before its sixth and final season when Miller resigned as showrunner. He remained a writer and executive producer, but turned his duties over to executive producers Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang.

“We’re ending our show on our own creative terms,” ​​he said Entertainment Weekly in 2022 before his departure. “Do I know what’s going to happen in Season 6? Yes, I’ve been thinking for a while about the things that happen in season 6.”

Keep scrolling for more shows with notable showrunner swaps:

“Law & Order: Organized Crime”

When Stabler got his own show in 2020, Matt Olmstead took over as showrunner but eventually resigned later that year. He replaced him Ilene Chaikenwhich remained on the show for one season prior Barry O’Brien took over. Bryan Goluboff became showrunner for season 3, but left after three months. He replaced him Sean Jablonskiwho left due to “creative differences” and David Graziano took over for the final episodes of the season. After Law and Order: Organized Crime was renewed for a fourth season, John Shiban he was brought on as the latest showrunner, but didn’t stick around, and Olmstead was brought back to finish the scripts as an executive producer.

“The Handmaid’s Tale”

When the show was first in development, Chaiken was slated to helm the show, but Showtime passed on the pilot. Miller became the official showrunner once Hulu picked up the series and remained at the helm until the final season. Miller stepped back to focus adaptation Testaments and Tuchman and Chang were named co-showrunners for the sixth and final season.

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

After Netflix announced a reimagined live-action remake Avatarcreative Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were appointed showrunners. They left the series in 2020 due to creative differences and Albert Kim he came on board instead. Kim stepped down after the show was renewed and Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani became showrunners for the second and third seasons.

‘Call Me Kat’

The Fox sitcom he starred in Mayim Bialikhired Darlene Hunt as showrunner, which lasted one season until Alissa Neubauer took over. Jim Patterson and Maria Ferrari were announced as the new showrunners for the third season, which turned out to be the last.

‘Designated Survivor’

Amy B. Harris He was originally supposed to be the showrunner in 2016, but then stepped down Designated Survivor was officially picked up. Jon Harmon Feldman replaced Harris until Jeff Melvoin he came to oversee the second half of the first season. From there, writers Keith Eisner took over until the show was canceled on ABC. Netflix revived the series, that paved the way for Neal Baer to be named showrunner.

‘The Walking Dead’

The post-apocalyptic series premiered in 2010 with Frank Darabont at the helm. He left after one season and Glen Mazzaro took over until season 3. Scott M. Gimple he was promoted to showrunner for four seasons until he became Chief Content Officer of the whole Walking Dead franchise and Angela Kang replaced him in the writers’ room.

“The West Wing”

He created a political line Aaron Sorkin in 1999 and remained with the show until the fifth season. After his departure, John Wells he remained sole executive producer and showrunner until the series finale in 2006.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Considering how long Grey’s Anatomy was in the airit makes sense that there have been some changes behind the scenes. Shonda Rhimes was the original showrunner for five seasons until Krista Vernoff joined her at the helm. One season later, Rhimes began working alongside Tony Phelan and Joan Rater and the pair remained in charge when Rhimes stepped down to focus on other projects. From seasons 11 to 13, Stacy Mckee and William Harper they were showrunners before Mckee left and Vernoff returned. Vernoff was subsequently the sole showrunner from seasons 16 to 19 until And Marinis took over.

‘Supernatural’

Before Supernatural was picked up by The CW, the creator Eric Kripke he developed the show for almost 10 years. He stayed on as showrunner until season 6, which is when Sera Gamble took over. Jeremy Carver was the sole showrunner for seasons 8 through 11 before passing the reins to Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb for the rest of its run.

‘Gilmore Girls’

Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino they were at the helm until failed contract negotiations caused them to leave after six seasons. David Rosenthal took over for the seventh and final season, but ultimately it wasn’t. Sherman-Palladino eventually returned to revive the four-part miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

“Office”

Greg Daniels he developed the show and served as showrunner for the first four seasons before leaving Parks and Recreation. Paul Lieberstein and Jennifer Celotta were named showrunners for season 5, but Celotta left the series one season later. Lieberstein stayed on for the next two seasons before briefly leaving to work on a potential spinoff. Daniels returned as showrunner for the ninth and final season.

‘Commonwealth’

After basing the script on his experiences, Dan Harmon was showrunner for four seasons. He was briefly replaced by writers David Guarascio and Moses’ Harbor before returning a year later.

‘Seinfeld’

Created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry DavidSeinfeld was hosted by David for seven seasons. His departure led to Seinfeld — who also starred in the show — to take over for the next two years until the series finale in 1998.

“Dawson’s Creek”

Kevin Williamson left after the first season to focus on another show, which meant Alex Gansa became the new showrunner. The halt in production—due to the actors’ frustration with the storylines—resulted in Gansa being replaced Greg Berlanti in season 3.