Veteran TV industry executive Channing Dungey was named chairman of the Warner Bros. Television Group after tenures at ABC and Netflix in which she shepherded hit series including "Scandal."
Dungey, who at ABC in 2016 became the first African American head of a network entertainment division, will succeed veteran Warner executive Peter Roth when he steps down from the post early next year, the company announced Monday.
After an ABC career that spanned 14 years, including as a series development executive, Dungey was hired by Netflix in late 2018 as its vice president for original series. She resigned earlier this month, sparking reports that she was destined for Warner Bros.
While at ABC, Dungey was responsible for shows including "The Good Doctor," the revival of "American Idol" and the "Roseanne" reboot with Roseanne Barr — canceling the sitcom in 2018 over a racist tweet from Barr that Dungey called "repugnant."
During Dungey's tenure at Netflix she worked alongside "Scandal" and "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes, among the prominent producers and actors lured to the streaming service with lucrative deals. Dungey oversaw projects including "Away" with Hilary Swank and Octavia Spencer's "Self Made: Inspired By The Life of Madam CJ Walker."
The Warner Bros. Television Group is part of parent company's WarnerMedia group that includes HBO and the recently launched HBO Max streaming service.
"This is such an electric time in our industry, and we have so much opportunity available to us between Warner Bros.' core businesses and HBO Max, I cannot wait to dive in," Dungey said in a statement.
She joins Pearlena Igbokwe, head of NBC Universal's television studios, as a rare Black executive in charge of a TV studio.
