Like every year, it is now time to review which TV shows are good to spec, and which are not.
Dedicated posts will be made respectively for the best comedies (half-hour) and the best dramas (one-hour).
As the title says, this post is all about the dramas.
In addition, you’ll also find (when available) a script for the corresponding show.
Canceled or dead shows have been removed since last season’s spec list.

NEW ADDITION:
Given Warner Bros’ new rules for their fellowship, I have indicated with an asterisk (*) series that they will not accept specs for (mainly first-season shows).

Let’s do another quick recap of how the list works:
The shows are divided into five categories regarding their appeal to readers and how well they are known/read:
– Over-specced (shows that have passed their prime, try to avoid doing them)
– Mainstream (shows that have matured enough that they have become on-the-nose speccers–and a lot of people are speccing them)
– Wild Cards (soon, everyone will spec those, maybe you can get a head start)
– Outsiders (specs that will get you out from the pack)
– Gamblers (risky shows that could pay off, or bomb)

There is also a grade regarding the show’s longevity in relation to its speccability.
Meaning, how long can you keep your spec script fresh without having to throw it in the trash?
To do this, we will use the greatest grading system on Earth; stars:
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Very Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Fair
★★★★★ — Poor

And here we go.


Over-Specced
Re-tool your spec if you have one, but you probably shouldn’t bother beginning a new one for these shows.

Burn Notice (USA)
Type: Light action procedural
The fact it’s entering its sixth season should give you an idea of why Burn Notice is here.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Very formulaic but with enough of a twist to keep its fresh vibe.

CSI/Criminal Minds (CBS)
Type: Police procedurals
“Never give up, never surrender” should be their motto.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Past its prime for about five years now.

Dexter (Sho)
Type: Serialized crime drama
Following last season’s cliffhanger, it is hard to tell where the series is headed
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Only two seasons left.

Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice/House (ABC/FOX)
Type: Medical procedurals
I’m going to bet a lot of people are able to say: “Been there, specced that”.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Virtually all medical storylines have already been explored through those three shows.

Mad Men (AMC)
Type: Serialized historical drama
“Out of sight, out of mind” does not hold true for the AMC classic that is still amongst the most popular.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — One of the over-specced shows with possibly the longest longevity factor attached to it. Doesn’t mean the competition isn’t fierce.

Mainstream
The current and new widespread shows in town that are getting read.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Type: Serialized historical drama
A lot of people have fallen in love with Steve Buscemi’s eyes apparently.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — A third season, good ratings, great cast, big producers.

Bones/Castle (FOX/ABC)
Type: Light police procedural
Possibly the last season in the mainstream category for Bones. Castle on the other hand probably has at least a few years ahead of it.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — One is renewed for an eighth season, the other is still awaiting its fate on a fifth.

Breaking Bad (AMC)
Type: Serialized character/family drama
One of the best shows on TV, and one of the hardest ones to spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — This is going be its last season, albeit cut in two, which gives a bonus year before you can say farewell to it.

Fringe (FOX)
Type: Science-fiction procedural
There’s only so much science-fiction shows on TV right now, and Fringe is clearly the go-to drama in its genre. This will probably be the last season where I can say it hasn’t been over-speced already.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Highly volatile.

Glee (FOX)
Type: Light serialized high-school dramedy
As popular in the spec world as on TV, the danger of a Glee spec continues to be that a major part of it will end up being lyrics. Some people might take that for laziness.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Beware: major cast overhaul upcoming.

The Good Wife (CBS)
Type: Legal procedural
A very smart show to spec, if only for its near-perfect hybrid mix of procedural and serialization. Plus it’s on a network, which makes it more well-known than some of its cable counterpart.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — A slow-burner that will probably garner a few more seasons.

Gossip Girl/90210 (The CW)
Type: Teen dramas
Last season for at least one of the two as being considered “mainstream”. Perhaps there are better show alternatives to consider.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Potentially entering its sixth season this fall, Gossip Girl has still some life left into it. 90210 continues to be hit or miss on the cancellation scale.

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
Type: Police/Action procedural
As expected last season, Hawaii Five-0 has become a great action-procedural mainstream spec to add to your arsenal.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Renewed and with a long life ahead of it.

Justified (FX)
Type: Police procedural
Justified is another series that completely exploded into the Mainstream category and has become one of the top specced show around.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — A fourth season is upcoming, and me thinks it will keep on going.

The Mentalist (CBS)
Type: Police procedural
In its prime.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Already going on to its fifth season, The Mentalist is still the most solid police procedural around.

NCIS:LA (CBS)
Type: Police/Action procedural
Similar to Hawaii Five-0, NCIS:LA seems to deliver to people looking for an action/police hybrid drama.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Let me guess; renewed?

Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Type: Serialized ensemble drama
Similar to Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy’s serialized elements may prove difficult to spec. With that said, the FX series has definitely grown into becoming a high speccer.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Those storylines, they keep on moving!

True Blood (HBO)
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
Although on the verge of being overspecced, the (supposed) unpredictability of the show makes it prone to fresh takes on the main characters. Or so they say.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — The upcoming season is the last for Alan Ball, and the show is catching up on the books. Be careful.

The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
On paper, it seems like a great, popular choice when it comes to fantasy series, with that said…
Longevity: ★★★★★ — …the constant flux in storylines may make you mad enough that you’d want to avoid speccing this one.

The Walking Dead (AMC)
Type: Ensemble/horror drama
Undeniably a very popular show, both on screen and on the page. The strong stand-alone aspect of the series makes it prone to lessen the serialized elements within your spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Regardless of your stance about how good or bad the show is, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Wild Cards
Not quite fully widespread but will get there given the chance.

Game of Thrones (HBO) *
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
People think they can easily write great adaptations, which makes Game of Thrones the best candidate for top-specced show of 2013. But just because you love the book doesn’t mean you can write it. And there’s also this small issue of coming up with original stand-alone stories not found in the novels.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Hugely successful and over six books. Enough said.

Homeland (Sho) *
Type: Serialized thriller
The Showtime series made it surprisingly big last season, which inevitably transformed it into a popular spec show.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — The serialization may put some people off, but it shouldn’t be that difficult to craft an episode around a specific subset of Abu Nazir’s terrorist plot (oh, look, free advice).

Leverage (TNT)
Type: Light heist/con/action procedural
Take it now before it goes over the hill.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Five seasons and still going strong; however, the amount of original cons left are dwindling by the episode.

Nikita (The CW)
Type: Action/spy procedural
The only spy drama option as of now (that will surely change next year).
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Average ratings and a pricey show means The CW could pull the plug, but Nikita is almost its only viable alternative series to the teen dramas.

Once Upon A Time (ABC) *
Type: Fantasy family drama
The most family-friendly show on this list, OUAT will probably be very specced by this time next year.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — A near-infinite pool of fairy tales coupled with big ratings means ABC has found its new long-standing drama.

Parenthood (NBC)
Type: Serialized family drama
First world problems: family edition.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — The serialized nature of Parenthood makes it hard to create a true stand-alone storyline, but a renewal is quasi-certain.

Person of Interest (CBS) *
Type: Crime procedural
The sci-fi touch is light but nonetheless makes Person of Interest an interest new addition to the crime procedural arena.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Renewal is a done deal.

Revenge (ABC) *
Type: Serialized family drama
The ultimate breakout soap of the past season, Revenge will clearly become a great series to spec…
Longevity: ★★★★★ — …depending on where the dominoes will fall at the end of this season.

The Secret Circle (The CW) *
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
If you feel The Vampire Diaries has been overdone, then this is for you.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Is it going to last? Two words: Kevin Williamson

Smash (NBC)
Type: Serialized musical drama
Make way for another musical series. Unlike Glee, you can showcase your lyrics talent given the show’s use of original songs.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Already renewed.

Touch (FOX) *
Type: Serialized fantasy/family drama
It is probably too soon to begin thinking about writing a spec for this mid-season show.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — There’s too much serendipity in Touch for me to care, but at least it adds an interesting dynamic to the usual “problem-solving” storyline.

Treme (HBO)
Type: Serialized historical drama
Even if Treme is not that well known to be a good stand-out spec, let’s just say going toe-to-toe with David Simon is not recommended.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — A third seasons premiering this fall and a fourth one already planned; looks like New Orleans is en vogue.

Outsiders
The shows (mostly cable) you may be tempted to take a risk on, getting you on top of the reading pile. Beyond that, it depends on the willingness of the reader and his/her knowledge of the show. Who knows, maybe the showrunner is into less popular shows and will value your risk-taking.

Hart of Dixie (The CW) *
Type: Serialized medical/family drama
If you’re aiming for broad appeal with a cute soapesque family/medical drama, Hart of Dixie will suit you just fine.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — More WB than CW, the series will most likely always be on the bubble.

Psych (USA)
Type: Light crime procedural
A little less used (and known) than its spy counterpart making it not quite as overspecced.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Psych’s run is impressive, with a recent renewal for another full-16 episode season order, continuing its records as the longest-running series on USA Nework.

Southland (TNT)
Type: Police procedural
Southland offers a great option in the “edgy/realistic” police drama procedural.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Once upon a time, the show was on its deathbed. It is now a popular basic-cable drama, in more ways than one.

Warehouse 13 (Syfy)
Type: Science-fiction procedural
Despite growing old, there are almost no purely procedural contenders in this genre. Like Eureka, Warehouse 13 will probably keep this slot until it bites the dust.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — You can never tell what crazy move Syfy will do next to shoot itself in the head.

White Collar (USA)
Type: Light crime procedural
A clear new winner for the blue-sky dramas from USA.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — No way Jose that this show is biting the dust anytime soon.

Gamblers
For one reason or another, these are much riskier specs to do right now. You have been warned.

Blue Bloods (CBS)
Type: Police/family drama
Blue Bloods is still too much under the radar to be considered as a main spec to send out, however the series offers an interesting family/procedural dynamic not really found on any other network shows.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — It’s on Fridays, so you can never know for sure.

Body of Proof/Harry’s Law (ABC/NBC)
Type: Medical/Legal procedurals
The shows are fairly weak to begin with, so trying to break out of the crowd by speccing either of them is disrespectful to your writing.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Even if renewed, it would be quite hard to write a compelling episode.

Forty-five shows are listed this year and, like last season, a few things can be observed.

Network dramas are coming back in force, slowly eating away the piece of older, aging cable dramas from the big five (AMC, FX, Syfy, USA, and TNT). HBO continues to be home to bigger, grander series that are always more hazardous to spec. NBC continues to be absent for the most part, while CBS and (surprisingly) ABC are taking over the lion share, leaving FOX in the wind.

A clear trend is forming this time around when it comes to popular specced show: serialization.
With a growing and fiercer competition, people are ready to take more risks with bolder choices. Stand-alone procedurals have mostly fallen out of favor for most people, even diminishing the light character serialized dramas’ dominance of the past few years.
Interestingly enough, “fresh is best” seems also to be a new intrinsic concept for now, with first and second-season series being extremely popular out of the gate.

With pilots being the most requested samples, are we moving towards “throwaway specs”, lasting merely a season?
Fudging with mythology, choosing new shows, the classic spec rules are slowly starting to fade away.

Serial or not, as long as a script and the show reflect your voice, it ends up being all about the writing.
Make your choice.

Click here for the Comedy Spec Script list.

Possible Related posts:

1. Drama Spec Script 2010 — What is hot and what is not
2. Drama Spec Script 2011 — What is hot and what is not

Like every year, it is now time to review which TV shows are good to spec, and which are not.
Dedicated posts will be made respectively for the best comedies (half-hour) and the best dramas (one-hour).
As the title says, this post is all about the comedies.
In addition, you’ll also find (when available) a script for the corresponding show.
Canceled or dead shows have been removed since last season’s spec list.

NEW ADDITION:
Given Warner Bros’ new rules for their fellowship, I have indicated with an asterisk (*) series that they will not accept specs for (mainly first-season series).

Here is a quick recap of how the list works:
The shows are divided into five categories regarding their appeal to readers and how well they are known/read:
– Over-specced (shows that have passed their prime, try to avoid doing them)
– Mainstream (shows that have matured enough that they have become on-the-nose speccers–and a lot of people are speccing them)
– Wild Cards (soon, everyone will spec those, maybe you can get a head start)
– Outsiders (specs that will get you out from the pack)
– Gamblers (risky shows that could pay off, or bomb)

There is also a grade regarding the show’s longevity in relation to its speccability.
Meaning, how long can you keep your spec script fresh without having to throw it in the trash?
To do this, we will use the greatest grading system on Earth; stars:
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Very Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Fair
★★★★★ — Poor

Let’s get started.


Over-Specced
Re-tool your spec if you have one, but you probably shouldn’t bother beginning a new one for these shows.

30 Rock (NBC)
Going strong with its sixth season currently airing, the show is still the to-go one when it comes to single-camera comedies. Which means additional competition within the very competitive field of spec writing.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — How many original ideas are left to tackle?

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Renewed for an additional two more (final?) seasons, HIMYM has been for a while, and probably will continue to be, an interesting hybrid animal in the spec world.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — It is clear that speccing an 8-season plus show is not the greatest idea. Would you have done a Friends spec around their seventh season?

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
The format of Philly, although fairly unique for its time, has been put through every mold and peripeties imaginable. Writing a new spec may make you late to the party.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Ten seasons and three movies?

The Office (NBC)
The change of cast brought a fresh perspective to the near-decade old show but it is kind of too little too late in the originality department.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — On its death bed with the inevitable Dwight spin-off.

Two and a Half Men (CBS)
If you’re that desparate for a Chuck Lorre-related spec, there are better choices out there.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — The Ashton Kutcher switcheroo brought new life to the series, which will probably make it last a few more seasons.

Weeds (Sho)
Despite the first two seasons being pretty straightforward and very speccable, the show has changed so much over the years that it’s hard to predict what misadventures are up next.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Dead show walking.

Mainstream
The current and new widespread shows in town that are getting read.

Archer (FX)
One of the best, if not the best contender in the animation comedy category.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Three seasons under its belt, a strong track-record of quality episodes; looks like the up-and-comer has become in vogue.

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
If you’re thinking of a classic sitcom in its prime, this is the one. Careful though as it may go over the overspec hill pretty fast.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — One more season means twenty less storylines available, but don’t let this detract you from the most popular sitcom around.

Community (NBC)
A dangerous show to spec, if only for its tricky “on the nose” storytelling/dialogue, and the fact that it is always bordering cancellation.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Tread very carefully.

Cougar Town/The Middle (ABC)
Surprisingly enough, despite being very low-key on either coasts, these two shows have begun what one might call a cult speccing trend.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Never underestimate the under-underdogs.

Modern Family (ABC)
A mainstream single-cam that has matured enough to become the new king of comedy world.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — What a joke it would be if the show were to get canceled.

Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Not only is it one of the best comedies around, it is still very fresh and very popular.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Beware of the constant flux within the characters’ dynamics.

Raising Hope (FOX)
This one is quickly becoming a very popular series to spec, thanks to its atypical humor.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Despite dips in ratings, it looks unlikely that FOX will cancel Raising Hope for at least another season.

Wild Cards
Not quite fully widespread but will get there given the chance.

Eastbound & Down (HBO)
Gathering cult status.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — The show’s third season has been announced as being the last. Send it out while you can.

Happy Endings (ABC)
Its countless meta pop-culture references may be reminiscent of Community, but unlike its NBC counterpart, the ABC shows deals with contemporary pop-culture instead of cultish/classic trends.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — With three other “group” comedies premiering the same season, no one expected Happy Endings to not only do as well as it did, but also be as good as it is. It’s the little network show that could, and does.

Mike & Molly (CBS)
Another classic multi-cam comedy that hasn’t been tapped to its fullest potential.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — With McCarthy’s new-found success, CBS will have a hard time justifying a cancellation of the sitcom.

New Girl (FOX) *
First we had Modern Family, then Raising Hope, and now New Girl. Watch out, we got a badass over here.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Renewed without any surprise.

Suburgatory (ABC) *
A great light and fun family comedy that fits right in the ABC comedy line.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Inventive and renewed; what more can you ask?

Two Broke Girls (CBS) *
If you like making racist jokes, the choice has been made for you. Just kidding?
Longevity: ★★★★★ — It’s a done deal on the renewal.

Up All Night (NBC) *
The new show under everybody’s radar, yet with one of the strongest comedy casts around.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Although a lukewarm track-record, it is doubtful that NBC will cancel this one for now.

Outsiders
The shows (mostly cable) you may be tempted to take a risk on, getting you on top of the reading pile. Beyond that, it depends on the willingness of the reader and his/her knowledge of the show. Who knows, maybe the showrunner is into less popular shows and will value your risk-taking.

House of Lies*/Nurse Jackie (Sho)
Despite seeming like ridiculous contenders, Nurse Jackie specs have gone surprisingly far in various fellowships. And House of Lies’ freshness, coupled with its hyper-cast, gives the Sho show potential for a strong script.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Emmy-winning this, Oscar-nominated that. Two dramedies that are not going anywhere for the next few months, or years.

The League (FX)
The macho-man show has transformed into a great outsider spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Recently renewed for a fourth season, The League may not go past another couple of seasons given the cast’s career trajectory.

Gamblers
For one reason or another, these are much riskier specs to do right now. You have been warned.

Childrens’ Hospital/NTSF:SD:SUV/Eagleheart (Cartoon Network/Adult Swim) *
None of them are strictly speaking half-hours, so it would be quite tough for any of these shows to be sufficient by themselves.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — They’re dirt cheap enough to not be canceled soon.

The Life and Times of Tim (HBO) *
Like the Adult Swim block, Tim is not only amongst the most un-politically correct show on this list, but more importantly is in a short-form structure that might not appeal to the mass spec market.
Longevity: ★★★★★ — Saved from the dead at the last minute this past season, it is unclear if a miracle can be pulled twice in a row.


Once again, it seems the comedy landscape is outshining this year the drama side with its many choices.
Following last season’s footsteps into marking their comedy territory, both ABC’s and FOX’s lineups are giving NBC a run for their (lack of) money. Parks & Rec, 30 Rock, The Office and (ironically?) Community are still the most popular specs, but it’s become clear that the alternatives will soon take the top seat. While the big dogs are fighting, the cable world is slowly pushing its underdogs to the top. Who’d have thought Archer would be the mainstream animation show when it premiered?
With Eastbound and probably Tim gone by next season, HBO is left in the wind in the face of Sho’s dramedies (which, for the most part, are strangely categorized as dramas). Meanwhile, Lorre is still reigning supreme over multi-cams while they are, little by little, slowly phased out from our screens.
The tone has been set.

Click here for the Drama Spec Script list.

Possible Related posts:

1. Comedy Spec Script 2011 — What is hot and what is not
2. Comedy Spec Script 2010 — What is hot and what is not

Is this mic still working?
Looks like I haven’t been here in a long while.
The truth of the matter of the fact of the reality is that I’ve been fairly busy (shoot-out to my work peeps).
That is, indeed, a poor excuse, but I don’t have a dog to blame everything on.

Moving on.

During my break-time from the blogosphere, I have received countless e-mails (I don’t know how to count over ten) about “when I would come back” or “how about you move your ass and write something to help me out on this Dallas spec?”, or better yet, “what’s up with that” (oooo ooo weeee).

My own bat-signal had been launched into the sky. My return to adventure. My moment of triumph. My call to arms.
But I resisted.
And then I realized.
Oh, who am I kidding?
A writer craves attention like Joffrey Baratheon needs a good smack-down.

Here we go.

It is with great sadness that, like all great Messiahs before me, I am announcing the launch of an exploratory committee to potentially, perhaps, maybe.…return to the world of wisdom-giving.

At this point, you may be wondering why I’m even bothering writing this post, especially if I am merely considering coming back instead of outright committing to it.

Here’s the thing: I can’t quit you guys. But I can’t quit my busy life either.
So, let’s make a deal.
I will come back here, as often as I can, to write interesting, insightful, thought-provoking, charming, magnificent, orgasmic, earth-shattering posts (notice the smooth transition to veridical adjectives).
In exchange for all of this, come back to me! Don’t leave me! You complete me! I have strong abandonment issues!
I’ll take your silence as your agreement.

But wait.
It’s not over yet.
You didn’t think I would write a new post four months after the last one just to ramble about, did you?

And now, for the real announcement everybody has been waiting for since the dawn of mankind…

I am currently working on the 2012 Spec List.
The double-whammy will be posted in the next couple of weeks.
What a twist!

To be continued.
For realsies.

I must first apologize for my lack of recent posting.
This seems like the hundredth time I’ve done so in the past year, but the reason I’m currently quite unavailable is thanks to my present work.

In the meantime, today is the end of October, which not only means that tonight is Halloween, but that tomorrow marks the official beginning of this year’s NaNoWriMo.
Now, as the name suggests, this is more a novel writing month than a screenwriting one (after all, we have our own much more appropriate Script Frenzy in April). But with that said, writing is writing. And you’re not going to attain those 10,000 hours through tweeting.

Off you go!

First off, I can’t believe this is already my fourth Emmy review on this site.
I’d like to thank — Oh, who am I kidding. I made myself.

Anyways, on to business.

I’ve gotta admit, this was a pretty good year for the Emmys.
Jane Lynch was a great host, and it started off fairly well with her opening number.
It did drag on a bit but, overall, it was a nice time (I’m still a fan of last year’s Born To Run though).
One thing I did note about the stage was the huge FOX logo at the top of the gigantic video tower.
We get it, we’re on FOX. The Simon Cowell network.

The big awkward running gag of the night (you’ve gotta have one of those) was the Emmytones. Or, as I call it, the “why the fuck am I doing this” choir, composed of such talented actors as Joel McHale and Zach Levi.
Forced smiles coupled with bad timing meant one bad musical number after another.
LL Cool J’s surprise guest song towards the end of the night only reinforced the contrast between a “cool” number and…that.

As expected, we were treated with funny presenters mixed with more, shall we say, somber ones.
It started pretty well with the two Jimmys (Fallon and Kimmel) boxing it out.
The first part of the night was, as Jane Lynch called it, the Modern Family Awards.
Beyond the fact that it was a clean sweep for the show, I actually did not expect Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell to win. They did deserve the awards though.
Ricky Gervais’ pre-recorded message was way too tame to be funny. I know it was supposed to be the joke but, still, too on the nose. Here’s to hoping he’ll be back in some capacity live on another award show.
Another annoying thing about the night was the overbearing announcer/voice-over guy making pretty crappy jokes about each winner as they walked onto the stage. They definitely need to cut that gag out next time around.

I honestly thought there would be an upset in the comedy writing department with Louis C.K. winning. After all, the show is widely loved in LaLaLand.
And if not a Louie episode, then at least the final Steve Carell/The Office one.
So, yes, this was another Modern Family Emmy I didn’t really anticipate.
Same comment for ‘best actor’ where I really thought Steve Carell’s final year would be recognized.
Charlie Sheen’s speech was beyond awkward. Was he being serious or ironic? It all sounded so hollow and strange. I can understand Jim Parsons being creeped out.

At this point in the post I have to take a moment and acknowledge the great dramatic presentation that was the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category.
All the nominated actresses going up on stage ‘impromptu’-style was great.
Yay for McCarthy. I’m not a big Mike & Molly fan though I’m seeing this victory as a recognition of McCarthy’s past work (Gilmore Girls!). And Bridesmaids certainly didn’t hurt.

The best moment of the night was undoubtedly the great Office comedy bit with fellow characters/actors popping in and out of the short. The biggest laughs were had with Jesse Pinkman giving Creed some meth. Brilliant.

Moving on the the Reality/Variety category, I have to say that Top Chef: All-Stars was a shoe-in for the Emmy, not Amazing Race (for what feels like a decade of wins).
Speaking of gazillion victories, The Daily Show once again took the top prize. I can’t complain, although I’m still waiting on The Colbert Report to get the Emmy.

We then got blasted with a Lonely Island medley (sorta).
Look, I enjoy the occasional skit as much as the next guy, but doing a live remake of the Michael Bolton song was unoriginal to say the least.
It was a nice touch to have (I think) Ed Helms, Maya Rudolph and John Stamos in the set as well, but overall, a fairly weak (albeit crazy) skit.

And this brings me to the ‘best drama writer’ category.
Holy smokes.
Huge surprise (in my mind) with Jason Katims’ oh-so-deserved victory for the series finale of Friday Night Lights.
Finally some recognition!
Now, I’m still a season behind, but I’m super stoked about this win.
Ditto for Kyle Chandler’s Emmy prize.
Those are upsets I enjoy seeing.
Martin Scorsese winning best director was one of the most obvious awards of the night (save for the finale two).
On the other side of the coin, Peter Dinklage won!

Following last year’s debacle, the ‘In Memoriam’ segment was anticipated (for lack of a more politically-correct description).
What we got this time around was a music clip promoting a Canadian boys band singing a terrible version of Hallelujah.
Better luck next season, right?

And now about the final awards.
Clearly no surprise there for Downtown Abbey which holds the BS record for “most acclaimed series in the world”.
I haven’t got much else to add about Mad Men’s victory.
And as for Modern Family winning. Well. It’s the new 30 Rock.

Possible Related posts:

1. America needs a prune (Emmys 2008)
2. Born to Run (Emmys 2010)

[Since I’ll be talking about Six Feet Under as a whole (including the series finale), I highly recommend you watch all five seasons of series before reading this post — it’s worth it.]

Lesson 5: Play with expectations
Looking at its structure objectively, you can’t deny that Six Feet Under was a formulaic show. Every episode started with a death, and the audience expected that.
All of this was subverted several times during the course of the series. You thought someone was dying a horrible death when, ultimately, it was someone else entirely. One episode opened with a man about to light his stove with a match and being distracted by a phone call. You expect him to die in a gas explosion, yet the death ends up being a mad-man gunning down the call center at the other end of the line. A season finale had a Kroehner employee playing golf with his boss. The audience arguably was rooting for the character’s death (given his antagonistic presence on the show), but an innocent bystander was the victim of the episode. The show also turned the whole concept on its head in its final episode, by opening with a birth instead of a death.
All of that is to say that, as formulaic as a show can be, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do the same thing over and over again. Formula isn’t a prison; it is merely a delimited playground.

Lesson 6: Have something to say
Six Feet Under was a very intense show dealing with a wide array of sensitive issues, most of the time in the rawest form possible. They didn’t sugarcoat the real world.
More importantly, each episode had its own theme that resonated with the various characters. Most of the times, this was launched by the opening death. No story was random; it had a reason to be on the show besides “stuff happens.” It always told something about the characters and the world. A young homosexual is murdered. David is forced to confront his own sexuality and relationship with his mother.
We talked earlier about different character point of views, but each episode also needs to say and show something different from the previous one. If your episodes are clones of each other by telling the same story over and over again, you might as well put on reruns.

Lesson 7: It’s okay to think ahead
Despite all the somewhat hackneyed “live in the moment” stuff I said in Part One, a show needs to have some kind of plan, or rather arc(s). And I’m not talking about a smoke monster.
Six Feet Under had under its hood multiple arcs layered and mixed into each other. The show was as much about the characters as what happened to them.
In season two, Brenda befriends a prostitute and starts having, let’s just say, a sexual awakening. Although at the time it may have seemed to be somewhat gratuitous, it was (and is) in fact a key part of the Brenda/Nate dynamic that unfolds in the given season. The prostitute storyline is set up early on, while Nate and Brenda are not yet married. Later on, when they do get hitched, all of this comes to bite Brenda in the ass, and the couple calls it quits. In this small example, Brenda had at the very least two arcs going on within her relationship with Nate beyond “the relationship.” I could enumerate many more arcs within it — Billy, her parents, etc. — however you get the point: nobody goes through one thing at a time.
This is not Inception, but, as you can see, shows (and life) tend to be “arcs within arcs”. All the more reasons not to get lost in your own world and actually think of the future a bit. Your stories themselves will likely improve (badly plotted arcs tend to stick out like sore thumbs by either going nowhere or ending in a tailspin).

Lesson 8: Stay with the emotions
Like we’ve seen before, there needs to be an emotional connection between the audience and the show. Six Feet Under pushed that to a new level by oftentimes “staying with the emotions.” It might seem contradictory from the famous advice of “quitting a scene at its height”, however sometimes it’s worth sticking with a central A story all the way through.
In one of the most intense episodes of the series, David is taken hostage by a psychopath. Although the episode starts like any other (A/B/C/D stories mixed), midway through, the focus shifts entirely towards David’s nightmarish situation. Not only is over half the episode devoted to that storyline, but, more importantly, once the situation heightens (i.e. when you understand midway through the episode that the other guy is a psycho), the episode grabs you and doesn’t let you go until its final seconds. Clearly the writer wanted the viewer to be put into David’s shoes. “Staying with the emotions” (in this case overwhelmingly negative ones), is one way to heighten both the tension and importance of the episode (anything can happen).
Viewers are now used to a fairly quick back-and-forth between scenes, so when you disrupt that dynamic and devote several pages back-to-back to a single storyline, you’re making a point.

What to take from the show (Part Two)
Stories need to be both relevant and interesting, but more than that they need to be engaging to the audience. Whether by intensifying its importance or managing expectations, the attention and structure given to a storyline is potentially as important as the plot itself.

Possible Related posts:

1. Screenwriting lessons from Six Feet Under — Part One
2. Screenwriting lessons from Coupling

Ten years ago, one of the greatest American series debuted on television: Six Feet Under.
Concluding in 2005 with one of the best finales in TV history, the show broke new ground with its emotional and riveting stories. The series dealt with many day-to-day issues, including family, sexuality, relationships, and of course life & death. These are some of the lessons learned from this amazing character drama.

[Since I’ll be talking about Six Feet Under as a whole (including the series finale), I highly recommend you watch all five seasons of series before reading this post — it’s worth it.]

Lesson 1: Life is a prism
Never will your neighbor, your friend or even your brother think the same thing as you since each person has a different life experience. This translates directly into the way you, and your characters, view the world.
Different characters have different viewpoints, and the money in character relationships is where characters are trying to convince each other to change their mind.
When we meet them, Nate and David couldn’t be more different in their views of the family business. The former tried to escape this world as soon as he can, the latter abandoned his lawyer dream to be a mortician. During the life of the series, Nate is, despite himself, transforming into his father while David searches for his own identity. Both disagree on what death and the business is/should be, but they’re still brothers at the end of the day.
Beyond characters, the “prism” aspect of life also directly translates into the story. Each episode of the show centered on a different death, and more importantly how the funeral home dealt with it (and how it resonated through them).
When a grieving widow confides in Rico that she barely remembers her (now dead) ex-husband, Rico (and the audience with him) immediately think of his own fragile marriage on the brink of a divorce, slowly being erased from his family.
We’re all humans and therefore see the world in our version, our own “first-person POV.” It is vital that you represent that kind of polarizing diversity in your characters since no one is a clone of another person. Note that diversity and polarizing viewpoints do not mean a Manichean black/white division of your world.

Lesson 2: Less is more
If there is one thing Six Feet Under does better than any other show on television (besides Breaking Bad), it is to play up the silence. The “moments in between” are the moments of the show (arguably another big difference between film and TV in general). Continuous action is not needed to hold continuous interest from the audience (you don’t see a car explosion every episode, let alone every act).
It can be good to have an explosive monologue you build up to where a character pours out all of his/her emotions, but how often does that happen in real life? People rarely say more than a few words at a time, and most of life happens without words.
In one of the finest scene from the series finale, Ruth calls Maggie to get closure on her son’s death, asking her if he was happy in his last moments. The crux of the exchange doesn’t come with Maggie’s answer but by Ruth’s gasp for air, more indicative of her relief than anything else. Sure, a lot of it is due to the actor’s performance, but it also means the writer trusted his writing enough to write less. He knew it was the best option instead of doing a tedious/on-the-nose remark.
The old expression still holds true: Silence is golden.

Lesson 3: It’s about what is happening, not why
In other (canned) words: “it’s about the journey.“
Don’t get me wrong, you need to have reasons for putting X character in Z position, and you should be able to track your story’s progress plus ram up the tension at the end of your third act. Yet, a show isn’t a logical math problem with a solution. There should be some kind of reason for your madness, but all of this is for you, the writer, not the viewer. Your audience isn’t made up of robots analyzing and deconstructing beat by beat your show to determine why you put this and that there (at least not subconsciously). A show needs to not only live and breathe but more importantly be emotionally engaging.
So what does that have to do with “what is happening”?
Well, when you’re in the world, you (almost) never ask yourself “why is this happening?!” (unless you’re in Lost or a philosopher).
Your characters can question the “what” and do a spiritual search to get answers to “why” (after all, that’s the central question around life/religion itself), but unless you want to alienate your audience, it is never a good idea to remove any shred of mystery and actually answer the mysterious question.
Why do you think the Six Feet Under series finale is not only considered the pinnacle of the show but one of the best finales ever? The characters’ lives are (literally) concluded, but everything in between is left open-ended. We were only privileged to a slice of their lives, part of their journey. You cared about the characters and you lived with them. The show offered the perfect amount of closure.
Think of it this way: Life doesn’t have a point, it is the point.

Lesson 4: Unknown is better than known
Continuing on the “less is more” philosophy, no one is omniscient, which means you know next to nothing besides your limited point of view (no offense).
This directly translated on screen in the show with Lisa’s terrible, unknown, fate.
For the second half of the third season, Lisa, Nate’s wife, goes missing. Little by little, Nate worries and pretty much goes insane not knowing what happened to his wife. All of this builds up to somewhat of a closure to the arc that won’t happen until a season later. I say “somewhat of a closure” since even then, it isn’t really a closure. Just like in life, you don’t know what really happened to Lisa, simply the consequences (i.e. death).
Dread is a powerful emotion oftentimes ignored. Fear of the unknown is also a great motivator for people to take action (no one wants to see a hero wallow in self-pity).

What to take from the show (Part One):
Before mythology or adventures, a show needs to be about people true to life. No one is one-dimensional and no two people share the same exact limited point of views. Treat your characters as such.

Possible Related posts:

1. Screenwriting lessons from Six Feet Under — Part Two
2. Screenwriting lessons from Coupling