Two Latinas made The Hollywood Reporter’s list of “Hollywood’s 50 Most Powerful TV Showrunners” in 2022 – one more than last year and two more than the year before.
Gloria Calderón Kellett (With Love) and Joanna Calo (The Bear) made this year’s list. Last year, Calderón Kellett was in a secondary THR article that listed 14 additional “powerhouse showrunners to Look Out for in 2022.”
This year, THR wrote: “The Amazon-based Calderón Kellett is aiming to be one of the more prolific writer-producers set up at the streamer.” The article mentions her upcoming podcast, The Horror of Dolores Roach, starring Justina Machado, who she worked with on the series One Day at a Time. Also, her upcoming rom-com series Arranged with former Saturday Night Live cast member Taran Killam.
In her interview with THR, Calderón Kellett named Sierra Teller Ornelas (Rutherford Falls) as “the showrunner who impresses me.” Rutherford Falls, a Native American-inspired comedy on Peacock, was canceled this year after only two seasons.
“It was such a funny and charming show,” Calderón Kellett said. “[Ornelas] has worked on everything and is so funny and talented. I’m so sad to not get more episodes of Rutherford Falls, but I know whatever she is a part of next will be fabulous.”
When asked what her “biggest concern” is within the TV industry, Calderón Kellett said, “erasing brown stories.” When asked about her “most embarrassing pitch,” she continued with her message about Latine narratives being slighted by Hollywood. “I don’t have time to be embarrassed,” she said. “I’m trying to make up for 500 years of erasure.”
Calo, a co-executive producer, and co-showrunner on the dramedy The Bear, which is set in the Chicago culinary world, also co-executive produced Hacks, The Baby-Sitters Club, and BoJack Horseman. THR wrote that the series was “an anxiety-fueled restaurant comedy…the unlikely hit of the summer and one of the best-reviewed shows of the year – all with only a modest marketing push.”
In her interview with THR, Calo named Sierra Robert and Michelle King, creators of The Good Wife, as the most impressive showrunners. “I’m a huge fan of the Kings and have been trying to get a meeting for years,” she said. “I don’t have anything to pitch them. I just want to tell them they’re great.”
The Bear was renewed by FX this past summer for a second season.