How to Make Your Own TV Show
Come up with a compelling premise, or "what if?", Choose the genre and format for your show., Develop your characters., Write up a treatment for the show., Build some content around your idea.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Come up with a compelling premise
idea.
Your idea could be as simple as "what if a documentary crew filmed a small paper company" (The Office) to a big, complex idea like "what if a chemistry teacher started cooking meth?" (Breaking Bad).
This is the backbone of your show, what will set it apart, and what will help it sell.
A lot of "what ifs" are generated by mixing and matching existing shows. 30 Rock, for example, is the world of SNL mixed into the workplace humor of The Office or Cheers.
Famed drama The Wire is a mix between crime shows and political thrillers.
Think of shows you admire and might emulate-- what are their simple, one phrase "what if" ideas? -
Step 2: or "what if?"
This is one of the most important decisions you'll make, as it affects everything that comes afterward.
The genre is the mood and tone of the show
-- is it a comedy, medical drama, or reality TV show? The format is the timing of the show, and there are a few options:
Episodic:
Each episode is a self-contained story.
Comedies are usually episodic, half-hour shows, but some crime shows and murder mysteries are also episodic.
Serial:
Each episode builds on the story of the one before it.
These shows generally tell season-long stories, like Breaking Bad,'The West Wing, or "Gravity Falls." They are almost always hour-long shows and are usually dramatic.
Sketch:
Sketch shows are made up of many smaller, self-contained stories.
This is like Saturday Night Live, Key & Peele, or MadTV. , List each character and give them a 2-3 sentence description.
Avoid physical descriptions, instead trying to capture what makes each character unique:
Good characters have flaws and strengths.
They are round
-- meaning that they have a personality beyond "the angry gardener" or "the loving mother." What does each character want? What is the character afraid of? This drives each character's actions in the show.
Reality shows still need to describe the characters.
What makes your subjects interesting or compelling? Why would an audience want to hear their story?, Treatments are somewhat like the blueprint for a show.
They are used to show a development executive exactly what to expect from the show, should they make it themselves.
To develop a treatment, you need a few things:
The Title:
A good title usually has two meanings.
Look at Mad Men, for example, which promises the world of advertising agencies as well as the slipping sanity of Don Draper.
The Logline:
This is a punchy, 1-2 sentence recap of the show.
It's the hook, based around the "what if" premise.
For example, Community's logline might be, "A hotshot lawyer is forced to make a crazy new group of friends when his fake law degree forces him back to community college." The Synopsis:
This is a brief, 1 page write up of the show idea.
What is the setting, plot, and general focus of each episode? How can you capture the essence of the show in 3-4 sentences? If this is a serial show, outline the progression of the first season.Character Sheets:
Take each main character and write 1-2 sentences about them, focusing on their personalities and goals more than their looks.
Episode Guide:
Write a short paragraph about the first 4-5 episodes you want to show, detailing the plots that will make up the bulk of your show., The best way to sell your show is to show someone the show in progress.
Thanks to all of the cheap equipment these days, it is easier than ever to get pieces of your show on the web and in people's hands.
The type of material you develop, however, will depend on your show.
Scripts:
It never hurts to have a script, and this is the most conventional and successful approach to making your own show, especially hour-long shows and dramas.
Webisodes:
The best way to get attention is to simply make your show yourself.
Youtube has made it remarkably easy to shoot short 2-5-minute episodes involving your characters and share them with the world.
This is how Broad City and Workaholics both got picked up.
Storyboards and Sizzle Reels:
Like a webisode but for longer projects, these are like test shots for your show.
It could be an interview for a talk show, test shots for a reality TV episode, or storyboards and drawings for an animated show. -
Step 3: Choose the genre and format for your show.
-
Step 4: Develop your characters.
-
Step 5: Write up a treatment for the show.
-
Step 6: Build some content around your idea.
Detailed Guide
idea.
Your idea could be as simple as "what if a documentary crew filmed a small paper company" (The Office) to a big, complex idea like "what if a chemistry teacher started cooking meth?" (Breaking Bad).
This is the backbone of your show, what will set it apart, and what will help it sell.
A lot of "what ifs" are generated by mixing and matching existing shows. 30 Rock, for example, is the world of SNL mixed into the workplace humor of The Office or Cheers.
Famed drama The Wire is a mix between crime shows and political thrillers.
Think of shows you admire and might emulate-- what are their simple, one phrase "what if" ideas?
This is one of the most important decisions you'll make, as it affects everything that comes afterward.
The genre is the mood and tone of the show
-- is it a comedy, medical drama, or reality TV show? The format is the timing of the show, and there are a few options:
Episodic:
Each episode is a self-contained story.
Comedies are usually episodic, half-hour shows, but some crime shows and murder mysteries are also episodic.
Serial:
Each episode builds on the story of the one before it.
These shows generally tell season-long stories, like Breaking Bad,'The West Wing, or "Gravity Falls." They are almost always hour-long shows and are usually dramatic.
Sketch:
Sketch shows are made up of many smaller, self-contained stories.
This is like Saturday Night Live, Key & Peele, or MadTV. , List each character and give them a 2-3 sentence description.
Avoid physical descriptions, instead trying to capture what makes each character unique:
Good characters have flaws and strengths.
They are round
-- meaning that they have a personality beyond "the angry gardener" or "the loving mother." What does each character want? What is the character afraid of? This drives each character's actions in the show.
Reality shows still need to describe the characters.
What makes your subjects interesting or compelling? Why would an audience want to hear their story?, Treatments are somewhat like the blueprint for a show.
They are used to show a development executive exactly what to expect from the show, should they make it themselves.
To develop a treatment, you need a few things:
The Title:
A good title usually has two meanings.
Look at Mad Men, for example, which promises the world of advertising agencies as well as the slipping sanity of Don Draper.
The Logline:
This is a punchy, 1-2 sentence recap of the show.
It's the hook, based around the "what if" premise.
For example, Community's logline might be, "A hotshot lawyer is forced to make a crazy new group of friends when his fake law degree forces him back to community college." The Synopsis:
This is a brief, 1 page write up of the show idea.
What is the setting, plot, and general focus of each episode? How can you capture the essence of the show in 3-4 sentences? If this is a serial show, outline the progression of the first season.Character Sheets:
Take each main character and write 1-2 sentences about them, focusing on their personalities and goals more than their looks.
Episode Guide:
Write a short paragraph about the first 4-5 episodes you want to show, detailing the plots that will make up the bulk of your show., The best way to sell your show is to show someone the show in progress.
Thanks to all of the cheap equipment these days, it is easier than ever to get pieces of your show on the web and in people's hands.
The type of material you develop, however, will depend on your show.
Scripts:
It never hurts to have a script, and this is the most conventional and successful approach to making your own show, especially hour-long shows and dramas.
Webisodes:
The best way to get attention is to simply make your show yourself.
Youtube has made it remarkably easy to shoot short 2-5-minute episodes involving your characters and share them with the world.
This is how Broad City and Workaholics both got picked up.
Storyboards and Sizzle Reels:
Like a webisode but for longer projects, these are like test shots for your show.
It could be an interview for a talk show, test shots for a reality TV episode, or storyboards and drawings for an animated show.
About the Author
Joshua Edwards
With a background in lawenforcement security, Joshua Edwards brings 11 years of hands-on experience to every article. Joshua believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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