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We watched 50 pilots to break down for our podcast. Here's #50Lessons about TV writing we learned from each of them. https://t.co/CEmvFZydvk
#50Lessons: Our 50th lesson comes from Downton Abbey, which all begins thanks to the sinking of the Titantic. However, the show isn't about that tragedy, but the events it triggers in a wealthy estate... using historical context to launch an inheritance drama.
#50Lessons: the Dickinson pilot is set in the 19th century, on the brink of the Civil war, in full period accuracy... except for some music choices, some humorous asides and occasional time-traveling. These anachronisms WORK because they're deliberate and clear in purpose.
#50Lessons: Is the hero of "Ted Lasso" Ted himself, or... Rebecca? The pilot certainly frames Rebecca as an equal, or even greater, protagonist compared to Ted, and the story's stronger for it. We empathize with Rebecca even as she hopes to sabotage Ted and the team.
#50Lessons: Barry Berkman is a hitman--but he'd rather be Barry Block, an actor. He learns this from a man he's sent to eliminate in the first episode, firmly establishing this show's dark humor. But the humor and darkness don't conflict; they ENHANCE each other.
#50Lessons: The Hacks pilot begins with a day in Deborah Vance's life, beginning on stage during her standup routine, following her through a photoshoot and a dinner alone with her dog. This tells us who she is, and lets us sympathize with her, even with her celeb status.
#50Lessons: The New Girl pilot is so successful, even with is very simple premise, because it utilizes CONTRAST effectively. Jess is a girl moving in with guys. She's new, while they're old friends. New + Girl = amusing contrast.
#50Lessons: The TV series of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is technically-sort-of a sequel to the movie it was adapted from (also by Joss Whedon), because Buffy arrives at Sunnydale High already KNOWING she's the Slayer. It gets the show going quicker!
#50Lessons: back today with why Issa Dee of Insecure is one of the most relatable TV protagonists we've ever seen. She's a competent, smart woman keeping her life together, but in the pilot, she's allowed to mess up in a big way--so we root for her so much more.
#50Lessons: The original Gossip Girl reached legendary status by taking the crazy world of wealthy Manhattan socialite teens and immersing the audience so we get just as caught up as Blair, Serena, Chuck, Dan, and Nathan. You know you love them. 💋 xo
#50Lessons: The Succession pilot is pretty flawless script-wise. What makes those fucked-up Roys so compelling to watch? They all REALLY need therapy... but they just take out their issues on each other, instead.
#50Lessons: Living Single is one of the best young-friends-hanging-out sitcoms out there, and the pilot does a great job of introducing us to Khadijah, Synclaire, Regine, Max, Kyle, and Overton with a very typical episode. No "setup" needed: straight to humor.
#50Lessons: "Fish out of water" stories are common, but sometimes the "fish" rubs off on the other characters rather than the other way around. In the NANNY, Fran is "the lady in red when everybody else is wearing tan!"
#50Lessons: Although Villanelle and Eve Polastri are both main protagonists throughout Killing Eve, the pilot is told more from Eve's POV, which helps orient the audience to the characters and world... as well as letting us share Eve's fascination with female killers.
#50Lessons: The Cheers pilot takes place entirely within the bar, which makes sense since the bar is the number one setting for the majority of the show going forward... and it's a fun place for the audience to hang out, too!
#50Lessons: Never Have I Ever is a great teen show, with comedy, romance, academic and friend drama. However, the main theme of GRIEF is established immediately, with the opening showing Devi's struggles after losing her father.
#50Lessons: The Veronica Mars pilot has a lot going for it, with a great protagonist and a compelling mystery -- but some of the narrated flashbacks are a little too heavy on the exposition, that it's almost confusing. A good example of when V.O. can be too much.
#50Lessons: The first episode of Supernatural ALMOST returns Sam to status quo, until he sees his girlfriend murdered by the same evil that killed his mother. That pushes him to join Dean in hunting demons and find their father, getting the Winchesters on their journey together.
#50Lessons: the mantra for the Charmed pilot was "sisters first, witches second". Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell have a strong familial bond that keeps viewers invested before they even unlock their powers as witches, and keeps the show going over the years.
#50Lessons: One Day At a Time (2017) shows us the Alvarez family's conflicting beliefs in the first episode: Lydia is traditional, Elena is progressive, Penelope's in the middle... and Alex wants cool shoes. We know their different views will create future stories worth watching!
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