Jamie Tarses, first female TV network entertainment head, dies at 56
Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times
Feb. 1, 2021
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BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JUNE 13: Jamie Tarses attends the Women In Film 2018 Crystal + Lucy Awards presented by Max Mara, Lancôme and Lexus at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on June 13, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Women In Film)Emma McIntyre / Getty
Jamie Tarses, who helped bring "Friends" to NBC and broke the glass ceiling in network TV when she became the top entertainment executive at ABC, died Monday after suffering complications from a cardiac event last fall. She was 56.
Jamie Tarses, who helped bring “Friends” to NBC and broke the glass ceiling in network TV when she became the top entertainment executive at ABC, died Monday after suffering complications from a cardiac event last fall. She was 56. Tarses’ death was confirmed by her family. She was among the
Twenty-five years before Peak TV, there was “Must See TV.”
During Tarses’ tenure at ABC, the network’s successes included hit sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” writer-producer Aaron Sorkin’s “Sports Night,” “The Practice” from David E. Kelley and “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place,” which introduced actor Ryan Reynolds.
Tarses left ABC in 1999 and went on to become an independent TV producer for a number of networks, turning out such shows as “Happy Endings,” “Franklin & Bash” and “My Boys.” She had a project in production for Disney+ called “The Mysterious Benedict Society.” She also produced “The Wilds” for Amazon Prime.