Jamie Tarses, who helped bring “Friends” to NBC and broke the glass ceiling in network TV when she became the top entertainment executive at ABC, died Monday after suffering complications from a cardiac event last fall. She was 56.
Tarses’ death was confirmed by her family.
She was among the young program development executives at NBC who helped create signature comedies that appealed to young, urban upscale viewers such as “Friends” and “Frasier,” which led the network to ratings dominance in the 1990s. In 1996, Tarses was recruited by Michael Ovitz to be president of ABC’s entertainment division, making her the first woman to hold that title.
Tarses, who was 32 when she took the job and had a tumultuous three-year run at ABC — a time when it was still being absorbed into the Walt Disney Co., which had acquired the network a year before she arrived.
During her tenure at ABC, Tarses’ successes included the hit sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” writer-producer Aaron Sorkin’s “Sports Night,” “The Practice” from David E. Kelley and “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place,” which introduced actor Ryan Reynolds.
Tarses left ABC in 1999 and went on to become an independent TV producer for a number of networks. She had a project currently in production for Disney+ called “The Mysterious Benedict Society.” She also produced “The Wilds” for Amazon Prime.
“Jamie was a trailblazer in the truest sense of the word. She shattered stereotypes and ideas about what a female executive could achieve, and paved the way for others, at a cost to herself,” said Karey Burke, a friend and former colleague who now heads 21st Century Television.
“She was a mentor and friend, and many of us owe so much to her. As an executive and producer, she was a champion for storytellers, having been raised by one of the all-time greats. Her talent and contribution to our community will be solely missed.”
Jamie Tarses answers questions at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in 1997.
(Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press)
Tarses was the daughter of Jay Tarses, a successful writer and producer known for the innovative 1980s TV series “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd” and “Buffalo Bill.”
Born in Pittsburgh in 1964, Tarses was a graduate of Williams College. She began her career in 1985 as an assistant at “Saturday Night Live” and later as a casting director at Lorimar. In 1987, she moved to NBC after she was hired by Brandon Tartikoff, then president of NBC Entertainment.
Tarses quickly developed strong relationships with actors and writers and was renowned for her ability to find and develop material,. which led to her rise at the network.
She is survived by her partner, Paddy Aubrey, and their two children; her parents, Rachel and Jay; her sister Mallory; and brother Matt Tarses, who is also a TV producer.
