Category: SHOWRUNNER
Perry’s world
Writer, director, producer and actor Tyler Perry talks about breaking into the TV industry, how he prepared to restart filming amid the pandemic and television’s power to change the world.
Star man
US showrunner Darren Star speaks to DQ about realising a long-held ambition with his latest series, Emily in Paris, and discusses the legacy of an iconic back catalogue that includes Beverly Hills 90210 and Sex & the City.
Social responsibility
Danish writer Maja Jul Larsen tells DQ about making her first series, Ulven Kommer (Cry Wolf), in which a social worker must investigate an allegation from a young girl that threatens to tear her family apart.
Feud for thought
Showrunner Sheri Elwood opens up about the real-life origins of her Canadian dramedy Feudal and explains how a story set at a summer resort in Nova Scotia provided the perfect bubble for filming amid the pandemic.
The Next level
A super-intelligent computer threatens to start a global catastrophe in Fox thriller Next. Showrunner Manny Coto reveals how his own experiences led him to create a drama rooted in real science.
Laying down the Law
A disgraced lawyer gets a second chance by working for her estranged father in Canadian legal drama Family Law. DQ speaks to showrunner Susin Nielsen about her personal connection to the series and the need for feel-good television.
Behind the Basque
HBO Europe’s first original Spanish commission, Patria is an adaptation of Fernando Aramburu’s novel on the impact of the Basque conflict. Showrunner Aitor Gabilondo tells DQ how he tackled this tumultuous period of Spanish history.
Science future
German writer and director Christian Ditter tells DQ about making his showrunning debut with Biohackers, a Netflix original series dealing with love, revenge and revolutionary scientific technology.
Away days
The Path creator Jessica Goldberg tells DQ about her latest mission, showrunning Netflix space drama Away, in which Hilary Swank juggles work and family while on a rocket heading to Mars.
Love Hate
Succession writer and award-winning playwright Lucy Prebble tells DQ about reuniting with best friend and actor Billie Piper for Sky’s provocative and stylistically ambitious eight-part drama I Hate Suzie.
Infectious TV
Real life unexpectedly clashed with fiction in the making of German drama Sløborn, in which a virus ravages an island community. Showrunner Christian Alvart fills DQ in on the eight-part series.
Wolf at the door
Writer and director Denis Karyshev introduces Russian drama Wolf Trap, in which a gangster seeks revenge for his parents’ death by taking on the crime bosses now running his hometown.
New World order
Brave New World, the flagship series for new US streamer Peacock, brings Aldous Huxley’s groundbreaking futuristic novel to the small screen for the first time. Showrunner David Wiener takes DQ on a tour of New London and the Savage Lands.
Appetite for love
Award-winning Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet tells DQ about writing and directing her first television series, Foodie Love, in which two strangers who meet on a dating app embark on a gastronomic journey together.
Running the show
Showrunners from some of the biggest dramas in the US come together to discuss their approach to the demanding role, how the industry is changing and how they seek to reflect current events and culture in their work.
Off the rails
Orphan Black co-creator Graeme Manson brings DQ aboard his latest project, Snowpiercer, in which humanity’s last survivors live on a train that continually travels around a frozen planet Earth.
Uptown girl
Stumptown showrunner Jason Richman takes DQ inside the making of the ABC series, recalling how the original graphic novel was adapted for television and revealing how Marvel star Cobie Smulders was cast as lead character Dex Parios.
In development
Ex Machina creator Alex Garland considers the notion of free will and the power of big tech in eight-part thriller Devs, his first television series.
Lucky Strike
It survived one cancellation, but now the end really is nigh for Strike Back as the action thriller returns for its final mission. Showrunner Jack Lothian tells DQ how he hopes to keep viewers’ pulses racing up until its conclusion.
The Wainwright direction
From Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack to Last Tango in Halifax and To Walk Invisible, writer and director Sally Wainwright has made her mark on the drama industry with her unique blend of storytelling. Here, she lifts the lid on the creative process.