Jamie Tarses, who broke the glass ceiling for female TV executives as the first woman to run a network entertainment division, died this morning of complications from a cardiac event she suffered last fall, according to her family. She was 56 years old.
A TV executive superstar, Tarses was instrumental in developing iconic programs like NBC Friends and Frasier and reached the height of the network programming executive ladder at age 32, becoming president of ABC Entertainment. Young and phenomenally successful, Tarses has transcended the media business to become a bona fide celebrity who was admired and examined at the same time. The enormous pressure of work and the relentless attention of the media affected his management, which Tarses followed with a second successful career as a TV producer of popular programs like ABC’s Happy endings, TBS ‘ My boys, TNT’s Franklin & Bash and Amazon Prime Video’s The Wilds.
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Tarses never regained consciousness after his event and was unable to witness the December premiere and renewal of season 2 of The Wilds or the big pre-launch buzz for The Mysterious Benedict Society, solidified by Disney’s recent decision to move the Hulu series to Disney +.
Everett
Tarses was born Sara James Tarses in Pittsburgh in 1964 and grew up in Los Angeles. Jamie and his brother, TV writer Matt Tarses, followed in the footsteps of their father, television writer Jay Tarses, pursuing a career in television.
After graduating from Williams College in 1985 with a degree in theater, Tarses got a job as an assistant at NBC’s Saturday Night Live. She went on to work as a casting director for Lorimar Productions.
In September 1987, Tarses was hired by NBC’s president of entertainment, Brandon Tartikoff, as creative affairs manager for NBC Prods., Unleashing a meteoric rise. Just three months later, in December 1987, she moved to the network as manager of the current comedy schedule, overseeing series like Cheers and A different world. In July 1988, Tarses switched to development as a comedy development manager and was promoted to director of comedy development in seven months. She was involved in developing successful series like The Cool Prince of Bel-Air, Wings and Flower.
Warner Bros. Television Group
In 1994, Tarses was promoted to SVP Primetime Series and number 2 to president of entertainment at NBC – and mentor to Tarses – Warren Littlefield. She played an important role in the development of exclusive NBC comedies like Friends, for which she receives a lot of credit; Frasier; NewsRadio; and Crazy for You.
“Jamie’s developmental skills were extraordinary,” said Littlefield. “In her days at NBC, surrounded by superstar executives, she stood out. She had the ability to make writers feel safe and get the most out of them. She fought for them. Understanding the writers’ wants and needs probably started by growing up in a home with his father, who wrote and produced comedies. She perfected this understanding by becoming a development executive. When she left NBC, we knew she would be lost, but the opportunity hit ABC. “
The rising star of the network executive caught the eye of then Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who approached Tarses in February 1996 about becoming president of ABC Entertainment while she was still under contract with NBC.
The change sparked corporate intrigue and a media storm. After months of speculation, Tarses was named president of ABC Entertainment in June 1996. At 32, she was one of the youngest executives and the first woman to be named president of entertainment for a major chain.
Courtesy of WME
The prominent position cemented Tarses’ celebrity status. It also attracted even more media attention, with its every move analyzed in the mainstream press and its personal relationships recorded in the tabloids. In this pressure environment, Tarses developed and launched a hit comedy series with Chuck Lorre’s Dharma and Greg and actor Ryan Reynolds Two guys and a girl, a successful drama with David E. Kelley The practice, and a critic’s darling with Aaron Sorkin Sports Night. (She also oversaw the launch and growth of Spin City.) But, as the ABC ratings dropped during the first year of Tarses’ term with a slate she had inherited, and with Tarses she had a hard time navigating the corporate policies required for the top job, but she remained as long as the fortunes of network was starting to improve. She resigned in 1999 after a corporate restructuring at Disney.
The turbulent end of Tarses’ impressive executive career launched her second act as a successful TV producer. In the past two decades, she has developed a series of projects that went to the pilot and more than a dozen series on her own, through her FanFare production banner, or in conjunction with high-profile producer partners.
After leaving ABC, she served as president of James Burrows’ Three Sisters Productions. She then partnered with the now 20th TV president, Karey Burke; with Gavin Polone; and, more recently, with the now head of Netflix cinema, Scott Stuber. She had general business at Universal Television, Sony Pictures Television and ABC Signature.
“Jamie was a pioneer in the truest sense of the word,” said Burke, now president of 20th Television. “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. Your talent and contribution to our community will be missed. “
ABC
The Tarses executive production series includes comedies Happy endings, the mayor and Mister Sunshine for ABC; Crazy Love, created by his brother Matt, and Made in Jersey for CBS; marry me for NBC; My boys and Man at work for TBS as well as Hawthorne and Franklin & Bash at TNT.
After a decade and a half producing for traditional networks, Tarses made Champaign, ILL on YouTube, his third collaboration with creator David Caspe after Happy endings and Marry me.
Tarses recently reinvented itself as the producer of the streaming series YA with Amazon Prime Video’s The Wilds and the next Disney + The Mysterious Benedict Society. She also returned to work with My boys creator Betsy Thomas for Beth and Sam, a half-hour comedy with a single camera produced by Jim Parsons, which is in the works at HBO Max.
“Jamie had such a true love for films, television, theater, books and ideas that he transcended his work and absolutely inspired him,” said Thomas. “She was the biggest fan.”
Years after developing and giving the green light to Sorkin’s first TV series, Sports night, Tarses served as a consultant on his NBC drama series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It featured the character Jordan McDeere, head of the fictional network NBS and played by Amanda Peet, who was loosely based on Tarses.
In a rare interview with Los Angeles Times 14 years ago, Tarses acknowledged that the drama accurately portrayed the world of the executive ranks of the TV network during his 11-year tenure, where, in “certain areas”, there were “mainly men and only one woman”.
Whether she was making her way as the only executive in the room or producing shows, Tarses remained a “genuine fan of the medium”, in her own words.
“I love television, I really do,” she said.
Tarses leaves his partner, Paddy Aubrey; their children, Wyatt and Sloane; his parents, Jay Tarses and Rachel Tarses; and his brothers Matt Tarses and Mallory Tarses, his sister-in-law Katie Tarses, three nieces and a nephew.
“Despite all his talent and success in entertainment, Jamie was more proud and more interested in his two children,” said Matt Tarses, with whom Jamie collaborated frequently. “She was never happier than when she was with Wyatt and Sloane.”
In addition to his career and family life, Tarses was also actively involved in many charitable organizations, including Step Up, Young Storytellers and Save the Children. She also spent many years volunteering at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
At the request of the family, donations can be made to Young Storytellers at http://www.youngstorytellers.com.