Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

by Pamela Douglas

This revised and updated edition is a complete resource for anyone who wants to write and produce for television drama series or create an original series, as well as for teachers in screenwriting classes and workshops. It leads the reader step-by-step through every stage of the development and writing process, offering practical industry information and artistic inspiration. The Fourth Edition leads readers into the future and engages provocative issues about the interface between traditional TV and emerging technologies. It’s also the single most comprehensive source on what is happening in original television drama around the world, with surveys of 15 countries.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Film, How To, Tv, Crafts

310 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Marina Latysheva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Третье издание читаю на русском (Альпина нон-фикшн, М, 2017). Хорошая же книга! Но всякий раз поражаюсь этому желанию проиллюстрировать абы как, вопреки здравому смыслу, лишь бы было. Кадры из сериалов по три на странице, черно-белые, ясное дело, качество изображения такое, что даже определение "плохое" тут слишком мягкое. Теряется как художественный, так и информационный смыл. Ну зачем!

[Scout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource, seems like a pretty good overview of the landscape of TV writing.

Weirdly I did notice a handful of minor mistakes about show names & locations, character names, etc. Wonder what was going on there.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book was about screen writing or writing for television and some of it was useful. Some of it I've read before in other books. The second half is about breaking into the industry and what happens in the writer’s room which is really interesting. I've experienced that are at least partially when I took my screen writing course last summer. So getting a feel around a writers room is useful and not being afraid to be the person who runs and gets the coffee until they ask you a question is also very useful information the latter half to 3rd is about TV around the world and other markets that are out there. It's interesting but if you're looking to learn how to write for television or how to write a proper script or how the format should go there are some other script books that are actually a little bit better for your money. I would say when you're ready to make a run for Hollywood then I would pick this book up, but I wouldn't pick it up at first I would use some of those other more how to format your script because if your scripts not formatted correctly and you don't have a great story they're not going to read it.

[Valorie Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone interested in writing drama for television. Unlike other books (Goldman’s on film, for instance), Douglas’ book contains both her own experiences AND advice from other people working in the tv industry as well. Particularly valuable as the longitudinal interviews she does with some of her former USC film students (she’s a professor) from when they graduate to 10+ years later. Each student has different but similar paths, and their candid updates reveal a lot about what it takes to work in the industry.

This book acknowledges and works within the evolving structure of television, makes a few informed “predictions” about where tv is heading, and gives encouragement to anyone starting out.

[Valerie Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff. A good overview for anyone interested in writing for television. Advice on story creation, script writing, and breaking into the biz, as well as interviews with industry professionals. I would have liked deeper insight into the script writing/development aspect but that might be found in another book. This was a well rounded look at all aspects of the industry.

[Joel Cutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid book if you are looking to adapt your screenwriting skills specifically to the serialized TV format, especially in the drama genre. A helpful tool in getting me from shorts and features to effective episodic dramas. After reading it my drama screenplays began to have a noticeably warmer reception.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the third edition which was published in 2011. I didn't read this to try to become a TV writer. Though while reading it, I definitely felt like I could. A chunk of this was written in the 2005 edition a time where she describes as the golden era of television especially with shows like The West Wing, The Sopranos, Smallville, etc. But what surprised me the most was that, getting a career in TV writing -- the industry -- was somehow inevitable. In an interesting case study, Douglas interviews several of her MFA screenwriting students six months after graduating, then three years, then seven, and finally fourteen years. She tracked the progress they made with the industry: how they waited and wrote for years before they squabbled in a room as a newbie staff writer; how they navigated their personal life with the show; how they reckoned with protecting their voice while adapting to the meshed voice of their show. Some rose through the ranks as story editors and producers; some became showrunners themselves. But amid all of this wonderful stuff, Douglas kept thought about their careers as seeds in a garden. As they graduated from USC, it was as if she threw seeds in a garden. You never knew how much fruit you'd get in return. You knew that some would grow. Some wouldn't, but generally you could count on harvesting some fruit regardless. Somehow. Can you believe that? Throughout the book she kept claiming that, if you're patient and hardworking -- writing endless spec scripts-- that your success in the industry will come. Even owed...

I don't even intend to be a writer like that. I read this book as part of my research for a short story that I'm writing about TV. Much of this needs to be updated for the onslaught and restructuring of streaming shows which have DRASTICALLY reduced the number of staffing jobs in writers room through out the years. Good for a general knowledge of how TV industry is -- used to be.

[Rouzanna Sarkissian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV" just because I wanted to understand the process of creating TV shows, how the story (now I know it's called the "long narrative") and episodes are structured, not because I wanted to start a career as a staff writer. It may be a moderately useful book for those who want to write for television. Moderately, because at times it certainly felt like the author chose to keep the book rather superficial and not to disclose the really really useful pieces of advice. So "Writing the TV Drama Series..." is oddly for those who already know how to write and just need to find their way into the industry. It's more about how to navigate the ever changing landscape of TV show production infrastructure and get hired rather than how to write. Still, a good and practical way to get prepared for what lies ahead. For writing tips, I would look somewhere else.

[Adam Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Now you've learned what's special asbout hour drama series, and how TV development works, and what it takes to work on staff, how a script is crafted, and how to approach writing your own episode, and you've even heard how to break in, and what the future may hold—all that adds up to just one moment: when you sit down and start to write."

I found this volume a little too self-congratulatory and self-promotional at times, oddly so given I was already holding the book in my hands. If it was a little too given over to telling me how useful it was, then there were certainly some craft elements and interviews that I found insightful.

[OGEE Substack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different type of book than the StC! TV book, which is more about writing actual teleplays. This book is about the contours of the TV writing trade and how to get into and succeed in it, regardless of your starting point. I suspect it would be helpful even to seasoned professionals who are looking to get into different parts of the TV writing market (seasonal, international, etc.). In any case, I'd say it's a pretty indispensable source for anyone interested in TV writing.

[Alex Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una gran manera de comprender las diferencias entre la escritura de un guión de televisión y uno cinematográfico.
Me gustó mucho como Pamela Douglas escribió desde su experiencia, lo sentí como si estuviera en una de sus clases.
Las entrevistas fueron con los otros guionistas fueron increíbles también.

[Matheus Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cada insight é importante, o esclarecimento de algumas visões e o demonstrativo de áreas escuras mas reais do ramo são perfeitos para por na realidade o sonho e deixar palpável o quão difícil é, mas os caminhos possíveis de se conseguir. Ótima recomendação para todos que desejam entender mais sobre series

[Olga Vainshtok · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author is moron. She writes about tv-drama, many times mentions House MD and even doesn’t know where it takes place. She thinks that in Chicago. I don’t know if she is good scenarist but i am sure that if she doesn’t know the stuff she can’t give anybody any advice.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a Best of the Best for the month of April, 2019, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1.... Search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations

[Monqeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

استفدت من أول خمسين صفحة، ثم تصفحت البقية سريعا. الكتاب بدايته جيدة ثم تناثرت الفوائد وضاعت بين الحشو والمقابلات الشخصية.
الكتاب أكثره في إدارة المسلسل وليس في كتابته. أنصح بالقراءة في القصة والسيناريو قبل الشروع في هذا البحث.

[Elyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative & interesting!

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really informative and engaging.
Used for a screenwriting university module - really helpful.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough, practical, and interesting read.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights - just wish I had a super updated version!

[Shenard Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The is a lot in this book, however, the framework provides you with a good path forward. Very insightful!!!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight on both the technique of writing a TV drama pilot, the current state of the business, and how things could change due to streaming and new media.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best parts were talking about the breaking bad opening teaser, differences in television by country, and the topic of trans media. Nothing else though

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible read!! The author really breaks everything down so perfectly.this was one of my first industry books and I loved it!!

[Kyle Van Beek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more focused on the television writing industry than the actual writing involved.

[Speculargloss]

skimmed

[Miles Nilsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely useful book if you want to learn how to write for television dramas. (It's use is limited if you want to write sitcoms because the author specializes in dramatic series.) There are good examples of script pages, including the opening pages of episodes from the great series "NYPD Blue." Pamela Douglas analyzes these, although, like a strict teacher, she sometimes explicitly says she isn't going to spoonfeed the analysis to you; you must figure out some things for yourself.

There are plenty of quotes from and interviews with well-known scriptwriters, presentations of dramatic techniques (although the author assumes the reader has learned something about that already), and an account of the complicated and highly involved process by which a television series goes from an idea to a successful series--or a failed one.

Most pertinent are explanations of the process of "breaking" a story for a television show with commercials approximately every ten to fifteen minutes. Did you ever wonder how they figure out how to put a mini-cliffhanger just before each commercial break?

Douglas is a somewhat off-handed person. She tells a story on herself of how she changed the ending of a story without consulting the producer and learned not to do that again. Many would have gone in knowing not to do that, but I suspect that people who substitute their own ideas for those of others thrive particularly in Hollywood. (See my review of "Set up, Joke, Set up, Joke," a novel about sitcom writing.)

Another example of Douglas's offhandedness is her way of sometimes misrepresenting things without meaning to do anything malicious. For example, early in this book, she describes a series she worked on very briefly early in her career. She describes the setting of the show incorrectly. So what, though? She admittedly only worked on it briefly and long ago. So why should she have to be accurate? Well, because this is a college text book that has gone through a few editions, and committing a book to publication should imply some responsibility for accuracy.

Another thing I would wish for is more of an explanation of the meanings of the terms "tone" and "style," but I suppose that is knowledge one should have already mastered before coming to this book.

Quibbling aside, this is a very useful book that has actually inspired me to work on an idea I have for a television series. I have gotten as far as writing a format (something explained in this book), making rough outlines of episodes and thinking about where this series of mine might fit in the television universe. (Best fit would be AMC, I think.) In any case, I have not finished reading the book, so maybe I'll be inspired to write a pilot script, too.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice mix of motivational tool and practical handbook--includes interviews with established TV writers, as well as long excerpts from scripts along with discussions of what's going on, writer-wise, in each excerpt. Douglas clearly knows her stuff and knows how to teach it. Some of the material is outdated (the shift to five-act structure is pretty much here to stay; specs of existing scripts aren't the thing anymore), but it's a worthy read and something to keep you going in the face of possible discouragement--which is not nothing.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. It explains all the basics without talking down to the reader, but encouraging one to imagine television at it's best. It is savvy and contemporary with interviews with current writers on tv shows like NYPD Blue, the West Wing, Six Feet Under. I highly reccomend it. There are alot of books out there that claim to teach you about the business and the technical aspects of writing for TV, but this one does that while appealing to your highest artistic sensabilities.

[Josh Liveright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I'm currently developing a series, this book came in very handy as research. Pamela Douglas comes from both academia and the professional world so she passes on her knowledge in a clear concise and structured way. I recommend this to anyone who wants to write for television but with one caveat... since I work in television is was easier to grasp all the terminology and industry speak. Folks just starting out may get a little lost in the jargon.

[Oliver Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good practical knowledge (as far as I could tell, anyway) about writing TV dramas. Covers everything from story structure, to how writers' rooms work, to how shows go from pitch to production. I don't know if that world is for me--I think I'm about 20 years too old. But I suspect I'll return to this book from time to time for ideas. I think some of it is applicable to writing stories in other media.