To achieve a gender-balanced staff in the television industry, hiring women as showrunners is a proven strategy. This article explores the latest trends and statistics supporting this approach.
Achieving Gender Balance in TV Staffing
Nearly half of the most popular TV series of the 2024-25 season have met ReFrame’s gender-balanced criteria to achieve the latest ReFrame Stamp.
ReFrame’s Impact on Gender Representation
ReFrame, launched in 2017 by Sundance Institute, WIF (formerly Women In Film Los Angeles), and IMDbPro, has awarded its approval to 45 of the top 100 TV series, including Hacks, The Bear, and The Pitt. Overall, gender-balanced hiring in TV has rebounded by 6.5 percent from last year’s lull, which was the worst since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The Case for Hiring Women Showrunners
The takeaway here: if you want a balanced staff, hire a woman as a showrunner. Nearly 93 percent of series with women showrunners qualified for the ReFrame Stamp.
Business Benefits of Gender Balance
It’s not just about good vibes; it’s good business. ReFrame found that ReFrame-Stamped series have 1.33 million more viewers, on average, than their non-Stamped counterparts.
Current Trends in Gender Representation
Women, nonbinary, and trans directors shot nearly 36 percent of episodes this year, a slight increase from 2023-2024. Unit production managers, first assistant directors, and DPs (directors of photography) saw historic highs for these underrepresented groups, while line producers and composers went in the opposite direction.
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Emmy Nominees and Gender Representation
Comedies have been the standout genre for gender-based representation. This year, five of the eight Emmy nominees for best comedy series received the Stamp: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Nobody Wants This, and Only Murders in the Building. In contrast, just two of the eight Emmy-nominated series in the best drama category received ReFrame’s award.
ReFrame Stamp Recipients
From a studio perspective, three — Amazon MGM Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Netflix — earned the ReFrame Stamp for more than 50 percent of their releases. Others like AMC, NBCUniversal/Peacock, Lionsgate, and IFC fell short this season.
Full List of ReFrame Stamp Series for 2024-25
The full list of series to receive the ReFrame Stamp in 2024-25 includes titles such as 9-1-1, The Acolyte, Agatha All Along, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and many more.
† Denotes series nominated for the 2025 Emmy Award
