The changes at Showtime continue, with Co-Presidents of Entertainment Gary Levine and Jana Winograde stepping down from their posts. The announcement was made this morning by Paramount Global’s Chris McCarthy, who took oversight of the pay cable network in the November restructuring that saw longtime Showtime CEO David Nevins leave the company.
McCarthy is expected to announce a new leadership team for Showtime, soon to be renamed Paramount+ with Showtime, which is rumored to include a new role for his top scripted executive on the basic cable side, Keith Cox.
Since McCarthy took over Showtime in November, it was unveiled that the pay cable network will be integrated into Paramount+, which intensified speculation about the future of Levine and Winograde, especially the latter, whose business and operations-related duties likely would become redundant in the new structure. Winograde has been at Showtime for six years, during which time she also added creative oversight alongside Levine.
“Many of the current functions that Jana oversees including business affairs, production, operations and casting are being centralized, and therefore Jana will be leaving,” McCarthy wrote in the memo. (You can read it in full below.) “Not only has Jana been a deft steward of the Showtime brand, her strategic acumen has boosted the network’s profile domestically and around the world.”
Last week, McCarthy unveiled his new content strategy for Showtime that relies heavily on IP by expanding existing series like Billions and Dexter into TV universes, which Levine helped build as Showtime’s top creative executive. Levine also developed upcoming series Three Women and Ripley, which recently were released and have found new homes at Starz and Netflix, respectively.
“I am very pleased to say that Gary will be taking on a new role as Senior Creative Advisor for Showtime, reporting to me,” McCarthy said. “I am delighted that he will now be able to dig in, in a more focused way, on several key shows and franchises, while continuing to advise me and the leaders of Showtime,” McCarthy added, using one of Levine’s favorite phrases.
Levine had been rumored for awhile — long before Nevins’ exit — to be mulling a departure after more than two decades at the network.
Meanwhile, Cox would fit into the new programming strategy for Showtime as has been involved in expanding Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise.
Another key programming executives on McCarthy’s team, head of unscripted Nina L. Diaz, also would be getting additional responsibilities at Showtime, I hear.
Here is McCarthy’s internal note, followed by Winograde’s email to staff.
McCarthy:
Winograde: