Top TV Producers of 2024-2025 Season

Netflix’s reimagination of “Forever,” created by Akil, quickly climbed the streamer’s Top 10 chart, garnering more than six million views in its second week, and it was renewed after only six days of streaming. Akil served as showrunner, executive producer, writer and director.

Bennett created the Paramount+ crime drama “Mob Land,” with Butterworth executive producing and writing all 10 episodes alongside him. The series will return for Season 2 after breaking the record for the streamer’s largest global launch ever, with more than 8 million viewers in the first seven days. Bennett also created Peacock’s “The Day of the Jackal,” the Eddie Redmayne-led drama that garnered two Golden Globe nominations.

Blair, who created the CW’s “All American,” launched her latest show on Netflix this year, the Western drama “Ransom Canyon.” It was quickly renewed for a second season after topping the Netflix chart. She serves as showrunner, exec producer and writer.

The dynamic duo created and were showrunners on the second season of Netflix’s “Monsters” anthology, “The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” Even more impressive than the show’s 11 Emmy nominations is its major impact on the Menedenz brothers in real life. The brothers, who have been serving prison sentences for the murder of their parents, saw renewed interest in their case and a judge reduced their sentences, making them eligible for parole.

Brownell stepped in as showrunner (and writer) for Netflix’s “Bridgerton” in the third season — a season that garnered a cumulative 91.9 million views, five Emmy nominations and the biggest launch weekend on the streamer to date. Season 4 is set for 2026 and the Shondaland hit has already been renewed for Seasons 5 and 6.

Brunson not only stars in ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” which is about to enter its fifth season, she also serves as creator and one of the showrunners on the series, alongside Halpern and Schumacker. Einhorn directed 10 of the 22 episodes, while exec producer Rubenstein wrote two of the episodes. The latest season took new risks, even bringing in the potty-mouthed cast of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” for the perfect crossover.

Cahn, whose credits include “Homeland,” “The West Wing” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” is the mind behind political thriller “The Diplomat.” The second season, in which Cahn also wrote half the episodes in addition to showrunning, landed two Emmy nominations. Season 3 will debut in the fall, and the series has already been renewed for another season.

This year, Okoro Carroll reupped her overall deal with WBTV and continued her work on “All American,” taking the show in a new direction for the seventh season. It has since been renewed for its final season.

Schechter serves as the chairwoman of Berlanti Prods., which rolled out the final season of “You,” which became he most-watched Netflix show during its premiere week. Berlanti’s “Brilliant Minds” debuted on NBC, garnering a quick Season 2 pickup.

Academy Award-winner Cuarón returned to TV to executive produce and showrun Apple TV+’s “Disclaimer,” led by Cate Blanchett, as part of his overall deal with the streaming service. He also wrote and directed all seven episodes. The limited series landed two Emmy nominations and won a Satellite Award.

One of the most underrated shows on television, “Industry” is co-created and showrun by Down and Kay. The pair wrote seven of the eight episodes of the third season, and each made their directorial debut for the final two episodes, which bowed last fall. After the season’s launch, they inked a new three-year overall deal with HBO. The third season topped the second in viewers, averaging 1.6 million an episode.

The “Hacks” trio have continued to lead the pack as some of the best in the business with a beautifully crafted fourth season of the HBO Max comedy. Each of the creators have very different roles. Downs, who also appears on the show as Jimmy, directed three episodes this season in addition to writing, while Aniello directed six. All three hold overall deals with WBTV.

“Severance,” created by Erickson, remains one of the biggest shows on TV. Scott serves as star and executive producer, while Stiller both produces and directs, helming five of the 10 Season 2 episodes.
The latest season earned 27 Emmy nominations.

Everett is the star and creator of one of the most beloved series on TV this year, HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere,” which just aired its final season. Strauss, for her part, is an executive producer and a key part of the creative team on that series, as well as “The Last of Us,” ensuring queer storytelling is at the forefront of some of television’s biggest shows.

The comedy trio reunited after their acclaimed work together on “30 Rock” to co-create, write and showrun the Netflix adaptation of “The Four Seasons.” With all three having overall deals with Universal Television, their latest collaboration premiered to wide acclaim in May, earning 11.9 million views in its first four days. Fey also leads the series, which has been renewed for a second season.

One of the biggest risk-takers in the business, Fielder is the creator, star, writer, director and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated comedy “The Rehearsal.” Co-writing and directing every episode of the series, Fielder ensures that the show pushes the limits like no other on television.

After meeting Brown on “This Is Us,” creator Fogelman enlisted him for his next series, “Paradise,” which earned four Emmy nominations for its debut season on Hulu. Executive producing the series together, the pair fought to shoot the entire show in Los Angeles in one of the most important times for the city.

Sisters Erin and Sara Foster executive produce Netflix’s hit comedy “Nobody Wants This,” based on Erin’s life. With four consecutive weeks in the top three spots of Netflix’s Top 10, it’s amassed 15.9 million viewers. The pair signed an overall deal with 20th Television along with their Fatigue Sisters Prods.

The “ER” vets came back together for the biggest medical drama in years, producing HBO Max’s “The Pitt,” which earned rave reviews from both critics and medical workers alike for its realistic take on life in the medical field in 2025 , along with 13 Emmy noms. Lead Wyle wrote two episodes in Season 1 and is set to direct in the second.

Years after co-writing “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Gilroy became creator, showrunner, writer and executive producer on Disney+’s prequel, “Andor,” which aired its final season this year and earned 14 Emmy nominations, as well as critical adoration for its unique, politically charged and visually beautiful storytelling.

Crime dramas can still work on network television — ABC’s “High Potential” is the proof. Goddard created the series under his production company Goddard Textiles, where Esberg serves as president. Harthan serves as showrunner and penned multiple episodes in the first season. The second season is set to debut in the fall.

Another broadcast hit this season was ABC’s “Will Trent,” which is co-showrun and executive produced by Heldens and Thomsen. In its third season, the drama, based on Slaughter’s novel series, continued to top network television charts and create timely conversation.

Hoffman, who serves as co-creator, director and showrunner of “Only Murders in the Building,” and the whodunnit’s sleuthing team haven’t slowed down a bit in their fourth season, continuing to build a story (and momentum) around three very different people obsessed with true crime. Overall, the series has racked up 49 Emmy nominations and Season 5 just debuted.

Despite earning less awards buzz than the first season, the second season of Netflix’s “Squid Game” was still a huge hit as the most-watched series of the year, averaging 27.1 million viewers, and all seven episodes were written and directed by Hwang.

Johnson hopped over to television to create Peacock’s thrilling procedural “Poker Face,” and directed one episode in the second season. Bergman co-founded T-Street, one of the production companies behind the show, with Johnson, and Rodrigue serves as president of television at the company. Santoianni, for her part, is president of TV for MRC, and oversaw production of Season 2 of “Poker Face.”

“Running Point,” co-created by Kaling, Barinholtz and Stassen, quickly reached No. 1 on Netflix in 33 countries. Working closely with real L.A. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss helped to create a funny, charming and (somewhat) accurate series, which was renewed quickly after its debut. All three wrote on the series, with Stassen also directing two episodes.

Kelley created and showran Apple TV+’s adaptation of the Scott Turow novel “Presumed Innocent,” with Tinker, the president of his production company, overseeing development of the series and executive producing. Additionally, Kelley released the third season of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” and the second season of Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers.” Abrams served as executive producer on “Presumed Innocent,” and will return for the next season, which follows a different story.

Gyllenhaal both led and executive produced “Presumed Innocent” under his Nine Stories Prods. banner, which signed a three-year first-look deal with Amazon MGM last year. The first season earned four Emmy noms. Gyllenhaal will return to produce the second season.

The longtime duo oversaw a second successful season of CBS’ “Good Wife” spinoff “Elsbeth” as part of their overall deal with CBS Studios. Robert also stepped in to direct an episode this season. Additionally, the two rolled out a new show, “Happy Face,” on Paramount+, working with Melissa Moore to tell her story about growing up with a serial killer father.

Kligman and Steinberg launched Fox’s medical drama “Doc,” an adaptation of an Italian series based on a true story. The powerful journey of a doctor who loses eight years of her memory became an early hit for the network, attracting more than 15 million cross-platform viewers during its first 11 days on the way to becoming Fox’s best series debut in five years. A second season will come later this month.

This year, Kripke, the creator and showrunner of Prime Video’s “The Boys,” launched a very timely (little did he know at the time) fourth season. With the second season of the spinoff ready to premiere and a prequel in production, Kripke has fashioned his own cinematic universe within Sony TV, where he’s had an overall deal for nearly a decade.

A powerful force in television, Kurtzman is the creative architect behind the modern “Star Trek” universe, both in honoring its legacy and moving it into bold new territories on Paramount+. This year, he executive produced Season 5 of the animated series “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and Season 2 of “Star Trek: Prodigy,” the first in the universe specifically targeting a younger audience, while also working on future seasons of “Strange New Worlds.”

After an impressive first season, the trio elevated their writing and producing as co-creators of Season 2 of Apple TV+’s “Shrinking.” With Segel also leading the show, Goldstein appeared in multiple episodes and penned two — one solo, one with Lawrence and Segel. Lawrence also directed the finale. The second season earned seven Emmy nods, including a first for icon Harrison Ford.

Ledgin and Spitzer co-created NBC’s mockumentary “St. Denis Medical,” finding a way to fill the gap of a medical comedy on broadcast TV. The pair, whose resumes include “Superstore,” “American Auto” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” wrote multiple episodes; Ledgin serves as showrunner.

LeFranc, who developed and was showrunner on HBO’s “The Penguin,” recently signed a two-year overall deal with HBO and HBO Max. Bringing a fresh take to well-known characters and creating new, grounded stories, LeFranc led the series to 24 Emmy nominations, the second-most ever for a comic book show. She also wrote the premiere and finale.

The trio serves as co-creators, executive producers and writers of CBS’ “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage,” the spinoff of “Young Sheldon” and continuation of “The Big Bang Theory” universe. The half-hour sitcom landed an Emmy nomination for its first season and became the fourth-most-watched broadcast series of the year.

Mazin returned to HBO with Season 2 of “The Last of Us” with an impossible task at hand — killing off a beloved character. Once again, the creator and showrunner crafted an emotional, bold story, which earned 17 Emmy nominations and drew over 37 million global viewers. Mazin wrote all seven Season 2 episodes.

Together, Meriwether and Rosenstock found a way to bring the “Dying for Sex” podcast to life with FX’s hit limited series, managing to take a heartbreaking true story of terminal cancer, sexual identity, friendship and self-love and create laugh-out-loud moments and true reflection. The series landed nine Emmy nominations.

Minear, who has an overall deal with 20th Television, is the co-creator, executive producer and showrunner on the hit drama “9-1-1,” which, even in its eighth season, continues to take risks and draw in new viewers — and isn’t afraid to change things up and kill off a main character.

When trying to figure out the most twisted series on TV, it’s hard not to think of Hulu’s “Tell Me Lies.” Adapted by Oppenheimer from Carola Lovering’s novel of the same name, the second season completely upped the level of mind games and became must-watch programming. Roberts signed a first-look deal at Hulu via her production company, Belletrist TV, with “Tell Me Lies” as her first project as executive producer. The third season wraps production soon.

The “Dexter” universe came back twofold this year when Paramount+ tapped original creator Phillips and writer/executive producer Reynolds to launch the “Dexter: Original Sin” prequel. Not only did the pair tell a compelling backstory, but they also set up the expansion of the universe with “Dexter: Resurrection” following close behind.

Longtime writing partners Port and Wiseman have been the showrunners for the entire run of CBS’ “Ghosts,” which is about to kick off its fifth season, and will be back for a sixth after a rare two-season renewal deal. And with quite literally the biggest comedy on broadcast TV, they’re likely not going anywhere.

Since its post-Super Bowl debut, “Tracker” has been one of the top broadcast dramas, led by showrunner and writer Reid. The CBS series has reached over 100 million viewers to date, with Season 2 averaging 17 million multiplatform viewers. Additionally, the series was the most-watched broadcast show of the year and third most-watched show overall.

Co-creators, executive producers and directors Rogen and Goldberg are behind the most nominated comedy of the year, Apple TV+’s “The Studio.” With impressive one shots and relatable dialogue (a bit PTSD-ensuing for those of us in and covering the biz!), the show has seen major success. Their company, Point Grey Pictures, led by president James Weaver, has first-look deals with both Universal and Lionsgate. Rogen and Goldberg, who met in middle school, also produce “The Boys.”

“Reacher,” developed by Santora, is the fourth-most-watched show of the year — yes, including streaming series. His take on Lee Child’s novels is impossible to ignore and was renewed for a fourth season before the third even came out. Plus, a spinoff is already in the works at Prime Video, which he also will co-showrun.

Schur, a mainstay in the business for decades, launched Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside”in the fall of 2024, based on the 2020 documentary “The Mole Agent.” Serving as showrunner and executive producer, he also wrote and directed in the first season, which will be followed by a second this fall. Additionally, Schur is one of the executive producers on HBO Max’s “Hacks.”

It’s hard to imagine what Paramount+ would look like without this duo. Sheridan’s slate in the last year included new seasons of “Landman” (the most-watched series premiere in two years), “Lioness,” “Tulsa King,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and “1923,” the latter of which earned 14 million global viewers. Plus, Sheridan wrapped up “Yellowstone,” the show that started it all, with the finale seeing 11.4 million viewers. Sheridan and Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios, have transformed the modern-day Western landscape.

The biggest surprise of the year was Netflix’s “Adolescence,” created by Thorne and Graham, which received 13 Emmy noms. The pair wrote all four heart-wrenching episodes, each impeccably shot in one take. It’s also important to mention that Graham, whose production company Matriarch Prods. was one of several shingles on the series, is also the lead.

Not everyone can find their way into a reimagining — but Urman did just that by casting Kathy Bates in the update of the 1980s legal drama “Matlock,” bringing in more than 10 million viewers to CBS. She didn’t rely solely on the IP, but instead gave the series a fresh take and surprise twist — and it worked, with “Matlock” even bringing the network back into the Emmy conversation with Bates earning a nomination

Prime Video went all in on “Cross,” Watkins’ take on the famous characters created by James Patterson. Without adapting a specific book, he was able to fashion a horrific yet fascinating and unique collection of characters. The thriller amassed 40 million viewers in the first 20 days and quickly received a Season 2 pickup.

Only three words are really needed for this entry: “The White Lotus.” White has written and directed every episode of the massive HBO hit, and its third season broke records nearly every week, with the finale drawing in 6.2 million viewers. The writing and unique storytelling were impossible to escape, making it truly the water-cooler series of the year.

It’s tough to imagine a list of top TV producers without Wolf, as he has one of the biggest rosters in the business. This year, in the U.S., there were three iterations of “Law & Order,” three hours of the “One Chicago” franchise on NBC and three “FBI” series. Plus, he launched his first streaming drama with “On Call” on Prime Video. “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” launched on CityTV in Canada and will air on the CW this fall.