If you’re planning out your next TV spec series or want to see how some of the most talented writers in the industry captured intrigue and interest from page 1, here are this year’s Emmy-nominated scripts for you to read and download (for free)!

Read More: What is a Spec Script (and Why Should You Write One)?

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Better Call Saul

Hotshot attorney Saul Goodman made his debut in the award-winning series Breaking Bad. So intriguing was this character in the dynamic world of drug dealing in New Mexico that he became the title character of his own origin story. Before Breaking Bad, Saul Goodman was a lawyer who never quite fit into the fast-paced, fancy world of the well-respected attorneys of Albuquerque. The show follows his ascent (or descent) into becoming the person who represents Walter White.

The Crown

For five seasons, The Crown has shown the life of Queen Elizabeth starting from a young princess to becoming one of the longest reigning monarchs of the British Empire. Its intimate look at the life of one of the world’s most famous people has made it one of Netflix’s most popular shows. Each season is a new decade of Queen Elizabeth’s life tackling moments within that time span that impacted both her personally as well as the lives of her subjects.

The Crown has one several Emmys including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.

Read More: Tips for Coming Up with an Idea for Your TV Spec Episode

The Last of Us

A global pandemic destroys most of humanity and turns civilization into a paranoid, hostile and survival-minded society. You would think that a story centered around an illness that puts the civilized world into upheaval might be a tale told too soon, but acclaimed TV shows like The Last of Us, Station Eleven and The Stand have been streamed by millions.

These stories though are about the people who struggle to survive and often feature reclusive grown-ups (usually male) suddenly in charge of a minor (usually female). It’s these characters that truly drive the story and why people continue watching pandemic/end-of-the-world shows. Read one of the episodes of The Last of Us and discover what made this show stand out.

Read 10 Things that Male HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Great for more insights into the Emmy-nominated series.

Yellowjackets

What happened when a high school soccer team crashed in the remote Canadian wilderness? Apparently, a lot of weird stuff. This show takes place in two time periods: a group of women in present day and the same women as teenagers trying to survive the strangeness of a mountainous region with no way to escape. The series constantly makes the audience wonder what happened, or what will happen next, to the teenagers and what ties bind them as adults.

Succession

Succession is one of those TV shows that pits family members against each other as money and power gets to their head. Logan Roy runs the largest entertainment and media company in the world and the power he wields in political circles stretches far and wide. However, like many men in power, their children lack the competence to run the empire they created. Succession focuses on the lives of the Roy family as they backstab, deceive and insult their way to the top giving audiences a glimpse into the wealthy one percent.

A similarly themed show is The Righteous Gemstones, which follows a mega church’s dysfunctional family.

The White Lotus

Someone is dead. But who? The White Lotus starts off with the death of a resident at the luxurious hotel and basically forgets about this concept until the end of the show. It leaves the audience wondering which one of the intolerable hotel guests or an accommodating hotel employee will meet their demise on the property. The ensemble cast of colorful characters is a comedy and a commentary on how the wealthy and privileged treat those who serve them and what they can get away with.

The supposed paradise getaway increasingly reveals dark pasts, sinister intentions and suspicions from both the hotel residents and the workforce.

Barry

What happens when a hitman accidentally catches the acting bug? Barry is a complicated tale of a hitman who suffers from an identity crisis and finds solace in father-figure Gene who teaches the acting class he stumbled into. Barry tries to find ways to redeem himself but his past and the sinister people he’s involved with keep coming back and threaten his new perspective of his life and his career aspirations. Barry is filled with dense, complicated characters whose motives and decisions keep audiences engaged and curiosities piqued.

Throughout its four seasons, Barry has had six (yes, six) Emmy nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

Read More: How to Choose a TV Show to Spec

Abbott Elementary

Abbott Elementary is heartbreakingly humorous. Set in a failing elementary school in Philadelphia, the TV show follows a group of teachers who love their jobs but must face the constant struggles of attempting to shape young minds within underfunded programs. This documentary-style series is reminiscent of shows like The Office with characters breaking the fourth wall and giving their commentary on what goes on in their lives and how the others complicate or help matters.

Based on creator Quinta Brunson’s mother’s experiences as a teacher, Abbott Elementary is a great example of how to take a complicated social issue and use humor to bring up these subjects.

The Bear

The Bear became a show that spread by word-of-mouth and quickly became the newest series you had to binge. The series centers around Carmen, an award-winning chef who ends up running his family’s sandwich shop. On the surface it’s a story about how the mighty have fallen – how does a fine-dining chef get to the point where he has to make ends meet at a small business with blue-collar ingredients and a no-B.S. kitchen crew? It’s deeper than that though, as he must also deal with his brother’s suicide, whose death is why he has returned to take over the shop.

Nominated in the comedy category, this show finds humor in chaos and doesn’t hold back on drama.

Only Murders in the Building

True-life stories about murder are popular. From binge-worthy limited series’ to long-running TV shows like Dateline and 20/20, people are fascinated with true crime. This has bled over into podcasts as well, and now there are several TV shows and movies in the interest of true crime podcasts such as Based on a True Story and Vengeance whose protagonists choose to solve crimes and make podcasts. That leads to the Emmy-winning series Only Murders in the Building about three amateur investigators using the power of podcasting to solve murders.

Only Murders in the Building finds a way to differentiate itself when it comes to the fictional-true-crime-podcasting-murder-mystery genre. Read the pilot to see how they set up the story.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

When the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel first took the stage for her initial comedy routine, which was more of a rant filled with unintended humor, she brought a rawness and freshness to an audience that didn’t expect language and verbal confirmation of a mother’s feelings of the time. Since that fateful night in the late 1950s, Midge Maisel has toured the world while trying to keep the family balance in order. In the final season, time jumps back and forth over the course of several decades as the story wraps up and the audience learns about the life and legacy of Mrs. Maisel.

Read the pithy, unique writing stylings of Amy Sherman-Palladino (creator of Gilmore Girls).

 —

Many of the Emmy-nominated TV shows have concluded their final seasons so this will be the last chance for many to take home an award. Regardless, the scripts are a testament to the high level of writing expected in the world of prestige TV and open the door for a fresh new batch of nominees next year.

CHECK OUT OUR PREPARATION NOTES SO YOU START YOUR STORY OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK!

The post Read and Download 2023’s Emmy Nominated Scripts appeared first on ScreenCraft.

While you’re brainstorming brilliant ideas, keep these tips in mind.

Got a great TV pilot? Enter it into the TV Pilot Screenplay Competition!

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The Three No-Nos

Let’s get one — okay, three — things clear to start.

No births. No deaths. No marriages.

When it comes to specs, you don’t want to alter the makeup of the show. You can’t just kill off a main character, introduce someone brand new, or marry two characters off. Birth, death, and marriage are the kinds of big life events you want to stay away from in spec scripts.

Of course, there are certain instances when a birth or death would occur naturally within the world of a show.

If you’re speccing Grey’s Anatomy, for example, it’s wholly possible that someone would come into the hospital and end up dying in the operating room. Or a patient might discover they have a medical complication with their pregnancy that causes one of the doctors to re-evaluate something in their personal life.

But you’re not going to kill-off Meredith Grey or suddenly announce that Miranda Bailey is pregnant. There are just some things — well, three things — you don’t do with specs.

Read More: The Literary Manager's Process of Selling Your TV Spec Pilot  

Bridgerton (2020– )

Make a Nice Sandwich

It’s true, you can write a spec script of the first episode of your show’s next season. But it’s a risk you must be willing to take. 

The name of the game in specs is longevity — you want your spec script to have the longest shelf life possible. If you write a spec of the first episode of season three of Bridgerton, and then season three premieres and the actual writers of the show have gone in a completely different direction, your spec is essentially useless.

Instead, try to find a way to sandwich your spec script between two existing episodes of the show.

This has become increasingly difficult as shows have gotten more and more serialized. It’s much harder to find a place within the latest season of Only Murders in the Building to situate a spec episode than it is for Abbott Elementary.

So, you have to look for gaps. 

As you’re rewatching your show, try to find any gaps — either between episodes or within storylines — where you might be able to sandwich in a spec. Keep an eye out for time jumps and pay attention to where the elapsed time in between episodes is a bit vague.

What happens between episodes three and four? Find out in your spec: episode 3.5!

Read More: What is a Story Engine and How Can It Help Your TV Pilot

Only Murders in the Building (2021– )

Be Normal, But Stand Out

I’m sorry if I’m the first person to break this to you, but your spec episode isn’t going to get made. You could write the best spec of The Sex Lives of College Girls imaginable, but Mindy Kaling isn’t going to buy it and produce it for the upcoming season.

The good news is… that means you have incredible freedom when it comes to what your spec episode can be about.

With specs, you want to stick to the series’ established structure and format, utilizing the major characters and locations to demonstrate that you’re capable of writing someone else’s show. BUT! You don’t have the budgetary restrictions or time constraints that must be taken into consideration when it comes to filming actual episodes of the show. 

Say you think it would be hilarious for the vampires of What We Do in the Shadows to visit the Statue of Liberty and then get stuck there when the sun comes up. The producers of the show might tell you that Liberty Island as a location poses too many production limitations and difficulties, but you don’t have to worry about that because you’re just writing a spec! Your spec isn’t going to be made… so go for it! 

Above all, you want your spec script to be memorable. So, write a “normal” episode of the show when it comes to structure, format, and tone, but take big swings in terms of story so that you stand out.

Read More: How to Structure a Great TV Pilot 

Abbott Elementary (2021– )

Shine The Character Spotlight

Specs are a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on unusual pairings of characters. Every show has its typical pairs… but what about characters who don’t often interact?

Take Ted Lasso. Wouldn’t it be fun if Coach Beard and Rebecca had a storyline together? Or what about Coach Beard and Keeley? Coach Beard and Roy? Basically, put anyone with Coach Beard and you’ve got a winning spec.

In all seriousness though, look for characters who aren’t often paired up and center your spec on that new and unique dynamic.

Or bring one of the minor or recurring characters to the forefront. Keeping with our Ted Lasso example… maybe there’s a spec to be written about Mae, the barkeep at the Crown & Anchor. Or Roy’s niece Phoebe, or Will, the new kitman in season two.

The point is, shows are populated with tons of characters, all of whom have stories you can tell in your spec.

Read More: 7 Unusual Ways to Describe Characters in Your Screenplay

Ted Lasso (2020–2023)

Build on the Afterthoughts and Throwaway Details

When I’m planning to write a spec, I purposefully go overboard on the note-taking while I rewatch the show. As I do this, I make sure to keep a running list of little details.

Anything can go on this list — a piece of character backstory that isn’t fully explained, a throwaway anecdote that was probably only included because it provided a good punchline, details that seem like afterthoughts but could become much more. I even add questions that I have about the characters or plotlines. 

Then, when I’m trying to figure out what my spec episode could be about, I look to this list for inspiration. Without fail, I can always find a kernel of something to center my spec around. 

When I was writing a spec to sandwich into the second season of Ted Lasso, during my rewatch I noticed that, in the wake of Earl the Greyhound’s untimely demise in episode one, Rebecca mentioned that the club made a hefty donation to a local dog shelter called “Barkingham Palace.”

Ding! Inspiration. I centered my whole spec episode around the team visiting Barkingham Palace to volunteer with the shelter dogs.

Using these small details that are already part of the show to build up into a full episode not only proves that you know the series well, but it helps make your spec feel like part of the show’s world. 

Read More: How to Watch a TV Show You Want to Write a Spec Script For

Put Yourself on the Page

Yes, writing a spec means that you’re writing someone else’s show. But that doesn’t mean you can’t infuse your script with your own unique perspective and voice.

Maybe there was a teacher who had a big impact on you in middle school and that relationship is something you can turn into a storyline for Abbott Elementary. Or a friend told you a mortifying story of a hook-up gone very wrong that could become the basis for an episode of Sex Education. Or maybe a lesson you learned after years of therapy could become a theme for a spec of Shrinking.

Don’t be afraid to mine your own life for story ideas. The more you can put yourself on the page, the better.

CHECK OUT OUR PREPARATION NOTES SO YOU START YOUR STORY OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK!

The post Tips for Coming Up with an Idea for Your TV Spec Episode appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Showrunners are usually credited as Executive Producers (EPs) of the series. While some series have multiple EPs, the showrunner is a contractual designation defined by the contract. Sometimes the showrunner is a single individual, and sometimes there are showrunner teams that share or split the responsibilities.

The position can be highly lucrative, with many successful showrunners making eight-to-nine figures. On the other side, beginning showrunners on smaller shows can make anywhere from $30,000 to $40,000 per episode.

Got a great TV Pilot? Enter it into the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Screenplay Competition!

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The Creative Duties of Showrunners

The showrunner guides the creative vision of the series. While they aren't always the initial creators of the show, they take over all aspects of the creative elements, developing the vision of the whole series, the direction of the story and character arcs through each season, etc.

• They hire writers.
• They head the development of the series.
• They run the writing room as scripts are developed and written.

The writers' room is very prolific in the collaborative efforts of a series, with each writer having a say in creative aspects of the series (and a chance to write one or more episodes each season). However, the showrunner is the final word on all creative decisions.

Showrunners can still write scripts. In fact, many pride themselves on doing that throughout the run of a series. The White Lotus creator and showrunner Mike White writes and directs all episodes. The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau sometimes directs and sometimes writes. As some series succeed, showrunners that do write or direct usually must hand over the writing to the writers' room and episode-specific directors.

Read More: Why Writing TV Is Better Than Writing Feature Films (And Why It's Not)

Stranger Things (2016-22)

The Managerial Duties of Showrunners

The showrunner role is unique in the entertainment industry because creative and money-controlling positions are usually separate. The showrunner does both. They are equally in charge of day-to-day operations, budgets, hiring, scheduling, as well as creative duties.

• They oversee casting.
• They oversee the hiring of the directors and crew.
• They oversee the weekly, monthly, and annual budgets of a series.
• They oversee scheduling.
• They work with networks and streamers.

Like all good managers, showrunners do three things on the managerial side of operations:

• Budget
• Hire
• Fire

They also work as the middle person between the series and the network or streamer.

Read More: 5 Screenwriting Lessons From the Geniuses of TV Comedy

Bridgerton (2020-)

Who Are Some of Today's Most Successful Showrunners?

Shonda Rhimes

The prolific showrunner behind hit shows like Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, Bridgerton, Inventing Anna, etc.

Jesse Armstrong

Showrunner behind the three-time Emmy-winning Succession.

Quinta Brunson

Creator and Emmy-winner of the critically-acclaimed hit Abbott Elementary. She collaborates with day-to-day showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker.

Matt and Ross Duffer

Creators and showrunners of the massive Netflix hit Stranger Things.

Jon Favreau

Former actor and features director that brought Star Wars to television (via streamer Disney Plus) with shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and the upcoming Ahoka, Skeleton Crew and The Rangers of the New Republic.

Alex Kurtzman

The primary showrunner behind successfully bringing Star Trek back to television (via streamer Paramount Plus) with Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, the animated Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds (which he runs alongside Henry Alonso Myers).

Bill Lawrence and Jason Sudeikis

Co-showrunners (with Sudeikis starring) of Ted Lasso.

Ryan Murphy

Uber-prolific creator and showrunners of hit franchises like American Horror Story, 9-1-1, etc. He also created Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

Tyler Perry

Creator and showrunner (and often director and writer) of many BET series.

Taylor Sheridan

Showrunner (often director and writer) of the Yellowstone franchise, including prequel series like 1883 and 1923.

Mike White

Emmy-winning creator, showrunner, director, and writer of the White Lotus franchise.

Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco

Married couple Lyle and Nickerson partnered with Lisco to create and run the acclaimed hit series Yellowjackets.

Mindy Kaling

Creator and showrunner of The Mindy Project, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Never Have I Ever, etc.

Hwang Dong-hyuk

Creator and showrunner of Squid Game, with more to come!

These are just a handful of the prolific showrunners out there.

Read More: 5 Pieces of TV Writing Advice to Live By

How Do You Become a Showrunner?

Becoming a showrunner usually takes several years as you rise in the ranks through a writers' room or by succeeding as a writer in one successful series enough to be hired as a showrunner for another.

The TV Writers' Room hierarchy is as such:

• Writers' Room Production Assistants — The entry-level position where you'll answer phones, do "gofer" daily jobs, and do other grunt work.
•  Writers' Assistants — Assistants become more involved in script aspects at this position, mostly by taking notes during meetings, organizing discussed ideas and concepts, proofreading and formatting scripts, research duties, etc.
• Staff Writers — Staff writers participate in discussions, help break stories, and conceptualize scenes, storylines, character arcs, etc. They are never credited for episodes but may have key input in most.
• Story Editors — A leadership role within the writers' room. And they are contracted to get at least one writing credit for an episode. They are primarily responsible for the actual credited writing of episodes.
• Co-Producers — Co-producers work with the producers within the writers' room, handling higher-level duties.
• Producers — Producers are seasoned writers with a say in casting, writer hiring, production, and the overall creative direction of the series, based primarily on what the showrunner wants and needs from them.
• Supervising Producers — SPs are the eyes are ears of the EPs (Executive Producers). They are in charge of the writers' room when Co-EPs and showrunners aren't there.
• Co-Executive Producers — This role can fluctuate between being a co-showrunner and being the highest-level EP under the showrunner. Sometimes these credits are given to other high-level creatives (ala Steven Spielberg) that have major input into the concepts and vision of the series.

But you don't always work your way up through this hierarchy.

Have a Highly Regarded Spec Pilot

A hot spec pilot can catapult you into a showrunner role. The Duffers Brothers (Stranger Things) became showrunners based on their excellent pitch and eventual pilot and series bible.

Read More: How to Sell Your TV Series the Stranger Things Way!

Catch the Eye of a Major Power Player

Lena Dunham had never worked in television before. However, in 2010, she wrote, directed, and starred in the successful indie flick Tiny Furniture. The film won Best Narrative Feature at SXSW and Best First Screenplay at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards. The buzz was enough to catch the eye of Judd Apatow. He agreed to develop an HBO series with her, giving her most of the creative control while partnering her with co-showrunner Jennifer Konner. Apatow executive produced under his Apatow Productions label.

She wrote or co-wrote all ten episodes of the first season and directed five, including the pilot. She also wrote many episodes throughout the series run.

Move From a Successful Feature Career to TV/Streaming

It's become a trend to move from a successful career in film to the current golden age of series programming. If you make a name for yourself in features with one or more critically acclaimed films or box office hits, the doors will be open for series pitching.

But Don't Count on Those Anomalies

The usual road to becoming a showrunner takes years moving up that hierarchy. Selling a spec pilot, catching the eye of a major power player, and making a name for yourself in features are all difficult ventures. Those are the lottery scenarios that don't happen to most.

However, they do happen. Just know that it takes a lot of work to even get to those stages, let alone nabbing a showrunner gig because of them.

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, and Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries BLACKOUT, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller HUNTER'S CREED, and many produced Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies and Instagram @KenMovies76.

CHECK OUT OUR PREPARATION NOTES SO YOU START YOUR STORY OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK!

The post What is a Showrunner? appeared first on ScreenCraft.

And by research, I of course mean watching episode after episode after episode of the show you’ve chosen to spec.

But this research isn’t leisurely. Oh no, it requires diligent analysis and extensive note-taking. In order to write a spec script that will wow readers, you must know the show you’re speccing inside and out.

So, without further ado, a master list of the things you should know about the TV show you’re planning to spec.

Read More: What is a Spec Script (and Why Should You Write One)?

Got a kickass TV Pilot? Enter the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Competition!

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Succession (2018-2023)

Basic Questions

What Platform Does the Show Air On?

Overall, there’s a big difference between a show that airs on HBO and one that airs on CBS, so it’s important to know what platform your show is produced for when preparing to write your spec script. For example, a show airing on CBS might have a 12 or 24 episode order; whereas, a show on HBO might give you more freedom of episode numbers. Your show could air 8, 10 or 12 episodes a season. The platform will dictate how much story you might be able to contain in each episode.  

How long is the show?

Historically, TV shows are either a half-hour or one-hour long (including commercials). Nowadays, streaming has changed the game in terms of show length — with some shows solidly in between half-hour and hour long, and others well over one-hour. Make sure you take a look at the typical length of your show’s episodes.

What’s the show’s genre?

Comedy or Drama. Drama or comedy. What genre does your show fall into? Typically, half-hour shows are considered comedies and hour-longs are considered dramas, but there has been some crossover in recent years. If you’re not sure, try checking the show’s IMDB or Wikipedia page or seeing which category the show competes in for various awards.  

What’s the general tone?

Try to think of tone as an extension of genre. Is the show a black comedy? A coming-of-age comedy-drama? A mockumentary? While a show like Barry technically competes for awards as a comedy, it also features psychological and crime elements, a tragicomic tone, and dark humor.

Read More: How to Choose a TV Show to Spec

Only Murders in the Building (2021-)

Story & Plot

Is the show episodic or serialized?

When writing a spec script, you need to know the nature of the series’ overall story.

Episodic shows are made up of self-contained stories. These kinds of shows focus more on what happens to the characters than any larger, overarching plotline. For example, shows like CSI, Bones, Law & Order are episodic; whereas, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building is considered serialized 

Serialized shows feature ongoing stories and are built upon longer storylines and extended character growth.

What are the show’s episodic elements? What are the serialized elements?

These days, most shows feature both episodic and serialized elements. So, try to pinpoint which parts of your show are episodic and which are serialized.

For example, the primary storylines in Abbott Elementary that revolve around the trials and tribulations of the school are episodic. The character relationships (like between Janine and Gregory or Janine and Barbara) are serialized but develop at a very slow pace because the primary storylines take center stage. An example from an episodic TV show like CSI follows the "case of the week” model. In this model, this week’s case takes up about 75-85 percent of the episode and then the remaining real estate is dedicated to character arcs that might be season arcs or just episode arcs.  

Where do the show’s stories come from?

What is the constant source of material for the episodes’ storylines? To figure this out, consider what the main conflict is. Does the show center on a singular character and how they deal with life’s challenges like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? Is the show a procedural, with different “cases” each week? Is there a central situation or relationship that the whole show hinges on? Or maybe, like in Game of Thrones or Stranger Things, the world provides the stories. 

How many storylines are typically featured per episode?

Half-hour shows often have A, B, and C-storylines, while hour-longs could have twice as many. You’ll also want to consider what each storyline is usually about. Do the storylines always follow a particular character or story element? And do the storylines intersect, or are they typically kept separate from one another?

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-2023)

Characters

Who are the main characters? Who are the supporting characters?

I’m not talking about just making a list of the character names. To write a great spec script, you need to know who the main characters are. What makes Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso?

When examining the characters, you want to look for both exterior and interior details. Note any important physical qualities, defining characteristics, personality quirks, fatal flaws, and redeeming qualities. You’ll also want to know about each character’s personal history — their backstory, family and friends, and any pivotal life events.

Read More: Why You Should Avoid Writing Passive Characters (& How to Make Them Active)

For example, a simple way to break down half hour vs. hour drama structure is use the conflict rule. In half hour, the protagonist's main conflict comes from the people in his or her life. For example, if we were to say that Monica is the central character in Friends, most of her life conflict comes from the people around her - her ex-best friend, ex-roommate, her neighbors, her brother, etc. She's the straight woman trying to make it broke in NYC and they are the chaos around her messing up her life. The same goes for Seinfeld - Jerry is the straight man and Kramer, Elaine and George bring the chaos into his apartment every week. In 1-hour dramas, typically the chaos comes from the protagonsist/s job. That's why working somewhere like in a police station or hospital is a great place for a show to be set because there is endless drama for the writers to pull from. 

Are there any recurring characters?

Recurring characters are those who sometimes appear on a show but are not a pivotal part of every episode. These characters have been established as part of the show’s world, so it wouldn’t be unusual to craft a spec script that features them. For example, what kind of story could you come up with for a Ted Lasso spec that features Rupert Mannion, Trent Crimm, Roy’s niece Phoebe, or Rebecca’s friend Sassy?

What are the key character relationships of the show?

During your research, make sure to take note of the character relationships. Michael Scott adores Ryan Howard, who is in an on-again off-again relationship with Kelly Kapoor. Kelly works in the annex with Toby, who has a crush on Pam, who is dating Jim, who is rivals with Dwight… and so on and so on. All the characters on a show have some kind of relationship with one another. Build the web of character dynamics and you might just find an interesting relationship to focus your spec episode on.

Ted Lasso (2020-)

The World

When and where does the show actually take place?

The first step in examining the world of your show is the basics of setting. Where is the series set? And what time period does it take place in? 

What are the commonly used locations (sets)?

If you were writing a spec of The Office, it’d be odd if your script didn’t include at least one scene that takes place in the Dunder Mifflin office. As you watch your show, keep a list of the primary and recurring locations. To go a step further, check existing scripts for your show to see how the sluglines are formatted and write yours the same way.

What are the rules of the world?

There are dragons in Game of Thrones, but if a dragon showed up in NCIS or Law and Order, a reader would immediately toss your script in the trash. To write a spec, you need to know any rules of your show’s world. Does it take place in our normal world? What fantastical elements are part of the fabric of the series?

Why it matters? 

The audience wants to come back every week, every episode, to that world. Niche worlds have become even more popular nowadays. Streamers love niche worlds because they can offer their users a specific experience based on other viewing data. So shows with a specific world like ladies wrestling - that's the world of Glow -- let the audience know you're going to get ladies wrestling with each episode.

CSI: Vegas (2021-)

Structure

One of the most important things about writing a spec is proving that you know the show’s episodic structure.

When it comes to structure, you’ll want to track some, if not all, of the following things:

• How many acts are there per episode?
• If it’s a comedy, is there a cold open and/or tag? For dramas, is there a teaser?
• How many scenes are in each episode?
• How many scenes are in each act?
• How long are the scenes?
• Does the show have act breaks? If so, on what kind of story beat does the show usually act out?

Structurally, you’ll also want to mimic the show’s actual scripts. How long are the scripts for your show? How many pages for each act? 

Spec scripts are supposed to illustrate that you can write someone else’s show, and understanding and being able to write to a certain structure is a critical component in that. If the show features a cold open and you don’t write a cold open in your spec, that’s going to be a huge red flag.

Grey's Anatomy (2005-)

Theme

What is the show really about?

Theme is what a series is really about underneath all that plot. You’ll want to know what themes are inherent to the show’s DNA. What universal qualities can any viewer relate to?

How does the show handle or address theme?

You’ll want to mimic however your show typically handles theme in your spec script. Some shows are more blatant about theme than others, and you’ll need to know where your show falls. For example, if you were writing a spec of Grey’s Anatomy, that would mean writing an opening and closing voiceover speech for Meredith that subtly speaks to that episode’s theme.

Read More: Tips for Coming Up with an Idea for Your TV Spec Episode

What We Do in the Shadows (2019-)

Everything Else

Does the show feature any narrative storytelling devices?

Fleabag breaks the fourth wall. Jane the Virgin and Never Have I Ever feature omniscient narrators. What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary, so the characters often do talking heads. If your show relies on a narrative storytelling device, you need to know it!

What is the overall perspective/point of view of the show?

Shows tend to be fairly omniscient — the camera goes wherever it needs to go, following any of the characters, to convey the story. But occasionally there will be a show that is from one particular character’s point of view, meaning that the camera sticks to that character in every scene. You’ll want to know what the POV of your show is so that you don’t stray from what’s already been established for the series. 

Are there any recurring bits or running jokes? Does anyone have frequently repeated phrases? Are there any recurring props or motifs?

I’m talking about the douchebag jar in New Girl, the Sunday Funday episodes of You’re the Worst, or Joey saying, “How you doin’?” in Friends. These elements are perfect fodder for spec episodes, so make sure you’re keeping an eye out for them during your research.

Is there anything else that makes this show distinct?

No detail is too much when you’re analyzing the show you’re going to spec!

Read More: 5 Essential Elements Every Spec Script Should Have

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So you’ve done your research and know whatever show you’re speccing like the back of your hand, which means it’s time to get to work on your episode.

CHECK OUT OUR PREPARATION NOTES SO YOU START YOUR STORY OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK!

The post How to Watch a TV Show You Want to Write a Spec Script For appeared first on ScreenCraft.

For you TV writers out there, it’s time to start writing yet another spec episode.

And that begs the age-old question… what TV show should you spec?

Never fear. I’m here to help.

Imagine this post as a process of elimination to whittle down your options for what series to spec. We’ll start with the big, obvious cuts and work our way until you’re left with a few good options.

But first, let’s go over what a spec is.

Got a great TV spec script? Enter it into the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Competition!

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What Is a Spec Script?

What is a spec script, anyway? When it comes to feature scripts, “spec scripts” refer to scripts written on spec or “speculation.” Writing something “on spec” in Hollywood is just code for “free.” No one is paying the writer to work on the script, nor is there any guarantee that the script will get made. Most of the time, no one’s actually expecting the script at all.

Read More: What Is a Spec Script (and Why Should You Write One)?

So, What’s a Spec TV Script?

Spec scripts for TV are similar, and they come in a couple of flavors. 

• Sample episodes of an existing TV series
• An original TV pilot wrote on spec

Now that we’ve nailed down what a spec script is for TV let’s go over how to choose a TV show to spec. There’s one guiding principle regarding what shows you can spec and which are totally off-limits.

Friends (1994)

The Show Must Be On

Unfortunately, you can’t spec a show that has already concluded its run or been canceled. We’d all love to write a spec of The Office. Or The Sopranos. Or Friends. The list of great shows of days past goes on and on.

I know what you’re going to say. Wasn’t there a guy who wrote a Seinfeld spec about 9/11, and it got him staffed?

Yes. In 2016, comedian Billy Domineau wrote a Seinfeld spec about Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer in the days following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and put it online for the world to see. And yes, he did write for Family Guy a few years later, and then Saturday Night Live a few years after that.

Like everything else when it comes to screenwriting, there’s always one exception to the rule. And Billy is that one-in-a-billion exception. 

So, when choosing a show to spec, just stick to what’s current — a show that is currently airing (or in between seasons) on a broadcast network or streaming platform.

That still leaves a lot of options, though. How do you choose from all those current series?

Stick to the Warner Bros. List

Every year, the folks behind the Warner Bros. Television Workshop publish a list of Accepted Shows for their spec script requirement.

Given that Warner Bros. is the biggest TV fellowship program that still requires a spec for its application, it’s typically safe to assume that if it works for WB, it’ll work for other contests and fellowships too.

You want to get the most out of your spec as possible, so it’s best to write something that will be eligible for most, if not all, of the programs you’re applying for.

The Warner Bros. Accepted Shows list is fairly large and always has a wide variety of shows to choose from. 

Legends of Tomorrow (2016)

Spec a Show You Know and Love

Take that list of possible current shows and cross off anything you haven’t seen or don’t like. It could be the most critically acclaimed, award-winningest, most popular series on the planet, but if you don’t like it, that will come through in your writing.

In this case, there’s no reason to justify why you don’t like a show. If you can’t stand adult animation, you’re obviously not going to write Bob’s Burgers or Archer. If you don’t like superhero stuff, Legends of Tomorrow, The Boys, and Batwoman, all get the boot.

This is part of the spec-choosing process, where you can eliminate with abandon, so cross things out to your heart’s content.

Read More: Tips for Coming Up with an Idea for Your TV Spec Episode

Grey's Anatomy (2005)

Not the First or the Last

With the list of possible series you have left, there are a few other extenuating circumstances to consider.

First, try to avoid any show in its very first season. With freshman shows, the risk of cancellation and the reader must know the show itself is high. And, if the show gets canceled, your spec is useless. Unless you know that the show will be renewed for season two, my advice is to stay away. Similarly, avoid any show that’s in its very last season. Once the show is over — you guessed it — your spec is useless.

The sweet spot for shows to spec is those in their second, third, or fourth seasons. They’re new enough so that readers will know them, but they’re not so long-running that everyone’s sick of reading specs for them (*cough* Grey’s Anatomy *cough*).

Read More: The Fastest Way To Give Your Spec Scripts a Killer Hook

Go for the Good

The next thing to consider is the toughest to define. You want whatever show you choose to spec to be GOOD.

For a spec, you want something fairly popular — enough in the zeitgeist and cultural conversation that a reader, even if they weren’t up all night binging the latest season, will know if your script captures the show's essence.

You want something that is generally well-regarded in Hollywood. It doesn’t have to be the critical darling that no one actually watches, but you also don’t want it to be the show critics have universally panned and written off as a lost cause.

The show you pick will likely be more of one than the other — slightly more popular than critically acclaimed, or vice versa — that’s okay. Just keep those elements in mind when making your decision.

Stranger Things (2016)

Build Your Brand

Finally, the last thing to consider is your personal brand as a writer.

If you write half-hour comedies, you’ll probably not want to choose Stranger Things, no matter how much you ship Steve Harrington. If your thing is medical dramas, it’s probably not wise to choose Emily in Paris, no matter how quickly you watched season three. 

That said, you also want your spec script to show your range.

Keeping with our last example, if you write medical dramas, a Grey’s Anatomy or The Good Doctor spec would seem the easy choice. But, paired with your original scripts, those aren’t going to show anything new about you as a writer. Instead, try another hour-long procedural drama like 9-1-1 or Evil. Something in the same vein as your originals but isn’t exactly the same.

You want to choose a show to a spec that will complement your writing (and your current samples). This goes for the genre, format, subject matter, and overall tone.

Read More: How to Watch a TV Show You Want to Write a Spec Script For

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Choosing a TV show to spec can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. There are a few key factors to consider before making a decision. Firstly, you should choose a show you are passionate about and deeply understand its themes and characters.

Secondly, it's important to consider the popularity and longevity of the show to ensure it will be relevant in the industry for some time. Additionally, you should research the show's production company and its track record to gauge its potential interest in new material.

Lastly, make sure to review the show's writing style and structure to determine if it aligns with your own strengths and preferences. Considering these factors, you can confidently choose a TV show to spec and create a winning script that showcases your writing skills.

Now that you’ve chosen which show you’re going to spec, it’s time to grab a snack and a notebook and do the thing we all love — watch a lot of TV and take notes.

Read More: The Literary Manager's Process of Selling Your TV Spec Pilot

CHECK OUT OUR PREPARATION NOTES SO YOU START YOUR STORY OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK!

The post How To Choose a TV Show to Spec appeared first on ScreenCraft.

However, how you structure a TV pilot script requires a little more nuance. With that in mind, here is a simple and straightforward breakdown to help you learn the basic guidelines and expectations of the TV pilot structure.

Read More: The Screenwriter's Simple Guide to TV Writing

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What Does "Structure" Mean?

The general story structure is fairly simple — Beginning, Middle, and End.

This has been the story structure followed by mankind since the days of telling stories around the village fire or etching cave paintings on stone walls depicting worthy stories of hunting for prey (beginning), confronting the prey (middle), and defeating the prey (end).

The three-act structure in cinema is the most basic and pure structure that most films — no matter what gurus and pundits say — follow.

• Setup
• Confrontation
• Resolution

How you build on that basic structure creates many additional variations.

Read More: 10 Screenplay Structures Screenwriters Can Use

For television, four-act and five-act structures (see below) — as well as many other variations — are just additions to the core three-act structure of any story. However, the television platform has many unique differences compared to cinematic storytelling.

With movies, you have a general 90-120 minute (or beyond) window to tell a single story from beginning to end. But with television, you're telling an overarching story that spans multiple episodes and multiple seasons. Because of that unique platform dynamic, the structure of your story changes.

For TV pilots, you're tasked with having to tell not only the beginning chapter of an overarching story but also introduce the world of the story, as well as the characters within. You're basically using a TV pilot to sell the structure, tone, atmosphere, genre, characterization, and narrative of a whole series.

There's also the unique element of commercial breaks (for network shows) and how you go about breaking your single-episode story into commercial breaks, which encompass your act breaks. The structure is where you accomplish all of this hard work. It's almost formulaic at first sight. Because of that, the TV pilot structure doesn't have to be as difficult as it is made out to be.

Cobra Kai (2018)

The Two Elements TV Pilots Need to Have

Before we dive into the basic TV pilot structure, let's talk about the two elements that will help your TV pilot stand out the most.

In movies, the concept is everything. Sure, character-driven pieces can succeed (usually in the indie market), but Hollywood is driven by the concept when it comes to feature scripts. The concept is what gets your script read — that mash-up of a protagonist dealing with a compelling and engaging conflict.

However, in series writing, concepts change season-to-season — and conflicts change episode-to-episode. If you look at the multiple seasons of a successful series like Cobra Kai, you'll see that the central protagonist's focus changes, as does the immediate villain and threat. The same can be said for any series.

But the core elements remain the same.

• The revisiting of Daniel and Johnny decades after their initial story ended.
• The world of karate and how those characters collide with it.

As you develop your series before writing the TV pilot script, make sure it has these two elements to increase your chances of successfully getting the pilot into the hands of networks and streamers.

Read More: What is a Story Engine and How Can it Help Your TV Pilot

The White Lotus (2021)

Compelling Characters

Tony Soprano, Walter White, June Osborne, Rick Grimes, Lucy Ricardo, Mary Richards, Don Draper, Michael Scott, George Jefferson, and countless other amazing television characters force audiences to watch their series, whether the characters are hilarious, intriguing, entertaining, or deplorable.

You can't have a compelling TV pilot without an equally compelling lead character.

Read More: How to Create Memorable and Resonant Characters

The answers to how you create such characters can only be found within your own imagination. We could endlessly list the character traits of the aforementioned iconic television characters and try to come up with some secret formula for creating Emmy-worthy characters, but it's impossible. There is no secret formula, and anyone who tells you they have it is trying to sell something.

An excellent compass that can help you create such compelling characters involves developing conflicted characters with flaws.

You can certainly create a cast of intriguing characters as well. Friends, ER, Game of Thrones, Lost, The Walking Dead, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The White Lotus, and Euphoria, among many others, offered a cast of characters whose dynamics engaged us from episode to episode. The key way to create a cast of hopeful icons is to play with the differences between all of the characters. You can do it for both comedic results in sitcoms or for dramatic results in drama or genre.

You just want to make sure that these are quality characters worthy of devoting a series to. But even that's not enough.

Breaking Bad (2008)

Intriguing Worlds

The Mafia (Sopranos), meth-dealing (Breaking Bad), a totalitarian society where women are property (The Handmaid’s Tale), a zombie apocalypse (The Walking Dead, The Last of Us), 60s-era advertising (Mad Men), office life (The Office), rich people on vacation at a high-end luxury resort (The White Lotus), a look into the lives of teens amidst the world of drugs, sex, trauma and social media (Euphoria) — these are the worlds that are brilliantly matched with compelling characters.

Read More: When Worlds Collide: The Art of World Building

Find those compelling characters living in those intriguing worlds that audiences will want to live vicariously through — or watch those more morally-challenged ones fall.

A, B, and C Stories

Lastly, before we get into the simple and straightforward structure of a TV pilot, let's discuss the content within your structure.

Networks and streamers always want two or three-story strings flowing and integrating together throughout a single episode. It offers more depth for the audience.

"A" Story — This story encompasses the main protagonist(s) dealing with the central conflict presented in the concept of the story and series.

"B" Story — This secondary story relates to the secondary wants, needs, and desires of the main protagonist(s) or how side story elements eventually relate to and connect with the A story.

"C" Story — Smaller side stories within the overall story arch are usually found in sitcoms — moments of little funny repetitive nuances that eventually work themselves out.

Rather than break down multiple examples of A, B, and C stories, go watch your favorite drama, genre, and sitcom series. Try to identify the A, B, and C stories for each.

Read More: Tips for Coming Up with an Idea for Your TV Spec Episode

General TV Pilot Structure Breakdown

We'll start with one-hour TV pilots.

Hour-Long TV Pilot Page Count Structure

Hour-long TV episodes generally range from 45-63 pages. The sweet spot page count to shoot for would be 50-55 pages.

Utilize the basic one-page equals one-minute guideline. With a 60-minute episode for network television (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, TNT, AMC, etc.), you obviously need to account for commercial breaks. If you go above 60 pages, you're already over an hour. Use the one-page equals one-minute guideline as a gauge. It's not an exact science by any means, but as a novice television writer, it's a good barometer to work from.

With five-act television scripts (see below), you generally want to keep each act between 9-12 pages, give or take a page. The old benchmark was 15 pages per act for four-act television scripts, but with additional commercial time these days — not to mention more story — it can now often break down differently.

Hour-Long TV Pilot Act Breaks

With an hour-long television series episode, you will break the story down into four or five acts.

• Teaser (2-3 pages)
• Act One
• Act Two
• Act Three
• Act Four
• Act Five (optional)

Teaser

The teaser is the compelling hook that introduces your protagonist, the world, or the core conflict of the episode/series — preferably all together. This isn't the first act of your story. It's a moment that entices the audience to keep watching. You tease the tone, atmosphere, genre, world, concept, and conflict. And then, at least if it makes it onto television, the scene then cuts to a commercial break.

For shows like Breaking Bad, Grey's Anatomy, The Last of Us, or any other hour-long episode, you'll often see the character either in peril by the end of it or the conflict of the story will be teased. Then when the first act starts, the stories either flash backward, flash forward, or switch to the protagonist(s) and their ordinary world.

Check out the teaser for the hit HBO series The Last of Us:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TIWiuvjTQJM&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

None of the main characters were introduced. However, we're teased with the world that is about to be in the series.

Not all hour-long TV pilots utilize teasers. However, we strongly suggest that you include them in your TV pilots to help entice the reader to read on.

Formatting Necessities: You'll start the teaser with a centered teaser heading and then write the script below.

ACT ONE

After the teaser, you'll then start a new page with the centered ACT ONE heading.

Act One is where you introduce the main and supporting characters within their ordinary world. You've teased the peril, struggle, conflict, or situation that the episode will tackle, but now you're getting things really started by setting the stage as far as where the characters are and what is leading up to the point of the next act where they will be confronted by the situation at hand.

The end of the first act usually offers you the opportunity to present a cliffhanger to keep the audience invested. You actually want to do that at the end of the first three acts for the same reason.

ACT TWO

After ACT ONE, you'll then start a new page with the centered ACT TWO heading.

Act Two is where you introduce the "A" story (as well as any "B" and "C" stories). This is where the characters are dealing with the conflict in full swing.

• They're struggling with it.
• They're figuring out how to get through it.

Much like the beginning of the second act of a feature film script, the characters often still have some hope or chance. By the end of this act, the audience feels like the characters may figure things out — until, that is, another hook is introduced that flips that hope or chance on its head, forcing the characters to face the fact that they may not succeed.

ACT THREE

After ACT TWO, you'll then start a new page with the centered ACT THREE heading.

Act Three is where the characters are at their lowest point, and the bad guys or conflict is winning. Where the second act gave the audience, hope that they'd figure it out, the third act is usually where that hope was proven to be false. By the end cliffhanger of this act, audiences will want to tune in to see how the characters will prevail despite such odds against them.

ACT FOUR

After ACT THREE, you'll then start a new page with the centered ACT FOUR heading.

Act Four is where the characters, against all odds, begin to prevail again. They start to take action, triumph and win. They've learned from their missteps in the first and second acts, and now they're applying the lessons learned to confront the conflict in full force.

ACT FIVE

After ACT FOUR, you have the option of starting a final act with the centered ACT FIVE heading.

Act Five can work as a closure for the episode. For TV pilots, it can also act as a gateway into the rest of the series. You have the option of ending your TV pilot (or any episode) with a fourth act, or you can also end the fourth act with a significant cliffhanger or hook and then use the fifth act to close things up with a finale.

TV Pilot Structure Variations

Some pilot scripts like the 70-page The Sopranos, the 55-page Mad Men,  and the 61-page Game 0f Thrones don't have act breakdowns at all.

HBO's The Sopranos and Game of Thrones never had any commercial breaks — as is the case with all premium cable and streaming platform series. That's not to say that those scripts don't accomplish the same type of structure explained above — minus the aesthetics of act breaks.

In the case of the Mad Man pilot, it was written on spec by the writer to use as a sample to attain assignments on other shows. It was eventually rejected by HBO, Showtime, and others but was embraced by AMC, a basic cable network with commercial breaks.

The Lost pilot script is unique because it was written as a 97-page pilot script. Essentially debuting as a feature-length pilot. It does have act breaks, but due to the feature-length script, the page number for those breaks is different (the first act goes for 27 pages).

Read More: 65 TV Pilot Scripts That Screenwriters Should Study

Half-Hour-Long TV Pilot Structure

Take all that you've learned above and adapt it to a half-hour situation comedy series. Yes, there are 30-minute drama/genre series episodes out there. However, most half-hour TV pilots usually fall under the sitcom umbrella.

Because sitcoms are half-hour episodes, the structure and page counts in the general TV pilot structure are obviously condensed.

Four to Five acts (see above) become a simple Three Act structure (sometimes two acts) that represent a more standard beginning, middle, and end story structure, with the teaser or cold open working as the beginning.

Half-Hour-Long TV Pilot Page Count Structure

As is the case for hour-long TV pilots, the page counts vary.

If you're an established writer or showrunner, a half-hour sitcom script can be as long as 44 pages. For novice writers, the general guidelines and expectations are 22-25 pages, which allows you to get under that 30-minute gauge.

Keep in mind that sitcoms are, more often than not, dialogue-heavy, which would account for the increased page counts.

Half-Hour-Long TV Pilot Act Breaks

With half-hour-long television series episodes, you will break the story down into three acts.

• Teaser/Cold Open (2-3 pages)
• Act One
• Act Two
• Act Three
• Tag (optional)

TEASER/COLD OPEN

This brief scene opens the episode with a stand-alone funny moment that may or may not also introduce the main plot point of the episode. You'll recognize a TV episode's teaser/cold open by the scene that appears before the opening credits.

Here's a cold opening for the Emmy-winning sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine:

ACT ONE

Act One is where you introduce the conflict the main character will be facing throughout the episode. You can also introduce "B" and "C" Story elements as well.

ACT TWO

Act Two is where a series of additional conflicts and obstacles stand in the way of the focus character and their goals. They fail time and time again, creating hilarity in the process (since this is a comedy).

ACT THREE

Act Three is the resolution of the conflict(s). The focus character has learned from their failures and struggles in the second act and must now use that knowledge to overcome or hilariously succumb to the conflicts.

Note: Some sitcoms employ only two acts.

TAG

In sitcoms, you can also use a TAG scene at the end. Tags are bookend scenes usually included after the episode's story has played out. This is where one last gag or character moment is offered. They usually only take up a page or two.

It's also advisable to learn about the differences between the two types of sitcoms — Single-Camera and Multi-Camera.

Read More: Single-Camera Vs. Multi-Camera TV Sitcom Scripts: What's the Difference?

3 Additional Ways to Learn TV Pilot Structure and Format

The best additional tools you can utilize to learn about TV writing are:

• Use Screenwriting Software - Whether it be the industry-standard final draft or one of the other equivalents, the software will do most of the work for you from a formatting standpoint.
• Read Television Scripts - Find a series that is close to what you are writing, find the pilot script for it, and emulate it as much as possible. One of the best places to go is The Script Lab because it offers you a free library of pilot and episode scripts for many, many shows.
• Binge-Watch TV Series - With all of the streaming available now, the best possible resource is watching episodes. For network and cable shows, you'll see where the act breaks are as far as where they would normally cut to commercial. For premium channel shows (HBO, Showtime, etc.) and streaming platforms series (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, etc.), you'll have to simply time code it — one minute equals one page — and pay attention to the various changes in the story.

All TV pilots will have variations in format and structure. It's not an exact science. However, as an undiscovered screenwriter, it's best to adhere to the general guidelines and expectations as closely as you can.

Also, understand that most TV pilots don't sell on spec. There's a big difference between being a feature film writer and a TV writer.

Learn About Those Differences Via ScreenCraft's The Different Lifestyles of Feature Screenwriters and Television Writers! 

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Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, and Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller Hunter's Creed, and many produced Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies and Instagram @KenMovies76.

The post How To Structure a Great TV Pilot appeared first on ScreenCraft.

But what kinds of things go into making those decisions? Which factors play the biggest role in how a family TV series gets made and which elements should you include in your TV pilot to catch the eye of TV executives?

First, let's go over the demographics targeted for family-friendly TV shows.

Enter Now  |  Final Deadline in 22 days

Four-Quadrant Content

Networks and streamers want to cover niche audiences with their content. But they also want to drive numbers by creating four-quadrant content.

Audience Breakdown for Movies

For movies, Hollywood generally breaks up its marketing strategy markers into four quadrants:

1. Males Under 25
2. Females Under 25
3. Males Over 25
4. Females Over 25

Four-quadrant movies hit all four of those demographic quadrants.

Audience Breakdown for TV

This four-quadrant approach is very similar for TV network and streaming series, but the ages skew younger and slightly older. While there's no definitive bracket, you could break a four-quadrant TV series as:

1. Grade School Males and Females (and their binary counterparts)
2. Middle School Males and Females (and their binary counterparts)
3. High School Males and Females (and their binary counterparts)
4. Parents Over 30

'Family Ties'

The Evolution of Content

Back in the 1980s, family-driven TV series like Family Ties, Growing Pains, and The Cosby Show were so popular because they offered something for parents and their grade school, middle school, and high school-age children. In the decades before, shows like Leave It to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, Good Times, and dozens of other family situational comedies (sitcoms) brought the whole family together for primetime viewing.

Times have changed, though. The laugh track sitcom isn't as prevalent as it used to be. Audiences have become far less conservative, allowing parents to take more chances with series that contain more serious social issues.

One unique factor that plays into this is that most parents today were raised in the 1980s and 1990s, during a time when movies and TV series marketed to children were actually pretty dark and scary. Look no further than movies like:

• E.T. 
• The Goonies
• Jurassic Park

All were considered family movies in their time. And all had very dark subject matter and visuals about death, danger, violence, murder, dismemberment, and overall scary situations and visuals. So today's parents offer their children a little more leeway regarding those types of story elements.

Read More: Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai Showrunner Tze Chun on the Benefits of Bad Ideas and Nonsense

10 Elements of a Great Family TV Show

Despite that, there still remain some boundaries, guidelines, and expectations regarding TV series geared toward the whole family.

With that in mind, here we share ten key elements of a successful TV series for the whole family.

Relatable Story and Character Arcs

It doesn't matter if the setting is in outer space, Middle Earth, or a small town with an alternate reality called the Upside Down. It also doesn't matter if the series is set in the past, present, or future.

The key element is that the story and characters are relatable to the family demographics.

'Modern Family'

You can have stories about kings, queens, princes, and princesses. But you also need to ground those elements with familiar and relatable family dynamics that are universal to all. Family audiences may not relate to living in castles and fighting off evil threats. However, they can relate to character dynamics of:

• Parental Love
• Betrayal
• Sibling Rivalry
• Estrangement

So, whatever the genre and setting, fantastical or contemporary reality, always offer relatable story and character arcs that families can identify with. That's what will keep them invested in the story and characters.

Lack of Sexual Content

Implied sex can be present (the before and the after), but family shows don't showcase sex scenes as a draw because that alienates children and younger adults — which means their parents are alienated as well because they're not going to watch those series with their children (or allow them to watch such series on their own).

Yes, the discussion of sex can be present in today's family shows. In fact, some of the great family sitcoms of the past touched on such subjects with groundbreaking commentary. But sex can never be a draw for the series (à la Game of Thrones).

Lack of Foul Language

Network shows won't allow it. Streamers have the freedom to work around censors, but most parents don't want to watch a series that is packed full of foul language.

'Adventure Time'

Lack of Gratuitous Human-Centered Blood and Gore

We have many family-driven series with violence (Cobra Kai). We also have science fiction and horror-related series that have some blood and gore (Stranger Things). However, they very rarely showcase any human-related blood and gore. Anytime any such visuals are present, it's almost always via an alien lifeform.

Humor/Levity

Humor is a universal tool that brings people together. You can have family show characters fighting for their lives, battling enemies, and dealing with dramatic conflicts. But finding the levity within those moments is a key way to make the viewing experience more palpable for family members of all ages. Humor and levity are necessary for all family shows.

Beyond that, there's the additional element of peppering a series with multi-layered humor and levity. Pixar has mastered this in its films and streaming series with humor that plays on multiple levels of maturity.

• Slapstick or physical humor for the younger kids.
• Gross-out humor for the older kids.
• More mature humor that only older kids and adults would understand.

Read ScreenCraft's 10 Styles of Comedy Screenwriters Can Master!

'Blackish'

Kids in Lead and Supporting Roles

Having younger characters in key roles within the series allows you to target the "young" quadrant while adding new levels of dramatic tension and comedy for adults. Again, with a four-quadrant series, you need to cater to each quadrant.

This doesn't mean that you need to include a grade school character, a middle school character, and a high school character. Pick and choose. Grad school characters look up to middle school and high school kids, and middle school and high school kids can identify with how things were when they were in grade school.

But you do need some kids in the mix for most family TV series. And having them as featured characters is vital.

Don't Talk Down to the Kids

If we can learn anything from the 1980s movies, it's that kids don't need to be talked down to. Since you're catering to multiple demographics, you never want to condescend to any of them. Kids are smart. And they are much more sophisticated than we think. Back in the 1980s, studios realized that and didn't treat the younger audience as not worthy of being able to understand real-world situations and scenarios.

Look no further than Stranger Things, which has become one of the most successful family shows of all time. Middle schoolers and high schoolers relate to those characters. Why? Because the writers understand that children of those ages go through some of the most difficult times of their lives as they come of age. This leads us to our next key element...

'Stranger Things'

Catharsis

In cinematic form, catharsis is the feeling we feel after the story's resolution and the protagonist's overall journey. In series form, it's how we feel at the end of an episode when a character — or set of characters — gets through their internal and external conflict of the episode.

Catharsis is a vital ingredient of the viewing experience. As we mentioned before, you want to present relatable story and character moments. And you want to present those moments in cathartic ways that leave family members strongly affected and changed.

• Make them relate to the loss of a loved one.
• Make them remember what it was like to fall in love for the first time.
• Make them appreciate and treasure their family members and friends.

Read ScreenCraft's The Single Most Important Element of a Screenplay (Catharsis)!

First Loves, Enduring Loves, Forever Loves

Love is the most universal theme.

• That first crush.
• The one that got away.
• The one everyone wants to meet.
• The love you didn't see but was there right in front of your eyes.
• The love that seemed unattainable.

Everyone can relate to themes of love — no matter what their age.

• Parents can relate to the first love stories.
• Kids can aspire to meet their first love.
• Parents can remember the heartbreak they went through.
• Kids can relate to the heartbreak they may be going through at school.

And these types of story and character arcs are great conversation topics for families as well.

'The Goldbergs'

Pack Episodes with Life Lessons

Again, it's about catharsis. You want each of those family members to turn the TV off and feel affected by what they just saw.

• Make them laugh because they relate to what they just saw.
• Make them cry because they have either gone through the same thing or empathize with the characters and what they've gone through.
• Make them think.

Life imitates art. Art imitates life. The young and the old can learn from your show.

• You can remind them how important family values are.
• You can remind them how much they mean to one another.
• You can even make them realize where they are lacking in life, whether in their family dynamics or beyond.

Parents want their kids to learn life lessons in any way possible. And sometimes it's difficult to teach your kids life lessons because kids don't often want to listen and can't fathom that their parents dealt with the very same struggles they are dealing with in life.

However, a TV series showcasing those life lessons can be the happy messenger parents and their kids need.

Read ScreenCraft's 101 Family-Friendly Story Prompts!

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There's no secret formula to a successful family TV series. Some won't include some of these elements. Others will hit all ten without missing a single one. But consider these ten key elements as a compass pointing towards the best possible family viewing experience you could offer family audiences.

Read ScreenCraft's Seventy Family-Friendly Scripts You Can Download Right Now!

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller Hunter's Creed, and many Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies

The post 10 Elements of a Great Family TV Series appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Schur’s show The Good Place features characters outside the realm of the workaday world, existing in a transitory place who struggle with deep questions like, “What does it mean to be a good person?” while keeping the laughter and romance rolling. Can a network sitcom really mash up romantic comedy with a quest for moral and ethical philosophy? Yes, if it’s written and created by Michael Schur.

Here are five trademarks of Schur’s quirky yet earnest shows that tickle an audience’s intellect as much as its funny bone. 

Michael Schur will be a speaker at this year’s ScreenCraft Writing Summit. Come join us on June 25-26!

A Dysfunctional Workplace

We’ve all had a job that we absolutely hated, so mining the comedy of a bad boss and annoying coworkers is a situation to which we can all relate, making it a ripe foundation for a sitcom. But when that bad boss is Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and that annoying coworker is Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) in The Office, we all want to show up for work on time to witness their outrageous antics week after week.

Adapting the British hit show The Office and taking advantage of its loose mockumentary format, the American version of the show goes one step further than the British one did with the character of David Brent (Ricky Gervais): it gives the character Michael Scott plenty of time to evolve into a lovable numbskull. Even as he leaves the show in Season 7, his inept coworkers in the below clip make it clear they’re going to miss this daffy buffoon. But don’t expect the work environment to function better after Michael’s departure.

Schur has created a world where the nine-to-five rat race is still hell, no matter who’s in charge. 

Parks and Recreation was the first TV show Schur shepherded from creation through production (with the help of The Office’s Greg Daniels), and features misguided government workers, helmed by the reasonably competent Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and supported by the likes of the self-absorbed April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), and the cool as a chili pepper Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman).

This show was hailed as a “cringe-comedy” but was loved by audiences because when you look underneath the wince-inducing, dysfunctional characters, somehow each one means well, are never mean-spirited, and somehow manage to do the right thing in tough circumstances.       

True Love

As awkward and incompetent as some of Schur’s characters can be, he always seems to carve out a place for romantic love to blossom. It’s part of Schur’s optimistic nature that true love can succeed despite all the dysfunction and ignorance. In fact, it’s almost a mission statement that true love must somehow succeed because the future of the human race literally depends on it.

Whether it’s Jim and Pam (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) in The Office, Chidi and Eleanor (William Jackson and Kristen Bell) in The Good Place, or Jake and Rosa (Andy Samberg and Stephanie Beatriz) in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, these couples up the ante on our collective relationship goals. 

Philosophy Lesson

After cutting his comedy teeth in college as president of Harvard’s National Lampoon, Schur found a transitory home at Saturday Night Live where he honed his sketch comedy skills in a “blunt force trauma way” and learned how to craft jokes that worked in a four-minute sketch format. Schur then evolved his joke-writing skills to create fascinating characters in his workplace comedies. But when Schur was given free rein at NBC to create any show he wanted, he decided to “try something insane”: a show about the afterlife.

Schur said on the podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, “[The Good Place] is a show about what it means to be a good person and the engine, the mechanism, is the study of moral philosophy ­– it’s going to be the guts of every show, in every episode.” Oh yeah, did we mention it’s also a comedy?

While we can all agree that 30-minute comedic philosophy lessons are a genre all their own, there’s no better person to succeed than Schur who relied on the wisdom of the great philosophers from history like Aristotle, Kant, and William James. Modern-day philosophers Pamela Hieronymi and Todd May served as consultants on the show to help explore the nature of goodness in society from a contemporary American perspective.

Social Satire

Die-hard Michael Schur fans know the network sitcom writer branched out of his comfort zone to write an episode of the esoteric, often mysterious show Black Mirror. Co-written by his Parks and Recreation star Rashida Jones, “Nosedive” is a hilariously dark look at what happens when a young woman focuses too much on her social media presence. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Lacie, a woman desperately trying to raise her social media score in a society where everything, including getting cancer treatment, is based on it. 

“Nosedive” is considered one of the funniest, least bleak episodes of Black Mirror, despite taking an extreme, often-biting view in this social satire that makes fun of people’s obsession with their “likes” on social media. 

Characters Crafted Around Gifted Actors

Schur attributes the majority of The Office’s success to building the character Michael Scott around the vast talent of Steve Carell. Without Carell’s experience, instincts, and aptitude for subtle, self-deprecating comedy, the show likely wouldn’t have worked at all.

So, when it came time to develop his own shows like Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place, Schur knew the actors could make or break the show. In the podcast Literally! With Rob Lowe, Schur talks about creating Parks and Recreation around Amy Poehler, even though it was a risky move.

NBC had given Schur a contract for 13 episodes, with the pilot to premiere after the Super Bowl – that’s some prime TV real estate not to be squandered. But when he tried to tap his former colleague and friend Poehler for the show, he discovered she was pregnant and due to give birth around the same time the show was to start shooting. While most show creators would move on to another actress, Schur decided to roll the dice to keep her involved.

“Greg [Daniels] and I made, at the time, what seemed like an insane decision. Instead of giving us 13 episodes guaranteed with the pilot airing after the Super Bowl, we’ll voluntarily cut our order to six and debut three months later.” He said while he felt like airing the pilot after the Super Bowl was a “… short-term fix, getting Amy Poehler to star in your show is the long-term solution.”

Schur went on to say this about creating the character of Ron Swanson after meeting with Nick Offerman: “We had an idea for Ron Swanson that was a little different than what it ended up being. Originally, he was corrupt. That character was on the take from the private sector because that was in the news a lot because the financial crisis had just happened…Then we met Nick, and I was like, ‘That’s not this guy at all! This guy has more integrity in his pinky finger than the rest of America has in its collective body,’ so we just altered the character to be more like him.” 

Schur says he went through a similar process when he cast Kristen Bell and Ted Danson for The Good Place, developing the main characters around each of the actors’ essence and personality. Critics and audiences agree that it is a winning recipe.   

Michael Schur is currently developing a new limited series called Field of Dreams, based on the Kevin Costner baseball movie from 1989. It will air on Peacock. 

Shanee Edwards is a screenwriter, journalist and author. After receiving her MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA, she was hired to adapt various stories for the screen including Apes or Angels, the true story of naturalist Charles Darwin, and Three Wishes, based on the New York Times best selfing novel by Kristen Ashley. You can listen to her interview Oscar-winning screenwriters on The Script Lab Podcast, or read her book Ada Lovelace: the Countess who Dreamed in Numbers. Follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The post 5 Trademarks of Michael Schur’s Hilarious TV Sitcoms  appeared first on ScreenCraft.

I could probably find 144 reasons why anyone, especially any writer, should watch I May Destroy You, the 2020 BBC/HBO co-production of Michaela Coel's extraordinary TV series about a young black British woman’s experience of being sexually assaulted.

However, in the interest of brevity, I will limit myself to 12, one for each episode of this remarkable program.

First, here is the trailer for the first season to get you acquainted:

To Fully Understand Its Unforgettable Title

Like many viewers of I May Destroy You, I was first attracted to it by its title, with its unique combination of politeness and threat. The only title of a recent film or TV program that comes close to matching that combination is A Most Violent Year, the 2014 US crime film set in New York in 1981, statistically the city’s worst year ever for homicides.

However, I May Destroy You is both more personal and universal. The words themselves may never be used by any of the characters, but they still stand as an omnipresent warning: that any one individual has the capacity to wreak havoc on another.

Its Formal Innovation: Inventing The “Sit-Dram”

Unlike almost all TV drama series, I May Destroy You consists of 12 30-minute episodes, rather than the more common six one-hour episodes.

Effectively, that makes it the first “sit-dram”, or situation drama, whereby a drama series adopts the usual format of a comedy, particularly a “sitcom” or situation comedy, to tell a harrowing but utterly compelling story in relatively bite-sized chunks that are perfect for binge-watching.

An Almost Shakespearean Use Of Italy

Most of the series is set in London, but it opens and continually returns (especially in its first half) to Italy, specifically Ostia, ancient Rome’s port city that today is a beach resort.

Coel is Shakespearean in her use of Italy, seeing it not just as an exotic location but as a place of escape.

Enter Now  |  Final Deadline in 22 days

Just as Shakespeare sets so many plays in Italy, so too Coel depicts the country initially as a contemporary Eden, where Arabella (played by Coel) first goes to write (but in reality to party with her best friend, Terry) and then meets Biagio, a drug dealer who appears to subvert all the stereotypes about drug dealers until he, too, starts threatening Arabella.

Consequently, like Shakespeare, Coel shows that the sunniest places are also the most shadowy.

The Moment of Realization

As in all the best dramas, there are many moments of realization, as characters – principally Arabella, Terry, and Kwame – discover the truth not only about other people (including those they once trusted) but themselves.

However, the single most important moment of realization is when Arabella finally realizes that she has been sexually assaulted. When she literally pulls her top over her head, like a tortoise retreating into his shell, it is profoundly moving, summing up all the shame, guilt, and trauma that she is experiencing.

Great Dialogue

Coel's lines for her characters are unfailingly realistic, funny, and unique to each character.

A particular favorite is the line that Terry keeps repeating drunkenly while partying with Arabella about not wanting to talk to basketballers, like Biagio, because she wants someone “my height”.

In effect, “My height” becomes her mantra as she, like all the characters, searches for a relationship of genuine equality, including in physical dimensions.

Great Plotting

The plotting of I May Destroy You is also radical. In the beginning, we only see things from Arabella’s point of view and thus, like her, we do not immediately realize what had happened on her disastrous night out. It is only over time, as she pieces things together, that we, too, understand what had happened.

In addition, there are numerous apparent diversions, such as an episode set entirely during the main characters’ childhood, that eventually work their way back to the central story of a sexual attack and someone somehow trying to survive it.

Complexity Of Characterization

The characters in I May Destroy You are as complex as all human beings are in real life.

Again like Shakespeare, Coel is unceasingly pitiless but just about her creations, including Arabella herself, showing how they can unwittingly contribute to their own downfall.

And the subplot involving another sexual predator who Arabella meets after her initial attack is extraordinary, demonstrating extreme sensitivity and even compassion towards a character who at first appears unremittingly dreadful.

An Ultra-Realistic Depiction Of Contemporary Drug Use

On British TV, in particular, there are antecedents, especially This Life, the mid-1990s drama by Amy Jenkins about a group of 20-something lawyers sharing a house. However, whereas This Life’s characters were almost exclusively white and relatively privileged, the characters in I May Destroy You are almost exclusively black and from much tougher backgrounds.

And the show’s depiction of drug use is similarly realistic and judgment-free, with the dope and ecstasy common in the mid-1990s being replaced by the cocaine and “dating drugs” that appear increasingly ubiquitous in the early 21st century.

'I May Destroy You'

Genius Use Of Flashbacks (And Other Flashing Imagery)

Flashback is a uniquely televisual or cinematic tool, but Coel uses it particularly skillfully. In addition to the numerous brief flashbacks of Arabella's original attack, there are also flashes of other imagery, such as the moment when an angry Biagio confronts Arabella and appears, just for a split second, to be carrying a gun. Whether he is or not, Arabella and the viewer suspect he is, and it is a genuinely terrifying moment, made all the more so by its extreme brevity.

Universality Of Vision

The “revenge tragedy”, particularly the rape-revenge tragedy, has probably never been so popular since Elizabethan times as it is now because there are numerous examples of films or TV series showing women plotting revenge on their attackers.

However, I May Destroy You differs from almost all of them in widening its focus from an individual attack and attacker to a morally corrupt and over-sexualized Western civilization, within which virtually all women are threatened, if not directly assaulted.

A Vindication Of Coel's Vision

Many people may not have seen I May Destroy You but will have heard the story of its creation. Essentially, Coel turned down a chance to make the series for Netflix because, even though she was the writer-director-lead actress, they would not offer her a percentage of any profits.

Instead, she held out for the BBC/HBO co-production, so that she could not only fully realize her vision but, unlike so many other writers and directors, actually profit from it herself.

The Ending

Personally, I thought the final episode of I May Destroy You is perhaps not quite as flawless as the 11 episodes that precede it (that is a reminder that the ending of a series is probably the hardest thing to perfect). However, many viewers and critics have called it one of the greatest TV finales of all time.

Adding the #IMayDestroyYou finale to the list of all-time great TV finales. An audacious and fearlessly scripted ending. Beyond healing.

Excited to follow @MichaelaCoel for the rest of her career. Damn brilliant. pic.twitter.com/KQSqM9EGDj

— Zack Sharf (@ZSharf) August 25, 2020

As I said at the start, there are far more than 12 reasons to watch this show, so please discover the rest yourself.

Martin Keady is an award-winning scriptwriter whose work has been produced for film, television, stage and radio. His major credits include: The Final, a short film about the famous ending of the 1979 FA Cup Final, which was shown on Channel Four; Moon the Loon, a play about the legendary Who drummer, Keith Moon, which was premiered at The Edinburgh Festival; and a collection of love poetry, Shards, extracts from which have been broadcast on Radio Four.” Visit Martin's website, The Shakespeare Plays, here.

The post 12 Reasons Why You Should Watch 'I May Destroy You' appeared first on ScreenCraft.

What does a showrunner do, exactly? How involved are they in the writing process? How do you become one and how much do they get paid?

Writers who aspire to head their own show one day no doubt have some if not all of these questions (and many more), but we've got some answers!

More info coming soon  |  Remind Me

What Is a Showrunner?

The Showrunner is the individual that has the final say in all aspects of the series.

Some showrunners are the show's original creator, while others are brought in by a studio or network to take on the duties.

They oversee all aspects of series, including:

• Scripts
• Staff hiring
• Casting
• Budget
• Schedule

While the producers, story editors, script coordinators, and staff writers (more on that below) do much of the leg work, the Showrunner calls the shots and makes the final decisions.

Creative Aspect

The Showrunner is the visionary. They have a dedicated vision for the series and the characters. Their support group within the writers' room exists to make that vision come to light through the show bible, pilot episode script, and the episode scripts that follow.

They also represent and communicate the show's creative direction to the studio and network executives that are paying for the development and production.

When it comes to production, they are in creative control of that process as well. Where feature films are a director's medium, television is a showrunner's medium.

Managerial Aspect

The Showrunner is also the boss. They are charged with the responsibilities of taking the budget and deadline demands from the studio and network and building a team and schedule that can work within those confines to deliver scripts — and then get those scripts produced.

Showrunners budget, hire, and fire — like all good managers.

Showrunners Jordan Peele ('Lovecraft Country), Shonda Rhimes ('Grey's Anatomy'), Dan Levy ('Schitts Creek'), Lisa Joy ('Westworld')

Do Showrunners Still Write Scripts?

It depends on the scenario.

Many showrunners make the jump from series writer to showrunner by creating and pitching original TV series concepts (or adaptations of intellectual property).

Others are brought in to take on a concept created by an executive.

Case Study: The Walking Dead

Some showrunners are brought in to adapt intellectual property that the studio and network have acquired.

After AMC bought the adaptation rights to The Walking Dead comic book series, they hired feature writer/director Frank Darabont and feature producer Gale Anne Hurd to act as executive producers and co-showrunners.

Darabont was attached to write and direct the pilot. The entire series was pre-ordered based just on the strength of the source material, the television scripts, and Darabont's involvement. He wrote a few of the first season episodes.

Case Study: Lost

J.J. Abrams was the showrunner behind the successful and acclaimed series Lost. He made a name for himself with his feature scripts and running the series Alias.

The series was originally conceived by the head of ABC at the time, Lloyd Braun. In 2003, he was on vacation in Hawaii and imagined a cross between Cast Away and the popular reality show Survivor.

Braun pitched his ideas to the network, and senior vice president Thom Sherman saw potential. He ordered an initial script from Spelling Television, which hired Jeffrey Lieber. Lieber pitched his take to ABC, calling it Nowhere.

Braun wasn't happy with the eventual script by Lieber. After a subsequent rewrite, he contacted J. J. Abrams, who had developed Alias for ABC, and with that clout, he was hired to write a new pilot script. The series was renamed Lost. 

Abrams was initially hesitant to give the concept a supernatural twist, but he warmed to the idea as long as he had a writing partner. Damon Lindelof was hired.

Abrams only wrote 3 episodes of the series — all within that first season.

J.J. Abrams on the set of 'Lost'

Showrunners Can't Write As Much

As you can see, showrunners are a bit busy. They usually are part of the direct writing process early on, but they eventually have to put their trust in the writers' room. Their creative efforts encompass the broad strokes of each season's story and character arcs.

Since they oversee everything and make all final decisions on the creative aspects of the series, their creative stamp is very evident — despite not writing all of the scripts.

It always starts with being an amazing writer. That's where every path to the showrunner job begins.

The Road to Being a Showrunner

The fantasy of selling your TV pilot script and being handed the reins of a network TV series your first time out isn't what you should be expecting. Any example to the contrary is an anomaly. With that in mind, here's an example of where that did happen.

Case Study: Girls

Creator of HBO's successful and acclaimed series Girls, Lena Dunham, had gained some success with her 2010 second indie feature, Tiny Furniture. She wrote, directed, and starred in the film, which received positive reviews at festivals and awards attention, including Best Narrative Feature at SXSW and Best First Screenplay at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards.

Lena Dunham

Writer/Director/Producer Judd Apatow was drawn to Dunham's imagination after watching Tiny Furniture. He and HBO agreed to help Dunham develop a series concept for HBO with Apatow attached as Executive Producer.

Dunham was given much of the creative control. Despite never having worked on a series before, she was given the Showrunner position, along with Jennifer Konner. Apatow executive produced under his Apatow Productions label.

She wrote or co-wrote all ten episodes of the first season and directed five, including the pilot. She also wrote many episodes throughout the series run.

While she did manage to become a showrunner for her first TV pilot sold, HBO had Konner and Apatow there for her as support.

The Steps Most Need to Take

Beyond anomalies (which you can hope for but should never expect), becoming a showrunner requires years of experience. You need to get to a place in your career where you can manage a room full of writers and deal with studios, networks, agents, lawyers, budgets, etc.

What steps can you take to achieve that?

Look to the writers' room for your ladder to climb. It all starts with writing great scripts, obviously, so let's assume that you've gotten to that point.

The next step is to utilize those spec pilot scripts to garner attention. You accomplish that by:

1. Entering your specs into major and well-connected contests, competitions, and fellowships.
2. Networking and querying industry contacts.
3. Cold querying industry contacts.
4. Waiting and seeing if anyone responds.

Then you need to get yourself into a writers' room of a series. That's where you will learn the game and do your best to climb the ladder.

Here's a general breakdown of the ladder you need to climb and the steps from the bottom to the top you'll need to take to earn enough clout to become a showrunner.

Step #1: Writers' PAs

The Privates and Grunts of the show. They don't write. They don't take notes. Instead, they run most of the office by answering phone calls and working as gofers. PAs get coffee, order lunch, stock the kitchen, organize the writers' room after the whirlwind of the workday, and handle any basic tasks that don't involve any writing.

Step #2: Writers' Assistants

The Private First Class of the show. Assistants are tasked with taking notes throughout the brainstorming sessions of the Staff Writers and Story Editors. As those people break story, the Assistants are there to take notes and organize all of the ideas and concepts.

They will also be asked to proofread the scripts as they merge the notes and staff writing pages into a cohesive formatted script.

Assistants may also be asked to handle any necessary research needed before, during, or after the writers' room tries to break story on the script.

Step #3: Staff Writer

The Corporals of the show. You could argue that Staff Writers are more like Privates — doing the basic grunt work of the writing — but within the hierarchy of the writers' room, they're not the lowest on the totem pole (see above).

Staff Writers are there to develop and break story. They work with other Staff Writers to do so under the direction and authority of the above positions.

A majority of the time, they'll never get credit for their participation — at least not until they begin to work their way into a Story Editor position.

The more intimidating part of being a Staff Writer is that they are always the first to go when budget cuts or writing staff shakeups happen.

And as a staff writer, you may have supplied key story or character elements to an eventual script, but if you’re not actually the assigned writer to write the script for that episode, your work will be uncredited, and your pay will consist of your weekly salary.

'Empire' Writers Room

Step #4: Story Editors

The Sergeants of the show. Story editors are writers that have been with the show for a while and have taken on a leadership position within the room. They are next-level staff writers that benefit from WGA-stipulated pay and credit guarantees. They work on salary and get paid for individual scripts.

The biggest difference between a Story Editor and Staff Writer — beyond better pay — is that Story Editors are guaranteed to be credited for at least a single episode each season.

Step #5 Co-Producers

The Lieutenants of the show. Co-producers answer to the producers and work much as Co-Executive Producers do with Showrunners — they handle various delegated duties that a producer passes down to them.

They are still writers but are slowly moving their way up the totem pole as they are battle-tested with additional duties and decision-making that staff writers are not responsible for.

Step #6: Producers

The Captains of the show. Producers are seasoned writers within the writers' room. They've been promoted by accepting additional responsibilities beyond writing scripts. They'll have a say in casting, production, and the creative direction of the show. Staff writers will answer to them.

Step #7: Supervising Producers

The Colonels of the show. If you're a staff writer, this is the highest position to shoot for before you hit the big league of becoming an Executive Producer.

Supervising Producers are upper-level writers that handle extensive responsibilities, usually working with the writing staff directly through the many hours of story development, breaking story, and actual writing of the episodes.

In short, it's a more hands-on leadership position. You're in charge of the room when the Showrunner and EPs aren't available.

Step #8: Co-Executive Producers

The Generals of the show. Any non-showrunner Executive Producer works as the Showrunner's Number One. They are the second in charge of the series and are usually the last to read the final scripts before they are sent to the Showrunner for final approval.

Depending upon the series, the Co-Executive Producer can also give final clearance for script drafts — in place of the Showrunner. Sometimes Showrunners delegate the power of decision-making to their Co-Executive Producers if they are working on multiple projects. More significant broad-stroke decisions will always fall on the Showrunner's shoulders, but the Co-Executive Producers are there to take on as much as needed.

Step #9: Showrunner/Executive Producer

The Admirals of the show. You hopefully have an idea of what a showrunner does. It's clearly the top of the ladder when it comes to television shows. There's no single path to the position, but it usually requires years of hard work, development, on-the-job training, excellent collaborative skills, and outstanding leadership capabilities.

How Much Do Showrunners Make?

We knew that would be the follow-up question. Once again, it depends. And it mostly depends on your stature in the industry.

Showrunners usually make a great deal of money. These days, nine-figure deals are common for the top-tier showrunners and Hollywood prospects from both the film and television industry.

According to Parade, prolific showrunner Shonda Rhimes earns $15-$20 million at ABC for all shows she runs.

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss earned between $100,000 and $300,000 per episode for their work on Game of Thrones.

But if you're a first-time showrunner, you can expect to earn as "low" as between $30,000 and $40,000 per episode.

There's no single path to the Showrunner position in Hollywood. A majority of the time, it takes years to work your way up through the writers' room circuit. And sometimes, you need to work on multiple shows before earning your "wings" as a potential showrunner.

Regardless of what path you find yourself on, it always starts with being an amazing writer. That's where every path to the showrunner job begins.

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, and the feature thriller Hunter’s Creed starring Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, Wesley Truman Daniel, Mickey O’Sullivan, John Victor Allen, and James Errico. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies

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The post How to Become a Showrunner appeared first on ScreenCraft.

15 Most Popular Television Genres (and how to write each one)

1. Sci-fi and Fantasy

Science fiction and fantasy are both incredibly popular genres of television, largely thanks to the runaway success of Game of Thrones. Sci-fi and fantasy shows take viewers out of grounded reality and explore the possibilities only our imaginations can create. It's worth pointing out that while these two genres are often lumped together, they each have distinct tropes and formatting notes. Just an FYI.

If your goal is to write a sci-fi or fantasy TV show, check out these hit shows for inspiration:

• Westworld (sci-fi Western)
• Snowpiercer (eco-fiction)
• Dr. Who (time-travel fantasy)
• Lovecraft County (fantasy-horror)

You can even download the Game of Thrones pilot script to see how to write and format sci-fi and fantasy scripts.

2. Hour-long Drama

The hour-long drama has nearly an infinite number of subgenres. Some are serialized and have a story arc that lasts the entire season. Others are procedural dramas where the main conflict is resolved by the end of each episode (i.e., a crime is solved, or a judge makes a ruling in a court case). It's a big genre.

Procedural dramas include police shows like CSI and NCIS New Orleans. Serialized dramas include the rebooted Perry Mason (a courtroom drama) and Succession (family drama).

Download this Succession episode script for an example of how to write and format a one-hour serialized drama script.

3. Fictional Crime

Another subgenre of the hour-long drama, crime shows are the bread and butter of network television. Often told from the point of view of the police or other investigators. shows like FBI, Chicago P.D., Bluebloods, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit are classic TV crime genre mainstays.

More recently, cable channels and streaming services have found success creating fictional crime shows from the point of view of the criminals, such as The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Animal Kingdom, and Ozark.

Here are some free television script downloads to help you write a fictional crime show:

• Ozark pilot episode script download (PDF)
• Breaking Bad pilot episode script download (PDF)

4. True Crime

Every once in a while, an event or true crime will take place and capture our imaginations. Remember Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco? Between 1992 and 1993, there were three docudramas that aired on TV about that story:

• Amy Fisher: My Story
• Casualties of Love: The “Long Island Lolita” Story
• The Amy Fisher Story

More recently, the show Dirty John told the true, deception-based romance of Debra Newell and John Meehan. Other recent true crime shows include The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

Download the script for The Assassination of Gianni Versace to see how to write and format a true crime episode for tv.

5. Period Drama

Technically, the period drama is part of the hour-long drama genre. But this genre is so popular right now it deserves its own category. The biggest (and really only) criteria for a period drama is that it takes place in a very specific time in history. This often means that the show is centered around amazing costumes, historic locations, and painstaking attention to detail to avoid anachronisms.

Popular examples of period dramas include the smash success Downton Abbey, The Crown (currently the most expensive TV show of all time), The Alienist, and Vikings.

Download an episode script for Downtown Abbey to see how to write a period drama for television.

6. Horror Genre TV

American Horror Story has really reinvented the television horror experience and will be returning for its 10th season, employing incredibly talented actors like Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates.

Other popular TV horror shows include The Haunting of Hill House, Penny Dreadful, We are the Walking Dead, The Terror, and new show Ratched, which is an origin story of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Learn more about writing a horror TV show here or download a script (PDF) for an episode of American Horror story to see how to format tv scripts for horror television.

7. Television Sitcoms

Ever since I Love Lucy debuted in 1951, Americans can’t seem to get enough of television sitcoms. Still popular today, the classic three-camera sitcoms are still shot in front of a live audience on a soundstage. And while many sitcoms haven't changed much in 50 years, there have been some recent innovations to the format and style of the television sitcom.

Single-camera sitcoms, like Young Sheldon, Malcolm in the Middle, and Emmy award-winning Schitt’s Creek avoid traditional three-camera formatting and blocking. Shot without an audience or a laugh track, these one-camera shows have almost become a subgenre in their own right. Especially with the way that a single-camera sitcom impacts the pace and style of the screenplay.

Single-camera sitcoms feel closer to reality and allow for varied locations and shifts in tone from comedy to drama, depending on the show. But despite their stylistic differences, both single and three-camera sitcoms typically run 22-minutes per episode.

Download the pilot episode script for Schitt's Creek to see how a single-camera sitcom is written and formatted.

8. Spin-off television shows

A spin-off is when a minor character becomes so popular on an established TV show, that they leave to star in their own show. The 1970s and 80s saw lots of sitcom spinoffs with popular spin-offs that included:

• Mork and Mindy was a spin-off from Happy Days
• The Facts of Life was a spin-off from Diff’rent Strokes
• Frasier was the popular long-running spin-off from Cheers

And while many spin-offs flop, sometimes the spin-off can be more popular than the original tv show that spawned the character.

More modern-day spin-offs include Young Sheldon, a prequel of the parent show The Big Bang Theory, and The Good Fight which emerged from The Good Wife. Even reality shows have spin-off potential. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo that came from parent show Toddlers & Tiaras.

Download the pilot episode script for Frasier to see how to write a spin-off show.

9. Musical comedies

When a musical TV show is done well, it's often a huge hit. That's because musicals and musical comedy television shows hit viewers hard. They encompass heightened emotions that get expressed through songs and dance that tell the story in a stylized way. And people like it. No, they love it.

Popular musical genre television shows include Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Glee, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Fosse/Verdon.

Download an episode script of Fosse/Verdun to see how to format a musical comedy television screenplay.

10. Soap Operas

This genre of TV gets its name from the dishwashing soap that advertisers used to market to housewives in the commercials between scenes. And while a lot of things have changes since those days, daytime "soaps" are still a big part of the television landscape.

Several classic soap operas like General Hospital and Days of Our Lives still exist, but have the soap opera genre has largely been replaced by reality TV shows. What’s become popular are so-called "evening" soap operas like Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, Riverdale, and Gossip Girl.

The new generation of primetime soap operas is full of romance, breakups, and characters who can’t resist meddling in other people’s affairs. Sounds a lot like classic soap operas to me. But no matter what you call it, soap operas are still one of the most popular genres on tv.

Download an episode of Scandal to see how the modern soap opera has evolved.

11. Animation

Animated TV shows tend to be comedies simply because anything is possible. And that opens up a lot of comedic opportunities — for viewers of all ages.

Animated tv shows have exploded in popularity with legacy programs like The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, and South Park giving way to modern classics like Bob's Burgers, Samurai Jack, Archer, Bojack Horseman, and Rick and Morty. Animation isn't for kids anymore, and television studios have definitely taken notice.

Learn more about writing for animated television and feature-length films.

12. Reality-TV

While most reality TV shows do employ writers, they are mostly concerned with mining the drama between the characters and not writing actual scripts. Shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians have deeply permeated American culture, influencing make-up and fashion trends, and even plastic surgery. Other popular reality TV shows include:

• The Real Housewives
• The Jersey Shore
• Project Runway
• The Bachelor
• Survivor
• Big Brother
• Naked and Afraid.

Reality television has become so popular that there is even another subgenre of reality game shows where contestants compete for prizes or money. It's a booming tv genre with some room for certain creative writers and producers.

13. Sketch Comedy and Variety Shows

Sketch comedy has been around forever. But the most recognizable sketch comedy show currently on the air is, of course, Saturday Night Live. SNL is entering its 46th season this fall! A hallmark of sketch shows like MADtv and The Carol Burnett Show is that they were performed in front of a live audience and often include musical guests and guest hosts.

More recent takes on sketch comedy shows include Inside Amy Schumer and Portlandia, which blend scripted comedy with improvisation, and are shot without a live audience.

14. Talk Shows

Everyone has a favorite late-night talk show, (I miss you, David Letterman!), but daytime talk shows like The Dr. Phil Show or The Ellen Show are still one of the most popular tv genres. Luckily, these shows employ a lot of writers!

Writers on both daytime and late-night talk shows typically write jokes, monologues, and segments for the host. This content also features interviews with celebrities or troubled individuals that are not scripted and usually shot in front of a live audience. As more talk shows expand into streaming platforms and YouTube writers are creating more digital-friendly content to bolster the writing for television. It's an exciting time to write for tv talk shows.

15. Children’s TV Shows

Animated shows like Dora The Explorer and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood are favorites for children. Live-action shows like Sesame Street are often educational and always popular with parents. But in my humble opinion, nothing will ever take the place of the totally crazed H.R. Pufnstuff that ran from 1969 to 1970. Go watch an episode if you've never seen it. It's wild.

How to write for tv: Most popular television genres

Now is a great time to write for television. Streaming platforms are exploding, content is expanding, and explored niche television shows are finding their audiences. And these shows need good writers. Learn how to write for any genre of TV and jumpstart your screenwriting with a career in television.

The post How to Write for TV: 15 Most Popular Television Genres appeared first on ScreenCraft.