A series manager has often been an exception in American television, and at times the role wasn’t even acknowledged. It seems clear that I Love Lucy (1951-1957) is a sitcom built around Lucy Ball, yet producers, writers, and even her husband Desi Arnaz stepped back from direct leadership. The same pattern appeared with The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978). Its creator is James Brooks, yet the show’s energy came from Burnett herself. Girl, Interrupted? No — Mary Tyler Moore’s show earned its name because she steered it from the front. Murphy Brown (1988-1998) was created by Diane English.
In those earlier decades, the concept of a single, all-controlling creator was not common. The term creator or showrunner did not carry the same weight, and ideas from series makers like David Chase, David Simon, or Vince Gilligan were just starting to migrate into mainstream conversations. Women rarely held the triple roles of designer, producer, and decision-maker on a single series. Today, though, they are more visible and, in many cases, equally influential as their male counterparts. Figures such as Lena Dunham, Shonda Rhimes, Issa Rae Diop, Ava DuVernay, Lisa Joy, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Tina Fey, and Jenji Kohan are among the names associated with leadership that reshapes genres. They not only create comedies with compelling female leads but also design dramas, thrillers, political narratives, or science fiction.
Men’s programs for men
Inside HBO, changes have emerged in recent years. A well-cited article in The New York Times notes that Michael Fuchs, a prominent executive, spent years convinced that it was the husband who decided to subscribe to or cancel a home HBO plan. This mindset influenced early programming toward male-centric formats. In the late 1980s, a network executive named Susie Fitzgerald suggested a sitcom led by a woman, but the idea did not gain traction. Sex and the City would not arrive until 1998, and it stood out because four women led the cast, even though two men occupied senior positions in the control room.
The next milestone, featuring not only a female lead but a project created by a woman, arrived in 2012. Lena Dunham managed to overcome managerial hesitancy with a project about a circle of twenty-somethings in New York grappling with emotional ties, generational clashes, job insecurity, and uncertain paths. Dunham wrote, directed, and produced a large portion of the episodes, with Girls running for six seasons and setting a new precedent for how such stories could be told. The programming head, Casey Bloys, is credited with contributing to the shift in culture.
The industry saw renewed success in productions centered on women. The teams behind them often funded and produced these projects themselves. Creators like Michaela Coel made waves with I May Destroy You, a BBC-HBO co-production. Martin Noxon created Open Wounds, and Issa Rae’s Insecure — described by some as the Black equivalent of Girls — became a standout hit in 2016. Insecure presented a sharp, often humorous lens on racism and identity without making those topics the sole focus of the storyline.
The power of #MeToo
In 2019, Joy Press published a book exploring the era when leadership began to shift. The revelation was clear: the revolution had real momentum. HBO, Netflix, and other platforms began to reflect more viewpoints and stories from different communities. Movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter accelerated this change, reshaping the landscape across streaming and traditional networks. Today, Amy Gravitt, HBO’s vice president, is one of the prominent executives shaping the channel’s direction, bringing a wealth of experience from WarnerMedia and a background that includes service in the military. Her leadership is part of a broader realignment across the industry toward more inclusive storytelling.
Among the notable designers and executives shaping this era are Joey Soloway with a candid look at gender and sexuality, Ava DuVernay with a widely discussed perspective on representation, Shonda Rhimes with a slate of hit dramas and comedies, Lisa Joy co-writing Westworld with Jonathan Nolan, Michelle King and Robert King steering The Good Wife and The Good Fight, Amy Sherman-Palladino with Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jenji Kohan with Weeds and Orange Is the New Black, Phoebe Waller-Bridge with Fleabag, Mindy Kaling with fresh comedies, Sharon Horgan’s work on Disasters and Parenthood stories, Veena Sud on The Killing, and Tina Fey and Amy Schumer bringing a new wave of humor and candor to television. These creators are known for expanding beyond traditional drama and comedy, embracing a broader spectrum of voices and experiences in contemporary television.