​The CW is on a jealousy-inducing creative streak, and that’s thanks to their talented and diverse showrunners, creators and executive producers.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the only new fall show on The CW’s schedule, is prepping to join the club, with executive producer and showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna and star-EP Rachel Bloom crashing the party.

“This was the right fit for Jane the Virgin,” said Mark Pedowitz, president of The CW. “[It gives us] two strong female lead characters. That was our thought process.”

“We think we have something,” Pedowitz said. “We’re taking a swing with something that nobody has on the air.”

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a musical dramedy series starring viral video star Bloom as Rebecca, who moves from New York to West Covina, California, in a misguided attempt to pursue an ex-boyfriend.

Each episode is going to feature 2-3 musical numbers, spanning every genre of music the writers can think of.

“I’m still not convinced this whole thing isn’t a prank by my middle-school bullies,” Bloom said. “This is amazing. I have a TV show. Who gave me a TV show?”

The show’s title and connotation therein, isn’t an accident. As she did with The Devil Wears Prada, McKenna wants to get behind what it means to be crazy, or to be called crazy.

“What does it mean if you call a woman a devil or a bitch? We’re hoping the show gets to do that,” McKenna said.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend comes from the perspective of women, and women are making it. But McKenna believes the show’s themes are universal.

“It’s about human experience. The thing about being a crazy ex, it’s not limited to male or female. Everyone’s been one or had one, or both,” she said.

After the energetic Crazy Ex-Girlfriend panel that began with a legitimate musical number and introduced the TCA to star Rachel Bloom and her talented, tap-dancing ensemble, a panel on women showrunners came to the TCA stage.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s Aline Brosh McKenna joins Executive Producers Jennie Snyder Urman (Jane the Virgin), Gabrielle Stanton (The Flash), Diane Ruggiero-Wright (iZombie), Wendy Mericle (Arrow), Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Containment), Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries) and Laurie McCarthy (Reign).

After a rousing action-packed trailer of The CW’s offerings, featuring many women kicking ass, Diane Ruggiero-Wright, co-creator and co-showrunner of iZombie, began the discussion.

“I think that’s what’s most interesting about shows on The CW,” she said.

“There’s not a lot there for women looking for good roles. We get to bring queens and monsters and werewolves and whatever it is that we’re all doing. It is the best opportunity for women to act and create. I’m happy to be a part of that,” Ruggiero-Wright said.

“We’re not just doing chick shows. We’re up here doing all kinds of shows,” The Flash Executive Producer Gabrielle Stanton said.

“Female stories and characters are welcomed enthusiastically,” McKenna said. In fact, if it weren’t for Jennie Snyder Urman and Jane the Virgin, they never would’ve found a home for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

The changing landscape behind the creation of TV has these women excited, but it’s not enough. Only 30% of TV writers are women, and that figure is even lower on feature films.

When asked when we won’t need panels celebrating women showrunners, and it’ll just be the standard, Ruggiero-Wright jokes, “When Julie has every show on the network.”

“We feel very honored to be celebrated, [but] a showrunner is a showrunner is a showrunner. We all suffer in the same ways,” Plec said.

But Plec and company recognize their responsibilities as role models. “We’re showing someone else what is possible,” Plec said.

It also allows them to hire more women writers. “At the same time you want to hire good writers. I’m going to hire whomever’s best for the job [regardless of gender],” Ruggiero-Wright said. “But if it’s between the two, and they’re equal to the job, I’m going to pick the woman.”

Regardless, they hope they can help usher a new wave of women writers into Hollywood.

“In ten years, hopefully this won’t even be an issue,” Stanton said.

A lot has changed recently. Ten years ago, when interviewing for jobs, execs would say, “We need one of you,” according to Laurie McCarthy (Reign). Now, it’s Jennie’s show Jane the Virgin that needs “one of you,” but she’s talking about a man.

“There’s not that many woman EP’s out there. I’m proud of The CW that they have all of us. I think it’s amazing and I’m proud of it,” Ruggiero-Wright said.

The CW’s fall season kicks off on Tuesday, October 6, with the second-season premieres of Ruggiero-Wright’s show iZombie and The Flash.

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