By Lynn Elber, Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey, who created a deep bench of ethnic diversity in the network's shows and fired Roseanne Barr for a racist tweet, will be stepping down.
Her decision announced Friday comes amid ABC corporate parent Walt Disney Co.'s pending acquisition of 21st Century Fox and the planned reorganization of Disney's television units.
Dungey, who became the first African-American programming chief for a major broadcast network when she was named to the job in February 2016, will be replaced by Karey Burke, head of programming development at ABC sibling cable channel Freeform since 2014, the network said.
Dungey will remain during a transition period as Burke takes over.
Burke's resume includes overseeing production of NBC prime-time series including "ER" and "The West Wing" from 1999 to 2003, during which time she developed "Scrubs," ''Freaks & Geeks" and other shows.
In a statement, Dungey said she could have called ABC home for many more years but wants to tackle new, unspecified challenges.
Under Dungey, both as president and in her previous job as head of ABC's drama development, the network became the home of "Scandal," ''How to Get Away With Murder" and other multiethnic shows from powerhouse African-American producer Shonda Rhimes.
But Rhimes, whose shows own ABC's Thursday prime-time schedule, and another prominent producer, Kenya Barris of the network's sitcom "black-ish," have both jumped ship for lucrative streaming deals.
More recently, Dungey made news for her quick action in canning Barr from her revived namesake show "Roseanne" after the actress-comedian posted an insulting tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is African-American. Barr apologized, but the show, which had been an immediate success for ABC, was revamped without her and debuted this fall as "The Conners."
In October, Disney said it was bringing in Fox executive Dana Walden as chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment.
Burke will report to Walden after the Fox acquisition is completed, with Burke's replacement at Freeform to be announced, ABC said.
In a statement, Disney CEO Bob Iger lauded Dungey for her "curiosity, passion and creativity" and predicted she will be successful at whatever she chooses to pursue.
Burke, a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, said she was honored to continue Dungey's legacy of "excellent storytelling that touches so many people's hearts."
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More