The CW has opened its doors wide to female executive producers this fall. A few weeks ago, 8 of female showrunners gathered in front of the Television Critics Association and spoke with a candor…well, with a candor we don’t often get from, you know, those Big Boss Men:
by Pilot Viruet
During Tuesday’s CW session at the Television Critics Association summer tour, the network only had one show to preview: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. But followed it up that presentation with a fascinating panel of eight women executive producers. It was easily a highlight of the TCA tour so far, as the women — Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jennie Snyder Urman (Jane the Virgin), Gabrielle Stanton (The Flash), Diane Ruggiero-Wright (iZombie), Wendy Mericle (Arrow), Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals), Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries), and Laurie McCarthy (Reign) — spoke candidly but optimistically about their experiences and the importance of women on television.
“You definitely feel when you’re working at The CW like female voices and female stories are welcomed enthusiastically, and that’s great. I never feel like it’s being second-guessed in any way or that our experience is being hemmed in in any way by men. I just feel like it’s a very obviously female?friendly group,” said McKenna, on how welcoming the network is to women. Later, McCarthy echoed the statement: “I feel like [The CW executives] treat us like we’re showrunners. They don’t treat us like we’re female showrunners.”