9/14/2025
Showrunner, an AI-powered TV show creation service, is blurring the line between viewers and filmmakers. With a few guiding words, the SHOW-1 AI model creates voices, characters, and scenes. With Amazon’s recent investment in the creator company Fable, the platform is gaining popularity.
Showrunner has already created two original shows: Exit Valley (a South Park spinoff) and Everything is Fine. Exit Valley has garnered more than 80 million views. In addition, there is a growing library of Showrunner-created clips on Vimeo. The company is still in the beginning stages of developing its user process. They are also negotiating a deal with Disney for IP licenses, where the studio would keep full ownership and licensing fees. Supplementary content could increase viewer engagement. In the future, franchises might feature Showrunner-created clips to expand their multiverses. Since many TV show audiences have switched over to gaming and social media, a new hybrid medium can help win them back.
Showrunner is still a primitive concept. So far, it has only been used in animated shows, with episodes capped at 22 minutes. It cannot replace live-action (at least, not yet). It is ideal for adding onto “deeply episodic” TV shows that have well-established characters, tones, and style. SHOW-1 can mimic well-known characters but not the nuanced brain of an original writer just yet. Appending a 100th episode for a seasoned series? Possible. Crafting the second episode of a brand-new show? Not quite. Complex, layered storytelling remains firmly in human hands—for now, at least.
So, what is Showrunner meant for? Mainly, fans who crave more of their favorite shows. It can be considered an audiovisual extension of Wattpad fanfiction. Even Edward Saatchi, the CEO of the company, takes it as a joke, admitting that “maybe nobody wants this and it won’t work.” Still, Showrunner is not too different from democratizing organizations like Sundance for independent filmmakers.
Since users have so much control over the content, Showrunner almost becomes a game, like Episode, BitLife, and other interactive fiction simulations. Having episodes published for worldwide viewing distinguishes it, in addition to the creator competitions. “Project Greenlight” is Showrunner’s pitch competition where contestants propose the look, plot, characters, and marketing plan of a show. The winners receive a prize of $500 to $5000, echoing traditional film grant competitions where script pitches win production funding.
While AI can’t replace writers, Showrunner has proven that it can be a powerful aid, especially for long-running TV shows under tight schedules. It is opening the doors to work-from-home filmmaking. For instance, South Park’s creators might have saved considerable time by first prototyping episodes with AI before full production. Arguably, this would result in higher productivity with less struggle.
AI has already been used in major streaming shows. For example, Netflix recently disclosed the use of AI to generate VFX for one of its original shows, The Eternaut. Ancestra, a film made with Google AI, is set to premiere at the next Tribeca Film Festival. As Saatchi puts it, AI is “another stage of VFX technology.” Showrunner isn’t a replacement for filmmakers—it’s a creative partner, an experimentation lab, and a new tool in the storytelling arsenal. Those who overcome the fear of AI and are willing to embrace it unlock a new level of creativity.