Warner Bros. TV cuts 125 jobs as restructuring expanded

The Flight Attendant

A new wave of redundancies has hit Warner Bros. Discovery, with around 125 positions cut at Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) as part of the ongoing restructuring.

The Channing Dungey-led division has laid off 82 people this week and will no longer seek to fill a further 43 vacant positions, across scripted, unscripted and animation. These cuts amount to around 26% of the total team.

Warner Bros. TV is behind shows including The Flight Attendant and Gossip Girl for HBO Max, Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso, David Makes Man for OWN and The Kominsky Method for Netflix.

In a memo to staff, Dungey said she had “sad news and a heavy heart” as she shared: “Some of our treasured colleagues will be leaving the company because of restructuring and realignment within our group.

“This was strictly a business decision, made as thoughtfully and compassionately as possible by studio leadership. But understanding that doesn’t make this moment any easier.”

Sam Register

Merged team structure

In animation, Sam Register will continue as president of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, but with a new structure that will see the development and main production teams now work across both Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.

The kids and family series development team will be led by Audrey Diehl, adult animation development will be led by Peter Girardi, and animated longform series development will be led by Sammy Perlmutter, with Bobbie Page leading main production. Ed Adams will continue as EVP and general manager.

Senior scripted creative leadership will remain unchanged, with Brett Paul remaining as president of Warner Bros. Television, Clancy Collins White heading up development, and Vicki Dummer as head of current programming. Adam Glick continues to serve as head of business affairs, Sue Palladino as head of production, and Mele Nagler as head of casting.

Channing Dungey

Shortform shuttering, Karzen exit

WBD is closing its shortform studio Stage 13, as part of the restructure, with any existing projects in development being absorbed into WBTV. The Warner Bros. Television Workshop program, including both the Writers’ Workshop and the Directors’ Workshop are also to close, following the conclusion of the current 2022–23.

Alongside the redundancies, other high profile exits this week include Brooke Karzen, head of Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, who is departing after 22 years at the company.

Karzen is best known for overseeing The Bachleor franchise, developing its various spin-offs as well as titles including The Voice and Ellen’s Game of Games.

According to Dungey’s memo: “[Karzen] informed us in the last few weeks that she would like to try something new with her career.”

With her departure, Bridgette Theriault and Dan Sacks will now lead Warner Horizon. Some of the creative development and programming roles are being combined to work across both Warner Horizon and Telepictures, with David McGuire continuing to lead Telepictures. Lisa Shannon and Dan Peirson will continue to run Shed Media.

These latest cuts come following the newly merged WBD leadership’s pledge to make at least $3bn in savings within two years. In August, the company laid off 14% of HBO and HBO Max staff – around 70 people – with unscripted and live-action family programming hit the hardest.