Jonnie Davis, the President of ABC Signature, is bidding farewell to the Disney-owned studio after serving since 2019. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work on acclaimed shows like ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, FX’s Fleishman Is In Trouble, and Hulu’s This Fool. However, his departure does not indicate a merger between ABC Signature and 20th Television. Despite numerous rumors, these divisions will continue to operate independently. The company is currently in search of a replacement for Davis, which comes as a surprise considering his close relationship with Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden.
When Davis transitioned from 20th Television to ABC Signature, he successfully brought along notable talents like Drew Goddard and Octavia Spencer. Davis assumed the role of President of ABC Studios in July 2019, shortly after Disney acquired key Fox assets and the departure of then-President Patrick Moran. Under his leadership, the studio produced popular shows such as ABC’s The Good Doctor, The Rookie, and Station 19. They also worked on Onyx Collective’s Reasonable Doubt and UnPrisoned, Apple TV+’s Five Days at Memorial and Bad Sisters, and Paramount+’s Criminal Minds: Evolution. Additionally, they were involved in Amazon’s The Wilds, Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere and Tiny Beautiful Things, MGM+’s Godfather of Harlem, ABC’s The Rookie: Feds, and Nat Geo’s A Small Light. The studio has established partnerships with renowned individuals such as Alec Berg, Kerry Washington, Liz Tigelaar, Drew Goddard, Tony McNamara, Yara Shahidi, Natasha Rothwell, Phoebe Robinson, Bruce Miller, John Ridley, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Before his tenure at ABC Signature, Davis held the position of President, Creative Affairs at 20th Century Fox Television (now 20th Television). He joined the company in 2008 as SVP Comedy Development and played a significant role in the development of shows like NBC’s This Is Us and ABC’s Modern Family. He also contributed to the expansion of their animation department with projects like Solar Opposites and Central Park. Prior to that, Davis served as VP Comedy Development at Fox, where he gained experience in unscripted programming with shows like The Simple Life, Joe Millionaire, and American Idol.
Here is the note from Eric Schrier, President of Disney TV Studios and Global Original TV Strategy:
Here is the note from Jonnie Davis:
