Meet Meredith Scardino: The Incredibly Talented Showrunner of the Netflix Show Girls5eva

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.

Emmy-nominated showrunner and critically acclaimed comedy writer Meredith Scardino has always had a love for storytelling. As the youngest child in her family, Scardino had a vivid imagination that was nurtured through cartooning and drawing classes alongside a deep passion for comedy. In fact, she would watch Saturday Night Live religiously growing up, ultimately inspiring her career to come.

Scardino attended Cornell University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and then moved to New York City to pursue an MFA in painting at the Parsons School of Design. Immersed in the vibrant cultural scene of New York, Scardino expanded her creative horizons, leading her to explore the world of animation, which became a turning point as she began to discover that her true passion lay in writing rather than visual storytelling.

Embracing this revelation, Scardino shifted her focus from the art side of the industry to comedy writing, where she landed coveted positions at VH1's Best Week Ever, Late Show With David Letterman, and eventually The Colbert Report for six years. Each of these experiences deepened her understanding of the intricacies of comedic timing, sharp wit, and the nuances of writing for different formats. In 2014, Scardino took a bold step into narrative television, collaborating with Tina Fey and Robert Carlock on the beloved—and incredibly funny—Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. As she worked on the show throughout the four seasons, she began ideating what her own show would look like, leading her to create Girls5eva, a comedy series that would blend her comedic expertise with her personal experiences as a woman in her 40s. Drawing inspiration from her love of early 2000s pop groups, the show was a perfect outlet for her unique comedic voice.

Over the past four years, Scardino has shepherded Girls5eva through numerous challenges, including a platform switch to Netflix for its third season. Throughout it all, she has maintained the show’s rapid-fire joke pace and its distinctive, endearing characters. Her dedication and talent culminated this summer with a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, a testament to her remarkable journey in the world of television comedy. Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to find out how Scardino continues to evolve her career in the industry while staying inspired to create.

Next: From Fashion to Furniture Design: Inside Carly Cushnie's Exciting New Chapter