Tom Benedek on Gone Girl, Broadchurch, and writing for TV

A guest post from Tom Benedek, screenwriter (Cocoon) and teacher:

Happy New Year. Right after seeing Gone Girl, I found myself getting hooked on Broadchurch, a British TV series available on Netflix Streaming. Gone Girl functions as a mystery during its first half, then at the midpoint, it shifts into a kind of thriller mode with some fascinating, twisted character development. Could Gone Girl be TV? Along the lines of a show like The Affair or, of course, House of Cards — perhaps. Do I want to have this fun couple in my house every Sunday evening? Hmmm. As a movie, Gone Girl spun me around a few times. I will not forget it.

Why did the pilot episode of Broadchurch completely hook me? I don’t usually get involved in this kind of show: it is a straightforward murder mystery. The thing is — it has engaging, likable, yet potentially dark characters. The establishing setups of story, place, people are conventional AND highly resonant, with clear, relatable emotional tugs. Twists of story build emotional contrast almost immediately and yet it feels highly character driven. I will keep watching Broadchurch, catch up before Season 2 begins soon.

More and more feature creators are moving into TV. Along with intense viewership, binge watching, some truly excellent shows, there have been changes in the TV writing marketplace.

TV execs have been raising the bar on pitches. They don’t just want to know the details of the premise, pilot script structure and characters. They expect to hear thumbnail structures for three more episodes AND the season arcs for the main characters.

This means that writer-creators must know more about their shows than ever before — taking responsibility for the concept as a long running TV show. The networks/channels want to see a big canvas. You, the writer, have the opportunity to fill it, truly invest in your premise, characters and story.

TV writing has its own specific structural principles which feature writers can easily grasp. Understanding how to shape a new show and series may be valuable for all your future writing. So please consider my upcoming class TV: PILOT CREATION WORKSHOP starting Monday January 12.

To learn more about the workshop, go here.