TV Show Ingredients
A guest post from screenwriter Tom Benedek on the TV series ‘Killing Eve’
A guest post from screenwriter Tom Benedek on the TV series ‘Killing Eve’
The Demands of the Form are specific. The TV series pilot episode sets the rules for the entire series. It situates the show within a genre, sets up logistics of relationships, story and rhythm. Break all the rules you want, but purposefully, clearly understanding the kind of show you are creating.
Killing Eve (BBC America) has it all. A beguiling and quirky protagonist with a complicated personal life. A charismatic, unpredictable antagonist. Glossy visuals. Action, violence, splashes of sex, simple, compelling main story.
A limited series from the BBC, based on a series of mystery novels, the first episode raises viewer expectations while clearly setting in place what to expect from each future episode.
It is a murder mystery-spy thriller. But the audience knows who the killer is, providing the spectacle of watching this very bad person in action — repeatedly claim her victims.Eve is trying to catch a killer. She may be a bit infatuated with her? She wants to maintain her domestic situation, works to stay emotionally committed and sexually active with her live-in significant other.
Her personal struggle interplays with her pursuit of the killer constantly. I keep watching because I am invested in Eve’s internal battle. She is anything but remote. And she is in a specific phase in her love relationship.
The writer places this protagonist at a point in her life which is both personally and professionally specific. For good reason. Where Eve specifically resides in the trajectory of her life — socially, professionally, personally — as the show opens is crucial. Her actions, reactions are always influenced by the “here and now” of the life she is living.
Outspoken, warm, intelligent, brave, compulsive, Eve is a complex and multi-faceted character. Caught between her warm domestic partnership and the thrill of the spy game, she is an endearing person who never really separates the personal from the professional.
I am hooked. I will keep watching Killing Eve. And I will hope for more seasons to come from the BBC.
It’s the kind of series that excites me about the TV form and makes me want to get to work on a new series pilot.
If you have one to work on now, I have a pilot workshop starting next week:
Here is the schedule of upcoming Screenwriting Master Class courses and workshops:
January 21, 2019 — Craft: Story Summaries — From Loglines to Beat Sheets
presented by Scott Myers
January 28, 2019 — Pages TV: Write Your Original TV Pilot Script
presented by Tom Benedek
January 28, 2019 — Craft: The First 15 Pages
presented by Tom Benedek
February 4, 2019 — Craft: Handling Exposition
presented by Scott Myers
February 11, 2019 — Pages II: Rewrite Your Script
presented by Tom Benedek
February 11, 2019 — Craft TV: Pilots, Season Arcs, Series Bibles
presented by Tom Benedek
February 18, 2019 — Craft: Scene Description Spotlight
presented by Scott Myers
February 25, 2109 — Craft: Writing the Character-Driven Script
presented by Tom Benedek
March 4, 2019 — Craft: Character Development Keys
presented by Scott Myers
March 11, 2019 — Pages I: Writing First Draft
presented by Tom Benedek
March 18, 2019 — Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist
presented by Scott Myers
March 25, 2019 — Craft: Creating the Web Series
presented by Tom Benedek
April 1, 2019 — Craft: Write a Worthy Nemesis
presented by Scott Myers
April 8, 2019, 2019 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Tom Benedek
April 15, 2019 — Craft: Scene-Writing Workshop
presented by Scott Myers
April 22, 2019 — Network Hollywood
presented by Tom Benedek
April 29, 2019 — Craft: Dialogue-Writing Workshop
presented by Scott Myers
May 6, 2019 — Pages II: Rewrite Your Script
presented by Tom Benedek
May 13, 2019 — Craft: The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling
presented by Scott Myers
May 20, 2019 — Craft: Scene Writing Tarantino Style
presented by Tom Benedek
May 27, 2019 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Scott Myers
June 10, 2019 — Pages I: Writing First Draft
presented by Scott Myers
June 17, 2019 — Craft: Writing the Low Budget Script
presented by Tom Benedek
June 24, 2019 — Craft: Creating Characters
presented by Tom Benedek
July 8, 2019 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Scott Myers
“There’s a reason I wanted Scott to be the official screenwriting blogger for the Black List. He’s the best there is. Period.”
~ Franklin Leonard, founder, The Black List
“Tom Benedek is a teacher, writer and coach who puts in the extra time and effort to make sure that every story he mentors serves a necessary purpose. His expertise with characters and stories is transcended by how he goes out of his way to make sure that scripts provide the emotional punch that reminds us why we became screenwriters in the first place.”
~ Max Lance, Winner 2017 Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting
“Scott is one of those rare finds as a teacher — someone whose tireless passion for instructing and helping others realize their potential never wanes and falters. It truly fulfills him to see his students do well — which is no doubt why he has so many avid fans and long-term relationships with his graduates in Hollywood. He has a knack for seeing a writer — and giving them feedback — even if the script needs a lot of work — that builds up the writer instead of breaking them down — allowing them to return to the page and begin again — getting better each time.”
~ Lisa Joy, screenwriter and TV writer-producer, Pushing Daisies (ABC), Burn Notice (USA), Westworld (HBO), 2014 Black List script “Reminiscence”
“Thank you for running such an excellent workshop. I learned so much, and it was a really great environment for trying out new ideas and getting honest, supportive feedback.”
~ Erin O’Connor, screenwriter — Miss Virginia (2018) with Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black)
Tom is great to work with — — a wonderful screen and TV writer. He understands how series television is built on the page and knows how to talk about it with students and professionals.
~Josh Brand TV Writer-Producer — The Americans, Northern Exposure, Amazing Stories
“I’ve known Scott for a number of years, going back to my first discovery of his excellent Go Into the Story blog, an invaluable resource for writers of both film and television. Since then I’ve known him to be an incredibly talented, knowledgeable and generous teacher and champion of writers. In a business with no shortage of hucksters, he is a true force for good.”
~ Mickey Fisher, creator and executive producer, Extant (CBS), Reverie (NBC), and Mars (National Geographic)
“Tom has a very incisive understanding of all the ingredients that make a great screenplay. He’s also a first rate writer and a wonderful teacher.”
~ Producer Michael Shamberg — Erin Brockovich, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty
To learn more about Screenwriting Master Class, go here.