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When creating a TV series, one of the things you
need to decide is how “formulaic” you want the show to be.
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When a show is new and still largely unformed, it
can feel good to carefully delineate how each episode will play out.
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Imagine you’re doing a crime drama about the
three little pigs. If you’re a writer
hooked on formula, your pitch bible might lay out each episode this way:
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Each
episode begins with the three little pigs having breakfast. Ironically, the breakfast always consists of
a different kind of pork product.
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After
breakfast, the three little pigs head to work each day seeking their fortune. Each of the pigs works in their respective
fields: a straw farmer, a carpenter and a bricklayer; and in each episode, one
of the pigs has a subplot involving trouble at work.
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This
“trouble” always turns out to be the product of the big bad wolf’s evil schemes.
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The
three pigs invariably differ on how to stop the wolf. The know-it-all brick laying pig always
thinks he’s right when ironically the other two pigs have worthwhile ideas.
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Ultimately
the three pigs always decide to work together, and it’s together that they foil
the wolf’s dark plans right outside one of their homes.
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Also,
the three pigs are all in love with the wolf’s sister, and in each episode this
causes additional conflict.
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Yes, it’s an absurd example, but I see this kind
of formulaic approach all the time.
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It’s so tempting.
You want execs to understand exactly how your show ticks. And readers do often respond to this kind of
thing very positively, at least at first.
It sounds like it could work. It
feels like a formula like this will make the writing easier.
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The thing is: It doesn’t.
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When you sit down to write the episodes, you
realize that it makes the writing much harder – sometimes impossible.
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You come up with a great arc for a character, but
it doesn’t fit your story formula. You
have a killer opening for your three pigs pilot, but unfortunately it doesn’t
involve breakfast. You come up with ten
great ideas, but they just don’t fit. Before long, you’ll find yourself
abandoning the formula and wondering if you have a series at all.
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Am I saying never use formulas?
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No.
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I’m saying be very carful with formulaic pitch
documents. You need to make sure you can
execute. Write the pilot and then write
two more episodes. Can you actually
build stories based on this blue print?
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A big problem with the three pigs example above
is: How many times can you make it work? How many problems can crop up at the jobs
these pigs have? How many evil wolf
schemes can cause these problems? And
how many ways can you prepare pork? A
formula like this isn’t likely at all to fuel season after season of a hit
series.
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If you want to save yourself lots of narrative
headaches, keep your formulas as broad and open as possible.
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Formulas that use words like “always” and “in
each episode” can really tie your hands.
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And formulas that state how and/or where each
episode will begin or end can be particularly restrictive. Openings and endings are crucial and
difficult, and in most cases you want to give yourself lots of freedom.
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We can all think of popular shows that did great
things with formula. House and Law and Order come immediately to mind. Some narratives do benefit from formula. The key is to think hard about whether your
particular series would benefit from being more open.
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