Jamie Tarses, who broke the glass ceiling for female TV executives as the first woman to run a network entertainment division, passed away this morning from complications from a heart condition she contracted last fall, her family said. She was 56.
Tarses, a superstar TV manager, was instrumental in developing iconic shows like NBC’s Friends and Frasier and peaked the executive ladder of network programming at the age of 32 and became president of ABC Entertainment. Young and phenomenally successful, Tarses transcends the media business to become a bona fide celebrity who is both admired and scrutinized. The enormous workload and relentless media attention took their toll on her tenure, which followed Tarses with a successful second career as a TV producer on popular shows like ABC’s. Happy endings, TBS ‘ My boys, TNTs Franklin & Bash and Amazon Prime Videos The Wilds.
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Tarses never regained consciousness after her event and was unable to witness the breakthrough debut in December and the Season 2 renewal of The Wilds or the great pre-launch buzz for that The Mysterious Benedict Society, solidified with Disney’s recent decision to move the series from Hulu to Disney +.
Everett
Tarses was born Sara James Tarses in Pittsburgh in 1964 and grew up in Los Angeles. Both Jamie and her brother, TV writer Matt Tarses, followed in the footsteps of their father, TV writer Jay Tarses, by pursuing careers in television.
After graduating from Williams College with a degree in theater in 1985, Tarses landed 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 President of Entertainment Brandon Tartikoff as manager, creative affairs for NBC Prods., Causing a meteoric rise. Just three months later, in December 1987, she joined the network as the manager of current comedy programming, overseeing such series as cheers and An other world. In July 1988, Tarses had transitioned into development as the manager of comedy development and within seven months was promoted to director of comedy development. She was involved in the development of hit series like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Wings and Blossom.
Warner Bros. Television Group
In 1994, Tarses was promoted to SVP Primetime Series and No. 2 to NBC’s entertainment chairman – and Tarses’ mentor – Warren Littlefield. She was instrumental in the development of such signature NBC comedies as Friends, for which she receives much praise; Frasier; NewsRadio; and Crazy about you.
“Jamie’s development skills were extraordinary,” said Littlefield. “In her NBC days, surrounded by superstars, she stood out. She had the ability to make writers feel safe and get the best out of them. She fought for them. Understanding the wants and needs of writers probably started by growing up in a household with her father who wrote and produced comedies. She perfected that understanding when she became a development manager. When she left NBC we knew she was going to be missed, but the odds were right with ABC. “
The rising star network director caught the attention of then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who approached Tarses in February 1996 to become president of ABC Entertainment while still under contract to NBC.
The move sparked business intrigue and a media storm. After months of speculation, Tarses was named president of ABC Entertainment in June 1996. At the age of 32 she was one of them the youngest executives and the first woman to be named entertainment president for a major network.
Thanks to WME
The high profile position cemented Tarses’ celebrity status. It also brought more media attention, with every move of her being scrutinized in the mainstream press and her personal relationships chronicled in the tabloids. In that pressure cooker environment, Tarses developed and launched hit comedy series with Chuck Lorre’s Dharma and Greg and the Ryan Reynolds lead role Two boys and a girl, a hit drama with David E. Kelley’s The exercise, and a critical darling with Aaron Sorkin Sports evening. (She also oversaw the launch and growth of Spin CityBut while ABC’s ratings fell during the first year of Tarses’ tenure with a slate she inherited, and with Tarses having a hard time navigating the corporate politics required for the top job, it kept going as the fortune of the network began to improve. She resigned in 1999 after a Disney corporate restructuring.
The turbulent end of Tarses’ distinguished performing career launched her second act as a successful TV producer. Over the past two decades, she developed a slew of projects that progressed to the pilot and over a dozen series on her own, through her production banner FanFare, or in conjunction with cutting-edge production partners.
After leaving ABC, she served as president of James Burrows’ Three Sisters Productions. She then teamed up with the now 20th TV president Karey Burke; with Gavin Polone; and, more recently, with now Netflix film chef Scott Stuber. She had general deals with 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 a female executive could achieve, and paved the way for others at the expense of herself. She was a mentor and friend, and many of us owe her so much. As an executive and producer, she was a champion of storytelling, raised by one of the greatest greats of all time. Her talent and contribution to our community will only be missed. “
ABC
The series that Tarses executive produced includes comedies Happy Endings, the mayor and Mr. Sunshine for ABC; Crazy Love, created by her brother Matt, and Made in jersey for CBS; Marry me for NBC; My boys and Men at work for TBS, as well Hawthorne and Franklin & Bash at TNT.
After producing for traditional networks for a decade and a half, Tarses did Champaign, ILL on YouTube, her third collaboration with creator David Caspe after that Happy endings and Marry me.
Tarses recently reinvented herself as a producer of YA streaming series with Amazon Prime Videos The Wilds and Disney + is coming The Mysterious Benedict Society. She also collaborated again with My boys creator Betsy Thomas Beth and Sam, a half-hour comedy executive produced by Jim Parsons, who is in the works at HBO Max.
“Jamie had such a passion for movies, television, theater, books and ideas that both transcended her work and absolutely inspired it,” said Thomas. “She was the ultimate fan.”
Years after developing and giving the green light to Sorkin’s first TV series, Sports evening, Tarses served as a consultant on his NBC drama series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It featured the character Jordan McDeere, the head of the fictional network NBS and played by Amanda Peet, which was loosely based on Tarses.
In a rare interview with the Los Angeles Times 14 years ago, Tarses acknowledged that the drama accurately portrayed the world of network TV executives during her 11-year managerial tenure, where in “certain areas” there were “mostly men and only one woman.”
Whether she was pioneering as the only female manager in the room or producing shows, Tarses remained a ‘true fan of the medium’, in her own words.
“I like television, I really do,” she said.
Tarses is survived by her partner, Paddy Aubrey; their children, Wyatt and Sloane; her parents, Jay Tarses and Rachel Tarses; and her siblings Matt Tarses and Mallory Tarses, her sister-in-law Katie Tarses, three nieces and a nephew.
“Despite all of her talent and success in entertainment, her two children were the most proud of Jamie,” said Matt Tarses, with whom Jamie often worked. “She was never happier than when she was with Wyatt and Sloane.”
In addition to her career and personal life, Tarses has also been actively involved in many charitable organizations, including Step Up, Young Storytellers and Save the Children. She also volunteered at Cedars Sinai Medical Center for many years.
Donations can be made to Young Storytellers at http://www.youngstorytellers.com at the family’s request.