However, they are not designed to be continued into multiple seasons, the holy grail of lucrative syndication deals. Examples would be American Crime Story, American Horror Story, Lore, Black Mirror, Fargo, The Twilight Zone.Ī limited series is usually capped at a certain number of episodes (say 8-12) and tells one main story in one season. For example, if the show centres on a theme of gothic horror, this genre is carried over from season to season BUT the set-up, characters, and plot may all be different. While the characters and stories change from season to season, the tone and genre rarely do. There’s a feeling of comfort and familiarity with episodic TV, as these characters rarely change throughout different seasons.Īn anthology series is different from episodic or serial TV in one big way: the show has a strong thematic element. For this type of show, having memorable characters is a must as this is what audiences expect to see every time they turn it on. Examples would be The Simpsons, The Office, Community, Seinfeld, Solar Opposites, South Park, Rick and Morty. For this reason, comedies and sitcoms are usually the chosen format for episodic TV. You can watch any episode in any order, and you won’t get confused as the audience. With the dawn of video-on-demand and streaming, this is still true.Įpisodic television contains more isolated stories, and there is a new story and conflict every episode. These are normally categorised as serial drama as they must be watched in sequential order to be understood. Some examples of serial shows are Narcos, Breaking Bad, WandaVision, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Sopranos, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. One episode leads to the other, and the events in one episode sequential impacts another. Here are some key decisions you are going to have to make before you put your fingertips to the keyboard.Ī serial TV show that has a continuous storyline that spans throughout the series. Writing a TV pilot comes in many different formats. After that, writing the actual pilot is so much easier. Know why you’re writing the pilot before you write it. What is familiar about this pilot, but also never-seen-before? Is your show a doctor procedural…but twists a modern-trope in one important way? Start the pitch strategy right now, so if a development executive asks, “Why you?” you already have an answer.ĭoes your show lean into a classic murderer-detective formula…but has a totally new perspective on the world? Really assess your motivations and why your pilot will stand out from others. Once you have a clear answer to these questions, you can start to craft your TV pilot (and series).
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