Some TV writers and showrunners have been responsible for multiple successful TV shows over the years, which is not an easy feat. In the world of streaming and an unlimited number of shows available to watch worldwide, there are still some writers who manage to stand out with more than one great show under their belt. It must be noted that most TV shows include a writers’ room, meaning the series creator and the showrunner are not the only creative minds behind each episode.
Some high-profile creators do undertake various roles, including writer, showrunner, or executive producer. A few famous series creators and showrunners have been seen to be balancing more than one hit show at a time, or releasing shows in quick succession of one another. From comedies to criminal dramas, some of the best TV shows of all time share writers or showrunners, some of whom have become their own brands.
13 Rob McElhenney & Charlie Day
Best Known For It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day are best known for being the creators and writers of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the longest-running live-action sitcom in America. The show has been on the air since 2005 and has been renewed up to season 18, with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 due to air soon. However, the two have also seen success with Apple TV’s Mythic Quest, which they created alongside Megan Ganz, who also works on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and its podcast, although McElhenney is the only one to play a character in both shows.
12 Jesse Armstrong
Best Known For Succession
Jesse Armstrong’s biggest creation, Succession, ended in 2023 after four seasons, wrapping up the stories of the Logan family nicely. Armstrong is also known for the hit British comedy Peep Show, which is fascinating, given how different the two shows are. A lot of Armstrong’s work in the UK was alongside his writing partner Sam Bain, and as well as Peep Show, the two worked on several projects for David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Although Succession is his biggest US show, it’s not the only American project he is connected to, having also written the Veep episode “Tears.”
11 Greg Daniels
Best Known For The Office & Parks And Recreation
Greg Daniels is easily one of the biggest writers in sitcoms, being behind the creation of such hits as the US remake of The Office and Parks and Recreation, alongside Michael Schur. Daniels has a highly decorated career, making his start in The Simpsons. He even won a Primetime Emmy for the 1995 episode “Lisa’s Wedding” and eventually became co-executive producer for a time.
While The Office and Parks and Recreation are Daniels’ best-known projects, he is also the creator of King of the Hill and Space Range. The latter starred Parks and Recreation’s Ben Schwartz and The Office‘s Steve Carell, giving the shows an extra edge as Daniels had worked with them before. The Hulu King of the Hill revival is still awaiting a confirmed release date, but Space Force unfortunately won’t see another installment, being canceled after two seasons.
10 Bill Lawrence
Best Known For: Scrubs
In his early career, Bill Lawrence wrote for shows such as Boy Meets World and Friends but is best remembered for the medical sitcom Scrubs. However, Scrubs wasn’t the first creation in Lawrence’s long list of TV credits. He also crafted Emmy award-winning Spin City alongside Gary David Goldberg, which came to an end just a year after Scrubs began.
While Lawrence created and wrote more shows after Scrubs’ 9-season run, such as Cougar Town, his next big hit came in 2020 with the co-creation of Ted Lasso. He is also behind the recent Apple TV hit Shrinking, co-created alongside its star Jason Segel and Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein. While his recent projects differ from his previous work, Lawrence’s signature humor can still be identified in its plots.
9 Tina Fey
Best Known For 30 Rock
Tina Fey originally made her start in Saturday Night Live, so it’s no surprise she was also behind some other brilliant TV comedies. Her time as a writer and performer on SNL was the inspiration for 30 Rock. While 30 Rock is not only Fey’s most recognizable TV project, it also saw her star as its lead character, Liz Lemon.
While Fey made quite the name for herself in films too, her next big TV project came with Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which she co-created, wrote, and starred in. Currently, Fey is the executive producer of Girls5eva, which is due to air season 3 in March 2024. Fey’s next Netflix project is The Four Seasons, which is currently in pre-production but credits her as serving as the show’s creator, writer, and executive producer.
8 Mindy Kaling
Best Known For The Office & The Mindy Project
Mindy Kaling is best remembered for her work on The Office, on-screen as Kelly Kapoor, and off-screen as the writer of multiple episodes and eventually executive producer. Kaling wrote some of The Office’s best episodes, including “The Dundies” and “Niagra.” The latter earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and although she didn’t win, she did receive several awards for her performance as Kelly, including one from the Asian Excellence Awards in 2007.
Kaling is also known for being the creator, writer, and star of The Mindy Project, which had a 6-season run on Hulu until 2017. Since The Mindy Project, Kaling has been credited as a creator of an incredible four shows: Champions, the Hulu miniseries Four Weddings and a Funeral, Never Have I Ever, and The Sex Lives of College Girls. While Kaling has had such an on-screen presence, it’s hard to forget just how brilliant a writer she is too, being part of some of the biggest TV shows in recent years.
7 Chuck Lorre
Best Known For The Big Bang Theory & Two And A Half Men
Chuck Lorre’s name is so recognizable, mainly because it appears at the end of credit sequences for so many huge shows. Often referred to as the King of Sitcoms, his use of vanity cards filled with little jokes has been a bonus to several shows. Lorre’s biggest hits include Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and its prequel spinoff Young Sheldon, with season 7 due to air in February 2024. However, these aren’t the only sitcoms he’s been attached to, having served as a writer and executive producer for Roseanne, Mom, and Mike & Molly.
6 Shonda Rhimes
Best Known For Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, & Bridgerton
Shonda Rhimes has one of Hollywood’s most consistent careers, spanning across several genres. Rhimes has been the showrunner for Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice since their beginnings, as well as the political thriller Scandal, but her credits don’t end there. Rhimes also served as executive producer for hit shows How to Get Away with Murder and Netflix’s Bridgerton, eventually going on to create the latter’s prequel Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. She also created, wrote, and produced Inventing Anna, based on the true story of Anna Sorokin.
5 Ryan Murphy
Best Known For Glee & American Horror Story
Ryan Murphy is another creator who has seen huge hits that differ greatly from each other. His first big project was Nip/Tuck in the early 2000s, but he really made his name with Glee in 2009. Following this, he created and wrote American Horror Story, which started a trend of more dramatic, darker pieces in his career. In recent years, Murphy has created projects such as Scream Queens, 9-1-1, The Politician, and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
4 Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Best Known For Riverdale
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is best known for being the showrunner and creator of Riverdale, which came to an end in 2023. Shortly after Riverdale began, however, he also created the gothic Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Aguirre-Sacasa has created several shows inspired by a series from Archie Comics over the years, more recently adapting the likes of Katie Keene and Jake Chang, which is no surprise as he is their current Chief Creative Officer. However, in 2022 he created and wrote Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, which does differ from his other projects.
3 Dick Wolf
Best Known For The Law & Order, One Chicago, & FBI Franchises
Dick Wolf has seen a long career of creating and writing crime procedurals, with his first major project being Law & Order in 1990. Wolf then created several successful spinoffs, such as Law & Order: LA, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and even the UK version, Law & Order: UK. Although already a big franchise in its own right, Wolf didn’t stop there and is also the creator of the Chicago (Med, Fire, P.D) and FBI (FBI, Most Wanted, International) franchises.
2 Vince Gilligan
Best Known For Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul
Vince Gilligan is best known for being the creator of Breaking Bad and co-creator of Better Call Saul. While the Breaking Bad franchise is easily his most notable project, Gilligan originally made his start with The X-Files as a writer and an executive producer, even directing two episodes during its original run. In recent years, Gilligan has served as the co-creator, writer, and executive producer of Battle Creek, which has seen him move into crafting more comedic pieces, compared to his previous work.
1 Courtney A. Kemp
Best Known For The Power Franchise
Courtney A. Kemp is the creator of the Power franchise, which she developed alongside 50 Cent in 2014. The first TV show, Power, was so successful that after it ended, it was spanned off into three follow-ups: Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force. Before this, Kemp also wrote for various other shows, including the sci-fi procedural Beauty & The Beast, the musical comedy Eli Stone, and the legal drama Justice.
