Jamie Tarses, Pioneering Television Executive, Dies at 56 (2024)

Jamie Tarses, the producer and groundbreaking TV executive who as president of ABC Entertainment from 1996-99 became the first woman to serve as head a network entertainment division, died Monday. She was 56.

Tarses died in Los Angeles of complications from a cardiac event suffered last fall, according to her family.

Survivors include her father, Jay Tarses, an Emmy winner who created such innovative TV shows as Buffalo Bill and The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, and her brother, Matt Tarses, who has produced series includingSports Night, Scrubs and The Goldbergs.

Tarses had recently turned 32 when she was brought to ABC in June 1996 by then-Walt Disney Co. president Michael Ovitz. At NBC, she had helped develop such hits as Friends, Mad About You, Frasier, NewsRadio and Caroline in the City as a comedy programmer under network president Warren Littlefield.

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“At a time when all of the big networks were losing young viewers, Ms. Tarses seemed to speak the language of that coveted audience,” The Wall Street Journal wrote at the time. “She had what is known in TV programming parlance as ‘taste,’ or the ability to recognize hot ideas, writers and stars.”

However, she would struggle at ABC. The sitcom Dharma & Greg,the Aaron Sorkin-created Sports Night and theDavid E. Kelley dramaThe Practice were among her few success stories; meanwhile, she became a focus of intense media scrutiny, with The New York Times Magazine notably publishing an unflattering profile of her in 1997.

Tarses resigned in August 1999 with two years left on her original contract after Disney said it was merging its Buena Vista Television production arm with the third-place network to form a new unit headed by Tarses’ then-boss Stu Bloomberg and Buena Vista chief Lloyd Braun.

Tarses said she was happy to be leaving ABC behind, and she went on to executive produce such shows as My Boys, Mad Love, Hawthorne, Mr. Sunshine, Happy Endings, Men at Work,Franklin & Bash,The Wilds andThe Mysterious Benedict Society, which debuts this year on Disney+.

“Jamie was a trailblazer in the truest sense of the word,” Karey Burke, now president of Disney’s 20th Television and before that president of ABC Entertainment, said 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. She was a mentor and friend, and many of us owe so much to her.

“As an executive and producer, she was a champion for storytellers, having been raised by one of the all-time greats. Her talent and contribution to our community will be solely missed.”

Said NBC in a statement, “We are saddened by the passing of Jamie Tarses, an architect of NBC’s Must See TV era. She was a trailblazer for women in entertainment with an unmatched vision for the potential of TV. Her legacy will endure as generations discover those legendary shows.”

Born in Pittsburgh on March 19, 1964, Sara JamesTarses was raised in Los Angeles and graduated from Williams College with a degree in theater. 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 on NBC and Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, helping shape the character of the drama’s fictional network president played by Amanda Peet.

More recently, Tarses partnered with Burke, Jim Burrows and Gavin Polone in production companies; had her own firm at Sony Pictures Television; volunteered at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; andserved on the advisory board of Young Storytellers, a nonprofit organization whose programs “highlight young people as the center of their own narratives.”

“Within a few hours of meeting her, I felt like I’d known her for years,” longtime friend and collaborator Gabrielle Allan-Greenberg said. “Jamie was always there when you needed her and valued her friendships more than anyone I know. She was brilliant, quick and curious and read everything she could. Her mind worked at an incredible pace, and she loved to challenge it.There wasn’t a puzzle, mystery or riddle she couldn’t solve, which made her a brilliant editor, storyteller and producer.She loved bringing people together, and they loved being around her. Unbelievably loyal and a champion of creativity, she loved to laugh and made everyone feel like they were the funniest person in the room.”

“Jamie had such a true love for movies, television, theater, books and ideas that both transcended her work and absolutely inspired it,” My Boys creator Betsy Thomas said. “She was the ultimate fan.”

Survivors include her partner, Paddy Aubrey, an executive chef and restaurant owner, and their children, Wyatt and Sloane; her parents,Rachel and Jay;siblings 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.

Jamie Tarses, Pioneering Television Executive, Dies at 56 (2024)

FAQs

Jamie Tarses, Pioneering Television Executive, Dies at 56? ›

Jamie Tarses, the producer and groundbreaking TV executive who as president of ABC Entertainment from 1996-99 became the first woman to serve as head a network entertainment division, died Monday. She was 56. Tarses died in Los Angeles of complications from a cardiac event suffered last fall, according to her family.

What caused Jamie Tarses' death? ›

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".

How did Jamie Tarses have a stroke? ›

Her death was confirmed by a family spokeswoman, who said the cause was “complications from a cardiac event.” She suffered a stroke in the fall and had spent a long period in a coma. Ms. Tarses (pronounced TAR-siss) broke a Hollywood glass ceiling in 1996, when she became president of ABC Entertainment.

Who was Jamie from The Wilds? ›

“Jamie Tarses was a brilliant producer, fierce friend and the best of collaborators,” Harris says. “Her passion and determined strength shaped The Wilds and brought the entire team together.”

Who was the female studio owner that died? ›

Dawn Steel, the first woman to head a major movie studio and who played a prominent role advancing other women to top jobs in Hollywood, died on Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center here. She was 51 and lived in Los Angeles. Charles Roven, Ms. Steel's husband, a film producer, said Ms.

What actress survived a stroke? ›

When actress Sharon Stone experienced a brain hemorrhage in 2001, she had to forge her own path to recovery. In the intervening 17 years, a lot more is known about how to support stroke survivors and help them overcome common obstacles—such as depression and aphasia—to a full recovery.

Who is the father of stroke? ›

Stroke was first documented by Hippocrates, the “the father of medicine” in the 5th century BC. He named the condition “apoplexy” which in Greek means “struck down by violence,” to describe a person who suddenly falls and becomes unconscious.

What leaders died from stroke? ›

Personal name as subject
  • Franklin Roosevelt.
  • Winston Churchill.
  • Joseph Stalin.

Why was The Wilds canceled? ›

As for why The Wilds was cancelled, Deadline reports that the second season didn't manage to match the buzz that the first season received, meaning its most subdued response led to its cancellation.

Is The Wilds worth watching? ›

An intriguing new series. The Wilds is marketed as a young-adult series, but it's gripping, intelligent stuff that will hold the attention of older adults much more tightly than most adult dramas do. The subject matter skews very "adult" too.

Who is the blonde girl in The Wilds? ›

Shelby appears in the facility with a bald head, although the reason for why she is bald is not made clear. Shelby wears dentures because she is missing two of her front teeth, a genetic condition. She is blonde and has long hair, about to her elbows.

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