What's the hardest job of a showrunner?
Advice from a TV writer/showrunner
On a TV show, the showrunner is the head writer and executive producer. They determine what stories are going to be told and how to tell them. They are responsible for every creative decision on the show: music, wardrobe, guest cast, final editing cut, pacing, etc.
They may delegate many of these decisions, but ultimately, they call the shots. In TV, even the director answers to the showrunner.
My writing partner and I have run three shows. We divide some of our responsibilities to lighten the load load. We can do that because we're a writing team. Honestly, I don’t know how single writers do it alone. The workload and pressure is enormous.
Given that showrunners have so many creative responsibilities and have to wear so many hats, what’s the hardest part of the job?