Jamie Tarses, who helped bring "Friends" to NBC and broke the glass ceiling in network TV when she became the top entertainment executive at ABC, died Monday after suffering complications from. [10][11] From 1996 to 1999, she was president of ABC Entertainment. We will miss her greatly.. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, How NBCs Must See TV risk takers of the 90s are still launching groundbreaking TV. William Morris Endeavor, the agency that represented Tarses, paid tribute toher in a statement to USA TODAY. The audience laughs. Upstart broadcast competitors the scrappy Fox, UPN, the WB were siphoning young adult viewers away from the US Big Three networks. Disney had just acquired the company for $19 billion from Capital-Cities/ABC, and the Disney people, including its chairman and C.E.O., Michael Eisner, who had once been an executive at ABC, had no real blueprint for how to get the failing network to No. ''I actually like this part,'' she says by phone from her temporary offices at ABC near Lincoln Center. Gossip swirled in Hollywood that she solved the problem by claiming that she had been sexually harassed by Don Ohlmeyer, a senior NBC executive. Her ascension to said power was uncommonly fast. Jamie Tarses, who helped bring Friends to NBC and broke the glass ceiling in network TV when she became the top entertainment executive at ABC, died Monday after suffering complications from a cardiac event last fall. She graduated from Massachusetts Williams College in 1985 with a degree in theater, and quickly scored a low-profile job as an assistant on Saturday Night Live, followed by a stint as casting director for Lorimar Productions. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. ''It's up against the birth of the baby on 'Mad About You' '' -- the NBC hit that helped push ''Roseanne'' off its Tuesday-night perch. In a statement, 20th Television president Karey Burke said, Jamie was a trailblazer in the truest sense of the word. Her father is veteran TV producer Jay Tarses, who created such shows as The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd. Her brother, Matt, is also a writer-producer. . She gave an early voice to some of the industrys most prolific storytellers, and boldly led ABC at a time when the industry saw very few women in leadership roles, Dana Walden, Chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television, said in a statement. Not only Jamie Tarses worries. Shows get less of a chance and executives get less of a chance. Jamie Tarses, who in 1996 became the first woman to serve as entertainment president of a broadcast network, died on Monday. Eisner's standard was always something like ''Happy Days'' during the 70's, because that's when he worked at ABC. Michael Ovitz, the polarising former power agent, had become Disneys president. But Harbert was a loyal company man, and he adapted. They had not thought as much of her presentation of the schedule as she thought. What lawsuit? Despite her tinkering, Tarses is pleased with ''Hiller and Diller. So how She smiles, stands up and makes her way down some rather steep stairs to a podium on the right of the stage. ''Wednesday night at 10 is key,'' Harbert explains. There was, already, a certain nervousness about her. The Cast of 'Hanging with Mr. Cooper:' Where Are They Now? Watch TV.'' Paramount to pay $122.5 million to settle lawsuit over CBS deal. Some things are systemic problems with ABC. ''We should do something to start building up to the last 'Roseanne,' '' Bader says. Jamie Tarses attends a 1998 screening of From The Earth To The Moon in Century City, California. Friends, which she had helped develop, was the envy of every network. '', See the article in its original context from. A young, female executive arrives in the mens locker room that was broadcast television in the 1990s and snaps a few towels of her own, working with writers to shape juggernaut comedies such as Mad About You and Friends. 2. ''Maybe at some point that part's going to start. ''I'm just kidding. With regard to Tarses' often-stated desire to create a network identity for ABC that is younger, more urban, hipper, he says, somewhat surprisingly: ''Jamie doesn't really know. Despite her age and reputation, Tarses did not develop any particularly daring pilots: there were no potentially groundbreaking shows like ''Seinfeld'' or ''The X-Files.'' She was a mentor and friend, and many of us owe so much to her. The scene is then played again, only slower or faster or with a line punched up or a reading a shade warmer. 2 in the entertainment division, she was responsible for urban-hip hits like ''Caroline in the City,'' ''Mad About You'' and most of all ''Friends'' -- are saying she is not up to being a president. ''My father hated executives,'' Tarses says one afternoon, piloting her Range Rover to a taping of ''Hiller and Diller,'' an ABC comedy pilot that looks particularly promising. What's wrong? [23][24][25], Tarses married DreamWorks SKG television executive Dan McDermott in 1993. The newest ABC star-to-be, Jenna Elfman, from ''Dharma and Greg,'' wanders by and embraces Tarses. The constant hum of criticism has clearly got to Tarses. "Jamie was a pioneer in every sense, breaking the glass ceiling of the television industry, and embodying the passion and tenacity that made her someone who was always ahead of her time. Tarses died of complications from a previous cardiac event on Monday, according to numerous outlets, who cited a statement from her family. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Agents and studio heads and prominent producers and even employees of the Walt Disney Company, ABC's parent corporation, have been predicting Tarses' fall from the moment she got the job in June of last year. True or not, it's history. [26] Tarses also dated Robert Morton, executive producer of Late Show with David Letterman. Even so, Tarses was criticised at times as showing poor judgment. ABC was a snake pit in those days, said Jon Mandel, who ran MediaCom, a television ad-buying agency. ABC badly needed fresh hit shows and Tarses, who had worked at NBC, had a reputation for serving up a steady supply especially zeitgeist-tapping sitcoms. As Tarses enters, she is greeted by her comedy staff -- Carolyn Ginsburg and Suzanne Bukinik and her newest employee, Rob Dwek, who was just announced as Tarses' new No. She unabashedly loved television and was an executive who made writers feel safe and heard. CNNs Sandra Gonzalez contributed to this report. In the new show, Tarses explains, Roseanne will be a single mom who relocates to Las Vegas and moves in with a black comedian named Simply Mahvelous. She was the ultimate fan. ''Good,'' Valentine says, ever withholding. After leaving ABC, Tarses worked on several other series over the years, including Happy Endings and most recently Amazon's The Wilds. ''I know that people are gunning for Jamie. Sitting at the dinner table in Woodland Hills, a San Fernando Valley suburb of Los Angeles, Jamie would dissect her father's scripts and critique his jokes. ''What would the premise be?'' Watch TV.''. At NBC, Tarses had forged close relationships with writers and producers and was thought to be brilliant at fixing and polishing a script. '', At least publicly, Iger is, at this point -- just months before bringing in Bloomberg above her -- a huge supporter of Tarses. She fought hard for her shows -- lobbying successfully for ''Friends'' when the network failed to see its potential, picking up ''Third Rock From the Sun'' when ABC didn't put it on the air. Anyone can read what you share. She parks outside the sound stage in Burbank where ''Hiller and Diller'' is taping. Jamie Tarses, who in 1996 became the first woman to serve as entertainment president of a broadcast network, died on Monday. Jamie Tarses attends the Women In Film 2018 Crystal + Lucy Award at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.Credit:Getty, Karey Burke, who ran ABC from 2018 to 2020 and is now president of 20th Television, a leading TV studio, said of Tarses in a statement: She shattered stereotypes and ideas about what a female executive could achieve and paved the way for others, at a cost to herself.. He has the confidence of a man who is accustomed to good fortune. So were cable channels. She worries about who's saying what. In addition to her brother, Matt, Tarses is survived by her partner, Paddy Aubrey, a chef and restaurateur; their two children, Wyatt and Sloane; her parents; and a sister, Mallory Tarses, a teacher and fiction writer. Jamie Tarses, the first woman to run a network entertainment division, died Monday morning due to complications from a cardiac event she suffered last fall. She accepted, but some of the fizz had gone out of it all. She thought little of that talk. [25] [29] Filmography [ edit] TV series [ edit] 1985-1986: Saturday Night Live - Production staff (18 episodes) [29] ''It won't take them to the top of the ratings, but they helped themselves with this schedule. We've received your submission. Iger can leave her alone for only so long. ''We're $(expletive$),'' she says. The family moved to suburban Los Angeles, where her father became a successful sitcom writer (first on The Bob Newhart Show). Nealon is a responsible dad, with a loving blond wife and three precocious children, one, age 10 or so, reminiscent of Jamie (a brainy kid who tells her dad how to structure his jokes). Her cause of death is stated to be complications from a cardiac event. ''This is the first time since I've taken this job that people, on the whole, were impressed. Unlike Harbert, Tarses lacked management skills. ''Bob'' is Robert A. Iger, the president of ABC Inc. and Tarses' boss, and he has faxed her about a man who swallowed a fish and died -- wouldn't this make a great premise for a mini-series? departure stemmed from a corporate reorganization that essentially demoted Bader looks surprised. It's another afternoon in May, and Tarses is trying to deal with the usual array of job-threatening problems. Tarses and her staff arrive on May 10 for a series of crucial meetings. Even decades after she had left ABC, Ms. Tarses continued to serve as a lightning rod in Hollywood. ''You know what looked good?'' It's April 3, six weeks before the announcement of ABC's fall '97 schedule, and Tarses, wearing a black suit with a blue shirt, is engulfed by a black leather chair behind a very cluttered desk in her office, which looks out over the Century Plaza Hotel. ''TV Is Good'' is a huge departure for ABC, a message likely to be lost on its rural, heartland base. She left ABC with one popular sitcom, Dharma & Greg, and one comedy that was a hit with critics, Aaron Sorkins Sports Night. . ''In one split second everything changed,'' she says. "She was never happier than when she was with Wyatt and Sloane. Ari Emanuel lets his AI alter ego open Endeavors earnings call, WGA chief negotiator David Young replaced due to illness ahead of key talks with studios, WGA asks members to vote on key demands in bargaining with studios. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call Her most recent credits include "The Wilds" (2020) onAmazon and "The Mysterious Benedict Society" (2021) onDisney+. Several television pilots failed but she ultimately found a few modest hits, including My Boys, a comedy created by Ms. Thomas and centred on a female sportswriter, and Happy Endings, a sitcom that dusted off the Friends formula. In 1996, Michael Ovitz recruited Tarses to be president of ABCs entertainment division, making her the first woman to hold that title. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. [2], Tarses had a stroke in the fall of 2020, spent time in a coma, and then died in Los Angeles on February 1, 2021, at age 56 from what a family spokesperson called "complications of a cardiac event". That automatically created jealousy and resentment., Yes, she made mistakes. ABC was a snake pit in those days, said Jon Mandel, who ran MediaCom, a television ad-buying agency. Even the speed with which ABC lost confidence in her isn't all that surprising. In 1996, about 49 percent of prime-time viewers watched ABC, CBS or NBC, down from roughly 74 percent a decade earlier, according to Nielsen data. It is not a surprise that the producer has accumulated a net worth of multi-million dollars. She had shepherded the cuddly Mad About You and the neurotic Frasier to NBCs prime-time lineup. By the end, ABC had changed 13 hours out of a 22-hour schedule. FRIENDS executive Jamie Tarses has died at just 56 after reportedly suffering from complications following a cardiac event. But she was under contract at NBC. Tarses had made it through scheduling and then a meeting with the affiliates in Florida. In June 1996, at just age 32, Tarses became the first woman to be named entertainment president at a major network when she took the role at ABC. Network entertainment presidents are in charge of promos, which advertise the network and its shows. You will be charged Weeks later, when the network announces that a 47-year-old ABC executive named Stuart Bloomberg will become chairman of ABC Entertainment -- will be put in charge of Tarses and loom as an invitation for her to leave -- she will seem almost relieved. She joined NBC in 1987 in the current comedy programming division (shows already on the air), where she monitored scripts for shows like Cheers and A Different World, starring Lisa Bonet. He was pursuing this plan with Robert Morton, the longtime executive producer of Letterman's show. We will miss her greatly.. Jamie Tarses, the first woman to run a network entertainment division, died Monday morning due to complications from a cardiac event she suffered last fall. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. ''You'd think a company this big could end this,'' Tarses says of the article, sounding despondent. Jamie Tarses was the first woman to be made president of a network's entertainment division (NBC) and the youngest--she was a huge driving force behind the success of "Friends" and "Mad About You." Despite her awful hairdo in this photo, she was quite attractive, and had affairs with TV stars like Matthew Perry and Ryan Reynolds. She realizes now, she says, that the town believes that she will not even be able to program her own fall schedule, that she'll put her shows in front of Eisner and Iger and they'll do the scheduling. And they have to negotiate, deftly, the perilous maze that is the TV business -- knowing whom to stroke, when to give up, how to say one thing and then, the following day, precisely the opposite. Tarses attended Williams College in Massachusetts, studying play structure and receiving a theatre degree in 1985. But from the start, Tarses was faced with many in Hollywood looking to tear her down be it rivals jealous of her age, or the sexism that persists today but was still rampant in 1996. He is on crutches and has a bandaged foot, having slipped on the sidewalk outside Spago last night. She perfected that understanding as she became a development exec.. He would say that they were hateful, horrible people who should be shot on sight.. She picks at her grilled tuna, repeats dutifully that she looks forward to the new arrangement, but spends most of the night talking about a future that has nothing to do with being a network entertainment president. All Rights Reserved. [7], After graduating from college, Tarses became an assistant to the talent executive on the 19851986 season of Saturday Night Live. Vicious infighting ensued in what The Wall Street Journal later deemed a case study in dysfunctional corporate relationships.. Sara James Tarses was an American television producer and television studio executive. A Disney+ series, The Mysterious Benedict Society, which Tarses worked on as an executive producer is expected to premiere later this year. Tarses was a television executive who developed and worked. Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different? People said she was simply setting up her boyfriend, that she wanted him around for reassurance. Valentine, who is smart and is responsible for the biggest hit on ABC, ''Home Improvement,'' is said to have problems with Tarses, to think she is unfit for her job. To ABC, Tarses represented youth and, more important, a key to the secrets of NBC, the No. Writer: The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd. Some things are her fault. ''. Tarses was the wunderkind who was behind much of NBC's "Must See TV" success, including "Friends" and "Frasier" and she came from TV royalty, as her father Jay Tarses is a well-known TV. Tarses soon after she was appointed president of ABC Entertainment in 1996. And still, if they succeed it's something of a losing battle: network viewer erosion is inevitable. Tarses served as manager of current comedy programming where she oversaw series such as Cheers and A Different World before she continued to earn various promotions, eventually becoming involved in the development of series such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Blossom, the outlet reported. But she was under contract at NBC. Be daring. Every network longs for NBC's Thursday- night ''Friends''-''Seinfeld''-''E.R.'' Even so, Ms. Tarses faced extreme challenges. Tarses issued a news release saying that she thought highly of Bloomberg and looked forward to working with him. Her hair, a mass of curls that falls past her shoulders, is piled up on her head like a corona. At NBC she had served up a steady supply of hit sitcoms, including Mad About You, Frasier and Friends.. Last year, Eisner, who is very hard to please, beat Harbert up about his chosen shows. 'Grace Under Fire' isn't performing, and to go naked into both Tuesday and Wednesday night next season really scares me,'' Tarses says. ", Women:50 most powerful women in entertainment, In 1996, Tarses was appointed president of ABC Entertainment, one of the youngest executives to lead a large network entertainment division. In 1998, ABC hosted more than 100 television critics and entertainment journalists from across the United States at a promotional event in Pasadena, Calif. ABC stars were also invited, including a young Ryan Reynolds, then appearing on a sitcom called Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. As the evening wore on, reporters witnessed Ms. Tarses and Mr. Reynolds go outside and become amorous. In 1996, about 49 per cent of prime-time viewers watched ABC, CBS or NBC, down from roughly 74 percent a decade earlier, according to Nielsen data. He is also the author of three books about television, including a biography of pioneer talk show host and producer David Susskind. she asks, regaining her equilibrium. Michael Eisner, the head of Disney, needed to be reassured in the wake of the sexual-harassment leak, and is said to have never been fully convinced that Tarses belonged at ABC. She had smarts, drive, family connections, money, the mentor everyone wished they had, very good looks, absolutely everything going for her, Mr. Mandel said. 1 network. I could have envisioned it going on another day, in which case I would have blown my brains out. Thomas Gibson and Jenna Elfman in 1998 in Dharma & Greg, a popular sitcom that Ms. Tarses developed at ABC. I've got a billion brain cells. And she is not wrong to be worried. After quitting ABC in 1999, Ms. Tarses avoided the spotlight and remade herself as a producer. But I put her in that job because I believe she has taste that's consistent with what this company would expect and stand for. She was the president of ABC Entertainment from 1996 to 1999, the firs. (Neither Ohlmeyer nor Tarses will discuss the allegations for the record.) The piece portrayed Tarses as a nervous girl who swung erratically between arrogance and insecurity. It's all new.' Look, he needs the schedule to work. Legal experts weigh in, ChatGPT who? She was a mentor and friend, and many of us owe so much to her., Jamies creative genius sparked culture-defining shows that have spanned decades. He is tall and handsome and has a steady, focused gaze. Tarses death was confirmed by her family. They have three children. Whether or not the charges were true, Tarses' timing smacked of opportunism. Her death was confirmed by a family spokeswoman, who said the cause was "complications from a cardiac. Bader asks. She was a hands-on, deeply involved producer who just so totally got my voice and my sense of humor, Ms. Thomas said. But their job descriptions overlapped, and in January of this year Harbert decided to exercise his six-month option. A Warner Bros. Tarses was involved in various charitable organizations, including Young Storytellers, which reaches out to youths by promoting the power of storytelling. Vicious infighting ensued, what The Wall Street Journal later deemed a case study in dysfunctional corporate relationships.. The Walt Disney Company had purchased ABC, unfettered access for an 8,000-word cover story. ''He was fun to play with. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Tom Sizemore puts on brave face in his final red carpet appearance, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dead at 61 after brain aneurysm, Coley Laffoon honors late ex-wife Anne Heche in birthday post to son, Forensic expert doubts homicide claims from Aaron Carters mother. We're going to move on.' It's just business with them. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Such was the show business life of Jamie Tarses, who died on Monday in Los Angeles at 56. Our hearts go out to her family during this difficult time and we honor her legacy.. Brandon Tartikoff, NBCs much-admired entertainment chief, became her mentor. Tarses walked into a mess at ABC. Alas, her reign at NBC would only last 11 months. Less than 24 hours after dining with her parents and Morton, Tarses got the news that Bloomberg was being brought in above her. She had invented a new. Sara James Tarses (March 16, 1964 February 1, 2021) was an American television producer and television studio executive.
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