How to Write a TV Treatment & Story
- 1). Decide what kind of TV show you want to write. Examples of this would be a half-hour sitcom, a one-hour drama, an episodic documentary, a how-to program such as cooking or home repair or a reality show.
Judiciously study existing programs that most closely match your own vision and take note of their structure and pacing, number of characters and settings and their target demographic. Identify the similarities and differences between these shows and the one you want to write. - 2). Summarize the premise of your TV show in one sentence. This is called a logline and its purpose is to tell readers at a glance what they can expect from the content.
Examples:
Seven strangers are shipwrecked on an island.
A widow discovers the house she has just rented is haunted.
A housewife becomes the new partner of a secret agent.
Guests compete for cash prizes by seeing who can design the ugliest clothes. - 3). Write short bios about each of the characters in your proposed program, establish how they are related to one another (i.e., families, coworkers, classmates, ex-lovers), and define how their respective wants, needs and fears will be addressed in the storyline. Determine when and where the action will unfold and how many different settings will be utilized . Sitcoms, for instance, usually confine all of their action to less than three recurring locations. In contrast, a police drama is likely to have dozens of different backdrops in each episode. Give your show a catchy title.
- 4). Describe in detail what happens in the inaugural episode of your TV show. The first episode is called the "pilot" and its objective is to set the prevailing mood, introduce who the recurring players will be and identify the unifying thread of conflict that will govern the characters' actions. Examples of this include the combustible chemistry of opposites, the adjustment to a new environment or the pursuit of an elusive foe.
When characters make their first appearance in this summary, their names are in caps and thereafter in upper and lower case. Major plot points--but not actual dialogue--are included in this overview and the pilot may or may not end with a cliffhanger. For nonfiction programming, the premiere episode would include elements such as who is in the guest line-up, what the rules of a competition are or a discussion of what is going to be learned, constructed or investigated. - 5). Write a paragraph each for 6 to 10 subsequent episodes of your TV show. The objective of this exercise is to demonstrate the sustainability of the show's core premise and how you plan to develop the respective personalities and agendas of your characters.
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