Writing the TV Drama Series 3rd edition. Pamela Douglas

       Anthologies

       Series with closure

       Serials

       Collaboration

       Five Myths About Television

       Myth 1: TV is small movies.

       Myth 2: TV is cheap.

       Myth 3: You can’t do that on TV.

       Myth 4: All TV series are the same.

       Myth 5: Television is a wasteland.

       The Rules of Series TV

       • An hour show has to fit an hour.

       • Series deadlines are for real.

       • Drama series have an act structure.

       • Each series fits a franchise.

       Ready, Set, Go!

       Summary Points

       What’s New?

       SPOTLIGHT ON DRAMEDY

       GUEST SPEAKER: DAVID ISAACS (M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier, Mad Men)

       CHAPTER TWO

       HOW SHOWS GET ON TV AND THE TV SEASON

       Chart: Traditional Two-Year Development and Production of a New Show

       Year One

       April: Create Your Proposal

       (1) Write a TV Format

       (2) Write a Pilot

       (3) Write a “Backdoor Pilot”

       (4) Create a Presentation Reel

       (5) Attach a “Package”

       (6) Get a Web Following

       May: The Production Company

       June: The Studio

       July and August: The Network

       Chart: New Series Development at One Network

       September to November: The Pilot Script

       December and January: The Greenlight

       February to April: Pilot Season

       May: Pick-Ups

       • Full season

       • Short order

       • Midseason

       • Backup scripts

       Year Two

       June: Staffing

       July and August: Write Like Crazy

       Chart: Sample Character Arcs for a Season

       September and October: The Debut

       November through March: Completing the Season

       April: Hiatus

       What’s New?

       Summary Points

       GUEST SPEAKER: CHARLES COLLIER

       President, AMC Cable TV

       CHAPTER THREE

       HOW A CLASSIC SCRIPT IS CRAFTED

       The Dramatic Beat

       A–B–C Stories

       Chart: Basic Four-Act Grid

       Five- and Six-act Structure

       The More Things Change…

       The Two-Page Scene

       Using the Grid

       Teasers

       About these Excerpts

       Excerpt from NYPD Blue, “Simone Says”

       Analysis

       Opening Scenes

       Scene 1

       Scene 2

       Scene 3

       Scene 4

       Scene 5

       Scene 6

       The Second Excerpt

       Excerpt from NYPD Blue, “Hearts and Souls”

       Analysis

       Cold