25 Industry Insiders Who Changed Television

One does not simply create a TV show.

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Complex Original

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The surge in Internet coverage of television has brought notoriety to writers and showrunners. Not only do we love to know about the people who write our favorite shows, we also love to hear how the shows get made. Despite the recent shift in focus to writers and creators, not much is written about the true power behind the throne: producers and executives.

Yes, a showrunner is a producer, but that usually means that they're a creative manager, in charge of the day-to-day operations of their show. The showrunner may be all powerful on set, but there are other, more powerful people who put all the pieces into place and create a space for the showrunner to practice his craft. Sometimes, the showrunner is able to parlay success into high level control and affect greater change in the industry. In other cases, executives champion a show or a way of doing business and have a meaningful impact on creative output.

Some of them started as writers' assistants and worked their way to to the top. Others spent their entire career in the boardroom. Regardless of how they got their start, they have one thing in common.

Here are 25 Industry Insiders Who Changed Television.

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Written by Brenden Gallagher (@muddycreekU)

James L. Brooks

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Mike Goodson and Bill Todman

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Tom Freston

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Dick Wolf

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Chuck Lorre

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Bill Rasmussen

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Gene Roddenberry

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Charlie Collier

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Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner

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Joss Whedon

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Dick Ebersol

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Steven Bochco

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Jason Kilar

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Chris Albrecht

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John Landgraf

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Lorne Michaels

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Simon Fuller

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William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

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Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray

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Leslie Moonves

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Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph

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David L. Wolper

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Brandon Tartikoff

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Rupert Murdoch

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Ted Turner

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