TV Writing On Demand

Neil Landau is a bestselling author, producer and award-winning screenwriter who runs the Writing for Television program in the UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media (his alma mater). Credits include Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Melrose Place, The Magnificent Seven, Doogie Howser, M.D., The Secret World of Alex Mack, Twice in a Lifetime, MTV’s Undressed and one-hour drama pilots for CBS, ABC, Freeform, Warner Bros., Disney, Lifetime and Fremantle. Neil has served as Executive Script Consultant for Sony Pictures Television and Columbia Pictures. Among his animated films are Tad: The Lost Explorer, which earned him a Spanish Academy "Goya" Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Tad Jones and the Secret of King Midas (he is working on the sequel, Tad 3), Capture the Flag for Paramount and Sheep & Wolves for Wizart Animation. Neil penned the bestselling 101 Things I Learned in Film School, The Screenwriter’s Roadmap, The TV Showrunner’s Roadmap and TV Outside the Box: Trailblazing in the Digital Television Revolution, which was the first book sponsored by the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE).

"This is like a masterclass in the art of creating television—both now and for whatever 'television' may become. Visionary, insightful and timely."—Issa Rae, Golden Globe-nominated Writer/Producer/Actress: Insecure, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl"I'm a longtime fan of Landau! His decades of experience and genuine love of the form shine in TV Writing On Demand. The definitive guide to writing for modern audiences."—Damon Lindelof, Emmy Award-winning Writer/Producer: Lost, The Leftovers"With close to 500 scripted series, the current television landscape takes some navigating. Fortunately, Landau does that with precision, passion and purpose. This book is invaluable."—Frank Spotnitz, Emmy-nominated Writer/Executive Producer: The Man in the High Castle, Medici: Masters of Florence"The television business has changed radically over the last few years and Landau has written an absolutely-essential guide to understanding it. Whether you’re trying to get a foot in the door, or you have a foot in and are trying to keep it there, this book is a must read."—Sarah Watson, Creator: The Bold Type; Writer/Executive Producer: Parenthood"Landau's previous book introduced us to the revolutionaries of the new age of creativity. TV Writing on Demand holds the secrets to becoming one. For writers, students and fans of story-driven entertainment, this book is indispensable."—Dr. Nathaniel Kohn, Director, Roger Ebert's Film Festival; Associate Director, George Foster Peabody Awards"Neil truly understands how television is changing and what today's creators need in order to transition to tomorrow's landscape. You're in good hands with this book!"—Amy Aniobi, Co-Executive Producer, Insecure; Host of "Smart Manners" on Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls’ Network

• IntroductionPeak TV vs. Pique TV: The Streaming SmorgasbordHow to Navigate TV Writing On DemandPART I - SATISFYING THE BINGE VIEWER:NEW GENRES, FORMATS AND TRENDS 1 Blurring the Lines: Redefining Genre and Tone in the DramedyHow Did We Get Here?Dramedies and Life on the CringeFemale-Driven DramediesYou‘re the Worst: The Anti-Romantic DramedyBaskets and Lives in DisarraySatire as the Weapon of Reason in Dear White PeopleI Love Dick: Exploring the "Female Gaze"Master of the Observational: Master of NoneBetter Things: Philosophical VignettesLove and Death in AtlantaBonus Content: Further analysis on dramedies, including the rise of the genre, Catastrophe and Casual2 The Slow-Burn, Season-Long Procedural: From Murder One and Twin Peaks to The Night Of, Fargo, Search Party and MoreThe Season-Long MysteryThe Mystery Underlying the Crime: The Night OfThe Good Fight: The Procedural Within a ProceduralSearch Party: Something From NothingFargo Is a State of MindThe Season-to-Season Pivot: BroadchurchTruth and ConsequencesBonus Content: American Crime, True Detective Season 1, Riverdale, Medici: Masters of Florence, Happy Valley, The Fall, Bloodline, The Expanse3 Trust Me: The Long Con On-Demand—From The Riches to Sneaky Pete, Patriot, The Americans and MoreThe Put Up, The Play, The Rope, The Touch, The Blow OffThe Masquerade: Sneaky PeteThe Period Political Masquerade: The AmericansEntrapment and Reversals: The Night ManagerAll Is Not What It Seems: The Good PlaceThe Farce Thriller: PatriotOzark: Who Can a Con Artist Trust?Bonus Content: The Path, Younger, Mr. Robot4 Dystopias, Multiverses and Magic RealismThe Constructive/Destructive Power of Ideas: The Handmaid’s TaleOur World with a Cautionary TwistCrafting the Supernatural/Dystopian PilotMicrocosmic Dystopias and the Monster Mash: American GodsPortals and Multiverses: Childlike Wonder in Stranger ThingsSurprise and Shifting POV: The OAAdjoining Realms in The Man in the High CastleBonus Content: Atlanta, Man Seeking Woman, The Good Place, Game of Thrones, The Young Pope, plus "The Neurotic Superhero"5 Story Tentacles: Making Surprising Choices That Yield More StoryInevitable Yet UnpredictableKeep Your Frenemies Close: Orange Is the New BlackYou Can’t Always Get What You Want . . . Mozart in the JungleA Window Onto a New World: Switched at BirthTaboo Relationships in ComediesPoints of View: The AffairEnsembles and BackstoriesWhen a Flaw Becomes an Asset: GirlsThe Macro/Micro Approach: The Young PopeGame of Thrones: The Ultimate Story Tentacle Show?The Unreliable Narrator: Mr. RobotBonus Content: Breaking Bad, Scandal, Mad Men, Taxi, plus the Switched at Birth pilot teaser6 Spotlight on a Rebel: Ryan Murphy Reinvents the Mini-Series by Embracing His Inner OutsiderWhy Can’t I Be Audrey Hepburn?In Television, Tone is EverythingReinvigorating a GenreThe More Specific You Make Something, The More Universal It Becomes"No" = A Rest Stop on the Road to "Yes"Limitation as an Opportunity and DifferentiatorThe Pop Culture JunkieThe Limited Anthology SeriesImpossible = PossibleMarcia, Marcia, MarciaIf You Can Dream Within a Structure, You Can Do Better ThingsPART II DEVELOPING ICONIC CHARACTERS:RELATABILITY AND AUTHENTICITY7 Character Empathy vs. Sympathy: How and Why We Align With Characters’ Wants and NeedsTouching the VoidNobody’s PerfectExamples of Coping PowersThe DanceReverting to TypeJudgment, Morality and PerceptionThe Insatiable Appetite of the EgoInsecure: Authentic as F**kBig Little Lies, Guilt and ShameSympathy for the Robot: WestworldHannah, Clay and the Razor’s Edge: 13 Reasons WhyAlignment and AllegianceBonus Content: Mr. Robot, Getting On, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Young Pope, Better Things, Animal Kingdom, plus "Empathy and the Female Gaze"8 Choosing Between Two Wrongs: Characters Trapped by LimitationCreating the DilemmaHomeland: The Lasting Effects of Devastating DecisionsA "What If?" ExerciseDilemma and PerspectivesPolitics, Power and Internal Logic: Legion, The Handmaid’s TaleJessica Jones: How Late is Too Late?Guilt, Maturity and Aspirations: This Is UsThe Cleanse and Crossing the LineBonus Content: Bates Motel, Breaking Bad, Queen Sugar, Orange Is the New Black9 The Wild Card Character: Power Dynamics and MotivationsThe Wild Card With a Twist: Mr. RobotThe Wild Card’s Wild Card: Mozart in the JungleThe Roommate Soulmate: Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtThe Pushy Roommate/Friend/Business Partner/Mentor: Silicon ValleyDisrupting an Institution: The Young PopeThe Role of Destabilizing Characters: Better Call Saul, The Crown and GoliathBonus Content: Luther, Big Little Lies, Stranger Things, Bloodline, plus script excerpts from Mr. Robot, The Crown, Goliath10 Writing Smart Dialogue in the Digital EraThe ObliqueBonus Content: The Profound Power of Silence plus Better Call Saul excerptIdiosyncratic Voices: Empire, Silicon ValleyGet in Late, Get Out EarlyVerbal and Non-Verbal CommunicationPoint of View and Subtext: The Last Man on Earth, Crazy Ex-GirlfriendShop Talk: Brooklyn Nine-NineNaturalistic Dialogue: Profanity in The WireBackstory: What They Don’t SayActions—and TriangulationOverlapping Dialogue: Stranger ThingsEconomy With WordsE-CommunicationListening to Our CharactersBonus Content: Bones, Orphan Black, The Americans, ScandalPART III CAREER STRATEGIES IN THE EVOLVING TV MARKETPLACE11 To I.P. or Not to I.P.? That Is the Question: The Value of Intellectual Property in the Scripted TV Ecosystem Intellectual Property GlossaryBreaking (Through the Noise) and Entering (the Zeitgeist)The Literary ApproachAdapting Autobiographical MaterialBonus Content: A deeper dive into putting a new spin on forms of I.P., from comics to musicals12 The Show Bible as an Essential Sales ToolThat Was Then. This Is Now.The Need for Reassurance: From Closed-Ended, Stand-Alone Procedurals to Open-Ended, Slower-Burn SerialsIf There’s a Central Mystery, There Needs to Be a Series BibleNetworks That Circumvent the Pilot Process (Tend to) Commission Series Bibles The Following Networks Still Make Pilots, But Do They Require Series Bibles?Half-Hour Sitcoms Rarely, If Ever, Require a Series Bible . . .Drafting the Series Mini-BibleBonus Content: Examples/templates of one-hour drama and half-hour dramedy series mini-bibles, plus how to create a story area document13 Trips, Traps, Tropes: Avoiding Rookie MistakesBecome Experts in the Genre"Great Pilot, But What’s the Series?""It’s Too Wrapped Up""What’s the Franchise?""Who Are We Rooting For?""There’s No Sense of Place or Time""It’s Confusing""The Premise Is Weak""It Doesn’t Feel Authentic""The Dialogue/Style/Tone Are Uninspired""It’s Too Long""The Plotting is Tepid""The Stakes Are Not High Enough""It’s Just Talking Heads""It’s Too Superficial""There Are Too Many Characters""The Good Stuff Appears Too Late"Know the Industry—Yet Be InnovativeThe Temptation to RushBonus Content: "The War Against the Kitchen Sink Pilot," a/k/a "The Premise Pilot Blues"14 The Creative Entrepreneur: From Kickstarting a Web Series to Hitting the Big Time"Call My Agent"Getting an AgentAgents vs. ManagersAdvice From the (Staff Writer) TrenchesBonus Content: List of the Top Contests and FellowshipsMore Opportunities Than Ever—Yet It’s Never Been More CompetitiveShow Them Your Proof of ConceptThink Locally, Act GloballyWhat I Really Want To Do Is Direct (a Web Series)—Broad City, Key & Peele, High Maintenance, Awkward Black Girl, The Skinny, 37 Problems, EastSidersBonus Content: Advice from Kit WilliamsonWork Begets WorkAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorAbout the EditorsIndex