IndieWire's Fan Favorites Showrunners Panel: Top Producers on Getting Away with Salty Language, the Pros and Cons of Social Media, the Potential of a Writers Strike, and More

All of our producers managed to make the trek down -- and all the more amazing, "BoJack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg *literally* got to the convention center a minute before the panel, while "Mystery Science Theater 3000" producer/star Jonah Ray took the train down, was on the panel, then immediately took the train back to LA in time to perform a comedy set at the Shrine Auditorium for KROQ's annual "Kevin & Bean April Foolishness" comedy event.

It was a wide-ranging conversation, and things got raucous early when we talked about what words you can and can't say on TV. We also touched on plenty of hot topics, including the potential writers' strike, and the impact Trump has had on storylines.

IndieWire staffers Steve Greene and Hanh Nguyen joined me down in Anaheim to provide support, including photos and coverage. Hanh has a great writeup of the proceedings here.

The producers who attended -- Marc Guggenheim ("Arrow," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," "Trollhunters"), Aline Brosh McKenna ("Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"), Jessica Goldberg ("The Path"), Raphael Bob-Waksberg ("BoJack Horseman"), Jonah Ray ("Mystery Science Theater 3000," "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail," "Hidden America with Jonah Ray") and Sera Gamble ("The Magicians") had great interaction -- some of the best I've ever seen of producers together on one stage -- and were all appreciative at being a part of the event.

This was the sixth annual panel I've helped organize for WonderCon, and the first at IndieWire; hopefully it's the sign of more to come! A few more pics:

KCRW's The Spin-Off: Married Showrunners Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters on Writing, TV and Their Unique Relationship

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, I talk to married showrunners Marc Guggenheim ("Arrow," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow") and Tara Butters ("Agent Carter," "Reaper") about what makes them tick:

Television writer-producers Tara Butters and Marc Guggenheim have been married almost 12 years. When they first met, they were both writers, and while they still continue to write, at this point, they're also each produced and overseen a couple of shows.

In this episode of The Spin-off, they tell Michael Schneider about their respective careers, how they once ended up working for rival superhero universes (Butters produced Marvel's Agent Carter and Guggenheim is a co-showrunner for DC's Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow), and what they've learned from parenting that has helped them in their jobs.

Listen below!

KCRW's The Spin-Off: "Empire" and "Masters of Sex" Showrunners Share Their TV Secrets

On the latest special edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, we run my NATPE chat with "Empire" executive producer Ileane Chaiken and "Masters of Sex" executive producer Michelle Ashford:

Chaiken created the Showtime drama The L Word. Now she is a writer and executive producer on the Fox mega-hit Empire. The hip hop soap opera about the Lyons family and their record label recently came roaring back with a ratings bang.

Ashford is also a television writer and executive producer. She developed the Showtime drama Masters of Sex, which returns for its fourth season later this year.

These are only their most recent projects -- both women have worked in television for more than 20 years. So when we sat down at NATPE we started...where else? At the beginning.

Listen below!

KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: Listen to TV Guide Magazine's Showrunners Panel from Wondercon

Following up on my post about this year's TV Guide Magazine Showrunners Fan Favorites panel at Wondercon Anaheim, we've taken the audio and posted it as a bonus edition of KCRW's "The Spin-Off" podcast!

The panel included:

Brannon Braga (Star Trek: TNG/Voyager/Enterprise; 24; Cosmos and Salem)
Kerry Ehrin (Moonlighting, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Bates Motel)
Adam F. Goldberg (Still Standing, Breaking In, The Goldbergs)
Dan Harmon (Sarah Silverman Program, Rick and Morty, Community)
Alex Hirsch (Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Fish Hooks, Gravity Falls)
Peter Horton (actor; Grey’s Anatomy, Brimstone, The Philanthropist, American Odyssey)
Graeme Manson (Flashpoint, Being Erica, Orphan Black)

The discussion kicked off with an attempt to get the panelists to answer that always tricky question: What exactly does a showrunner do?

Listen below!

Scenes from Wondercon 2015: Showrunners, Lightsabers, Cosplay and More

Another fun Saturday (always during Easter weekend though, what gives?) at Wondercon in Anaheim, and Team TV Guide Magazine was there in force. My colleagues Rich Sands, Damian Holbrook and Rob Moynihan all moderated several panels, our photo guru Geraldine Agoncillo was there documenting it, and I got to once again moderate our annual "TV Guide Magazine Fan Favorite Showrunners Panel."



And it was a good one this year -- as I noted, the cross section of drama/comedy/thriller/sci-fi/animation looked a lot like your DVR. Here's who we had:

Brannon Braga (Star Trek: TNG/Voyager/Enterprise; 24; Cosmos and Salem)
Kerry Ehrin (Moonlighting, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Bates Motel)
Adam F. Goldberg (Still Standing, Breaking In, The Goldbergs)
Dan Harmon (Sarah Silverman Program, Rick and Morty, Community)
Alex Hirsch (Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Fish Hooks, Gravity Falls)
Peter Horton (actor; Grey’s Anatomy, Brimstone, The Philanthropist, American Odyssey)
Graeme Manson (Flashpoint, Being Erica, Orphan Black)



Rob wrapped the panel up here. Among the takeaways:

Thanks to Twitter and Facebook, today's showrunners are more accessible than ever before, which sometimes comes as a blessing and a curse when you have fans voicing their opinions. "You're the face of every mistake," Hirsch said. "The more visible you are, the more crazy people are mad at you." Goldberg added that he oftentimes feels like his show's writers are in a bubble when crafting the season, so he embraces social media because, "I can find out what people like and know what people are responding to."

Collider has a nice roundup of the panel here. Among the highlights:

The panel discussed what it means to be a superstar showrunner; making noise and pushing boundaries; Harmon’s big move to Yahoo; how Hirsch gets away with a show that’s one of the most dense animated series ever seen on a children’s network; how social media has changed the game; the premiere of American Odyssey and Anna Friel’s committed performance; how Manson keeps track of every clone and personality while constantly bringing in more; how it’s impossible to shock people anymore; their take on remake mania; where Goldberg gets the content for Erica; the breaks that got them to the next level; and what we can look forward to this next season.

Another nice mention of the panel here by Mr. Rhapsodist.

More pics from the panel:









And how about some pics from the rest of Wondercon:


Alex Hirsch signs posters for "Gravity Falls" fans after the panel.


Lightsabers! Many, many lightsabers.


Yeah, OK, guys, a bit disturbing.


Live makeup demonstration


The Ice King!


Posters!


Outside the convention center

The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries and More: TV Guide Magazine's Showrunner Panel Comes to Wondercon

I hit Anaheim on Saturday for my first-ever Wondercon in Anaheim, but kicking it off with a bang via our all-star TV Guide Magazine Showrunners Panel (see the listing here.)

Here are the panel details:

TV Guide Magazine celebrates its 60th anniversary with an all-star panel of TV's hottest showrunners. Moderated by Los Angeles bureau chief Michael Schneider, the panel brings together top showrunners and producers of current and classic hits for a lively discussion of sci-fi and fantasy television. Panelists include Remi Aubuchon (Falling Skies), Jeff Davis (Teen Wolf), Glen Mazarra (The Walking Dead), Steven Molaro (The Big Bang Theory), Greg Plageman (Person of Interest), and Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries).

Saturday March 30, 2013 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Room 300DE

In addition, TV Guide Magazine editors will be moderating the following panels:

Rich Sands: Falling Skies, Saturday, 12:30–1:30pm, Room 300DE
Damian Holbrook: Arrow, Sunday, 1:00–2:00pm, Arena

Got a question for one of the show runners? Leave a comment!