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Writing the TV Spec Script, Part Three: A case study

by Deborah Hyatt on April 30, 2012

Back when I thought I wanted to break into TV writing, I wrote a couple of spec scripts, only one of which I tried to shop to agents. I failed rather dismally at that, due largely to the mistakes noted below — but I also wrote a pretty good script in terms of matching the show’s style, dialogue, characters, structure, etc. For all those reasons, I think it makes a good case study.

Download Quantum Leap: It’s a Dog’s Life spec script.

How did I shoot myself in the foot with this script?

I messed with the show’s mythology.

The script was for Quantum Leap, which had a time-traveling Sam Beckett “leaping” into a different person’s life each episode. Might be a man, might be a woman, but it was never an animal. I leaped him into a dog. Now, I did a really good job with it, and made the darned concept fit the show like a glove, so I might have gotten away with it — except for mistake #2.

I not only messed with the mythology, I did it right after the show did.

Talk about lousy timing. The one and only episode in which Sam leaped into an animal (a chimp) aired in season four juuuust about the time I was shopping my script. That sort of problem makes agents ask “What else you got?” Which led to mistake #3.

I only wrote one spec script.

When I had an interested agent on the phone ask me what else could I send him, I had to admit that I had nothing. Ouch. The exchange took seconds, and that’s all the time you will have to answer the same question. Always, always, always have more than one spec script to present — and be prepared to pitch it on the spot.

So what did I manage to do right?

I balanced the characters correctly.

The main characters — Sam and Al — take center stage as always. But the secondary/guest characters are deftly handled. They’re appealing, well differentiated, and have just enough problems that need resolving to fit into the standard Quantum Leap story structure. Great guest roles are the key to a good stand-alone spec script.

The structure matches the show.

You’ll notice that the script is divided into a teaser and three acts, with no tag. Whatever show you’re writing will have its own structure, possibly with a separate tag at the end — and, very probably, four or five acts. (Shows have more commercial breaks than they used to. Shows, and scripts are shorter as a result. Doh!)

I will note that it was probably too long. 61 pages?!

The plot works — and would probably have worked for Lassie, too.

With Sam jumping into a dog, there are only so many things he can do to save the day. I had a lot of fun figuring out how he could be both himself and act like a big yellow dog named Bucket.

The comedy and emotional arc are spot-on.

Any fan of the show loved seeing Sam leap into some crazy situation and have to deal with one difficulty after another — while uncovering the guest character’s secret lives and silent pains and finding a way to resolve them. It made for a beautiful story arc each episode, and I’m pleased that I managed to create that same arc, from Sam’s opening “Oh, boy” to Al’s final wave goodbye.

Have I mentioned Bucket? What could possibly be wrong with a Labrador retriever named Bucket? Nothing, that’s what I’m telling you. To this day, I adore the “real” dog Bucket. And I’m tickled that Sam got to be him for a while

Previously in this series:

Part One: Why write for free? What spec work can do — and can’t do — for you.

Part Two: Choosing a show. Why it’s not the one you want to write for — and it’s definitely not Fringe.

Still to come:

Part Four: Formatting your script. One-hour drama versus half-hour comedy show. Freebie download to help you do it right.

Categories: Scriptwriting, Tips and How-Tos - Tags: case study, episodic television, getting an agent, spec work, TV writing

Writing the TV Spec Script, Part Two: Choosing a show

by Deborah Hyatt on April 5, 2012

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Carefully choosing the shows you want to spec will help you make the most of the process. Bottom line, you need to spec shows that are current (still on air) and in the right category (one-hour drama or half-hour comedy).

Beyond that, here are some key considerations.

Goldilocks decisions: Finding shows that are juuuust right!

What category is that again?

Let’s say you decide to write for one-hour drama shows. Series on air include The Vampire Diaries, Smash, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, Walking Dead, In Plain Sight …Not a lot in common, is there? You need to narrow your focus to shows in a given genre within your chosen category.

Let’s say police procedurals. Now we’re looking at NCIS, CSI, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, Castle … Those are all cop shows, but there’s a lot of drift there, with shows ranging from decidedly dark to rom-com-dramedy.

Let’s say you’re into romantic/comedic cops. Okay, enough. I could keep going with this overly detailed example, but you get the point. Narrow down the shows you could spec down by category, genre and style/tone until you have a short list of series that mirror the kind of TV writing you want to do.

Once you pick some shows, look closely at each and ask yourself …

How long has it been on air?

A popular, long-running show will be familiar to agents and showrunners, but your spec script will be a long, long way from their first bite of that particular apple.

A newer series could help your spec script stand out — 1,000 others won’t already have written for it — but agents and showrunners may not be familiar enough with the series’ characters, style, etc. to fairly judge your script.

Traditional rule of thumb: Give any series at least one season before putting it on your short list.

What about the season’s hottest, newest show?

Yes, it’s a big hit — or will be after it premieres next month — and you’re dying to be the first person ever to spec it. But you won’t be the first person to think of that. And shows take a while to settle in.

You’re going to put a lot of time and energy into writing your script and don’t need to waste that effort on characters that disappeared three shows in or locations that have apparently fallen off the map.

Revised rule of thumb: For your own sake, at least let the show find its legs. Watching six eps before going forward with a spec script won’t kill you.

Do you love it? Do others?

Pick a show you love and know well. Your script has to capture the feeling of the show, the style of the action, each characters’ unique mind-set and speaking style. You’re going to spend a lot of time with your head in the show and the show in your head. You’d better like the scenery or you, and the script, will suffer.

Pick a show that other people know and follow. It won’t help to write for a show the showrunner has never seen watched because he/she won’t be able to judge your spec work properly. Increase the odds in your favor by picking a show that showrunners will already know.

Dying to write for a particular show? Do not spec it. Here’s why.

Showrunners typically don’t read spec scripts for their own series.

Doing so can put them at risk of nuisance lawsuits. Plus they have big egos, generally speaking, and don’t believe anyone outside of their chosen writing team can really capture their show correctly.

Even if they did, the chances of impressing them are way small.

Showrunners know every everything about their series. Every character nuance, every road not taken, every past creative decision. Planned story arcs, upcoming twists, crazy-ass season finales no one saw coming. etc. The odds of you managing to write a script that is both perfectly aligned with the showrunner’s vision and fresh/new enough to capture his/her attention are astronomically low.

The way to impress a showrunner is to write a fantastic script for someone else’s show.

A show they like and respect. That’s in the same category and genre as theirs. One that’s similar enough to show you’ve got the chops to write for their series.

And finally … Lessons from the Fringe.

Know when to let a show go.

Fringe is on the bubble. It might be granted one more season, or half a season, or no season at all after it wraps up Season Four on May 11. Whatever happens, it’s too late to spec it.

Know the mythology. And leave it the hell alone.

Fringe is highly mythologized with a long, involved narrative arc. Even though most of the first-season episodes appeared to be monster-of-the-week standalones, the writers were setting up the characters and laying the groundwork for future events. Plus, while there have been seasonal reboots, the overall mythology is essentially one long storyline.

When writing a spec script for any show with a dense mythology and/or long-running story lines, focus on creating a one-off/standalone episode. Do not attempt to write changes, developments, twists or revelations of the mythology. Never mess with the mythology. Even if you’re absolutely convinced that Nina is Olivia’s real birthmother and you’ve kept a detailed log of 109 secret messages embedded in the show that prove it, just don’t go there. That’s fanfic territory, not spec writing.

(But you’re not writing a Fringe spec script anyway, are you? Of course you’re not. Because it’s too damned late.)

Know the characters. Don’t mess with them, either.

In your spec script, be sure to keep the focus on the main characters — and introduce a one-time guest character along a really interesting plot. Do not attempt to introduce a new main character. Do not attempt to introduce a long-running side character. Remember: Your job is to prove that you can write for an existing show. So do that, and only that. Trying to shake things up because you’re a fan and you’d like the see the show shaken up — or because you fall in love with your guest character and can’t keep him/her under control — will do you no good.

(So, that Fringe spec script that you’re not writing will not have Olivia hooking up with Lincoln, or Nina moving to Paris, or Walter taking up the banjo … Okay, maybe there could a little banjo, but only if it helps the plot. And Walter’s high. Got it? Good.)

Previously in this series:

Part One: Why write for free? What spec work can do — and can’t do — for you.

Coming up

Part Three: A from-the-files case study. Download a real spec script and learn from my mistakes.

Part Four: Formatting your script. One-hour drama versus half-hour comedy show. Freebie download to help you do it right.

Categories: Scriptwriting, Tips and How-Tos - Tags: episodic television, getting an agent, spec work, TV writing

Writing the TV Spec Script, Part One: Why write for free?

by Deborah Hyatt on March 24, 2012

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If you want to break into episodic television, you have to write “speculative” or spec scripts so you can attract an agent. There is no money in spec work. No one’s going to buy your spec script. It will never be produced.

All spec work can do is get you an agent and get your foot in the door.

But that’s everything.

You see, those doors are shut, locked, bolted, ambered, buried in stone, hidden by black magic, guarded by guys named Guido, and in every other possible way sealed completely against entry by unproven writers.

Spec scripts are how you prove you deserve entry.

Agents submit spec scripts to showrunners, the producers who are responsible for the day-to-day running of a series. Showrunners are often co-creators or head writers on their series, and may have other shows in the pipeline. They are always on the lookout for good writers.

Spec work is how you prove to showrunners that you can write a script that captures the feel, characters, style, etc. of a television show. It’s how you prove you’ve got the chops to write for them.

But you need to follow some basic rules.

You need to decide up-front if you’re trying to break into comedy or drama, because production techniques are notably different and so is the script formatting. (You could do both, but you’ll need separate spec work for both.)

Half-hour comedies are filmed in a studio with a three camera set-up and use a columnar screenplay format with defined scenes.
Hour dramas are filmed like movies and use essentially the same screenplay format, with the addition of clearly delineated breaks for the teaser, acts and tag.

You must have at least one spec script — but several is better. Agents can shoot down a spec script over the phone for any number of reasons and immediately ask “What else have you got?” “Nothing,” is not the answer you want to give.

The shows you spec must still be on air. Once a show is cancelled, that script is dead in the water. (Another good reason to have several scripts.)

If you’re seriously hungry to write for a particular show, you need to spec shows that are in the same category/genre — not the show you want to write for. For example, if you’re dying to write for Fringe, you need to spec scripts for Supernatural, Grimm, Warehouse 13 or others in that speculative, science-fiction universe, pardon the pun.

Coming up in this series:

Part Two: Choosing a show. Why it’s not the show you want to write for — and it’s definitely not Fringe.

Part Three: A from-the-files case study. Download a real spec script and learn from my mistakes.

Part Four: Formatting your script. One-hour drama versus half-hour comedy show. Freebie download to help you do it right.