Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show (2014)

This was an interesting documentary. Nothing blows up and no one is nude, but the viewer will find out why this job is an art and not an (exact) science. I had wondered about the sponsorship from Ireland. The director, Des Doyle is from Ireland and one of the actors interviewed was Jason O'Mara from Dublin. The other actor interviewed was Anthony LaPaglia from Australia. Excluding Ali LeRoi (a middle aged black male) and a few (white) women, most of the showrunners appear to be middle-aged white American (a Canadian might have snuck in there) males. Not judging, just stating my observation. Des Doyle's IMDb shows this as being his only directorial credit. In a November 2014 interview on btlnews.com he does indicate his passion for American TV. Mr. Doyle used John Murphy to assist as a documentary editor. While this documentary feels too long, considering the amount of individuals interviewed and shows discussed, I can understand the length. I did learn about the varied responsibilities of a showrunner. Their destinies seem a little sad and stressful, except for the obvious few who make large amounts of money. With most, there seems to exist a fear maybe even an expectation that some day they will lose their enthusiasm and probably their job. While I appreciate what a good showrunner can produce, one can only hope that they watch out for their health and sanity.