ABSTRACT
Television devours programming. Think of the number of channels! Think of the need for new ideas! Think of the need for writers to write episodes of long-running series that reappear season after season! Although the total program lineup for the medium includes news, documentary, sports, game shows, reality shows, and so on, we are going to emphasize the program content that is acted entertainment, such as series, sitcoms, and soaps. The special requirements of television writing are not the same as for movie screenplays. We need to learn the basic techniques of thinking and writing for television. Then we need to look at the premise and techniques for writing television comedy and drama. There is also the question of script format-how you lay out the page. Many television series have developed their own idiosyncratic variations of script formats, which its scriptwriters follow and some of which have been reproduced in this chapter. The formats of most television series and sitcoms can be found in Movie Magic Screenwriter. Lastly, keep in mind that there are many books devoted exclusively to writing for television that will take you deeper than we can ever go in one chapter. Your job right now is to make a first effort at writing for this medium.
