Pat Weldon wonders:
You've talked about sitcom writer's rooms many times. Do procedurals have writer's rooms also? What kind of atmosphere are they? I can't imagine them being as much fun as a sitcom room. Or maybe just a different kind of fun?
Hard to say since I’ve never been on staff of a procedural, but from I understand the room gets together to plot the season and break stories. Not sure how many laughs there are on LAW & ORDER SVU, but you never know. Scripts are assigned to individual writers who then go off and complete drafts.
I think the rewriting process depends on the show. Sometimes the staff rewrites, other times the show runner rewrites.
Or I’m totally wrong.
cd1515 asks:
Friday question: loved the podcast about bad reviews, interesting how everyone’s first reaction to a bad review is to say is bullshit but of course if it’s a good review they believe it 100%.
Have you seen or heard of anyone getting a great review and saying “Gee that’s a little overboard, it wasn’t THAT good”?
We’ve had a couple overly effusive reviews like that, and although it’s lovely and fun to send to relatives, we know better than to think we’re comic geniuses. There are one or two times we fell short.
From Michael:
How much control do networks have over plot lines once a show has been renewed for a new season? For example, if showrunner decides wants to do long arc where married couple gets separated, can the network stop him/her, short of cancelling the show?
It all depends on the clout of the showrunner. Unless you’re Chuck Lorre/Shonda Rhimes/Dick Wolf the network is going to have final say on stories and arcs. Even successful shows like HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, well into their run had to submit outlines to CBS.
Whether streaming services are more lenient, that I don’t know.
But networks these days generally own the studios as well, so they have all the leverage. And use it.
And finally, from Jahn Ghalt:
A Friday Question of speculative interest:
In "The Comedy Litmus Test" (10FEB) you wrote:
Recently, I’ve been asked to assess short plays for several theatre festivals.
Do you ever read something that strikes you as potentially brilliant - but "needs work"?
And if so, would this ever inspire you to collaborate with the writer?
No. I might contact the writer and offer suggestions if they’re open to them, but I’m not looking for partners.
When David Isaacs and I had a production company at Paramount there were a couple of times when we mentored young writers through pilots under our banner. But not for any theatre projects.
What’s your Friday Question? Have you gotten vaccinated yet? Get that second shot.
from By Ken Levine
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