Tracy Underwood Replaces Jonnie Davis as ABC Signature President

Lesley Goldberg
·2 min read

Tracy Underwood’s star at Disney continues to rise.

The longtime Disney executive has been promoted to president of ABC Signature, filling the void created in July with the departure of Jonnie Davis from the role.

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Underwood, a Disney studio exec since 2010, will oversee creative affairs, drama, comedy and limited series development, as well as the current series slate. Underwood most recently was executive vp creative affairs at ABC Signature under Davis. She will now report to Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios and Global Original TV Strategy at Disney Entertainment.

“As a proven leader at ABC Signature, Tracy has been an instrumental force behind the studio’s development of award-winning and culture-piercing series for over a decade. In this new role leading the studio, Tracy will build on her excellent relationships with our creative and platform partners to grow the studio’s legacy of producing undeniable television,” Schrier said in a release announcing the move Tuesday.

Underwood doubled her oversight at Disney in 2020 when she was promoted to a newly created role of exec vp creative affairs at ABC Studios in which she reported to Davis while also overseeing cable- and streaming-focused ABC Signature. ABC Studios and its former subsidiary ABC Signature Studios were folded into one unit, ABC Signature, in 2020 with Davis coming over after the Fox deal to run the studio over Underwood.

Underwood’s previous role will not be replaced. Sydnee Rimes, senior vp sries, will now report to Underwood, as will Susan Lewis, senior vp drama development, and Danny Feldheim, senior vp comedy development.

“I’d like to thank Dana Walden for her extraordinary leadership and Eric Schrier for entrusting me with the opportunity to step into this role. The prospect of leading the studio that I’ve called home for over 10 years is a professional dream come true. Along with the exceptional teams, we will continue to create spectacular, impactful and relevant television during one of the most transformative chapters in our industry,” Underwood said.

During her Disney tenure, Underwood has had a hand in shows including Bad Sisters, Fleishman Is in Trouble, Tiny Beautiful Things, A Small Light, This Fool, UnPrisoned and Reasonable Doubt. Her upcoming credits include Under the Bridge and High Potential. Underwood helped establish ABC Studios’ push into cable and streaming in 2013 with shows including Dollface, High Fidelity, Little Fires Everywhere and the recently renewed Godfather of Harlem.

As part of a cost-cutting move, Disney recently streamlined its back office functions with centralized business affairs, casting and production units for both ABC Signature and 20th Television. Both studios will continue to operate independently despite rumors otherwise. ABC Signature has a slate of 16 current series and more than six dozen projects in various stages of development across the TV landscape.

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