Showrunner Transcript: Kurt Sutter (“Sons of Anarachy”)

In conjunction with the annual broadcast network upfronts, New York magazine is running a series called “Showrunner Transcripts.” We have been featuring one each day for the last two weeks on GITS. What’s a showrunner? For a primer, you can go here to Wikipedia. The short answer: “The person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television series.” It’s more than just managing a series. Someone has to guarantee to a network they can deliver 12, 22, or however many episodes for which the series is contracted. That’s the bottom line of a showrunner’s reality.

Today: Kurt Sutter (“Sons of Anarchy”).

What are some great moments in showrunning — a twist or character addition that turned a show around or made it somehow better or more interesting?

I don’t know if they’re mastermind in terms of showrunning choices, but there are certain things that definitely stand out to me and that I remember. One of them was on The Sopranos when Tony killed Big Pussy. To see sort of one antihero whack another antihero was huge. Because Big Pussy, at that point, was a significant regular. The other thing I remember, and I remember as a kid asking everybody about this and then finding out when I was older … but I used to love The Dick Van Dyke Show. I think they used to air the reruns on Nickelodeon, and halfway through the series, Dick Van Dyke stops tripping over the ottoman during the intro, he skips around it, and that was sort of the first time I thought, Oh, there’s somebody who is making creative choices that we don’t necessarily have to know what they are or why, and ultimately I found out that it was because he got sober, and that was his acknowledgment to say, “Hey, I’m not tripping over shit anymore.” I also always loved the Happy Days episode where the Fonz had to admit that he was wrong. And the Seinfeld masturbation episode. I don’t know if they’re monumental showrunner moments, but they’re moments that stand out for me as interesting and memorable choices.

How much do you care about what fans think?

I’m pretty aware of our fan base. I’m pretty plugged in. Fans don’t influence my vision, but they sometimes influence my process, meaning that I’m not creating this show in a vacuum. This isn’t a self-portrait or performance art; I’m very aware of what they respond to, and some of that I get through critics channeling what other people are feeling, a lot of it I get through the message boards and Twitter and Facebook and my blog. I learn what impacts them, what makes them feel and experience the show on a visceral level. Then I try to deliver my vision in a way that addresses some of those needs. I think creative people and writers are doing themselves a disservice if they don’t stay aware of that stuff, because this is TV; it’s not me up in a loft with a paintbrush and a canvas.

Do fans ruin shows?

Fans don’t ruin shows, networks ruin shows.

For more of the article, go here.