by Linda Venis
CSI: NY, 12
Curb Your Enthusiasm, 162
The CW, 14, 219
Daily Variety, 199
Damages, 15
Daniels, Greg, 185
Danson, Ted, 182
David, Larry, 151–52, 162
Day, Jessica “Jess” (character), 162
Deadline Hollywood (website), 224, 228
deadlines, 214. See also schedules in TV production
Deadwood, 59
deconstructing TV shows, 8–13
demographics, 14
Deschanel, Zooey, 162
details in scripts, 106
Dexter, 36, 37
dialogue
and beat sheets, 5
and character development, 84
and half-hour comedy specs, 127, 128, 129, 153
and long speeches, 88
and pitching pilots, 173
and rewriting process, 79
and scene-setting, 41
and style of shows, 12
digital media, 209
directors, 128, 217, 229, 231–32, 234, 236–39
Disney/ABC, 206
Divided We Stand, 157
Doogie Howser, M. D., 155
Downton Abbey, 61
dramas
and act length, 91
and “act outs,” 86–87
and breaking into writing, 3–4
and character development, 67–70, 82–83, 83–84, 85–86, 89
and emotional impact, 87
and franchise, 60–62
ideas for pilots, 52–59
and longevity of concepts, 64–66
and outlines, 5–6, 20–28, 28–29
and pilot types, 71–72
and premise, 62
preparation for writing, 30–32, 32–39, 50–52, 75–79
and rewrites, 46–48, 49, 79–93
and scene structure, 89
and script length, 90–91
selecting shows to spec, 6–7, 7–8, 8–13
and stage directions, 89–90
and story development, 4–5, 14–20, 62–64, 84–85
and trends in TV, 52, 59–60
and writing process, 39–46, 72–73, 88, 92–93
Dunham, Lena, 200
Dunphy, Phil (character), 161
editorial transitions, 143
edits and notes, 43, 47–48, 76, 90–91, 140–41, 224–28. See also feedback on scripts; rewriting and revising
Elementary, 67
emotion
and character development, 188
and half-hour comedies, 113–14
and rewriting process, 87
and simplicity in pilots, 170
endings, 22, 129–30, 135
endurance in script writing, 43
ensemble shows, 100. See also characters
entrepreneurship, 208–9
episodes
arc for first ten episodes, 171
goals and clock of, 35–36
and longevity of series, 64–66
outline of first ten, 171
stakes of, 20, 34–35
stand-alone episodes, 15, 63
and story arcs, 62–64
and “story starters,” 65–66
time-frame of, 37
typical-episode pilots, 168–69
Espenson, Jane, 200
Eureka, 36
Everybody Loves Raymond, 182
executive producers, 198–99
exposition, 133
Falling Skies, 17, 61
familiarity in TV programming, 220
Family Guy, 100
family-viewing hours, 14
Faulkner, William, 127
Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 14
feedback on scripts, 72, 75–77, 140–41, 158–59. See also edits and notes
Ferguson, Jesse Tyler, 176–77
Fey, Tina, 182–83
film media, 209
Final Draft, 143, 205
finances of writers, 215
Finke, Nikki, 224
Firefly, 59
first cuts, 237
first drafts
for comedies, 123–25, 125–33
for dramas, 28–29, 32–39, 39–46, 74–75, 78–79, 88, 93
and production schedules, 228, 237
five-act structure, 28
flashbacks, 158
focus groups, 241
“footprint” of shows, 132
format of existing shows, 101
formatting of scripts, 23, 142–44, 144–48, 148–50
Fox, 14, 219
framing, 37
franchise, 34, 60–62, 64
Frasier, 174, 183, 187–91
freelance scriptwriting, 207. See also spec scripts
Friends, 161
Fringe, 14
FX, 16, 198
Game of Thrones, 17
genres of TV shows, 16–17
Gervais, Ricky, 185
Gilmore Girls, 14
Giraudoux, Jean, 52
Girls, 101
Glee, 61, 158, 212
goal setting for writers, 200
“The Good Son” (Fraiser episode), 189
The Good Wife, 14, 35, 80
Gossip Girl, 17
grammar, 92, 142
Grey’s Anatomy, 17, 36
Grimm, 23, 24–25, 59
Gunsmoke, 59
half-hour comedies. See comedies
Happy Endings, 118–21, 121–22, 198
Harris, Neil Patrick, 155
Harrow, Richard, 13
“harvesting” ideas, 17–18
HBO, 16, 59, 136
Hell on Wheels, 16
hero figures, 10–11. See also main characters
historic sources, 107
The Hollywood Reporter, 199
Home Improvement, 183
Homeland, 16, 56–57, 80, 198
Hooperman, 155
Hot in Cleveland, 101
House, M. D., 9, 10–11, 19, 59, 88
“house rules,” 18–19
How I Met Your Mother, 158
Howard, Ron, 198–99
humor, 13, 137–38, 163–64. See also jokes
hybrid shows, 16, 17
ideas for TV stories
for characters, 17–18, 161–62
historic sources, 107–10
personal interests of writers, 52, 55, 156–57, 191
and pilots, 52–53, 57–59
and premise, 17–18
and series franchise, 61
spitballs, 106, 110–11, 122
ideology, 17
In Plain Sight, 86
In Treatment, 12
inciting incidents, 111, 113, 132
instincts in scriptwriting, 40, 77–78
Internet Movie Database (IMDb), 198
internships, 206
irony in TV scripts, 9
“Jack Meets Dennis” (30 Rock episode), 183
JAG, 90
John the Cop (example show), 20–21
jokes
and character development, 166–67
and half-hour comedy specs, 129
and pitching pilots, 173
and rewrites, 132–33, 136–38, 141
and scene endings, 135
junior writers, 214
Justified, 59, 73
Kellard, Rick, 160, 173
Kelley, David E., 74
killing characters, 18
King, Marlene, 89
Kinsey, Angela, 185
Knope, Leslie (character), 110
Law and Order
and act “outs,” 86–87
formulaic nature of, 220
and framing devices, 37
and life span of series, 64
in The Office, 137
as procedural show, 15
profits from, 151
and script revisions, 74, 76
“laying pipe,” 133
lead characters. See main characters
legal dramas, 34, 35–36
/> length of acts, 91
length of scenes, 42, 89
length of scripts, 90–91
Leonard, Elmore, 88–89
Leonardo da Vinci, 92
“Let Me Count the Ways” (Cheers episode), 182
Levine, Ken, 180–81
Levitan, Steve, 161, 176
Lieberstein, Paul, 185
life span of series, 64–66
Lifetime network, 198
limitations of existing shows, 101
Lloyd, Christopher, 161, 176
location. See setting of stories
logic, 114–15
loglines, 62, 157–58, 171, 172
Long, Shelley, 182
longevity of story ideas, 64–66, 151, 155
long-shot pilots, 238
Lorre, Chuck, 156
Los Angeles, California, 197
Lost, 16, 61, 220
Louie, 198
love/hate relationships, 163–64
Mackey, Vic (character), 16
Mad About You, 183
Mad Men, 12, 16, 61, 87, 174
main characters
and comedy spec scripts, 100
and deconstructing TV shows, 8–9, 9–10
and emotion, 114
and humor, 163–64
and opening scenes, 164–66
malapropisms, 137
managers, 7, 210–12
“The Marine Biologist” (Seinfeld episode), 180
marketplace for scriptwriting, 153–54, 173, 196, 197
Marshall, Gary, 141, 152
Mary Tyler Moore, 168
M*A*S*H, 174
Mathison, Carrie, 16
mature subject matter, 16
The Mentalist, 32
The Middle, 100, 169
Mike & Molly, 100, 114, 168
Milch, David, 203
Modern Family
and character development, 100, 133–34, 159, 161, 176, 184
and conflict, 184
as model for pilots, 154
and spec scripts, 203
and theme, 116
Molière, 106
money management, 215
Monk, 67
Moore, Tom, 160
motivations of characters
and creating characters, 188–89
and first drafts, 40, 42–43, 45, 127–28
and rewrites, 135
and sitcom characters, 175–76
and story, 178–80
Movie Magic, 143
multiple-camera shows, 101, 132–33, 143–44, 148–50
Murder, She Wrote, 62
NBC, 219
NCIS, 15, 35
negotiating deals, 210–11
networking, 4, 31–32, 204–5, 208
networks, 153–54, 221–22, 225. See also specific network names
New Girl, 99, 115–16, 162, 169–70
Newman (character), 163
The Newsroom, 61
nighttime soaps, 16–17
90210, 17
No Meaner Place (blog), 199–200
nonwriting producers, 154
“novelizing,” 126–27
nudity, 16
Nuñez, Oscar, 185
Nurse Jackie, 19
O’Connor, Carroll, 186
The Odd Couple, 158, 176, 182
The Office, 133–34, 155, 168–69, 177, 184–85
Once Upon a Time, 59
one-hour dramas. See dramas
O’Neill, Ed, 176
opening scenes, 164–66
“Out with Dad” (Fraiser episode), 190
outlets, 14
outlines
and beat sheets, 20–23, 23–25
and comedy spec scripts, 98, 117–20, 121–22
described, 5
and half-hour comedy specs, 128
and production schedules, 226
and revising scripts, 40
and spec scripts, 4–6, 5–6
and “story area,” 223
and structure of stories, 28
and teasers, 25–27
writing process for, 28
overwriting, 40
pacing of stories
and deconstructing shows, 12
and “DNA” of shows, 103
and familiarity with shows, 7
and first drafts, 41–42
and half-hour comedy specs, 126, 127, 132–33, 153
and outlets for shows, 14
velocity of scenes, 48
Paramount Television, 180
Parenthood, 12, 61
Parker, Dorothy, 130–31, 202
Parks and Recreation, 110–13, 111
perfectionism, 231
personal interests of writers, 52, 55, 156–57, 191
philosophy/ideology of TV writers, 17
pilots
beat sheet for, 24–27
and characters, 67–69, 69–70
and franchise, 60–62
for half-hour comedies, 151–53, 153–54, 154–59, 159–67, 167–70, 171–73
and iconic series, 154
ideas for, 52–53, 54–57, 57–59
and launching screenwriting careers, 199
and longevity of ideas, 64–66
and outlines, 23
pitching, 152, 171–73
and portfolios, 202–3
and premise, 62, 71–72, 167–68
and production process, 231–37
and rewrites, 78
and story arcs, 62–64
and TV trends, 52, 59–60, 224–25
typical-episode pilots, 168–69
“what if?” scenarios, 169–70
writing tips for, 72–73
pitching scripts
and the beat sheet, 21
and “Big Idea,” 156, 157
and changes to concept, 181
and character development, 160
and longevity of concept, 64–66
for pilots, 152, 171–73
and pitch paragraphs, 201
and premise, 62
and production schedules, 218–22
and research, 104–5, 198
and trends in TV, 59–60
and writing process, 49
plot
and beat sheets, 5, 20, 21–23
and character development, 9–10, 177, 191
and structure of comedies, 113
and structure of spec scripts, 10–11
Poetics (Aristotle), 111
police procedurals, 34, 59, 198, 201, 225–26. See also specific titles
portfolios, 202–3
Prady, Bill, 156
premise
and deconstructing TV shows, 10–11
and half-hour comedy specs, 153, 154–59
harvesting ideas for TV stories, 17–18
and loglines, 157–58
and pilots, 62, 71–72, 167–68, 172–73
and structure of spec scripts, 10–11
and unique story ideas, 156
premium cable, 28
preparatory work, 30–32
Pretty Little Liars, 33, 35–36, 83, 89
Prison Break, 14
procedural shows, 14, 34, 59, 198, 201, 225–26. See also specific titles
producers with Ovarall Deal (PODs), 218–20
production budgets, 233–34
production schedules, 217–43
profanity, 16
professionalism
and collaboration skills, 213–14, 214–15, 236–37
and formatting of scripts, 142–44
and pitching process, 171–73
and producing pilots, 231–32
and writing schedules, 125–26, 129–30
proofreading, 92, 142
protagonists, 8–9, 19, 28. See also main characters
prototype pilots, 71
Psych, 67
punctuation, 92, 142
Queen, Ellery, 62
rationing information, 135–36
reading scripts aloud, 140–41
regular charact
ers, 163
representation, 210–12
research
and beat sheets, 23
online resources, 104–5
and pilot scripts, 199
and spec scripts, 7–8, 19–20, 32–33, 33–34
resolutions, 135
Revenge, 15, 32–33, 212
reversals, 46
Revolution, 61
rewriting and revising
and “act outs,” 86–87
and character development, 82–84, 85–86, 89
checklist for, 138–39, 144–45
and dialogue, 88
efficiency in, 82
and emotional impact, 87
and extraneous scenes, 88
of first drafts, 40, 43
and half-hour comedies, 131–39, 139–45
and length of acts, 91
and length of scenes, 89
and length of scripts, 90–91
and one-hour dramas, 46–48, 72
and outlines, 29
preparation for, 75–79
and problem scenes, 79–80, 80–82
and producing pilots, 234–35
and reading aloud, 140–41
and stage directions, 89–90
and story lines, 84–85
and style of existing shows, 91–92
and writing habits, 88, 129–30
Ringer, 14
rising action, 111–12
risk-taking in script writing, 58
Ritter, John, 155
Roseanne, 183
rule of three, 137–38
rumors in Hollywood, 238
salesmanship, 205. See also pitching scripts
samples of writing, 50–51, 154
Sanctuary, 209
scenes and scene structure
and B and C stories, 115
and character development, 44, 45, 164–66
and comedy spec scripts, 118–21, 121–22
and “DNA” of shows, 103
and one-hour dramas, 44–46
order of, 115
scene distribution, 28
scene length, 42, 89
“scene sheets,” 44
velocity of, 48
schedules in TV production, 214, 217–43
Schiff, Robin, 180
screening TV shows
and career development, 197–99
deconstructing shows, 8–13
described, 7
and “DNA” of shows, 102–3
iconic pilots, 154
and idea generation, 54
and rewrites, 49, 77–78
testing pilots, 240–41
script coordinators, 207
Scriptapalooza, 205
Scriptwriter’s Network, 204
second-tier characters, 19
The Secret Life of the American Teenager, 61
Seinfeld, 151, 163, 178–80
Seinfeld, Jerry, 151
self-assessment, 208
serialized shows, 11, 15–16, 32–33, 35–36
series bible, 171
series document, 239–40
series orders, 238
setting of stories
and beat sheets, 5
and character development, 175–76, 177
and deconstructing TV shows, 11–12
and half-hour comedy specs, 153
and scene structure, 45
and spec scripts, 101
and standing sets, 33
setups, 137
