Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: Decoder with Nilay Patel
Episode: Recode Decode: Ilene Chaiken, showrunner, âEmpireâ
Description: Ilene Chaiken, the creator of âThe L Wordâ and showrunner for âEmpire,â talks with Recodeâs Kara Swisher at the 2017 edition of Werk It, WNYCâs women-in-podcasting festival. Chaiken explains how she got âThe L Wordâ made at Showtime, even though the network initially laughed at the idea of a show about lesbians in Hollywood, and how became executive producer of the hit Hulu series âThe Handmaidâs Tale,â which she had tried to adapt for years. Now in an exclusive deal at 20th Century Fox, Chaiken says the massive reach of broadcast TV is still an important cultural force, and predicts th...