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Rick Proctor

Tara Duncan Named Freeform President

Duncan had been under an overall deal at Hulu

by

Freeform tapped producer Tara Duncan as its new president.

Duncan comes to Freeform from Hulu, where she was under an overall deal. She begins June 8 and will replace Tom Ascheim, who is leaving for a gig with Warner Bros. Duncan will have oversight of strategic planning, brand development, content strategy, original programming, production, scheduling, finance, research, marketing and communications.

She’ll report directly to Dana Walden, chairman, Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment.

“Tara is an exceptionally skilled executive and a seasoned producer who is bringing a wealth of experience, across linear channels and streaming platforms, to her new role,” said Walden. “Her background, great taste and reputation make her the perfect choice to lead Freeform and its original programming that entertains viewers across its linear channel and distribution on Hulu. Tara and I met for the first time a little over a year ago, and I was truly taken with her vision and understanding of the creative process. Getting her inside of Walt Disney Television has been a priority and I am thrilled she will be leading the formidable Freeform team.”

At Hulu, Duncan was developing an adaptation of Zakiya Dalila Harris’ novel, “The Other Black Girl.” Before her Hulu deal, she was a creative executive with Netflix where she oversaw series including “Orange Is the New Black” and “Narcos” and helped to launch “She’s Gotta Have It,” “The Get Down,” “Sens8” and “Dear White People.” Completing her trifecta of streaming services, Duncan produced the pilot for Amazon Prime’s “Bosch,” its first scripted drama series.

Duncan is a founding member of Who’s In The Room, an executive mentorship program created to help diversify the executive and producer ranks in the industry. She started her career at Section Eight, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh’s production company.

“The programming on Freeform makes me think, laugh and feel good at a time when being optimistic matters most,” said Duncan. “It is incredibly exciting to join the Freeform team and continue forging a path for fun, daring storytelling. I am especially grateful for Dana Walden’s leadership and Craig Erwich’s guidance, as well as Bea Springborn and a host of mentors and friends who have nurtured me to this next chapter in my career.”

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"Homecoming" is back and "Dirty John" will be returning for its second season on June 2. Here are other TV shows based on successful podcasts, with their Metacritic ranking (as of May 24, 2020).
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"Up and Vanished" (2018 - )
Metacritic score: n/a
Payne Lindsey's true-crime podcast first became a successful two-part special on Oxygen, exploring the disappearance of Georgia schoolteacher Tara Grinstead. And then it became a series, with Payne and his team exploring a new cold case in each episode.
Oxygen
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"Alex Inc." - based on "StartUp" (2018)   
Metacritic score: 49
Zach Braff played a journalist who quits his job to start his own podcast business -- in a short-lived ABC sitcom very loosely based on Alex Blumberg's "StartUp" podcast about the founding of his own Gimlet Media podcast network.
ABC
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"StarTalk" (2015 - )
Metacritic score: 55
Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson adapted his hit podcast into a long-running talk show on NatGeo, with a wide variety of guests beyond the science (and even sci-fi) field.
National Geographic
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"Dirty John" (2018 - )
Metacritic score: 58
Connie Britton and Eric Bana starred in the first season of this true-crime anthology series based on the Wondery podcast about love gone wrong. The second season starred an ill-fated coupled played by Amanda Peet and Christian Slater.
USA
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"Lore" (2017-18)
Metacritic score: 60
Aaron Mahnke's podcast exploring the true histories behind horror legends like werewolves and vampires inspired an anthology series that blended dramatic scenes, animation and narration and ran for two seasons on Amazon.
Amazon Prime
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"Limetown" (2019)
Metacritic score: 62
Jessica Biel starred in this Facebook Watch series that told the fictional story of the disappearance of 300 people at a Tennessee neuroscience facility. But the show failed to capture the creepy immersiveness of the original podcast and lasted only one season.
Facebook
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"The Ricky Gervais Show" (2010-12) 
Metacritic score: 62
The creator of "The Office" adapted his radio show (with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington) into a podcast, and then into an animated HBO series that made its potty-humor jokes literal.
HBO
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"Comedy Bang! Bang!" (2012-16) 
Metacritic score: 67
Scott Aukerman adapted his comedy podcast into a parody talk show that ran for five seasons on IFC.
IFC
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"Homecoming" (2018 - )
Metacritic score: 76
Julia Roberts starred in the first season of this show, based on Gimlet's fictional podcast about a secret government program to transition U.S. war veterans back to civilian life. Janelle Monaé took center stage in Season 2.
Amazon Prime
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"2 Dope Queens" (2018 - ) 
Metacritic score: 87
"Daily Show" alum Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson adapted their hit comedy podcast into an HBO series that hits a broad range of topics.
HBO
10 TV Shows Based on Podcasts Ranked, From 'Homecoming' to '2 Dope Girls' (Photos)
A growing number of TV shows have been inspired by audio hits
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