You've probably heard both of these titles before. You've even seen the "Created By" credit on every single TV show you've ever seen.
And yet, the "showrunner" title, an arguably more important role in the day to day functioning of a TV show, is nowhere to be seen.
So, I want to talk about what these two TV writing roles actually mean, when they refer to the same person, and when they're completely different people.
And we'll start with the...
Creator
The creator of a TV show is the one writer who had the initial concept for that show. They are likely the one who originally pitched it, and chauffeured it through the development process.
So, what is an initial concept for a show? Generally, this means they came up with the basic plot, characters, and tone.
Sometimes, though not always, they're also the one who writes the pilot script.
This is very different from the...
Showrunner
The showrunner is one of the executive producers, and is the person running the writers' room, making the decisions about props and set decoration, editing, and really managing the creative output of the entire show.
Now, most of the time, at least for the first few seasons, the creator becomes the showrunner. For example, Vince Gilligan is both the creator of Breaking Bad and worked as the showrunner for all of its seasons.
However, there are other shows that last so long that the original showrunner moves on to other projects. For example, Shonda Rhimes was the creator and then showrunner of Grey's Anatomy for almost ten years before moving on and passing the baton to Krista Vernoff.
There are further examples of creators who never get to be showrunners. The TV series Lost was originally created by Jeffrey Lieber. He even wrote a script before getting fired. The pilot was then re-tooled by the eventual showrunners, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, as well as JJ Abrams.
Therefore, Lieber gets a "Created By" credit on every episode, and the money that comes along with it, while having nothing to do with the show.
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