CBS TV Studios’ Julie McNamara Upped To EVP Drama Development For B’cast & Cable, Karyn Smith-Forge New Cable VP

NELLIE ANDREEVA

EXCLUSIVE: CBS TV Studios is restructuring its cable operations. The studio’s long-time head of drama Julie McNamara has been promoted to EVP, Drama Development for Broadcast and Cable Programming. She will continue to shepherd the development of CBS Studios’ all broadcast drama series, adding oversight of basic and pay cable development. Helping on the cable side will be Karyn Smith-Forge, who has joined the studio as VP, Cable Programming, reporting to McNamara. CBS Studios launched its efforts in the cable arena under Bela Bajaria who served as SVP Cable Programming until she departed in August to run Universal TV. CBS Studios’ first series developed for cable was The Cleaner at A&E. The second, Common Law, recently premiered on USA Network. At USA, CBS TV Studios also produced series The 4400, which started off as a miniseries. Additionally, the studio is behind BET’s The Game, which originated on UPN, and has pilot Scent of the Missing in consideration at TNT.

McNamara has headed CBS TV Studios’ drama department since joining the studio in 2004. She most recently oversaw the development of new fall drama series Elementary and Vegas at CBS and Beauty and the Beast and Emily Owens, M.D. at the CW. She also developed the studio’s Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife and 90210. “Julie’s relationships in this town, her amazing skills working collaboratively with writers and her incredible creative instincts have helped build an outstanding roster of dramas for our studio,” said CBS TV Studios president David Stapf. “She is simply invaluable to our division’s success making hit network shows, and we look for to expanding her role as we increase our footprint in the cable market.” McCamara joined CBS TV Studios from ABC where, as VP drama development, she developed Alias, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy.

Smith-Forge most recently was VP of Programming at established cable series producer Fox TV Studios, where she worked on White Collar for USA and The Glades for A&E. Prior to that she worked at Endeavor as a TV lit agent.

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