Emmy-winning producer John Wells has signed a new three-year overall deal extension to remain at Warner Bros. Television as he marks his 40th anniversary at the studio. The renewal is notable because it comes as WBTV's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, undergoes a takeover by Paramount, an uncertain period that recently prompted Quinta Brunson, creator of Abbott Elementary, to leave WBTV for Disney's 20th Television when her own deal expired.

Financial terms have not been disclosed, but the new pact runs from next year through mid-2030 and is believed to be comparable in size to his previous three-year extension. Wells, who joined WBTV as a story editor in 1986, currently has three shows on air, led by The Pitt, HBO Max's top current drama and the frontrunner at the 2026 Emmys with 25 nominations. Across his career he has produced hits including ER, The West Wing, Southland, Shameless, Third Watch and Animal Kingdom, amassing more than 300 Emmy nominations, 70 wins and seven Peabody Awards; he also executive produces two Netflix series for WBTV, Untamed and the upcoming Unaccustomed Earth.