Good morning guru’s! My good friend Geoff is in heaven now that Detroiters is on Netflix. I had the privilege of improvising with Tim Robinson in Chicago before he left for SNL and I can honestly say that dude was one of the funniest performers I’ve ever seen. Raw talent.
TODAY’S ACTS:
ACT 1: Specs
ACT 2: AI
ACT 3: What I’m watching & resources
TV Writing
Writing a TV Spec
A spec-script is an original script that no one paid you to write. A TV-spec is an original episode of an existing show that ALSO no one paid you to write.
Why write a tv spec?
Short answer: prove that you can. If you want to write for TV, you better show that you can understand how to write existing characters.
Genre - Comedy/Drama/Sci-fi/Mystery/etc…
Cast - Single lead/Ensemble
Network - NBC/ABC/HBO
Type - Serialized/Episodic
Structure - How many acts/commercial breaks
Show specific rules - Seinfeld had “No hugging. No learning.”
Timeline - Where are we in the show? Season/Episode
Girls5Eva Spec
I’m in the midst of writing a spec from a specific list and I’ve chosen Girls5Eva.
This show is highly underrated. From the same folks that created 30 Rock and the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, you can expect the jokes per page to be off the chart.
Breakdown the Show
As I was breaking the episodes, the shows structure started to rear it’s head.
3 acts
5 storylines (each of the 4 characters + a group serialized storyline). The character arcs are usually simple 1/2/3 arcs (setup/muddle/resolution)
In the act 2, one of the storylines sparks the idea for the act three wrap up.
Between 13-18 scenes per episode.
~5 scenes in act one.
3rd scene is the challenge of the episode/5th scene takes us to act 2
Where does my Ep go?
Two opinions. It can either be an episode that slips into a past season, or progress the show with, what could be, a next seasons episode. Girls5Eva has three seasons.
I opted to write Season 4 Episode 1. Why? The show isn’t as episodic as Seinfeld where nothing changes. It’s serialized and moves forward. I found it easier and more exciting to create an upcoming episode.
Write it!
Writing is rewriting. Having the structure is 50% of it. Once you’ve got an episode of TERRIBLE scenes, rewrite them. I’m currently in the process of honing the dialogue. I created a google sheet of random lines for each character so that I can see all Gloria’s lines in one place. That way I can compare my lines to make sure they’re Gloria-ish.
If you want to write for TV you’re going to need a spec or two. Find a current show that you’d love to write for and get going.
In the meantime, watch Girls5Eva on Netflix!
AI
Sir Robbin Williams
Outside of Mrs Doubtfire, Robin Williams has portrayed some of Histories greatest characters.
From the Well
Like Resources?
What I’m watching
Lioness: Early eps where cool. Ima see where it goes.
The Diplomat: I feel like I’m smarter when I watch.
Agatha All Along: Very Disney, but entertaining.
The Penguin: Sometimes boring, but I’m still in.
Somebody Somewhere: Incredibly sweet.
Girls5Eva: I love this show.
Shrinking: Pass. I love Jason Segel, but this lovable loser character he always plays gets old to me.
