The 25 Most Powerful Showrunners in TV Right Now

Showrunners are the new film directors.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Showrunners have moved from obscurity into the mainstream in recent years. The quality of television continues to improve, and the Internet provides us with more and more information on the the shows we love. As a result, the producer/writers who helm our favorites have found themselves in the limelight. But our vision of these figures is often skewed.

A handful of showrunners, generally those who are in charge of shows that are attractive to bloggers or those who also appear on-screen, have hogged the limelight. Internet stardom does not necessarily equal with power. Power can come from ratings, number of shows on the air, fame, or cash: whatever the cause of it, these men and women wield it. And we bet you won't even recognize some of the names on this list.

Here are the 25 Most Powerful Showrunners in TV Right Now.

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Written by Brenden Gallagher (@muddycreekU)

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25. Liz Meriwether

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24. Kurt Sutter

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23. Julian Fellowes

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22. Lena Dunham and Jennie Konner

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21. Kevin Williamson

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20. Vince Gilligan

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19. Aaron Sorkin

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18. Terence Winter

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17. David Simon

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16. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage

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15. Jason Katims

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14. Hart Hanson

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13. Mike Schur and Greg Daniels

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12. D.B. Weiss and David Benioff

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11. Tina Fey

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10. Shawn Ryan

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9. Matt Weiner

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8. Alan Ball

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7. Steve Levitan

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6. Ryan Murphy

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5. Carol Mendelsohn and Pam Veasey

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4. Shonda Rhimes

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3. Shane Brennan and Gary Glasberg

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2. Seth MacFarlane

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1. Chuck Lorre

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