ABSTRACT
This chapter about dialect representation features extracts from interviews with David Mandel (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep), Jane Espenson (Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Once Upon a Time), Sheila Lawrence (Gilmore Girls, Ugly Betty, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Robert Berens (Supernatural), and Doris Egan (Tru Calling, House, Reign). It presents these screenwriters’ views on how to represent dialects in TV series, especially when they themselves are not part of the relevant community of speakers. The chapter explicitly addresses stigmatized or stereotypical expressions like ain’t and y’all but also includes more general discussion. Examples come from shows such as Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Reign, Me and the Boys, Torchwood, and Once Upon a Time. The chapter concludes with a brief summary and advice for budding television screenwriters.
