John August

Chosen

Gorilla City and the Kingdom of Toads

Episode - 56

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Chosen, Follow Up, News, QandA, Scriptnotes, Television, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed

John and Craig talk about the new show John sold to ABC, which leads to a conversation about the differences between studios and networks, and how writers end up having relationships with both.

We answer a listener question about what writers mean by a “weekly.”

The bulk of the podcast centers on four samples from the Three Page Challenge, covering a range of genres from heist movies to fantasy to broad comedy. You can find all four entries in the links, so read along with us.

As always, our thanks to these brave writers who’ve shared their work. If you want to send in your own entry, there are some simple rules to follow.

LINKS:

You can download the episode here: AAC.

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UPDATE 9-28-12: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Chosen, or Hey I’m Doing a TV Show!

Chosen, News, Television

I often remark how television is where the best storytelling is happening these days, both in one-hour dramas and half-hour comedies. So, after a few seasons of staring longingly through the fence, I’ve decided to get back into that game.

Josh Friedman and I just set up a new show called Chosen, produced by 20th Television for ABC. It’s a one-hour drama. I’ll write the pilot, and if the show goes to series, Josh will run it.

We’re keeping the logline under wraps, but it centers around a family facing unusual circumstances.

In addition to his awesome-but-nigh-abandoned blog, Josh created and ran The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which I loved dearly. I only wanted to do a show this season if I had a partner who could write it and run it extraordinarily well. That’s Josh.

Between this and the Chicago opening of Big Fish, it’s going to be a busy six months, but I’m excited for all the new challenges.

Standard before-you-get-too-excited disclaimers:

  • Most scripts never go to pilot.
  • Most pilots never go to series.
  • Most series don’t last.

So while I’m extremely enthusiastic about this show’s chances, I’m not plotting a fifth season just yet.

What I love about TV is that development means taking chances. They’re gambling on me and Josh and dozens of other writers. They’re not sure which shows are going to work, so they’re making more than they need. It’s not that money is limitless, but they need shows to fill their networks, and it’s worth it to spend money now to find the best ones.

It’s the opposite of movies these days, where development is about justifying how little money studios can spend, and how few movies they can make.

TV networks would also like to “only make the hits.” But they’re smart enough to realize that they won’t necessarily know the hits until they have them.

Keep in mind, this is development for the 2013-14 season. That seems impossibly far away, but that’s how TV works. The new fall shows debuting this week began their life a year ago. You’re watching the ones that made the cut. Maybe we’ll be among the next batch. Either way, I’m excited to get started.