ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with complex issues of television creation and production that involve commercial breaks. The basics of television storytelling are really a tale of two dynamics. In one, television shares many storytelling elements, concepts and techniques with cinema, because much of the language of television was initially adapted from film. Serialized storytelling is immersive and therefore feels real. Characters in television series really come in two flavors; those that evolve and those that never change. The planning of story arcs occurs during the development of the season. In the case of a new series this occurs before the pitch so that the creators can demonstrate that the series has viable arcs that move the story forward, create a sense of mystery and mythology and engage the target audience. A spinoff refers to the act making an entirely new show based on one or more of the secondary characters from a current hit. Revivals in television are typically packaged as reunion shows.
