So You Wanna Write A TV Show?

There are a thousand different books that will tell you the technical aspects of writing a TV show, don’t follow any of them hard and fast, but follow them closely! Make sense?

Here are some rules of the TV world of writing, GENERAL rules, or guidelines to follow. (Funny how they never mention; impossible deadlines, massive re-writes, censoring, who can shoot who at what hour, and how you can’t ever just say “shit” before 10 pm.. etc..the gritty & truthful stuff is left until you enter the room).

BUT really the best way, the only way to learn how to write TV is to read tons of scripts. Read them all the time, at least one every other day. It is better than any class you can take and better than anything you can read in a book. The other way is to write them, and write a lot of them. Don’t be sloppy, but you have to write to be a writer.

AND finally, when you are writing a spec of an existing show: get at least 4 copies of scripts from that show. If you can’t find them, go to the WGA library, most likely they will be there waiting for your brilliant hands to flip through the 35-70 pages.

I hope this helps!!! :0)

Script Format For Television Scripts
by Diane House

It’s important to remember that there is no hard and fast standardization. Each show has its own idiosyncrasies. There are some things, however, that remain consistent in all teleplays whether drama or sitcom. The goal here is give you an idea of what those are.

If you want to write for television, you must do your homework. Learn about the show you wish to write a spec for. Study its style; find out the common script length, and most of all, read as many scripts as you can get your hands on. Dissect them; try to figure out if anything is wrong with them and, if you find something, figure out how to fix it. In other words, know the show inside and out, be enthusiastic about it, believe in it; be a fan.

Format and story structure are precise when it comes to episodic television. A 1/2 hour story runs about 22 minutes; an hour show, about 45 minutes with commercials dispersed for the remaining time. The breaks must be in the right spot for the advertisers to put up their wares. They also need to be compelling enough to bring your viewer back to the program.

Television is like a factory. It survives on an endless stream of product; sometimes so similar in nature that it’s hard to tell the shows apart. With the increase of cable, the need has increased an awful lot in the last 15 years.

Network TV is no longer king. An increasing number of channels have gone into production with their own original programming. Examples are HBO, Showtime, TNT, Sci Fi, and USA. This is great because it has expanded the marketplace in which writers can circulate.

The most important thing to remember here is that drama is conflict. Without it – no drama. You’ve got to take your characters to hell before you give them a happy ending or it won’t mean anything. Conflict comes from inside the characters and an external influence. There are three types: Man vs. Himself, Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature.

One-Hour Drama

In addition to the above, start your scenes late and get out early. They must advance the plot and develop the character. End them on a dramatic highpoint and make sure the conflict is well developed. Most of all, show don’t tell.

Types

There are a few different kinds.

1. The procedural, which consists of shows such as the Law and Order franchise and the CSI franchise,
2. Next are the shows that deal with lawyers and politics. These are shows like The West Wing, The Practice, etc.
3. Police dramas, such as, The District and NYPD Blue.
4. Hero-types which consist of shows like Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Smallville.
5. Fantasy/Sci-Fi – examples here are Enterprise, Twilight Zone, Dead Zone, etc.
6. Cable – Shows such as Queer as Folk, The Sopranos, and Six Feet Under are written without the act breaks seen in commercial television.

Format

One-hour shows are formatted like features, except for the act breaks. You begin and end them as you would a sitcom, however there are no scene breaks. Each page equals about a minute of screen time and script lengths usually fall between 53-60 pages. There are some, however, such as West Wing, which can be as long as 66 pages. Again, you must know your show. The best advice is to read the teleplays and copy the format precisely,

The Cover Page should indicate the name of the show, episode title, and the writer’s name.

The Title Page should contain show name, episode title, writer’s name and contact information.

Typically, a one-hour drama consists of a teaser and 4 acts. There are some, like Enterprise, that have a teaser and 5 acts and still others that are only 4 acts, like Alias. Again, a good reason to study scripts for the show you wish to write for.

Acts are designated numerically, usually written out and centered at the top of the page. Placing “End Act One” or “End Act 1” creates act breaks. This is centered and double-spaced beneath the last piece of narrative or dialogue. FADE or CUT may be used to end a scene, but it isn’t necessary. A simple scene slug line will do nicely instead. Begin each new act of a fresh page.

The act break is where the script reaches a strong dramatic moment. That’s where the station typically inserts commercials. The big question here is whether or not the story moment is strong enough to break your audience back.

The time breakdown works like this:
Teaser: 2-4 pages
Act One: 14-15 pages
Act Two: 14-15 Pages
Act Three: 14-15 Pages
Act Four: 14-15 Pages
Tag: 1-2 Pages
Total: 59 to 66 pages

Structure

Be sure to follow the 3 Act Structure with in your teleplay. In Act One, set up the goal for the character. Then your character runs into an obstacle. By the end of the act he should reach or fail to reach that immediate goal. Act One usually lasts about 10 minutes. In Act Two, you’ll complicate the character’s mission, the raise the stakes. Be sure to move your subplots forward as well and raise the stakes again. By this point, your character is at his lowest point. This act usually goes for about 40 minutes. By Act Three, your character, hopefully, will have reached a new level of determination. You will have made things even tougher for him, so he’ll have to dig inside himself for more strength. Be sure to deal with your subplots and tie up loose ends. Finally, is the resolution or pay-off.

Depending on the series, there can be up to three storylines running concurrently. The A story is the main plot, while the B story is the major subplot. The C story is called a runner or minor subplot, usually character developing. It usually occurs three times within the hour.

Dialogue

When writing dialogue, there are a couple of things to consider:

1. The character ages, education, and background.
2. Any emotional changes. How do they speak when emotional or angry?
3. Don’t use boring and/or unnecessary dialogue.
4. It must move the story forward.
5. Characters should NEVER explain their feelings. They should be acted out.
6. Be specific in your dialogue. Details are everything and they’ll serve to enrich your characters.
7. Beware of long speeches. The thing about dialogue vs. action is that a page of action runs a lot faster than a page of dialogue. Time expands when you talk. Break up speeches with interjections from other characters or actions pertaining to the scene.
8. Don’t let you characters talk to themselves. If it’s absolutely critical, do it sparingly, and only if the scene turns out better with it than without it.
9. ALWAYS READ DIALOGUE OUT LOUD.

Situation Comedies

Someone once said that “dying is easy, comedy is hard.” You really have to understand funny in order to write funny. If a joke is told badly, no matter how good the joke, it’ll fall flat. The opposite can be true as well. If a bad joke is well told, it could be funny.

Format

There are two types of sitcoms: multiple camera format and single camera format. Multiple camera format is the traditional form, and it started with shows like “I Love Lucy,” and continues with “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Will and Grace,” “Frasier,” etc. Single camera shows are shot and formatted like films. Examples of these would include “Malcolm in the Middle,” The Simpsons,” Curb Your Enthusiasm,” etc.

No matter what type of show, it’s important to find several actual scripts for the spec you’re writing so that you can get really familiar with the format.

Some shows have teasers and tags, some have two acts (multiple camera format) and some have three acts (some, but not all, single camera shows), and some have page counts that differ from industry averages. A good example of that is Sex and the City. This is a single camera show in three acts that includes a key scene in every script where Carrie sits at her computer and asks the question that frames all the stories in the episode. An analysis of past scripts would indicate this happens about 7-11 minutes into the episode, but not always. Know the rules before you break them.

Typical format for multiple camera sitcoms:

1. FADE IN: – All caps and underlined
2. SCENES – numbered using CAPS. Ample space above and below and underlined.
3. SLUGLINES – indicate location, time of day, and underlined.
4. Character List – should appear directly below the slug line and indicate which characters are needed for the scene. Also enclosed in parentheses.
5. ACTIONS/DESCRIPTIONS – listed in a capital letters
6. CHARACTER INTRO’s – Capitalized and underlined.
7. SOUND EFFECTS/SPEICAL EFFECTS/CAMERA INSTRUCTIONS – Capitalized and underlined.
8. CHARACTER NAMES/DIALOGUE – Capitalized and double spaced.
9. PERSONAL DIRECTION – appears within dialogue – on the same line – in all capitals and enclosed in parentheses.

The Cover Page should indicate the name of the show, episode title, and the writer’s name.

The Title Page should contain show name, episode title, writer’s name and contact information.

Begin most 1/2 hour scripts by writing the name of the show, centered and capped, 6 lines from the top of the page. Double space down from the name and center the episode title in quotation marks. 6 lines below that, center ACT ONE, then A below that, also centered. 8 lines below that, write FADE IN: @ the 1.4 inch mark from the margin. A list of which characters are needed appears at the beginning of each new scene. Every page should contain page numbers as well as the scene letters.

You can end each scene with a CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, FADE TO:, etc., however this is seen less frequently today.

The second scene begins on a new page. 21 lines down, write B, centered. 6 lines below that, write the opening slug line. All the scenes are “numbered” with letters. The script is divided into acts and each new act begins on a new page.

Dialogue is double-spaced for legibility and stage direction is all in CAPS in order to distinguish them easily from the dialogue. There should be lots of white space for jotting down notes. Dialogue may also contain “personal direction” for the actors within it, rather than outside it; just like a stage play.

As for time breakdown, the following applies:
Teaser: 1-2 pages
Act One: 17-20 pages
Act Two: 17-20 pages
Tag: 1-3 pages
Total: 40-48 pages in length

Typical format for single camera sitcoms:

1. Formatted like screenplays and similar to the one hour drama.
2. May or may not have formal act breaks written on the page (this depends on whether or not the show has commercial breaks. “Curb Your Enthusiasm,: and “Sex and the City” are on HBO, therefore they have no commercial breaks and read straight through. “The Simpson’s,” however, has three defined acts.
3. Dialogue and stage direction are single-spaced.
4. The characters are described in ALL CAPS the first time they are introduced.
5. Scripts are generally 28-32 pages in length.

Structure

The plots for these tend to be broad and simple. The show may have a major plot line (A story) and a minor plot line (B story), but may not have a runner. Each act tends to be between 3-5 scenes. The locations are fairly basic, though outside shots are more common than they used to be. The focus isn’t on action, but on the wittiness of the repartee between the characters.

One page of sitcom script translates into about 30 seconds of screen time. In that time, there should be 3 to 5 solid jokes. These are jokes that are derived from the situations that the characters find themselves in. You have to know how to bring out the comedic nature of any situation.

Taped sitcoms, such as Two and a Half Men, use a specific format. It’s videotaped in front of a live audience, will have a laugh track, and locations are limited.

In the half hour format, a scene break occurs when there is a major change in the location, time, and sometimes, actions. Ending one scene with a cut and beginning the next one on the following page indicates this. Scenes are designated with the alphabet, beginning with the letter A.

A Few Extra Words of Advice:

1. Be sure to capture the tone and character voices of the show you want to write for.
2. Executives want to read shows they know and they’ll want to see if you know it, too.
3. Don’t write a pilot. You have to be firmly established to pull this off. IF you do want to write a pilot, however, write a second episode and submit that. 99.9% of newer writers spend the first episode setting up the characters and the setting, which leaves little room for conflict, interest, or comedy.
4. Your spec script is your calling card, so make it great. There should be no punctuation or proofreading errors. A dropped comma or a missing question mark can change a meaning or indicate a lack of concern for the little things. Make it clean and professional.
5. Read as many scripts as you can. Do your research.
6. Remember – 12 point, Courier Font is an ABSOLUTE RULE for ALL scripts whether feature or television.
7. Have a theme. Be sure what your story’s about and be clear on exactly what you want to say.
8. Listen to people talk. No one speaks in the same way. Listen to their choice of words; the rhythm of their speech; the cadences and pauses are all unique.
9. Make your characters listen to each other and respond in kind. You never want them talking at each other. They must react to what is being said. Invest emotions and reactions in them; it will say a lot about who they are and make them more multidimensional.
10. If you must use parentheticals (particularly in dramas), use them sparingly and only use them to enhance the dialogue. Sometimes body language does speak louder than the actual words. Use them to imply things the actor may use in performance. It can also serve to change the meaning of the dialogue entirely by saying one thing and doing something else.
11. Flesh out your characters beyond what the story actually needs. Look to the people you know, your own background, etc., for the little things that will make them jump off the page.
12. When writing narrative pieces, avoid inserting explanations or clarifications of things that aren’t revealed in dialogue or action. If it hasn’t been given before, there’s no point to it and the forward motion of the story stops. Keep it short and sweet; this allows the action to continue on uninterrupted.
13. Never pad your script with dialogue and scenes that are added only to fill up space. If nothing is happening in the scene, cut it out.

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Keep Laughing, A Way Back to Comedy!

A few years ago I wrote a comedic “chick-lit” novel that people seemed to love. I got great reviews and even a publishing deal with a major New York publisher-then came a law suit and the laughter stopped for a bit. *another story for another day* After a couple years, I regrouped and changed my name to a pen name, and wrote another novel, also with a comedic tone. A year later, I published my second, (second with the new name, 3rd over all) comedic-chick-lit-romantic-situation-comedy.

I also write comedic shorts in The Trouble With Katie Rogers which is a graphic novel, (Published by APE June 2009), and a blog that was created by British artist, Des Taylor.

I got a few comedies published in chick-lit magazines and so it seemed I was on a certain path.

Well after a producer from a film I loved-a serious one, by the way,got me involved with some folks at WB and ABC, I wrote an episode for a serious show-Traveler-I loved spy books growing up and still love them today. It was outside my writing experience, but I tried it. The show got canceled and I was back to my novels and shorts.

That summer the ABC Fellowship was brought to my attention by another friend who knew I had interest in writing for TV. I had no idea what to write since I didn’t watch any of the newer sitcoms and the dramas on were just “eh” to me, so I chose my favorite show at the time, which was Grey’s Anatomy.

My thoughts were this: It is a romance between Derek and Meredith and lighter for a hospital show-you know, nothing like ER, so it is the closest to what I write and I LOVE it. My episode was so gut wrenchingly sad that I was sobbing while writing, but I did enjoy it. I know, us writers are a weird bunch.

All of a sudden I was writing dramas. I put my latest situational romantic comedy novel aside and plunged feet first into the world of drama. I got no where fast. I made a lot of contacts and got tons of positive feedback, but have been feeling like a hamster on a wheel for the past three years.

I must be doing something wrong.

I took a TV writing class and was pushed into police procedurals-the furtherest show I would ever think of writing. The instructor’s logic-you’ve written everything on ABC (and I had written a lot of spec shows for them and am ever so grateful for the learning experience and feedback) so now try a police drama. Okay, so I wrote a Closer, he loved it. I wrote a Saving Grace, he liked it, my next teacher loved it. I started submitting it around town. I got pretty far, but not far enough. At the same time, I was shopping around my own spec pilot, The First Year, about a 30 something professional single woman in San Francisco who gets positive results on an HIV test-DRAMA.

All of a sudden I lost comedy completely, but oddly enough, everyone I know in real life-animation-where I hold my day job as an artist-kept assuming I was writing comedies. I heard it so many times but it wasn’t sinking in as a big red flag like it should have been. “You’re so funny!” has become something I hear so often, that it almost doesn’t register.

Last fall I started writing a new pilot-and everyone who I told the tag line and title to laughed and then I would say, “no it’s a drama”. . .silence. . .

My point in this long winded-I am a writer-can’t help it-is that, I am coming back to comedy, because as much as I love drama, watching them etc, but I think I need to change something.

I recently went to a novel writing workshop and the guy running it, Bob Mayer, said “if everyone is telling you the same thing, you should probably listen”. Well EVERYONE and their dogs have been telling me to write comedies.

I also had a long conversation with a friend from ABC and we were talking about the fellowship and I was all worried about changing “who” I am in their minds and just from talking to her, I discovered that I have been putting my efforts into something that doesn’t come naturally. What led me to this was when I told her “yes I did stand up in New York” and then the reason for that was because I needed the money and it was easy, she said, “there is your answer”. I also went to Groundlings, and took a couple sitcom writing classes over the years.

She also said that in the world of TV drama, everyone does a “good enough” job with their specs and that to get noticed, you have to write something better than anything that has been out there already and with comedy, there are so many bad scripts that aren’t funny, that you just need to be really funny and you will at least get read. Hrm? I never thought of it that way, BUT so many people have pitched me their ideas, either original or spec shows, and I am there thinking, “this is so not funny, how can they think this is funny?” I know comedy is so subjective. I mean with drama, it is there. Someone get’s killed-drama, someone is spying on someone-drama, it is drama even if you don’t like it. Comedy is also subjective, but some things just aren’t funny.

I don’t reget the last 3 years, because I have learned so much it is unbelievable and I know in acting, the best comedians, or comic actors are the ones who studied drama for many years first. Comedy is hard, it is very hard. A million things have to line up for your comedy to work, but when it is done well, it is a beautiful thing.

And hey, I would rather be laughing at the end of the day than crying, so here I go!!

I signed up for Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive as well-so I am committed, at least for now!

My Thoughts On LOST!

LOST! My Thoughts On The Finale!

Wow! Everyone and their dog are talking about LOST today. People are even arguing the ending-just like Lord of The Rings and or Harry Potter. At the end of the day does it really matter if they were in a sideways world or purgatory? The point was that they couldn’t move on until they worked through their own bullshit, some took longer than others.

If you go back to season one when Damon, er I mean Boon gets killed, it makes sense because he was the most mentally adjusted character thus far. Locke needed to walk, he needed to go on that walk-about, so his after life, sideways life, or purgatory would definitely be being the strongest person on the island. He needed that to move on.

Now Jack-got an issue? Here’s a tissue! Jack had more issues than most shrinks see in their lifetime, but the biggest issue he had was his relationship with his father. He had to work on that in order to move on. If you look at the relationship he had with his father and you look at the relationship he had with Lock, there it is, perfectly mirrored. Locke never approved of what Jack was doing and it made Jack feel helpless and not in control, even though he knew he could have been. Locke caused a riff between Jack and the other passengers. His relationship with Kate was his working through his wife and her death. He couldn’t connect completely with anyone. He was his own worst enemy when it came to having intimacy.

That is just how I see it, you may see it differently and that is fine! We all went on the same ride and have different experiences depending on our own lives!

I have read this and that about the finale, the episodes leading up to it, and what the writers intended, but to me they were stuck sort of in the middle and what happened on the island did happen to them, but they all had different experiences. I just want to know what Richard did that got him stuck for so long!

It is a bit like Alice In Wonderland-it didn’t happen, but it did, so we believe it and got sucked in. The Wizard of Oz was Dorothy working through her childish issues of wanting to run away, but when that ended, the world wasn’t complaining. We still watch that film over and over, even though we know it wasn’t real.

Now when I die if I end up in purgatory I will happily work though my issues with both Jack and Sawyer in love with me! Not sure why Kate got so lucky, she seemed like someone with a lot of problems, but hey that was her afterlife, inner life, sideways, purgatory or whatever and I believe she chose Jack at the end, yay!

I thought it was a little bit of a let down, but I still enjoyed the ride for the last 6 years, why not? Everyone wonders what happens when you die, this is as good of a solution as any, especially a violent death like your plane ripping in half over the pacific ocean.

So I guess whatever you think happened: they all died in the crash, they were in purgatory, they were in a sideways world, etc. The question is: did you enjoy the ride?

I did!

Shonda Rhimes on “Sanctuary” and “Death and All His Friends”…

Because the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy was brilliant and there hasn’t been one like this since season two-you remember, Denny, Izzy in the pink dress, Meredith’s panties and Finn the vet looking sad as she stands between him and McDreamy?
Tonight’s was AMAZING. Well done Shonda!!!

This blog is from

http://www.greyswriters.com/

Shonda Rhimes on “Sanctuary” and “Death and All His Friends”…

Original Airdate: 5-20-10

When I was a kid and I did something crazy, like climb on the roof or eat detergent to see how it tasted, my mom would say — in that weary, exasperated, “I’d rather be on the beach” tone that all moms have – she would say, “Shonda, what do you have to say for yourself? WHAT?”

I tell you this because I am quite sure that if you saw the finale and you are reading this blog and you…I don’t know, like babies or Mer/Der or happiness or dancing it out…if you like those things, you are shouting, “Shonda, what do you have to say for yourself? WHAT?”

(I’d like to point out that the dark and twisty among you might not be shouting at all. You might be saying, “I get you, Sister! Solidarity!” Or maybe I’m just desperately hoping that is true.)

My point is, if you are asking what I have to say for myself, my answer is this:

I don’t know what to say for myself.

Honestly, I don’t. So I’m going to ramble for a while and see if I come up with something.

Ready? Here we go:

When I pitched this finale at the beginning of Season 6 (those of you who know me know that I pitch the end of the season first and we work towards it), when I pitched a gunman shooting up the hospital, it seemed fine.

Really it did.

And then 20 or so episodes later, I started to write it and it did not seem fine. It did not seem fine at all. On an almost daily basis, I would come into work and throw myself down on the sofa in the middle of the office and burst into tears like a…well, like a bitch baby. And I would tell the other Grey’s writers, “I don’t think I can do this. It’s too horrible. People are getting hurt. That man is shooting them.” Buckets of bitch baby tears. And Tony and Hammer and Pete and everyone on the writing staff would murmur encouraging things. My assistant Miguel would say, “You can do it! It’s going to be great!” in that cheerful Miguel way. And so I would suck up the bitch baby tears and keep writing.

But here’s the thing. It hurt to write this finale. It literally hurt me. Because in order to write these episodes, I had to walk in the shoes of Gary Clark. I had to think like a shooter. A person who would shoot Reed and Alex and Charles. A person who would shoot Derek. By the time I finished writing part one, I was sick. And depressed. Because my McDreamy – and I think you all will forgive me for believing he is more mine than anyone else’s because c’mon, I wrote my dream guy saying my dream things which is the reason I am single and the reason he is mine – my McDreamy was lying on my beloved catwalk dying. Mer is screaming and he is dying. And, before you have me shot up with Thorazine and placed in a strait jacket, yes, I DO I know it’s a only TV show, I’m not insane, but dude…it felt too real. It felt WAY too real.

And here’s the thing you need to know: in my first draft of Part 1, Gary Clark shot Bailey. Bailey. He shot her. And I wrote it and then I couldn’t sleep, for days and days, I could not sleep and I had to remove it from the script. Bailey getting shot was just too much for me. She’s our anchor. She’s the soul. Mer is the heart but Bailey is the soul and so I had to delete it. Because there was no way I could go on if Bailey had a bullet wound. The world would just be too…broken. Derek was devastating enough but both Derek and Bailey…it meant I couldn’t go on.

And then I got to Part 2. I had shattered a world and now I needed to put it back together. Okay…wait:

Here is where many of you are yelling at me, where those of you who weren’t yelling maybe decide to START yelling. Right here. Right now. You want to know why I didn’t do a happy season finale. Why happy things were not happening to happy people in the happy finale. Why I would do what I did to Meredith. You are hollering, “I hate you and your stupid dark and twisty mind, Shonda Rhimes!”

(Except for y’all who roll with the dark and twisties. You don’t hate, you relate, right? Y’all are out there, still with me, right? Still got your dancing shoes and tequila bottles raised high in the air in solidarity, right? Crap. Not even you guys?)

I promise you, there was a reason for this.

Meredith is whole and healed. I love the scene where she tells April that it took her forever to find Derek and then it took her forever to realize she wanted to be his wife, have his kids. That’s a changed woman. The very fact that being pregnant makes her happy makes her a changed woman. And then she lost the baby. It took my breath away. That wince that Meredith gives before she says she is having a miscarriage, it took away my breath. Reed dies and Charles dies and it’s sad. But the miscarriage, that’s devastating. For Mer. For the audience. For everyone. But you don’t know how much you wanted something until you have lost it. You don’t know your true feelings until a thing you have is gone for good. And that’s what I wanted for Mer. I wanted her to realize just HOW BADLY she wanted a baby. Because Mer is me in a lot of ways. And I always thought I did not want a baby. Until I did. And then suddenly a baby was everything. I wanted her to be sure. Absolutely sure. See, she is a character who spends her life trying not to repeat the mistakes of her mother. She is trying to overcome. And so I needed her to be sure. I’ve said that Mer will never have kids but then I started to think of that as a challenge. How do I make Mer TRULY WANT to have kids? And so I told this story. It’s horrible and it’s sad.

It is also what I refer to as the bill. You eat a delicious meal at a delicious restaurant, you get a bill. You buy the expensive bag online, the bill comes due. You want in, you gotta pay. Same with life (or at least life as it plays out in my head). The scales have to be balanced. It’s the hideous game of fate our characters always play. She gets to keep her Derek but the very thing that makes it okay to keep him, that hideous stressful moment where she believes he’s dead? That’s the very thing that makes her lose the baby. The bill was due. And the collection agents came calling. I hate it but it’s the only way I know to do it – let the universe hand Mer a shiny pony and then kick Mer in the face. You don’t get to have everything. There’s always a price.

Cristina. This finale, especially the second half, belongs to Cristina. Owen chooses her, did you see that? Owen, faced with life or death, knows what he wants and what he wants is some Cristina Yang. But more importantly, Cristina truly comes into her own as a heart surgeon. She’s had numerous teachers, all kinds of setbacks but she finally had the right teacher, she had Teddy, and when she says to herself “pig or cow, Cristina” as she stands over Derek’s chest cavity…that was her graduation. When she refuses to stop operating with a gun literally pressed to her head, that was her commencement. Another part of her graduation? The girl who always had a hard time giving of herself emotionally gives like crazy in this episode. She is willing to die to save Derek because she loves Meredith so much and she promised Mer that she would do her very best work. Cristina Yang graduated tonight. Toss your caps in her honor.

Poor sweet Alex. He didn’t have much to say tonight. Because he got shot almost immediately. Which was a difficult choice for me to make. Because I love Alex and he’s so important to the show. You wanna see him TALKING. But he has that incredible moment. Where he’s asking for Izzie. And Lexie’s already said she loves him but it’s so clear that the only person he loves is Isobel Stevens and she’s nowhere to be found. And poor Mark has to watch all of this happening. Now, I will tell you guys this: I’m not so sure that Lexie really loves Alex. I think her realization that Gary Clark is the shooter has her feeling guilty, like Alex getting shot might be her fault. I think up until tonight she’s been walking like a duck. After all, Mer did tell her that her heart lives in her vagina. And her relationship with Alex is all about sex. I think she loves Mark Sloan but I think this Gary Clark thing has confused her. So there is hope. For Lexie and Mark, there is hope. It just may take a while.

Callie and Arizona. Are together! Yay! I don’t like them apart. They are so great as a couple, so funny and sweet and emotional, that keeping them apart was not even an option right now. This baby thing, it is hard. It is an impossible situation. But in the end, they were each willing to give a little. And that means they can make it work. No matter what they end up actually deciding on the baby front. When they kiss at the end, that’s the one bright spot we have to hold on to. They love each other. Nothing else matters.

This was one of my favorite, most painful Bailey stories. For a doctor to have to sit by and wait and watch as someone dies, to not be able to do anything, that is the greatest tragedy. When she pulls Charles onto her lap and tells him he is dying but he won’t die alone…well, there are no words. Because all through the finale, she was doing everything she could until there was nothing more to do. Except sit. And wait.

The Mercy Westers really came into their own tonight. Reed died and Charles died and that was awful but April and Jackson joined the tribe tonight. Mer pulled April in when she takes her hand. April lost her best friend and Mer understands that because she has a best friend of her own. And Jackson…he was Cindy Lou tonight. In the face of everything, it’s his quick thinking that saves the day. Sing, Cindy Lou, sing.

Did you see the Chief take back his hospital tonight? Because that’s what he did. He marched into his hospital and he took it back. He poured out the vodka and took control of his hospital. Except now the hospital’s not a hospital anymore. It’s a crime scene. And that’s not a good thing.

What happens next, in the aftermath of the shooting, is anybody’s guess. Well, not really. Because I know. But I can’t tell you. Until then, I suggest you buy the Season 6 DVD. I had to cut a good 18 minutes out of part 2 of the finale. 18 minutes of incredibly juicy goodness. Callie sings, Lexie gets thrown out of an ambulance, Cristina Yang makes the first cut into Derek’s chest, Bailey gives the Bailey aria of a lifetime. And you can only see it in the super-extended version on the DVD. If I ran the network (and I don’t and, in case he is reading this, let me say that I love my boss Steve McPherson deeply because he is strong and powerful and handsome and very smart) but if I did run the network, I would have put those 18 minutes on TV. But I don’t so the only way to enjoy the juicy 18 minute goodness is on the DVD. Okay?

Now, finally, I want to say this. Michael O’Neil who plays Gary Clark is a kind, sweet, gentle man who abhors violence. This was an emotionally difficult role for him to play. He had to step into the mind of a killer. And he did it with complexity and grace. He made Gary Clark three-dimensional. But we were all clear on one thing: the Gary Clarks of the world are the bad guys. Using a gun and shooting up a place makes you a bad person. I was very concerned that we not glorify the violence in the finale. There’s nothing charming about it. That’s why Reed’s death was done so brutally. I wanted it to not be pretty, not be okay. Because a gun is not the way to solve your problems.

I’ll say it again to make sure you hear me: a gun is not the way to solve your problems.

Have a good summer. We’ll see you in the fall. And thank you. For watching. Even if you are screaming, “What do you have to say for yourself!?” You make this all possible. The gratitude I feel is kinda boundless.

XO,

Shonda

Moving Write Along: Advice from the Experts – Writing a TV Spec

This was posted today in from Write On! Online (An awesome writing group I belong to!)

http://writeononline.com/2010/05/20/moving-write-along-advice-from-the-experts-writing-a-tv-spec/

Moving Write Along: Advice from the Experts –
Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Writing a TV Spec
by Ross Brown

1. KNOW YOUR SHOW INSIDE AND OUT
Step One to writing a great spec is doing your homework. Watch every episode of your series. Rent DVDs, record new episodes and take notes. How many acts is your show? Two? Three? Six? Do they typically have one storyline per episode or three? Your spec must duplicate the conventions of your series—while still bringing fresh storylines and situations to it.

Step Two, go online and find scripts. Note the proper spelling of each character’s name and the names of their sets. Do they call it INT. MORGUE or INT. AUTOPSY LAB? On The Office, do they use the slugline INTERVIEW – MICHAEL or TALKING HEAD – MICHAEL?

2. MAKE YOUR STORY MEMORABLE
Agents, showrunners, and executives read brain-numbing sludge piles of specs—hundreds of 30 Rocks, thousands of CSIs, a trillion specs of The Simpsons and South Park. Your story—especially your logline—must grab their attention and stick firmly in their mind. Don’t write a “typical” premise—write one that would generate water cooler buzz the next day.

3. WRITE A GREAT EPISODE, NOT AN OKAY ONE
If the high point of your spec for The Office is Michael saying “that’s what she said” or the stage direction “Dwight smiles creepily at the camera”, then all you’ve done is imitate the show, not write a spec. Duplicating an average episode is never enough. You have to wow people, make them leap up and say, “This is a GREAT episode of X.”

4. DIG DEEP WITHIN THE CHARACTERS
One of the best ways to make your spec shine is to explore a character in a new or deeper way. You can’t change the character—but you can present them with fresh challenges that reveal unexpected but believable character traits. The Cheers spec that landed me an agent and my first staff job had a woman come into the bar and say Sam was the father of her six-year-old son (a memorable premise, btw). Rather than denying it or paying her off, Sam decides he loves the notion of molding a son in his own image. Unfortunately, the woman only wants money and refuses to let Sam become a regular part of the boy’s life. Though Sam insists he has rights, she says he can’t prove the boy is his (this was pre-DNA testing.) Sam must say a difficult good-bye and let the boy go. A new emotional side of womanizer Sam Malone—but a believable one.

5. YOU CAN’T REMAKE THE SHOW
Being a bold, creative person, you might ask, “Wouldn’t it be great if CSI was totally different one week—say about their personal lives instead of solving a crime?” No, it wouldn’t be great, it would mean instant rejection. A spec must demonstrate you understand the show and can write within its framework.

6. THE SERIES MUST HAVE A FUTURE
Once a series is canceled, all spec scripts for it are officially yesterday’s tuna. Using a canceled series as a writing sample is like putting big bold print on the cover page that reads I HAVEN’T WRITTEN ANYTHING NEW IN A WHILE. Even if you love a show, don’t write a spec for it unless it’s still going strong in the ratings.

7. DON’T SEND IT OUT UNTIL IT’S READY
Writing is lonely. We all want praise—now. But there’s nothing worse than giving someone a script only to realize a day or two later there are typos, jokes that could be improved, and it needs a new subplot. Actually, there is one thing worse: calling the agent who agreed to read your script and saying, “Don’t bother with that one, it’s bad. I’m sending you a new draft.” She will never read it, I promise.

8. AVOID SERIES THAT ARE HEAVILY SERIALIZED
Most shows these days have at least some serialized elements. But trying to jump onto the moving train that is their serialized story is a death leap. The show will inevitably move beyond your story idea before you can finish writing your spec. Within months, your story will seem stale and dated. Find a “stand-alone”, non-serialized premise for your spec.

9. AVOID MAJOR MISTAKES
Making the story about the guest star instead of the regulars. Killing off a series regular. Cliched, overdone premises like the trapped in the office/elevator/mountain cabin episode. Never number your scenes—that’s a production draft, not a writer’s draft, and it makes you look amateurish, not professional. Same goes for putting the show’s logo or artwork on the cover—don’t do it, no matter how cool you think it looks.

10. ONE SPEC IS NEVER ENOUGH
Always have more than one spec to show. Maybe you’ve got a great procedural, but the producer whose life you just saved by pulling him out of a flaming car wreck is doing a family drama. Or you’ve got a killer 30 Rock, but the agent who owes your cousin a favor says she’s tired of that show. You’ve got to be able to say, “No problem, I also have a great Modern Family and a brand new Big Bang Theory. Which one can I send you?”

Ross Brown has written and produced more than 300 episodes of network television and has created series for ABC, CBS and the WB. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University where he teaches TV writing and production.

Not Surprised At This, Melrose Place Canceled!

I am a little surprised that ‘Life Unexpected’ was picked up, because after the first couple of episodes it was a little slow, but I still like it, but didn’t know if it was a hit. I hate the opening titles, so I hope they change those! Seriously!

But Melrose was canceled, which makes me sad for friends working on it, but it does NOT surprise me at all. I couldn’t watch it and I love soaps, it just didn’t work.

“Melrose Place is a really good show!” Lelaina Pierce, Reality Bites.

This was the case for a season way back in the 90s, but somethings can not be repeated.

CW Renews ‘One Tree Hill,’ ‘Life Unexpected’; ‘Melrose Place’ Canceled
by Andrew Scott

One Tree HillIt looks like ‘One Tree Hill’ will live on for another season

According to the Live Feed, the CW gave the longrunning series a surprise renewal order today, while also picking up the low-rated freshman dramedy ‘Life Unexpected.’

This will mark ‘One Tree Hill’s’ eighth season on the air.

Meanwhile, the CW also made room for two newbie series. First up is ‘Nikita,’ starring Maggie Q as a rogue assassin.

Also getting picked up today: ‘Hellcats,’ a new series about a competitive cheerleading squad at a Southern university. Ashley Tisdale of ‘High School Musical’ fame stars alongside singer-actress Aly Michalka.

And now for the bad news: The CW has decided not to renew its ‘Melrose Place’ reboot for a second season, according to Variety. ‘Merlose’ is the network’s only scripted series not returning next season.

Apparently, Heather Locklear can’t save everything.

Seriously? Christine, Seriously!

Seriously? I write a funny, no, hilarious episode of Old Christine and the show gets canceled? I don’t care. My episode is funny, and I can’t think of another show that I could work my storyline into, so I am going with it. I will submit it this year. I know someone who recently got a job with a Seinfeld episode. Yes RECENTLY, Seinfeld! So I believe that my spec will show who I am as a writer and highlight my strengths.

The thing is, I am not one of those TV writers – you know who you are – that writes a spec script and gets attached to it so much that I can’t move on. TV writing is a fast fast fast business. NEXT! I have this one and my Big Bang Theory-which I also think is pretty funny, so I am armed and ready for the next round of fellowships and such.

I have also heard rumors that ABC might pick up Christine and I really hope so, because the show is really funny, and it is a shame that it was canceled.

*if any of you want to read my specs, please feel free to email me and I would love the feedback*

Two Birds, One Stone

Yesterday I attended the Bob Mayer Warrior Writer workshop and during my breaks I wrote out my New Adventures of Old Christine!

I know that some writers are very keen on sticking to s schedule in order to write. You know, write 2000 words before checking their email etc, but for me, I tend to write when I can and I knew that yesterday if I didn’t take full advantage of the breaks I wouldn’t have written anything and I need to finish this script this week.

I am determined to do so, and it will be done.

I believe that everyone has a different schedule and while some have the ability and flexible hours to make a plan, some of us, do not. That doesn’t mean that I am less committed, it just means that it is more of a challenge.

My day job is art. I’m an artist. I am a professional, commercial artist who works for money in traditional animation. The hours are grueling, long, hard and there is no planning for when or how long I will work. When I worked full time at Disney, it was easy to do something else on the side, because I knew that from 10-midnight I would be free, or whatever the exact hours were. Working freelance is a whole different kettle of fish, as they say, because you have to work around the studio’s schedule and impossible deadlines.

So the way I do it is this:

I write in at least two of my 5 blogs every morning before checking my email. Then I make a plan for writing for that day. I am working on so many different writing projects that I can’t actually say the novel every day or what not.

This week, the goal is, finish the New Adventures of Old Christine and outline my new novel (* you can read about that on Micheline’s blog if you like*)

I also have to finish a huge animation scene for the film I am on and possible do some freelance for a Disney project-not sure, so my time is limited. Each day I will try to kill two birds with one stone. I will work on animation and I will also write during breaks.

As well, every day this week, I am going to add an agency or studio to a list that at the end of the week, I will query.

I am in charge of my career and I need to do it the best way I can and if that means writing an episode of a show during a workshop while the others network and grab coffee, so be it.

Vulture’s TV Upfronts Preview: The New Shows, the Big Moves, the Hail Marys

FROM NEW YORK MAGAZINE!

Vulture’s TV Upfronts Preview: The New Shows, the Big Moves, the Hail Marys

Next week, New York welcomes the upfronts, the annual event at which TV networks hold glitzy presentations to announce their new fall lineups to the ad community, hoping to inspire them to spend, spend, spend. As opposed to last year, when the networks — shell-shocked from the plummeting recessionary ad market — announced their shows and then ran for cover, 2010 finds them feeling more confident amid expectations of a big rise in ad revenue. The spectacle and parties are back, and this year Vulture will be exhaustively covering the whole thing. We’ll be bringing you the network announcements as they happen, tweeting directly from the presentations (follow us at Vultureblog), giving you analysis of every network’s picks and strategy, and digging up behind-the-scenes scoops on the machinations, deals, and overhauling that went into this year’s new (and rejected) crop of shows. Before all the pomp, circumstance, and shameless promotion begins on Monday, it’s a good time for a pregame analysis of the nets’ likely moves this year.

FOX
Look for Fox to rip a page from last year’s successful playbook: add as little new programming as possible in the fall, keep as many shows in existing time slots as it can — and pray for a really great World Series matchup (think Yankees versus Phillies).

That’s not to say the network won’t take some chances next season: A big comedy push has been in the works for months. Its biggest gun in the war of funny: Running Wilde, a mini–Arrested Development reunion featuring Will Arnett in front of the camera and the AD brain trust of Mitch Hurwitz and Jim Vallely behind it. Arnett plays a rich Beverly Hills dumbass who falls for a do-gooder (Felicity’s Keri Russell), and comedy geeks are already slobbering.

Also on the comedy front, Fox has already slated My Name Is Earl creator Greg Garcia’s Keep Hope Alive (no, Jesse Jackson isn’t in it; it’s about a single dad raising an infant while the one-night-stand mother’s on death row), and is strongly considering the Friends-like Traffic Light. Don’t be shocked if Fox apes ABC and launches all its new comedies together, though a safer play would be to pair two newbies with Glee. Also, don’t forget that Fox is the network most committed to year-round programming — expect lots of talk about saving shows for spring and even summer.

As for dramas, while Shawn Ryan will formally unveil his not–The Shield cop show RideAlong, the show that could have people buzzing is (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb’s Lone Star. It’s a big, almost cable-like soap about a Texas con man juggling two wives: Big Love meets Dallas, with a dash of John Edwards timeliness. People who’ve seen the pilot are already comparing newcomer Jimmy Wolk to a young George Clooney.

The one storm cloud hanging over the Fox upfront will be Simon Cowell’s departure from American Idol and questions about his replacement (and whether Paula Abdul will join him on The X Factor in fall 2011). Fox has said it won’t talk much about either issue next week.

NBC

Leaving aside Dick Wolf’s sad attempt to play spoiler, the Peacock has been shockingly on message in the days leading up to its upfront. The mantra: We’re going to spend what it takes to win, our pilots are great, and we’re willing to take some big chances. Oh, and that whole Ben Silverman thing? Never happened.

What nobody at NBC is saying is that this will be the current regime’s one and only chance to prove themselves before the Kabletown Comcast dudes take over, most likely by year’s end. So, yes, of course it’s NBC’s best development season ever; Jeff Gaspin and his team have no choice but to be upbeat.

Still, NBC really does feel like it’s got its act at least somewhat together this year with the shows it’s already okayed. The script for anthology Love Bites, from Sex and the City’s Cindy Chupack, is actually funny (don’t be shocked if the show ends up Thursdays at 10). We love that NBC is doing a 24-style conspiracy thriller with The Event. And J.J. Abrams updating Hart to Hart with two hot African-American leads in Undercovers? We’re there (at least for the first episode). Also reportedly picked up: Garza, with TV perennial Jimmy Smits as a Supreme Court justice, and Kathy Bates’s Kindred, a legal drama from that other TV mainstay, David E. Kelley. (Look for both shows to be revamped before hitting the air.)

Scheduling-wise, if Love Bites doesn’t end up on Thursdays, we’ve heard NBC has discussed the idea of airing new half-hours such as Outsourced(about an American running a call center in India) in the 10 p.m. time slot. But it’s more likely that NBC will try to roll out its new comedies either on another night (maybe Mondays?), or have them share time slots with existing Thursday half-hours.

Biggest burning question: How many lame, self-deprecating jokes will NBC execs and stars attempt to make about L’Affaire Coco or the failed Leno-at-10 experiment? We’re still not ready to laugh about that.

ABC

The Always Ballsy Competitor was mocked for announcing an all-new comedy night last May, then got the last laugh when Modern Family turned into a breakout hit (and Cougar Town and The Middle fared decently). It seems likely the network will continue to push hard for laughs next season (it has already announced pickups of three comedies), while praying it can get some much-needed traction on the drama front.

On the comedy side, look for ABC to bolster its Wednesday Modern Family block with one, maybe two new shows. It also wouldn’t be a shocker to see the network expanding comedy to another night (Tuesday or Thursdays are most likely). Matthew Perry’s Mr. Sunshine (where he plays a sports-arena owner) seems like the kind of broad show that could open a night — perhaps his old 8 p.m. Thursday slot? Also on the schedule: Happy Endings, with Elisha Cuthbert as a bride who ditches her groom at the altar, and Better Together, with Privileged’s Joanna Garcia as one of two sisters in different stages of their romantic relationships.

Dramas are where ABC really needs help (Two words: Happy Town. Two words mashed together: FlashForward. Two final words: both canceled). But there’s promise: The Desperate Housewives network may redefine the family drama yet again with No Ordinary Family, about a clan of superhero freaks. We’re also keen to see whether Generation Y — a documentary-style dramedy based on a Scandanavian format — can be the new thirtysomething. Also on for next year: The cop show Detroit 187, with Michael Imperioli, and the Jerry Bruckheimer legal procedural The Whole Truth.

CBS

It’s always sunny in Moonves territory, thanks to a never-ending supply of fast-reproducing crime dramas (NCIS Cool J) and big reality shows like this winter’s surprise hit Undercover Boss. But don’t let its strength and stability fool you: There are plenty of places where the Eye could do better.

CBS’s biggest headache right now is Thursdays, where Survivor and CSI have ruled audience tallies for years. But while the Tribe is still strong at 8, CSI is down more than 20 percent this season, stunting the growth of lead-out The Mentalist. Some figure CBS will just swap CSI and Mentalist, but we’re betting on something bigger — perhaps shifting white-hot Monday comedy The Big Bang Theory to Thursdays. It would be a big upgrade on a night movie advertisers pay a premium to be part of.

CBS also has some issues with several 10 p.m. slots on its lineup. Friday’s Numbers was all-but-canceled weeks ago, while Cold Case seems unlikely to return on Sundays. Both CSI: Miami and CSI: N.Y. are no longer setting the world on fire, and while they’ll be back, don’t be shocked if one or more ends up in a new time slot. All of the network’s development-season buzz has centered around a new Hawaii Five O. Hopefully it turned out better than NBC’s Rockford revamp.

Other than the Chuck Lorre sitcom Mike & Molly, however, CBS hasn’t announced any new shows yet: Eye execs value secrecy more than the mafia. But there’s been decent buzz surrounding an untitled John Wells medical drama (“from the producer of ER!”) and a Brett Ratner action caper called Chaos. Suddenly scary skinny Forest Whitaker also stars in a Criminal Minds spinoff nobody really wants to see (do you?), and Vulture is also rooting for Livin’ on a Prayer, which, despite its chilling Bon Jovi overtones, is actually a new comedy from How I Met Your Mother creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. There’s also the (allegedly) All in the Family–esque William Shatner half-hour based on the overhyped Twitter stream Shitmydadsays.

And while nobody knows if Charlie Sheen and Two and a Half Men producer Warner Bros. will come to terms on a new deal, CBS execs seem quite Zen about the whole matter and are proceeding as if everything will be done by Wednesday’s announcement. Perhaps they just figure that Charlie wouldn’t dare miss the chance to attend the Eye’s swanky upfront bash.

THE CW

The tiniest network continues to contend with tiny ratings (the good (?) news: Everyone’s ratings are dipping!), which they counter by pointing to their young demos. Last year they scored a hit with Vampire Diaries, but struck out with Melrose Place 2.0; makes you think they wouldn’t dare try another reboot. Or would they? The network’s pickups probably won’t come until early next week, but there’s been strong buzz around a new take on La Femme Nikita.

We’re also hoping CW says yes to Ridley Scott’s Nomads. It’s about broke kids who end up working secret missions for the CIA. We’ve all been there. But the big question mark is whether newcomer Life Unexpected gets a second shot to find an audience. It all depends on how much CW execs love their development (and the early word is: a lot).

TBS/TNT

Wait a minute, they’re not big broadcast nets! True, but for the second consecutive year, the Turner-owned channels are holding their pitch to ad buyers at the same time as the Big Five. It’s clearly a move to show their increasing size and power — the biggest blow against television segregation since the abolition of the ACE Awards! — and this year they have Exhibit A in the case that they’re worthy of hanging with the big boys: Conan O’Brien is scheduled to take a break from his tour in order to come tout his new TBS show.
By: Josef Adalian

Sheldon or Christine! They are both FUNNY!

OMG! So I have been working on my spec of The Big Bang Theory and I love it, I think it is really funny-yes I will share with more of you soon-thanks for help and advice, and I am almost done with it, meaning, it is almost ready and then last week I had this brilliant idea for a New Adventures of Old Christine and to be honest, I think it may even be funnier than my BBT.

I LOVE IT~

It is funny and it cracks me up just thinking about it. I really think it will do well…

Not sure which one to send around this year! I may be calling on some friends to help me decide.

I am so happy writing comedies-I love dramas, but it is better to laugh at the end of the day, then cry!

And yes, I still love my soaps and would do ANYTHING to work on General Hospital (first choice, or OLTL, or any of them really) but I have to try everything and mostly I JUST LOVE TO WRITE!!