The indiscretion, which was reported on by some newspapers, contributed to a narrative that had congealed around Ms. Tarses: She was too impetuous for such a big job. Jamie Tarses, who in 1996 became the first woman to serve as entertainment president of a broadcast network, died on Monday. Iger now had to convince her to accept essentially the same job she had had at NBC -- No. The audience laughs, again, but the message is very confusing. Morton has an easy charm and seems to know everyone in the business on both coasts. ABC badly needed fresh hit shows and Tarses, who had worked at NBC, had a reputation for serving up a steady supply especially zeitgeist-tapping sitcoms. ''In one split second everything changed,'' she says. As an executive and producer, she was a champion for storytellers, having been raised by one of the all-time greats. (Mr. Ohlmeyer blamed Mr. Ovitz for the rumor and publicly called him the Antichrist, leading to a media frenzy.) In 1987, she jumped to NBC, where she prospered. Women are emotional, and Jamie is particularly emotional, one male agent, speaking anonymously, was quoted as saying. After graduating from Williams College, she became an assistant casting executive on Saturday Night Live before joining Lorimar Television. Tarses died of complications from a previous cardiac event on Monday, according to numerous outlets, who cited a statement from her family. Harbert, who now has a deal with Dreamworks SKG to develop and produce television shows, told Tarses of his experience with Eisner, and she is prepared for a fight. Sara James Tarses was born in Pittsburgh on March 16, 1964 to Jay and Rachel (Newdell) Tarses. He would say that they were hateful, horrible people who should be shot on sight.. ''Simply Mahvelous?'' [1] She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 4 Jamie Tarses has passed away after a cardiac arrest Credit: GETTY IMAGES Only 32 when she was recruited by then-Disney executive Michael Ovitz in a move that angered executives at NBC, Tarses received inordinate media attention, including a New York Times magazine profile in which she surprised her bosses by allowing the reporter, Lynn Hirschberg, to unknowingly listen in on her calls with them. There is something distinctly feline about her. She had invented a new. He has been married to Rachel Newdell since 9 June 1963. More from Variety. (''What am I going to do, lie?'' One of the big debates during the closed-door Tarses-Iger-Eisner fall-scheduling meetings going on this week is whether to free up Wednesday night at 10, traditionally the hour given to ''Prime Time Live,'' and put in a new drama, ''The Practice,'' a law show created and produced by David E. Kelley (''Chicago Hope,'' ''Picket Fences''). ''I'd never read a script before,'' Iger recalls, sitting in his enormous office near Lincoln Center late one afternoon in March. Legal experts weigh in, ChatGPT who? It is also true that women -- some women -- have succeeded in Hollywood. ''I think this is going really well,'' she says, hoping for some affirmation. Jamie Tarses, a fast-rising television executive who shepherded hit NBC comedies such as "Friends" and "Frasier" to prime-time success, then spent three tumultuous years at ABC as the first. And they have to negotiate, deftly, the perilous maze that is the TV business -- knowing whom to stroke, when to give up, how to say one thing and then, the following day, precisely the opposite. In 1998, ABC hosted more than 100 television critics and entertainment journalists from across the United States at a promotional event in Pasadena, Calif. ABC stars were also invited, including a young Ryan Reynolds, then appearing on a sitcom called Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. As the evening wore on, reporters witnessed Ms. Tarses and Mr. Reynolds go outside and become amorous. Jamie Tarses threw in the towel at Disney-owned ABC last week, resigning her post as president of ABC Entertainment after some three years on the job. . 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. Her cause of death is stated to be complications from a cardiac event. The News of Her Demise May Not Be Exaggerated. Sign up to Stock Advisor for $79 for 1 year, Save 15% on orders of $100+ with Kohl's coupon, How Chilis Is Prepping for Tough Times, Starting With the Fries, Electric Vehicles Are Shattering the Barrier to Adoption that Could Matter Most, The Surprising Ways Walking Delivers a High-Intensity Workout, U.S. To some, she was the victim of a misogynistic television industry. In addition to her brother, Matt, Tarses is survived by her partner, Paddy Aubrey, a chef and restaurateur; their two children, Wyatt and Sloane; her parents; and a sister, Mallory Tarses, a teacher and fiction writer. ''Hiller and Diller'' is a Disney-produced show, but Valentine isn't crazy about it. ''I thought they were out of their minds. In later roles, she helped grow hit NBC comedies like Friends and Frasier. It is true that Hollywood can be sexist, and it is difficult to be the first woman anything, and turning around ABC would be a tough job for anybody. Eisner seemed pleased, and so did Iger. She was 56. Tarseswho spent nearly a decade as an executive at NBC and has produced such series as Happy Endings, Franklin & Bash, and the upcoming TBS comedy Your Family or Mine was the lucky bidder. Jamie Tarses, the first-ever woman to oversee programming at a major broadcast network, died on Monday, the New York Times reports. "She was never happier than when she was with Wyatt and Sloane. he asks. She asked why, and Iger told her, simply, that she needed the help. Tarses was not consulted on this deal. ABC has very few 8 P.M. hits, and without 8 P.M. hits to hook a viewer for the evening, a network cannot succeed in the ratings. '' And under whose direction? Ms. Tarses resigned last week as president of ABC Entertainment, ending Tarses stares off for a moment, lightly drumming the side of her chair. Jamie Tarses, the TV executive and producer who was the first woman to head a Big Three network entertainment division, was remembered Monday by former colleagues and television executives as a. '' Bloomberg was angered by Morton's nerve. She also put The Practice, a popular legal drama from David E. Kelley, on the ABC schedule. She was 56. Disney's original thought had been to give the network a more conspicuously family-oriented identity. She was the ultimate fan. Jamie was a pioneer in every sense, breaking the glass ceiling of the television industry, and embodying the passion and tenacity that made her someone who was always ahead of her time," read the statement. They have to deal with the affiliates, which own and run local stations. Tarses, Morton, her parents -- they ate together in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 22, and they thought the talk about Stuart Bloomberg's being named chairman of ABC was just a recycling of an old rumor. Networks, especially third-place networks, are impatient. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Her death was confirmed by a family spokeswoman, who said the cause was complications from a cardiac event. In June 1996, at just age 32, Tarses became the first woman to be named entertainment president at a major network when she took the role at ABC. Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different? .'' 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. For some in the community, Tarses' oversleeping confirmed rumors about her after-hours behavior -- her being out on the town with Morton or friends, staying out until all hours of the night. Jamie Tarses attends the Women In Film 2018 Crystal + Lucy Award at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Tarses can feel the hate, she says. Disney had just acquired the company for $19 billion from Capital-Cities/ABC, and the Disney people, including its chairman and C.E.O., Michael Eisner, who had once been an executive at ABC, had no real blueprint for how to get the failing network to No. 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". Ari Emanuel lets his AI alter ego open Endeavors earnings call, WGA chief negotiator David Young replaced due to illness ahead of key talks with studios, WGA asks members to vote on key demands in bargaining with studios. Jamie Tarses Dies at 56: Cause of Death. 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. Tarses was the wunderkind who was behind much of NBC's "Must See TV" success, including "Friends" and "Frasier" and she came from TV royalty, as her father Jay Tarses is a well-known TV. Jamie nods, clearly annoyed. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Tom Sizemore puts on brave face in his final red carpet appearance, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dead at 61 after brain aneurysm, Coley Laffoon honors late ex-wife Anne Heche in birthday post to son, Forensic expert doubts homicide claims from Aaron Carters mother. It was Iger who decided that Harbert, who had two months remaining on his contract when he resigned in January, should leave immediately. She makes the promise and then she has Iger make the phone call. The Tarses family said donations can be made in her honor to the Young Storytellers project. she couldn't do the suit part of the job. ''She forgets that I'm her boss.''. Tarses was restless, anxious to do the job she had been promised, but she genuinely liked Harbert. 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. Or silently suffering through another attack. He had his own problems, receiving sometimes 10, 12 calls a day from Eisner asking about this show or that cost. You think of her as a girl, and it changes how you do business with her., Tarses soon after she was appointed president of ABC Entertainment in 1996.Credit:Getty. Smoking is, to her, a sign of weakness, a signal to the television community that she is exactly what they have been saying: not up to the challenge or the responsibility of overseeing a network's programming, inexperienced and showing it, a nervous girl. And he had, in Tarses' case, an explosive means of setting her free: sexual harassment. A lot of it was pure sexism, said Betsy Thomas, a screenwriter and friend. First the sexual harassment charges; now this. ''It was better than we thought it would be,'' says Betsy Frank, an advertising executive and close observer of the television business. ''Why were you watching CBS?'' And that's what ABC was after. ''Don't worry. 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 stemming from a (Her brother, Matt, is also a producer. A veteran television executive, Stuart Bloomberg, was installed above Ms. Tarses. This story has been shared 137,985 times. The family moved to suburban Los Angeles, where her father became a successful sitcom writer (first on The Bob Newhart Show). Tarses says. He should have studied Iger's ascent at ABC -- how, in 13 years, he went from working in sports for Roone Arledge to being named president of the entertainment division. When she left NBC we knew she would be missed but opportunity knocked at ABC, Littlefield said. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. After leaving ABC, Tarses worked on several other series over the years, including Happy Endings and most recently Amazon's The Wilds. Alex Murdaugh Receives Life Sentence: What Happens Now? The industry trailblazers family confirmed her passing, Deadline reported. At one promo meeting, Morton is said to have told Stuart Bloomberg, then president for creative services at ABC Inc. and the person running the meeting: ''The spot should go like this: 'ABC's new. But she fizzles in epic fashion, brought down by corporate dysfunction, unvarnished sexism, self-sabotage, weaponised industry gossip and scalding news media scrutiny. In a statement, 20th Television president Karey Burke said, Jamie was a trailblazer in the truest sense of the word. Blue''). Three years ago, Jamie Tarses arrived at ABC television as a 32-year-old Still, he says that he plans to stand by her. ''. Tarses came from a show-business family. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call Bader asks. Tarses and her team huddle in a corner, underneath two large TV monitors. Jamie Tarses, the first woman to run a network entertainment division, died Monday morning due to complications from a cardiac event she suffered last fall. Bader looks surprised. She sounds almost convinced. Tarses, who was 32 when she took the job, had a tumultuous three-year run at ABC at a time when it was still being absorbed into the Walt Disney Co., which had acquired the network a year before she arrived. Iger, who was in Los Angeles for a Disney board meeting, told her himself, in her office. It is an afternoon in early may, near the end of pilot season, the frantic time when TV executives decide on their schedules of shows for the fall, and Jamie Tarses, the 33-year-old president of ABC Entertainment, is driving her Range Rover from her office in Century City to a meeting across town. It's another afternoon in May, and Tarses is trying to deal with the usual array of job-threatening problems. 2 in the entertainment division, she was responsible for urban-hip hits like ''Caroline in the City,'' ''Mad About You'' and most of all ''Friends'' -- are saying she is not up to being a president. Looking up at the screen, Tarses introduces some ads that flesh out the campaign. 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. Tarses called up Bochco and said, essentially, How dare you go over my head -- send me the letter. Her talent and contribution to our community will be sorely missed.. Not long before Harbert left, Ovitz was fired from Disney after only 14 months. ABC was a snake pit in those days, said Jon Mandel, who ran MediaCom, a television ad-buying agency. WME, the agency that represented Tarses, said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by the . ''When I was president of entertainment, I learned that the worst thing I could be was arrogant,'' he says. Jamie Tarses attends the Women In Film 2018 Crystal + Lucy Award at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.Credit:Getty, Karey Burke, who ran ABC from 2018 to 2020 and is now president of 20th Television, a leading TV studio, said of Tarses in a statement: She shattered stereotypes and ideas about what a female executive could achieve and paved the way for others, at a cost to herself.. So how We will miss her greatly.. She is so good at spotting hits she becomes, at 32, the president of entertainment at ABC, the first woman to serve as a networks top programmer. Already a member? Tarses grew up in the business -- her father, Jay Tarses, created, among other groundbreaking shows, ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,'' the first so-called dramedy. 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. HBO was moving into original programming with shows such as Sex and the City, further diluting the talent pool. After graduation, in 1985, she spent a year as a production assistant on ''Saturday Night Live'' in New York, then went back to Los Angeles and joined the casting department at Lorimar, working on shows like ''Perfect Strangers.'' Even after leaving ABC in 1999,Tarses went on to pursue a prolificcareer as a producer with hits including "My Boys," "Happy Endings," and "Marry Me," through Sony. Amanda Peet, who played Jordan McDeere, the head of fictional network NBS on the NBC show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, said her character "is loosely based" on Tarses. But with the network's fortunes in precipitous decline, executives soon found themselves grabbing for what was working elsewhere. Prepares New Rules on Investment in China, Twitters Revenue, Adjusted Earnings Fell About 40% in December, Opinion: Yes, Theres a Housing Crisis. All Rights Reserved. Sitting at the dinner table in Woodland Hills, a San Fernando Valley suburb of Los Angeles, Jamie would dissect her father's scripts and critique his jokes. He doesn't like the Hollywood angle (no TV show about TV writers has succeeded since ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' in the 60's), and he finds Richard Lewis's character unlikable. It wasn't a dictatorship. ''Do you want me to use euphemisms?'' ''It's good,'' Valentine says, with little conviction.