Save the Cat!® Writes for TV: The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You'll Ever Need

by Jamie Nash

Overview

Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!®, the world’s top-selling story method for filmmakers and novelists, introduces The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You’ll Ever Need.

​Screenwriter Jamie Nash takes up Snyder’s torch to lay out a step-by-step approach using Blake’s principles so that both new and experienced writers can learn how to:

-Use all the nuances, tricks, and techniques of pilot-writing (The Opening Pitch, The Guided Tour, The Whiff of Change) with examples from today’s hottest series
-Discover the Super-Secret Keep It On The Downlow TV Pitch Template that combines all the critical points of your amazing TV series into one easy-to-read-over-lunch high-level document
-Define the 9 TV Franchise Types
-Crack your story using the Save the Cat! beat sheet
-Devise high-level series concepts with multi-season potential
-Map out and organize TV pilots and multi-season shows
-Break down the best and most diverse TV series using examples from Atlanta, Barry, Ozark, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, What We Do in the Shadows, Black-ish, The Mandalorian, Law and Order: SVU and more
-Create layered characters who are driven by complex internal struggles

It’s time for Save the Cat! Writes for TV to help you create your binge-worthy TV series!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780984157693
Publisher:	Save the Cat! Press
Publication date:	03/30/2021
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

The Cold Open vii

Introduction xi

Part 1 The Show

1 What's the Show? 1

2 Who Lives in Your World? 21

Part 2 Breaking Story

3 It's Storytime… 43

4 The Same…But Different 59

5 Beat Sheets…Or Who Needs A Writers' Room? 69

6 Breaking Season 1 89

7 The Wonky Laws of Pilot Physics 103

8 Let's Get Wonkier 109

9 Your Pilot Story DNA 119

10 Your Pilot Beat Sheet 127

11 Pilot Beat Sheets 141

Part 3 Boards, Outlines & Pitches, Oh My!

12 Building the Board 205

13 Owning the Outline 227

14 Perfecting Your Pitch 233

15 So You Still Wanna Be A TV Writer? 247

Acknowledgements 253

About the Author 254

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Blake Snyder would be so proud of Save the Cat! Writes for TV because like all his books, it cuts straight to the truth: No matter where you are in your TV writing career, a newbie or a 25+ year veteran (me), you need to write a fresh, new pilot. Author Jamie Nash uses Blake’s life-changing beat sheet and adjusts it for TV’s “wonkiness.” Whether you’re writing a comedy or drama for network, cable, or streaming, this book with its thought-provoking exercises, sage advice, and beat sheets from successful TV shows will definitely get you closer to FADE OUT... and quite possibly your own TV show!  – Kriss Turner, Executive Producer, Greenleaf; Consulting Producer, Black Monday, The Soul Man; Co-Executive Producer, The Romanoffs, Everybody Loves Chris, The Bernie Mac Show

While I wish it were called Save the Dog!, I believe Save the Cat! can open eyes and demystify some of the biggest challenges TV writers face on that daunting blank page. –
Steven Levitan, Co-Creator, Modern Family
 

Save the Cat! Writes for TV will help you wrap your arms around the process of turning inspiration into a script and more importantly, a series. Highly recommended. – Nick Bakay, Executive Producer, Mom; Consulting Producer, Bob Hearts Abishola, The Kominsky Method, ‘Til Death, The King of Queens
 

There’s joy in TV Land! As a longtime user and fan of Save the Cat!, I’ve found Jamie Nash has shifted the focus (without losing the principles) of Blake Snyder’s groundbreaking work, creating a whole new way to look at developing television series that’s filled with insight, ingenuity, and a generous sprinkling of humor. A new must-read for newcomers to the field and veterans looking to shake up their process. – Paris Barclay, Director/Producer/Writer, Sons of Anarchy, Glee, House, The Good Wife, In Treatment, Scandal, Empire, CSI, Lost, The West Wing, ER, NYPD Blue


This book should be required reading not only for writers, but for all the film producers out there who are looking to branch out into TV. It breaks down the fundamental tenets of television storytelling in such a delightfully entertaining way that you often forget how much you’re actually learning! – Juliet Berman, Producer / Head of Development, Treehouse Pictures (Set It Up, Sand Castle, That Awkward Moment)
 
This book will by my side the next time I’m staring at a blank screen and wondering, “How do I do this again?” Eye-opening and inspirational, Save the Cat Writes for TV is an invaluable tool for anyone—from first-time writers to pros like me. – Lilla Zuckerman, Co-Executive Producer, Prodigal Son, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Supervising Producer, Suits; Consulting Producer, Haven
 
The opportunities to write for television have exploded in the last few years and Save the Cat! Writes for TV is the book TV writers have been waiting for. Beyond formulas and restrictive templates, this great new book provides the guidance we all need to shape and organize our ideas into well-structured scripts. I have been writing TV for decades—if only this book was around when I started! Just like Blake Snyder's original, this new member of the Cat! family will become a go-to industry standard. –Rick Drew, Producer/Story Editor/Writer of over 100 episodes of television, including MacGyver, Airwolf, Goosebumps, Lonesome Dove; Screenwriting Teacher, Vancouver Film School
 
 
Da Cat makes the leap from film to TV and definitely sticks the landing! This easy-to-read book is a must for writers in search of a well-structured TV script. It scores a perfect 10 from me. – Geoff Harris, TV Writer and Consultant, Former Network Development Executive