He put on ''Home Improvement'' and created ''T.G.I.F.,'' ABC's successful Friday-night family block of shows. ), After graduating from Williams College, she started her career in 1985 as an assistant at "Saturday Night Live" andmoved to NBC Entertainment two years later, where she helped developiconic TV shows including "Friends" and "Mad About You. ''I didn't get Wednesday night at 10, and ABC will be blocked from being a very successful network until they launch another 10 P.M. hit. During the 1996-97 season only 49 percent of prime-time viewers watched the big three, down from 73.5 percent in 1986. Jamie Tarses was the first woman to be made president of a network's entertainment division (NBC) and the youngest--she was a huge driving force behind the success of "Friends" and "Mad About You." Despite her awful hairdo in this photo, she was quite attractive, and had affairs with TV stars like Matthew Perry and Ryan Reynolds. [2], She served on the board of directors and the advisory board of directors for Young Storytellers, an arts education nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles. ''Wednesday night at 10 is key,'' Harbert explains. Tarses was born into the industry as the daughter of famed comedy writer-producer . There is something distinctly feline about her. Her talent and contribution to our community will be solely missed.. '', The Men in Tarses' Life: Ovitz, Morton and Harbert. Jamie Tarses Remembered by Industry Execs as a Pioneer - Variety She seems to trust no one and is tense nearly all the time. Robert Iger, who had also recommended Tarses, was supportive of the choice. Jamie Tarses, who became the first woman to head a major network entertainment division during a tumultuous run in the 1990s at ABC, died Monday of complications from a cardiac event last fall, her family confirmed. ''I didn't want to be out of the creative process and just do scheduling and promotion, and she didn't just want to do creative,'' he says. 'The Last Don.' Jamie Tarses attends a 1998 screening of From The Earth To The Moon in Century City, California. 1 network. ABC badly needed fresh hit shows, and Ms. Tarses, who had worked at NBC, had a reputation for serving up a steady supply especially zeitgeist-tapping sitcoms. [2], 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". Jamie Tarses, trailblazing TV executive, dead at 56 | CNN Hollywood's culture of abusive men goes on - New York Post Talking this spring with Iger about Tarses, he seems supportive but vague about her. Tarses became president of ABC Entertainment in 1996, following a successful run as a comedy development executive at NBC, where she participated in the launch of Friends, Frasier and other popular sitcoms during the networks Must-See TV heyday. You have to be so clear on what that network sensibility is that if you wake up your most junior employee at 2 A.M. and say, 'What is this network about?' Tarses interrupts herself. Whether Tarses' style bothered Harbert is hard to say. ''She forgets that I'm her boss.''. She suffered a stroke late last year and had spent a long period in a coma. ''I'm wearing my 'Up With Jamie' button,'' he says. She had what is known in TV programming parlance as taste, or the ability to recognize hot ideas, writers and stars.. Some things are just goofs. He is a writer and producer, known for The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (1987), Teen Wolf (1985) and Open All Night (1981). Tarses preferred the creative process of production over the jockeying necessary to get ahead in the network hierarchy. ''We break Roseanne and Dan up, we get them together -- nobody cares.''. Michael Eisner, the head of Disney, needed to be reassured in the wake of the sexual-harassment leak, and is said to have never been fully convinced that Tarses belonged at ABC. Bader nods. ABC stars were also invited, including a young Ryan Reynolds, then appearing on a sitcom called Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. He talks, but she doesn't seem to hear. That was when, through her boyfriend, Morton, she began talking to Ovitz. She was 56. What she didn't realize was how much she needed him. Survivors include her partner, Paddy Aubrey, and their two children. Even decades after she had left ABC, Ms. Tarses continued to serve as a lightning rod in Hollywood. The work is a blast. Jamie had a remarkable ability to engage writers to understand their twisted, dark, joyful, brilliant complexity and really speak their language and help them achieve their creative goals, said Warren Littlefield, who was NBCs president of entertainment from 1991 to 1998. Tarses looks relieved, and she and Bader begin discussing the May sweeps. But she was under contract at NBC. Then, as part of a restructuring, yet another manager, Lloyd Braun, was placed over her in what was essentially a demotion. 'My Way.' Jay Tarses - Wikipedia Eager to talk about Laybourne and Newsweek, Tarses dials Morton's cell-phone number. He would say that they were hateful, horrible people who should be shot on sight.. She was 56. How Did Jamie Tarses die ? Executive in a Hollywood Rise-and-Fall Story At NBC, Tarses had forged close relationships with writers and producers and was thought to be brilliant at fixing and polishing a script. The Walt Disney Company had purchased ABC shortly before Ms. Tarses arrived, heightening Wall Street scrutiny and intensifying corporate politics. ''If they didn't want me to schedule, they wouldn't have given me the job.''. ''You'd think a company this big could end this,'' Tarses says of the article, sounding despondent. ''It was an insult,'' says an ABC executive. He swiftly promoted Ms. Tarses to the networks comedy development department, where she worked on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which turned Will Smith into a household name; the oddball Wings, set at a New England airport; and Blossom, centered on a teenage Mayim Bialik. ABC was a snake pit in those days, said Jon Mandel, who ran MediaCom, a television ad-buying agency. her, sparking a nasty internal political battle that she lost. Unlike Harbert, Tarses lacked management skills. You think of her as a girl, and it changes how you do business with her.. This isn't what someone with a production deal gets to do; this is what her boyfriend gets to do. But the main action is in establishing a strong network identity that entices these viewers to make a habit of tuning in. The constant hum of criticism has clearly got to Tarses. [2] At the time of her departure she had one sitcom, one comedy, and one legal drama on ABC's schedule. 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. 2023 Cable News Network. Tarses was a consultant on another Sorkin show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a 2006 NBC drama set inside a Saturday Night Live-type sketch comedy show. Others stubbornly viewed her as a callous climber. when Tarses removed a ''Murder One'' mini-series from the sweeps lineup, Bochco, incensed by her lack of respect, fired off an angry letter to Iger; Iger then faxed it to Tarses. ''That appeals to every network.'' He was co-creator and co-writer (with . Already, perhaps, she sees that whatever shows she signs up, whatever schedule she devises for the fall, things are not going to work out for her at ABC. Jamie Tarses, the first-ever woman to oversee programming at a major broadcast network, died on Monday, the New York Times reports. Tarses' rise at ABC coincided with the start of my career as a cub reporter, covering the network TV business in Los Angeles, and one of my first duties was to chronicle the tenure of the young . press tour in 1997. Tarses was a television executive who developed and worked on some of the most significant broadcast programs in the '90s, including Friends, Frasier, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Sports Night. Iger was hearing ever more complaints, and he was growing tired of having to defend her. Who Is Jamie Tarses? 'The Wilds' Paid Tribute To Her - Elite Daily axis, which scores in ratings and thrills the sponsors. 'Grace Under Fire' isn't performing, and to go naked into both Tuesday and Wednesday night next season really scares me,'' Tarses says. All Rights Reserved. Jamie Tarses, first woman to oversee programming for a broadcast Even so, Ms. Tarses faced extreme challenges. A veteran television executive, Stuart Bloomberg, was installed above Tarses. David Lynch teases 'announcement' but not about 'Twin Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, I'm a professional cleaner ditch these 4 household products immediately, Shoeless Ariana Madix awkwardly tries to avoid cheating Tom Sandoval, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Prince Harry says psychedelics are fundamental part of his life, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss planned to tell Ariana Madix about affair. Valentine, who is smart and is responsible for the biggest hit on ABC, ''Home Improvement,'' is said to have problems with Tarses, to think she is unfit for her job. Bader, who is rather earnest, isn't certain if Tarses is fooling around or not and says nothing. She gave an early voice to some of the industrys most prolific storytellers, and boldly led ABC at a time when the industry saw very few women in leadership roles, Dana Walden, Chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television, said in a statement. Born in Pittsburgh in 1964, Tarses was a graduate of Williams College. '', See the article in its original context from. We've received your submission. What happened to Jamie Tarses? - Tracks-movie.com 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. Vicious infighting ensued in what The Wall Street Journal later deemed a case study in dysfunctional corporate relationships.. Jamie Tarses Remembered: Stars Of 'Happy Endings', '3rd Rock' & More He also fought for ''Twin Peaks'' and ''N.Y.P.D. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call She will allow herself to smoke only in the shelter of her car. Her age, along with her status as the first woman to have that prestigious job, resulted in an unusual amount of scrutiny, often negative. The agents and studios take over entire floors of hotels, set up conference rooms, install extra phone lines and lobby for their shows, new and old. Tarses asks. Jay Tarses: Enjoying Life Outside of TV Sitcoms : Stage: The mastermind Still, he says that he plans to stand by her. Iger, who was in Los Angeles for a Disney board meeting, told her himself, in her office. michael fishman yankees salary . ''And that's her problem. $ + tax ''You can discuss the pros and cons of every show only so many times, and then you have to render a decision. Tarses' day began with a pile of scripts, breakfast at 8 with an agent at the Peninsula Hotel (''He was 15 minutes late,'' she keeps mentioning) and some talk concerning casting for a pilot about a genie. Ms. Tarses (pronounced TAR-siss) broke a Hollywood glass ceiling in 1996, when she became president of ABC Entertainment. Three years ago, Jamie Tarses arrived at ABC television as a 32-year-old Her agent Rick Rosen confirmed the death, citing a family statement that said the cause was complications from a cardiac event. ''She did great,'' Iger says, sounding relieved. Before she blasted through glass ceilings for female executives in the TV industry, Tarses played a major role in the development of modern TV classics, including two tentpole entries in NBCs iconic Thursday night must-see TV lineup: Friends and Frasier., Despite being a mega power player, Tarses once humbly said, [Im] a genuine fan of the medium. While she headed off to Tuscany with Morton, Iger worked to convince Harbert to stay, because if he left right then, there would be no one running the entertainment division in the middle of development season. ''The only thing I don't like is the name. And I don't know if I'll get the credit if we succeed. She shattered stereotypes and ideas about what a female executive could achieve, and paved the way for others, at a cost to herself. Jamie Tarses Dead at 56 - PEOPLE.com ''TV Is Good'' is a huge departure for ABC, a message likely to be lost on its rural, heartland base. Ms. Tarses attended Williams College in Massachusetts, studying play structure and receiving a theater degree in 1985. Tarses is lukewarm about the prospect. Bader tries to convince Tarses that they can promote this last ''Roseanne'' episode, turn it into an event, but Tarses is not buying his pitch. "She was never happier than when she was with Wyatt and Sloane. It's another afternoon in May, and Tarses is trying to deal with the usual array of job-threatening problems. ", "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our longtime friend and client," the agency said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. ''I hear the first run-through went great.''. Jamie Tarses Remembered by Industry Leaders as 'Truly Gifted' With Passion for TV. She has just heard that Newsweek is planning to run an article claiming that Geraldine Laybourne, the former president of Nickelodeon and the current president of Disney/ABC Cable Networks, will be brought in to supervise her. ''I actually like this part,'' she says by phone from her temporary offices at ABC near Lincoln Center.