CBS EVP of Comedy Development Jon Koa to Step Down After 3 Years

CBS’ executive vice president of comedy development Jon Koa is stepping away from the position he’s held for the past three years, The Wrap has learned.

He will not be replaced. Moving forward, all scripted program development will now be streamlined under Yelena Chak, EVP of scripted development. The EVP of drama series development since 2019, she will now also oversee comedy development with the comedy team reporting to her. This move comes as CBS continues to evolve its development strategy, which includes switching more projects to long-term development rather than relying as heavily on the traditional pilot season.

“It’s been such a privilege to work with George, Amy and this group of talented people who love TV as much as I do, and as our business rapidly evolves and transforms, I look forward to the creative and innovative opportunities that lie ahead,” Koa said in a statement obtained by The Wrap.

Prior to joining CBS, Koa was the senior vice president of scripted television for Condé Nast Entertainment, a role he held from 2015 to 2021. In that position, he worked with publications such as The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, GQ, Vogue, Glamour and Bon Appetit. He also served as the executive director of comedy programming and development for ABC Television Network from 2009 to 2015.

As for Chak, she was named EVP of drama series development for CBS Entertainment in 2019. In this role, as well as her new one, she reports directly to Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. She first joined the company in 2007 as director of drama series before being promoted to vice president in 2009 and senior vice president in 2016. During her time with the network, Chak has been involved in the development of hit series such as the “FBI” franchise, “Evil,” “Blue Bloods,” “Madam Secretary,” “SEAL Team,” “S.W.A.T.,” “Person of Interest,” “The Good Wife” and “The Mentalist,” just to name a few of her projects. She was also instrumental in developing CBS’ current No. 1 series during the 2023-24 season “Tracker” as well as its No. 2 series, “Elsbeth.”

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