{"id":462187,"date":"2026-09-13T02:55:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T02:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462187\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T02:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T02:55:15","slug":"meet-the-netflix-executive-who-helps-decide-what-325-million-people-watch-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462187\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Netflix executive who helps decide what 325 million people watch next"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After Brian Koppelman and David Levien wrapped their hit Showtime series \u201cBillions,\u201d the co-creators were undecided about where they would go next. A more than hourlong visit from a Netflix executive settled it.<\/p>\n

Netflix had been developing a Las Vegas drama with Martin Scorsese, who is executive producing through his Sikelia Productions. The streamer brought in Koppelman and Levien, and the pair pitched a present-day casino story. Jinny Howe, Netflix\u2019s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series, went to their office to make the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she left our office, we looked at each other and said, \u2018Well, whatever we do, we want to do it with her,\u2019\u201d said Koppelman, recalling their meeting from two years ago. Their new Las Vegas series, \u201cThe Roman\u201d starring Oscar Issac as a casino president, is expected to be released next year. Netflix ordered it in December. <\/p>\n

Howe has one of the hardest jobs in Hollywood \u2014 finding must-see scripted programs that keep Netflix\u2019s subscribers watching. The company said it had over 325 million paid subscribers worldwide at the end of 2025. Her instincts for creators, combined with years as an entertainment executive and a lifelong viewer have given her a track record of championing hits, including thriller \u201cThe Night Agent,\u201d drama \u201cThe Diplomat\u201d and Regency-era romance \u201cBridgerton.\u201d <\/p>\n

That led to her promotion last year as head of U.S. and Canada scripted series \u2014 her fourth advancement in four years. She succeeded Peter Friedlander, who left after nearly 14 years, and reports to Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my role, I feel I am really ear to the ground, really listening to what audiences are asking for, and really trying to understand where the culture is, where the conversation is, to really make sure we\u2019re giving these audiences what it is that they want and they crave,\u201d said Howe, 48.<\/p>\n

The pressure is on. Key franchises are in their final seasons. \u201cStranger Things\u201d ended in December, \u201cOuter Banks\u201d concluded with its fifth season last month and \u201cEmily in Paris\u201d finishes with its sixth season in December. Netflix has confirmed that the fifth season of legal drama \u201cThe Lincoln Lawyer\u201d will be its last. <\/p>\n

Wall Street has soured. Netflix shares, which closed Thursday $76.01, are down 39% over the past 12 months, a slide that began with its $83-billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in December \u2014 a deal it later walked away from \u2014 and continued through 2026 when the company lowered<\/a> its growth projections. <\/p>\n

Analysts have also flagged sluggish engagement growth. View hours rose about 2% in the first half of 2026 compared with a year earlier, even as content spending climbed. <\/p>\n

\"Jinny <\/p>\n

After graduating from UCLA, Jinny Howe worked at Brillstein Entertainment Partners and John Wells Productions before joining Netflix in 2018.<\/p>\n

(Jason Armond\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Howe is confident that Netflix continues to outshine its competitors, noting that the streamer is still in a \u201cgrowth mindset\u201d that bets on original ideas. The streamer also has franchises that continue to pull in large audiences, such as the fourth season of \u201cBridgerton,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not slowing down at all,\u201d Howe said. <\/p>\n

This year her department has a slate of 44 new and returning scripted series from the U.S. and Canada, excluding stand-up, comedy formats and adult animation. They span genres and mix seasoned showrunners and bets on emerging talent. Six are run by first-time female showrunners, a notable number at a time when the industry has cut back and women have historically had fewer chances to lead series. Those programs include \u201cEast of Eden,\u201d a series based on the popular John Steinbeck novel; YA drama \u201cThe Body<\/a>\u201d and \u201cA Different World,\u201d a sequel series based on the NBC sitcom about Black students at a fictional college. <\/p>\n

Howe leads a team of people spanning the U.S. and Canada, with hubs in Los Angeles and Toronto. While she is accountable for the U.S. and Canada scripted slate, the decisions are made in partnership with her team.<\/p>\n

Scripted series out of the U.S. and Canada remain central to the business. Many of Netflix\u2019s most-watched shows of all time come from the region, which accounts for about 40% of global revenue \u2014 the streamer\u2019s largest market. Netflix reported 89.6 million memberships in the U.S. and Canada at the end of 2024, the last time it broke out regional numbers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many amazing creators and stories to be told from the U.S. and Canada and historically, English language scripted television for many, many years has traveled to lots of different countries around the world,\u201d Bajaria said. <\/p>\n

The region also drives Netflix\u2019s awards profile. The streamer collected 111 Emmy nominations<\/a> in July, second to HBO Max\u2019s 122. Netflix says 83 of them came from scripted series and variety specials under Howe\u2019s slate. \u201cBeef\u201d season 2 led Netflix\u2019s titles receiving Emmy recognition with 16 nominations. <\/p>\n

Competition for attention is fierce. Rival streamers are investing in live sports, and YouTube<\/a> continues to take a significant share of TV viewing time in the U.S. Netflix has responded by adding video podcasts, sports and games to its lineup. It also lacks the deep historic library some competitors hold \u2014 the gap its failed Warner Bros. bid would have closed.<\/p>\n

So finding new gems matters. In 2015 the streamer bet on Matt and Ross Duffer, then first-time showrunners, for \u201cStranger Things.\u201d It became one of the biggest hits in the company\u2019s history<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Then the Duffers agreed to produce a show created by Haley Z. Boston, the horror series \u201cSomething Very Bad Is Going to Happen,\u201d about a woman who is cursed and could die if she doesn\u2019t marry her soulmate. Other studios didn\u2019t see Boston as the showrunner, but Howe and Netflix did.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need people to take chances on us,\u201d 31-year-old Boston said. \u201cThere is still a glass ceiling … I\u2019m excited about new future where you don\u2019t have to have done the job already to do it. All you need is the right support.\u201d <\/p>\n

The series debuted at No. 2 on the streamer\u2019s global top 10 English language shows and reached 20.3 million views on Netflix in the first half of this year, according to the streamer. <\/p>\n

\u201cNetflix had the confidence that we can find the right audience for this,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Connecting with a range of storytellers early is part of the strategy. Howe\u2019s relationship with creator Molly Smith Metzler goes back about a decade, to when Metzler submitted her play \u201cElemeno Pea\u201d while Howe was working at John Wells Productions. Howe was impressed and recommended her for the \u201cShameless\u201d writers room. Metzler went on to lead the critically acclaimed 2021 limited series \u201cMaid\u201d for Netflix, her first job as a showrunner, and signed an overall deal with the streamer in early 2022. <\/p>\n

One of Howe\u2019s ideas was to build a series out of \u201cElemeno Pea.\u201d That became the drama \u201cSirens,\u201d starring Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock and Julianne Moore. Released in 2025, it debuted at No. 1 on Netflix\u2019s global top 10 and earned four Emmy nominations, including a surprise lead actress nod for Fahy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent so many cups of coffee and walks talking about what that could be and what it could look like, and we really built it from the ground up,\u201d Metzler said. \u201cShe is very hardworking, and she\u2019s extremely committed to the projects she does. That commitment and that rigor is contagious.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Jinny <\/p>\n

Jinny Howe, who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, is one of the few prominent Asian American content leaders in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

(Jason Armond\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

In her soul, Howe said, she\u2019s a producer first. Koppelman and Levien said she was instrumental in the casting \u201cThe Roman,\u201d including speaking with some of the leading actors. Alongside Isaac, the series stars Betty Gilpin, Alec Baldwin, Jimmy O. Yang and Jason Schwartzman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would not have come together had Jinny not rolled up her sleeves,\u201d Koppelman said. \u201cWhen we look at this cast, sometimes we can\u2019t really believe what got put together.\u201d <\/p>\n

Howe and Netflix also supported showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine\u2019s push to make a version of \u201cLittle House on the Prairie<\/a>\u201d that includes more of the Osage perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was very open to a vision that explored all the things that we wanted to explore in this show,\u201d Sonnenshine said. <\/p>\n

Howe grew up in Walnut, in the San Gabriel Valley, a self-described latchkey kid and the daughter of a residential real estate agent and a women\u2019s clothing store owner. She was born in Seoul and immigrated to California when she was 15 months old.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I really am a California girl, I grew up just adjacent to the glittering lights of Hollywood, but close enough to know that there was a real business there,\u201d Howe said.<\/p>\n

While her parents worked, she and her brother watched a lot of TV, sitcoms like \u201cDiff\u2019rent Strokes\u201d and \u201cSmall Wonder\u201d and soaps like \u201cDynasty\u201d and \u201cDallas.\u201d That turned into a career. She graduated from UCLA with a bachelor of arts degree in theater, film and television, worked in the talent division at Brillstein Entertainment Partners and rose to executive vice president of television at John Wells Productions before joining Netflix in 2018.<\/p>\n

She is one of the few prominent Asian American content leaders in Hollywood, in a position that helps shape what the world watches. <\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely do feel it\u2019s not something I take for granted to be in these rooms and to know that my voice matters,\u201d Howe said. \u201cI get to be a decision-maker in a lot of these conversations. It\u2019s really gratifying, and it\u2019s something that I think is not lost on me at all.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After Brian Koppelman and David Levien wrapped their hit Showtime series \u201cBillions,\u201d the co-creators were undecided about where…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462188,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[72271,182135,12672,24105,156881,182134,48,52,51,47,50,49,182133,592,425,182136,151235,4567,315,2281,72],"class_list":["post-462187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-bet","tag-brian-koppelman","tag-canada","tag-december","tag-emmy-nomination","tag-jinny-howe","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-netflix-executive","tag-people","tag-series","tag-showrunner","tag-slate","tag-streamer","tag-time","tag-u-s","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}