She served as president of ABC Entertainment from 1996-99 after helping to develop hits like ‘Friends’, ‘Mad About You’ and ‘Frasier’ on NBC.
Jamie Tarses, the producer and innovative TV executive who, as president of ABC Entertainment from 1996-99, became the first woman to head a network entertainment division, died on Monday. She was 56 years old.
Tarses died in Los Angeles of complications from a cardiac event last fall, according to his family.
Survivors include his father, Jay Tarses, an Emmy winner who created innovative TV shows like Buffalo Bill and The days and nights of Molly Doddand his brother, Matt Tarses, who produced series including Sports night, Scrubs and The Goldbergs.
Tarses had recently turned 32 when it was brought to ABC in June 1996 by then-president of Walt Disney Co. Michael Ovitz. At NBC, she helped develop successes like Friends, Crazy for You, Frasier, NewsRadio and Caroline in the city as a comedy programmer under the command of network president Warren Littlefield.
“At a time when all major networks were losing young viewers, Ms. Tarses seemed to speak the language of that coveted audience,” Wall Street Newspaper wrote at the time. “She had what is known in TV programming jargon as ‘taste’ or the ability to recognize ideas, writers and hot stars.”
However, she would have difficulties at ABC. The sitcom Dharma and Greg, created by Aaron Sorkin Sports night and the drama of David E. Kelley The practice they were among his few success stories; however, it has become a focus of intense media analysis, with The New York Times Magazine notably posting an unflattering profile of her in 1997.
Tarses resigned in August 1999 with two years remaining from his original contract after Disney said it was merging its production arm Buena Vista Television with the third place network to form a new unit headed by Stu Bloomberg, then head of Tarses, and Lloyd, head of Buena Vista Braun.
Tarses said she was happy to leave ABC behind and executive produced programs like My boys, Crazy Love, Hawthorne, Mister Sunshine, Happy endings, Man at work, Franklin & Bash, The Wilds and The Mysterious Benedict Society, which debuts this year on Disney +.
“Jamie was a pioneer in the truest sense of the word,” said Karey Burke, now president of Disney’s 20th Television and before that president of ABC Entertainment, in a statement. “She broke stereotypes and ideas about what an executive could achieve and paved the way for others, at a cost to herself. She was a mentor and friend, and many of us owe her a lot.
“As an executive and producer, she was a champion of storytellers, having been created by one of the greatest names of all time. Her talent and contribution to our community will be missed.”
Born in Pittsburgh on March 19, 1964, Sara James Tarses was raised in Los Angeles and graduated in theater from Williams College. She started out as a talent executive with Saturday Night Live in 1985 and worked as a casting director for Lorimar Productions before Brandon Tartikoff hired her as an NBC executive in 1987.
In 2006-07, she served as a consultant to NBC and Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, helping to shape the character of the president of the fictional network of the drama played by Amanda Peet.
More recently, Tarses has partnered with Burke, Jim Burrows and Gavin Polone in production companies; he had his own company on Sony Pictures Television; was a volunteer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and served on the advisory board of Young Storytellers, a non-profit organization whose programs “highlight young people as the center of their own narratives”.
“A few hours after meeting her, I felt like I had known her for years,” said longtime friend and collaborator Gabrielle Allan-Greenberg. “Jamie was always there when you needed her and valued your friendships more than anyone I know. She was brilliant, quick and curious and read everything she could. Her mind worked at an incredible rate and she loved to challenge it. t a puzzle, mystery or riddle that she couldn’t solve, which made her a brilliant editor, storyteller and producer. She loved getting people together and they loved being around them. Incredibly loyal and champion of creativity, she loved to laugh and made everyone feel like the funniest person in the room. “
“Jamie had such a love for films, television, theater, books and ideas that he transcended his work and absolutely inspired him,” My boys creator Betsy Thomas said. “She was the final fan.”
Survivors include his partner, Paddy Aubrey, an executive chef and restaurant owner, and his children, Wyatt and Sloane; her parents, Rachel and Jay; brothers Mallory and Matt; sister-in-law Katie Tarses; and three nieces and a nephew.
Donations can be made to young storytellers.
Chris Gardner contributed to this report.