Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show

Name: Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2014-10-17
Duration: 1 h 28 min
Rating: 6.4
Cast: Joss Whedon, J.J. Abrams, Steven S. DeKnight, Ronald D. Moore, Jane Espenson

2014·Movie·88 min·★ 6.4(50)

Documentary More English titles

“Their Vision Is Television”

“Showrunners” is the first ever feature length documentary film to explore the fascinating world of US television showrunners and the creative forces aligned around them. These are the people responsible for creating, writing and overseeing every element of production on one of the United State’s biggest exports – television drama and comedy series. Often described as the most complex job in the entertainment business, a showrunner is the chief writer / producer on a TV series and, in most instances, the show’s creator. Battling daily between art and commerce, showrunners manage every aspect of a TV show’s development and production: creative, financial and logistical.

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Click a service to open Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Kanopy, Hoopla, The Roku Channel, Fandango at Home Free	Apple TV Store
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Canada	Hoopla, Tubi TV	Apple TV Store
France	—	Orange VOD, Sooner

About Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show is a 2014 English-language documentary film directed by Des Doyle. The cast is led by Joss Whedon, J.J. Abrams, Steven S. DeKnight. It has a runtime of 1h 28m. Viewers rate it 6.4/10 across 100 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, The Roku Channel.

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show was produced by Black Sheep Films and made in Ireland and United States of America. It was released on October 17, 2014.

Director: Des Doyle
Writers: Des Doyle
Release date: October 17, 2014
Original language: English
Status: Released
Country: Ireland, United States of America
Production: Black Sheep Films

#production

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show cast & crew

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show was directed by Des Doyle and written by Des Doyle.

The cast features Joss Whedon as Self, J.J. Abrams as Self, Steven S. DeKnight as Self, Ronald D. Moore as Self, Jane Espenson as Self, and Jonathan Nolan as Self.

Is Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show worth watching?

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show holds an audience score of 6.4/10 from 50 ratings, a solidly received documentary films.

At 1h 28m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy documentary, Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show

In United States, you can stream Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show on Kanopy, Hoopla, The Roku Channel, Fandango at Home Free, and Pluto TV, or rent and buy it on Apple TV Store. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.