Peter Roth

Peter Roth was named President and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Television Group, in May 2013, assuming creative responsibility for all of Warner Bros.’ television production activities worldwide. He retired in 2020. In this capacity, Roth retains his titles and responsibilities as President, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Horizon Television and Warner Bros. Animation, while adding creative oversight of both Telepictures and Shed Media (producing unscripted programming for primetime and syndication), as well as Warner Bros. International Television Production (producing local versions of Studio-owned programming in territories around the world and developing original local programming on a market-by-market basis).

Roth’s acumen for developing and producing successful programming has brought Warner Bros. the distinction of being the most prolific studio in Hollywood during his tenure. He joined the company in March 1999 as President, Warner Bros. Television, assuming oversight of one of the industry’s leading television production companies.

He expanded his duties in April 2006 to include heading up the then-newly created Warner Horizon Television, a separate production entity specializing in the creation of scripted series for the cable marketplace, and primetime reality series for both network and cable, which quickly became an industry leader.

In April 2008, Roth was tapped to supervise the Studio’s non-feature animation production activities. As overseer of Warner Bros. Animation, he has ultimate responsibility for animated and live-action series based on animated properties, online/new media animation ventures and direct-to-platform releases for the company.

Under Roth’s leadership, Warner Bros. has been the #1 supplier to the U.S. broadcast networks for the last eight years in a row and 13 of the last 17 years, as of the May 2016 upfronts.

Warner Bros. Television, Warner Horizon Television and Warner Bros. Animation combined are producing more than 50 programs for the U.S. broadcast networks as well as cable and subscription/on-demand platforms for the 2016–17 television season. Including Telepictures and Shed Media, the Television Group is producing nearly 75 total series.

Warner Bros. Television’s continuing network primetime series are the comedies 2 Broke Girls, The Big Bang Theory and Mom for CBS; dramas Gotham and Lucifer for FOX; comedy The Middle for ABC and drama Blindspot for NBC; and dramas The 100, Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, iZOMBIE, The Originals, Supergirl, Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries, among others, for The CW.

Warner Bros. Television’s first-year programs for the 2016–17 season include the one-hour dramas Time After Time for ABC, Training Day for CBS, Lethal Weapon for FOX and both Frequency and Riverdale for The CW. WBTV also produces two comedies for NBC: Trial & Error and the first comedy from DC Comics, Powerless.

Warner Bros. Television also produces The Leftovers and the upcoming Westworld for HBO, Major Crimes for TNT, Shameless and Roadies for Showtime, and the upcoming Gilmore Girls series of four telefilms for Netflix. WBTV also produced the acclaimed event series 11.22.63 for Hulu and will distribute the upcoming animated family comedy Green Eggs and Ham, being produced by Warner Bros. Animation for a debut on Netflix in 2018.

Warner Horizon Television’s scripted series are Rizzoli & Isles and Animal Kingdom for TNT, People of Earth for TBS, Pretty Little Liars and the upcoming Famous in Love for Freeform, Longmire and Fuller House for Netflix, and Queen Sugar for OWN. WHTV’s unscripted series include the smash hit singing competition show The Voice and hit variety/comedy series Little Big Shots for NBC, as well as the long-running hit reality franchise The Bachelor—which also includes The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise and After Paradise—and event game show 500 Questions for ABC, among others.

Warner Bros. Animation’s slate includes series such as Be Cool Scooby Doo!, Bunnicula, Justice League Action, Teen Titans Go!, The Tom and Jerry Show and Wabbit–A Looney Tunes Production for Cartoon Network, as well as Mike Tyson Mysteries for Adult Swim. It is also producing the animated family comedy Green Eggs and Ham for a debut on Netflix in 2018. Additionally, WBA produces highly successful animated movies for DVD based upon the DC Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries.

Thus far during Roth’s tenure at the Studio, 24 scripted primetime series developed under his leadership have reached the coveted 100-episode milestone or (as in the case of Arrow) will do so during the 2016–17 television season: 2 Broke Girls, Arrow, The Big Bang Theory (200+ episodes), The Closer, Cold Case, Fringe, George Lopez, Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, The Mentalist (151 episodes), The Middle, Mike & Molly, Nip/Tuck, One Tree Hill (188 episodes), Person of Interest, Pretty Little Liars, Rizzoli & Isles, Smallville (218 episodes), Supernatural (will surpass 250 in 2016–17), Third Watch, Two and a Half Men (262 episodes), The Vampire Diaries, The West Wing (156 episodes) and Without a Trace (160 episodes). Also notable was the 300th episode of the acclaimed drama series ER, which was in its fifth season when Roth arrived at the Studio and which continued on for an additional 10 years, concluding a highly successful 15-year run in April 2009.

Telepictures’ series include Crime Watch Daily, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen’s Design Challenge, Extra, Hello Goodbye (in association with Shed Media), Judge Mathis, The People’s Court, The Real, TMZ, TMZ Live and TMZ Sports, as well as an all-new version of alternative/sketch comedy series MADtv for The CW.

Series produced by Shed Media include First Dates for NBC, Basketball Wives, Hello Goodbye (in association with Telepictures), Livin’ Lozada, Long Lost Family, The Real Housewives of New York City and Who Do You Think You Are?, among others.

Roth also oversees WBTVG’s interest in Blue Ribbon Content (BRC), the Studio’s original digital series production unit. BRC’s programming slate include the upcoming UNINTERRUPTED Original Series Now We’re Talking for go90, Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles for Machinima and Vixen for CW Seed, as well as the Batman: The Animated Series Batcave virtual reality experience with OTOY Inc., among others.

In recognition of his career accomplishments, Roth was honored as one of the 2008 Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award honorees, presented by NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) at its annual Conference & Exhibition. He was also named the 2008 Television Showman of the Year at the ICG 45th Annual Publicists Awards.

Roth came to Warner Bros. Television after having served as President, FOX Entertainment, since September 1996. While there, he was responsible for the development and programming of the Emmy® Award–winning Ally McBeal, That ’70s Show and Family Guy. Prior to working at the network, he joined Twentieth Television Corp. in June 1992, when he was named President of Production at Twentieth Network Television (currently 20th Century Fox Television Productions).

In June 1993, he was promoted to President of Twentieth Network Television and became President of 20th Century Fox Television in June 1994. While there, he was responsible for shepherding what was then the most successful pilot-selling season in the history of that studio, with 10 pilots picked up for production during the 1996–97 television season. His series productions include The X-Files, Chicago Hope, Picket Fences, The Practice, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Millennium and King of the Hill. Prior to joining Twentieth Television Corp., Roth was President of Stephen J. Cannell Productions, where, during a six-year tenure, he was involved with the creation and sale of such critically acclaimed series as 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy and The Commish.

Roth spent 10 years at the ABC Television Network, where he began his television career in 1976 as Manager of Children’s Programs. He was promoted that same year to Director and was responsible for ABC’s number one–rated Saturday morning schedule. In June 1979, he was named Director of Current Primetime Programs and was promoted to Vice President, Current Primetime Series, in November 1981, overseeing such classic shows as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Moonlighting and Dynasty.

A native of Larchmont, New York, Roth attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated cum laude from Tufts University in 1972. He resides in Brentwood, California, with his wife, Andrea, and their two children.

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