We constantly hear about power producers Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy or Chuck Lorre but sneaking ahead of these heavyweights has been Greg Berlanti, who in the last few years has become the king of The CW and has now expanded his reach to other networks. Last May, Berlanti and his Berlanti Productions set a new record for most series on the air at the same time with 14 live-action scripted shows. The number went up to 15 a couple of months later — all dramas and 10 of them on broadcast.
A year later, Berlanti Prods., which Berlanti runs with President Sarah Schechter, went 3-for-3 with its pilots, with dramas Prodigal Son for Fox and the CW’s Batwoman and Katy Keene all scoring series pickups. That brings Berlanti Prods.’ tally to 18 series which is a new high mark for most series on the air at the same time. Additionally, Berlanti Prods. controls more than half of The CW’s original scripted series portfolio with nine of the network’s 17 shows.
To put it in perspective, here is a full list of the shows that Greg Berlanti is behind:
All American,Arrow, Black Lightning, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Riverdale,Supergirl, Batwoman and Katy Keene for the CW; Blindspot for NBC; Prodigal Son for Fox; God Friended Me (and The Red Line) for CBS;Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and You for Netflix; and Titans, Stargirl and Doom Patrol for the DC Universe digital service.
The amazing thing about Berlanti’s success is that last year only one of his shows didn’t go to series and the three of them made it to air (All American, God Friended Me & The Red Line). Since the premiere of The Red Line, CBS has rebranded it as an “Event Series” and its fate hasn’t been decided but even if that show bites the dust, that leaves him with 17 shows, which is still a record. Berlanti has certainly tapped into formulas that work and they extend beyond his development of the superhero lineup on The CW. He has developed a broad range of shows that may prove to grow more diverse with each growing season.
