Veteran drama exec Keith Cox to leave Paramount after two decades

Keith Cox is exiting his role at Paramount Television Studios after two decades with Paramount and some of its corporate predecessors.

Keith Cox

The veteran exec has held multiple roles within Paramount, ViacomCBS and Viacom over the past 20 years, including serving as president of MTV Entertainment Studios and Showtime, and before that as president of development and original programming for Paramount Network, TV Land and CMT. His departure was revealed in an internal memo from Paramount Television Studios president Matt Thunell.

Cox has worked closely with many of the top creators and showrunners in Paramount’s orbit, including overseeing multiple series from Taylor Sheridan, including Landman, 1883, 1923, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, The Madison and Marshals. He was an “early champion” of the uber producer, said Thunell, ultimately helping to bring Yellowstone to the Paramount Network, in addition to helping launch Jez Butterworth titles including MobLand and The Agency.

He also worked closely with Darren Star on titles like Hot in Cleveland and Younger, both for cablenet TV Land, as well as the Netflix hit Emily in Paris, produced by MTV Entertainment Studios.

Cox’s departure comes around nine months after Skydance completed its takeover of Paramount. According to Deadline, his next move may be to rejoin former colleague Chris McCarthy at NBCUniversal (NBCU).

McCarthy, who was the co-president of Paramount Global until the Skydance acquisition, agreed a producing deal with NBCU late last year in a pact that will also reunite him with Sheridan, who is heading to NBCU in 2029 under a five-year overall deal.

“Most importantly, Keith is a respected leader and has been an incredible partner to both [Paramount Pictures chair and Paramount Television Studios chair] Dana [Goldberg] and me from our first days at Paramount. We are grateful for his leadership, collaboration, and the impact he has had on our teams, creative partners, and franchises,” said Thunell.

In his own note, Cox shared memories from many of the titles he has worked on over the past two decade. “I apologise if this farewell reads a little like an IMDb page, but these shows were never just titles on a slate,” he wrote.

“They were years of collaboration, creative risk-taking, belief, hard work and friendship. Our shows define our company, and our company is defined by its people. What I will miss most are the people who made these 20 years so memorable. And with that, I say thank you for 20 amazing years.”