Figuring out the equation for a hit television show is simple. Take an innovative premise and add audience preferences as displayed in recent years. The result is a show that fans and critics can’t stop talking about.
For a while it seemed like the networks were catching on. But no matter how clever a show’s premise, there comes a point where execs can take viewer preferences into account or abandon them altogether. Most jump ship. And shark. And before they can say “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World,” they watch in horror as once-popular shows nosedive in the ratings.
Because the network execs are having a hard time getting it right, maybe it’s time someone work out the equation for them long hand on the blackboard. We have Robert McKee to guide us through the principles of good storytelling, so perhaps we need a primer for creating a hit show in today’s society.
What are the patterns of recent history telling us? Which show elements seem to resonate with young and old, sci-fi geek and TMZ addict alike? What consistently intrigues viewers and drives ratings across the widest sector of the viewing audience?
Perhaps if producers stopped churning out shows like 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter and started following these 8 Simple Rules for Creating a Primetime Hit, they’d actually have a better shot at success.
Rule #1: Put together an ensemble cast of 10+ people who are extremely diverse in both age and ethnicity. Everyone should be interesting to look at but no one should be overly attractive. The men should outnumber the women.
The Cast
In our disconnected society, viewers gravitate toward ensemble casts because they give them an instant sense of community. The audience must see a group of people from different backgrounds forced to not only interact, but to also work together toward a common goal. That goal can be as simple as running a paper company (The Office) or as cosmic as saving the planet (Heroes).
Age and Ethnicity
The good news is that a large cast allows for great diversity, which is what fans want-especially when it comes to age and ethnicity. A group of hot, white 20-somethings is only permissible on the CW. In our global society, a show must include people from all walks of life and parts of the world. Every race, religion and creed should be represented.
Appearance
Your cast should not be too attractive. Viewers like stories about people they can imagine in their own world. Each character should be appealing in a unique way. He or she should be interesting to look at, but not so striking that the average person would be distracted by it.
If sex appeal is necessary, it should be heavily weighted toward the male gender (think McDreamy and McSteamy on Grey’s Anatomy). This shouldn’t be too difficult because-if Rule #1 was followed-your cast will consist of more males than females. Shows where the men outnumber the women are more likely to become hits.
Gender
Any woman cast in a leadership role must be believable, (think Teresa Lisbon on The Mentalist). If a female is portraying any kind of law officer, she must never dress too sexy or act too coy.
If a character is gay, it should be made clear so the audience does not feel duped (e.g., “Look at these two masculine men watching Monday night football…surprise! Now they’re making out!”) No one appreciates writers out to make a statement.
Rule #2: The overarching plot must involve all cast members learning to overcome their differences so they can collaborate to achieve a common goal or fight a greater evil.
The Plot
Apart from their individual desires and obstacles, the entire group of characters must eventually face something greater that they have to join together to overcome.
A Team Effort
The common goal that the group is working toward has to be so big that it will take each character sacrificing something to reach it, (think Winning Sectionals in Glee or Escaping Fox River Penitentiary in Prison Break).
Something Insidious
If the group isn’t working toward a common goal, they will need to be pitted against a greater evil-a force they must join together to fight. This embodiment of evil can run the gamut from the Devil himself (Supernatural) to terrorists who want to nuke L.A. (24) to a bitter cheerleading coach with a secret agenda (Glee).
The more mysterious the greater evil is, the better. Even the name of the greater evil is best left ambiguous, (think the Company on both Heroes and Prison Break or the Others on Lost).
Make It Cataclysmic
If either the common goal or the greater evil has cataclysmic consequences-something on a large scale that stands to affect hundreds if not thousands of people-the audience will be riveted. Even the shallowest viewer is usually willing to wade through years of character development if there’s a potential nuclear apocalypse looming on the horizon. (This principle also works in reverse. Viewers drawn in by an actual nuclear apocalypse looming on the horizon are usually willing to wade through years of character development…even if it goes nowhere and is rife with bad writing-yep, I’m talking to you Jericho fans! Put the peanuts down.)
Rule #3: The writers should be under the assumption that the average viewer is actually intelligent. Thus, characters must speak as people do in real life.
The Dialogue
Conversation between characters must be believable. It should not involve stating the obvious, recapping previous events, providing lengthy exposition or pointing out things the audience should be smart enough to pick up on themselves.
One of the oldest axioms in screenwriting is “show don’t tell,” yet writers continue to tell. Less dialogue usually accomplishes more. For instance, what is the quickest way to prove that a male character is truly masculine? Silence. Real men don’t talk a lot. They think. They observe. They work. They fix things. They play sports. They read. They bury themselves in hobbies. But they don’t gossip over coffee with friends.
BFF’s
Characters who are friends should speak as friends would in real life. Most conversations between friends are peppered with inside jokes. People who’ve known each other for a long time have a way of talking and interacting that’s unique to their friendship. When that type of rapport is missing in dialogue, the interaction rings false.
The Cardinal Sins
There are a few words and phrases writers still incorporate into teleplays that should be banished. For instance, people simply do not qualify their statements with “look,” or “listen.” And if there are only two people in a room, one person is probably not going to utter the other person’s name during conversation, (e.g. “Dan, that’s not what I’m saying.”) People don’t preface sentences with the name of the person they’re talking to unless they’ve just finished reading How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Rule #4: The show’s underlying themes must pose interesting new questions about the nature of humanity and the meaning of life.
The Themes
Despite what the junk media might have you believe, audiences want to be encouraged to think about philosophy, religion, politics, science, literature, sociology and psychology. The recent Battlestar Galactica remake would not have scored with audiences were it void of military and political themes-not to mention its running commentary on what it means to be human.
To become a hit, your show must include intelligent, thought-provoking ideas. It’s true that viewers want to be entertained, but they don’t want entertainment at the expense of enlightenment (even Glenn Beck can tell you that).
Make ‘Em Laugh
If you’re going to tackle free will vs. determinism with its standard questions about destiny, the nature of man and his ability to change the future-you should tread carefully to avoid cliché. The Battlestar Galactica writers were able to do this by poking fun of their exploration into destiny before the audience had a chance to: “Kara Thrace and her special destiny? That sounds like a bad cover band.”-Kara Thrace
The Big Picture
Just because we live in a pluralistic society doesn’t negate the fact that, at a subconscious level, we want to explore religious themes. Audiences have proven time and again that they gravitate toward storylines that involve questions of faith, belief, spirituality, morality and ethics. Everyone is always on the lookout for answers to meaning of life questions whether they’ll admit it or not.
Rule #5: When a character is a hit with fans, give him or her more screen time. If the fans dislike a character, write the character out. The same goes for a specific romantic pairing.
The Fan Favorites (Or Not)
This rule, also known as the “Michael Emerson Rule,” is a direct result of the Internet-age. When Michael Emerson joined the cast of Lost as Henry Gale he was only slated to be on the show for a couple episodes. But there was such a buzz about his performance on message boards, fansites and podcasts, that the writers developed a new role for him and he is now one of the most fascinating, complex characters on Lost.
Use ‘Em or Lose ‘Em
If a character strikes a chord with viewers you should make good use of that character even if you hadn’t intended to. On the other hand, if a character doesn’t resonate with viewers, you should cut down his or her screen time.
When the creators of Lost attempted to write a good-looking twenty-something couple named Nikki and Paulo into the show during season 3, fans called their bluff and the writers quite literally buried them alive. Respect for the Lost showrunners grew and fans became even more loyal because they knew their opinions mattered and their voices had been heard.
Abandon Ship
Shippers will always spring up no matter which romantic pairings develop, but if you notice that a particular couple is making negative waves among fans, (think Gizzy on Grey’s Anatomy), the pairing should be promptly dissolved. Let the shippers grieve their loss; the mentally stable fans will thank you.
Rule #6: Shock the viewers. Do it rarely. Make it count.
The Shockers
This rule, also known as the “Teri Bauer’s Dead Rule,” is critical. Nobody saw it coming in the final scene of the 24 season 1 finale in which Jack Baehr’s trusted sidekick Nina, the traitor we never saw coming, murders his wife in cold blood. It was the shot heard ’round the primetime world and, though not without debate, it instantly elevated the show to “must-see” status. That status is the reason shockers were invented.
After a television series is over and done, viewers will only likely recall a couple of scenes from the countless episodes they saw. Those scenes are almost always the shockers-game-changers that made jaws drop and had people buzzing for weeks afterward. Thus, well-crafted shockers are essential components of a primetime hit.
No Tease Please
Shocking the audience is most effective with limited use. Its impact should be immediate and real. No one wants to hear a show promo that teases, “This week…one of these four characters…will die!” The element of surprise is essential. The shock must come out of nowhere. No pretense, no promotion. With spoilers now lurking behind every click of the mouse, the Internet has made it more difficult to keep game changers under wraps, but it’s not impossible to do. (Even if it means taping three alternate endings with three different people in a casket ala Lost.) Shockers are only effective if the audience doesn’t see them coming.
Finally, no viewer appreciates a scene in which something shocking happens, but then…surprise! The character wakes up. It was all just a dream. This is a cheap writing device and there is rarely a reason to use it.
Rule #7: If new characters are introduced after the first season of a show they must be integrated into the old group of characters the way a sketchy friend of a friend would be integrated into a super tight clique: very slowly and with a good deal of debate and skepticism.
The New Characters
When new characters are introduced into a show, some members of the original cast must clearly articulate, through word and deed, what the viewers are already thinking: “Just who the hell do these people think they are?”
The Skeptic
Until new characters go above and beyond to prove themselves worthy of inclusion with the original cast, they must be shrouded in a haze of distrust. Any attempts at a seamless inclusion into the primary cast will not be well received. Viewers don’t like change.
A Random Family
After the audience has spent time getting to know a character, it’s insensitive to spring a “surprise relative” on them, (think Meredith Grey’s half-sister Lexie on Grey’s Anatomy or Jack Bauehr’s evil dad and brother on 24).
Never Say Die (Unless You Do)
Audiences can accept the death of a primary character followed by the introduction of a new/replacement character if, and only if, a few conditions are met:
1.) The death must be necessary and believable, not melodramatic or trite.
2.) There cannot be more than one main character death per season.
3.) The character who dies must not be a fan favorite.
4.) The audience must be given a few episodes to grieve prior to the introduction of the new/replacement character.
Rule #8: Romantic storylines are acceptable in small doses. Relationships should be grounded in reality.
The Romantic Storylines
If viewers want to see relationships in constant turmoil they’ll set their DVRs for Days of Our Lives. Primetime relationships must progress beyond romantic angst and drama. Most viewers will best identify with real, down-to-earth romances where people have identities beyond their sexuality.
Cheaters
Though cheating seems to be the great American pastime right up there with golf-it’s still not a reality for most people. To show one character struggling with the temptation to cheat is okay, but to have every character vacillating under the strain of sexual temptation is ignorant.
Most viewers are in happy, well-adjusted relationships where their primary struggles involve communication and external stresses such as family and money. Using these struggles to depict relational tension rather than the constant threat of an affair will go far to hook the audience for the long term.
Sex Addicts
Though sex addiction is ubiquitous these days, writers should keep in mind that, unlike Tiger Woods, most American males would opt not to jump in bed with a girl who starred in VH1’s Tool Academy. Though a show’s cast is more-than-welcome to include a token sex addict (e.g., Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother), the rest of the show’s characters should balance out that person by representing the healthy, monogamous majority.
And speaking of monogamy-since most viewers are happily married, humor that depicts marriage as a confining death sentence is not original or funny. It’s probably better saved for lame sitcoms.
Shows that Broke the Rules
Now that the 8 Simple Rules for Creating a Primetime Hit have been laid out, let’s examine four different shows that began by following the rules-thus gaining a large and loyal following-only to later break the rules and take a nosedive in ratings.
Prison Break
Many people have picked up the DVD set for Prison Break season 1 because someone recommended it to them. The reason everyone loved that first season is because the show respected the rules.
Rules Followed
The show began with a large multi-ethnic, mostly male cast that was very diverse in age and background. The plot in season 1 was ideal because the group had both a common goal to achieve and a greater evil to fight. They needed to escape Fox River Penitentiary, and they had to get past the sadistic guards to do it.
Other rules followed:
o Rule #5. When T-Bag became an instant sensation with fans, the producers utilized him more.
o Rule #8. The romantic thread between Michael and Sarah was kept marginal.
o Rule #4. The “meaning of freedom” theme was clear but not obnoxious.
Rules Broken
The second season had an uphill battle to fight from episode 1. The main cast of characters had already accomplished the common goal of escaping Fox River-so the primary plot that had originally hooked viewers vanished without a trace. The writers tried to redeem this by creating a new common goal for the ex-cons: Uncovering a stash of money hidden under a garage floor in the suburbs. This goal was not cataclysmic enough, and it was the first in a long string of mistakes.
Midway through the second season the writers started breaking rules right and left. The cash was uncovered too soon and once again the common goal disappeared. By the time the writers introduced a new greater evil (the Company in season 3), Prison Break had already lost much of its audience.
Other rules broken:
o Rule #6. The shock of Sara’s head being cut off was done well…until…oh wait, that wasn’t her head after all.
o Rule #1. When a stereotyped hard-ass female agent named Gretchen was introduced in season 3, she was written too sexy and too coy to be remotely believable.
o Rule #5. Gretchen was such an awful character that the intelligent viewers still left in the fan community (of which there were few) were immediately vocal about their distaste for her. The producers didn’t listen and kept her as part of the main cast. There seemed to be a glimmer of hope when they finally killed her off in season 5, but then they turned around and broke Rule #6 yet again because…surprise! Gretchen wasn’t really dead. Her return was the final nail in a coffin that had long been 6 feet under.
Heroes
Heroes might be the saddest example of all shows because nearly every rule was solidly adhered to in the first season. So when it did fall from grace, its fall was as long and disturbing as Peter Petrelli’s first attempt at flight.
Rules Followed
The Heroes cast is perhaps the best example of Rule #1. The cast was as brilliantly diverse as any has even been. Better still-because of the nature of the show-viewers got regular glimpses into cultures across the globe (think Mohinder’s family in India, Hiro and Ando’s families in Asia, etc.). The age range of the characters was equally broad, from Angela Petrelli and the older generation all the way down to Claire, the high school cheerleader.
Other Rules Followed
o Rule #2. The plot was well crafted because, like Prison Break, it incorporated both a common goal (Save the Cheerleader) and a greater evil (Sylar). Even better, the common goal had an effect that was cataclysmic in nature (Save the World).
o Rule #5. After fans embraced characters such as Hiro, Ando and HRG, they were written more heavily into the show.
o Rule #8. Romantic storylines were kept fairly low key.
Rules Broken
The writers kicked off the second season by breaking Rule #7 when they introduced new characters in the first scene of the season premiere. In the same episode they broke Rule #8 by introducing a new love interest for Claire. They continued to break nearly every rule during the show’s second season, and now the only reason to watch Heroes is to marvel at the kind of convoluted crap that network execs let producers get away with.
During Heroes second season, there was no longer a common goal on a cataclysmic scale-which was the whole reason for the show’s soaring popularity during its first season. Combine this with the fact that Sylar, the embodiment of “greater evil,” was humanized and became less of a threat. This would have been alright if an even more treacherous evil had taken his place, but “the Company,” which was apparently meant to do just that, never really felt scary. Considering that HRG, a fan favorite, was a Company employee-there was never a strong enough reason to fear it.
Without a pending apocalypse and no united front against evil, the heroes’ storylines came together to form a confusing web of nonsense. Plotlines became so silly that even diehard fans couldn’t stomach them.
Other rules broken:
o Rule #4. The destiny theme became cheesier as the Petrelli brothers waxed on about the meaning of their circumstances.
o Rule #3. See above. The dialogue sucked.
o Rule #7. New cast members were never properly integrated into the show. Old characters fell by the wayside.
o Rule #5. Fan favorites were given bizarre and boring storylines. (Anyone recall Hiro goofing around in the past for half a season?)
24
The show was epic in scope from the onset, and remained fairly strong for a few seasons with only minor exceptions, (think Kim Bauer vs. the cougar). The plot always involved a potential event of cataclysmic proportions. And despite critics’ debate over the validity of the “real-time” format, viewers stayed dialed in for all 24 hours.
Rules Followed
The CTU agents and government officials always worked toward a common goal which involved stopping a greater evil. It doesn’t get any better than a group of people trying to stop a terror cell from ending millions of American lives.
Other rules followed:
o Rule #6. The 24 writers basically set the “shock standard” with Teri Bauer’s death on the season 1 finale. They were flawless in their execution. Then, in season 3, they managed to make jaws drop yet again when Jack pulled out a gun and shot his boss Ryan Chapelle at point blank range.
o Rule #5. When quirky geek Chloe became a hit with fans, she took a more significant role in the show. Additionally, after fans complained about the purposelessness of Jack’s daughter Kim, she was written out of the show.
Rules Broken
During season 5 the writers didn’t adhere to the stipulations for killing off main characters (as noted under Rule #7). They killed off too many primary characters in very poor ways and thus began a snowball effect of broken rules. Before long, even Jack Bauer trivia buffs were slipping sheepishly past the water cooler on Tuesday mornings.
When the 24 producers announced that season 6 would “no longer focus on Jack trying to save the world” but rather on him “trying to save the people who were closest to him,” it didn’t take a CTU agent to recognize they were concocting a formula for disaster. Viewers didn’t care if Jack was given 24 hours to save a few lives. He had, after all, dropped a nuke in the Nevada dessert just to avoid its detonation over a major U.S. city. Jack fixed things on a big scale, not a small one. This gross misunderstanding of what the audience wanted caused 24 to sink further in the ratings.
Other rules broken:
o Rule #7. When the writers decided the greater evil in season 6 would include Jack’s never-before-mentioned father and brother, viewers shook their heads in disbelief.
o Rule #6. While 24 may have written the rule on shocking the audience, they also broke their own rule when they decided to bring the previously dead Tony Almeida back to life in season 7.
o Rule #5. Despite the broken rule above, fans couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement when they realized one of their favorite characters was returning. But after a long season of the writers toying with viewer’s emotions, (Tony’s bad, Tony’s good, now he’s bad, nope he’s good), an exhausted audience finally threw up their hands. When the obvious fan favorite strangled good guy FBI agent Larry, fans pulled out a white flag and surrendered. They realized they were at the mercy of the producers and had no control in shaping the show.
Grey’s Anatomy
The Meredith Grey voiceover wasn’t always as cringe-worthy as it is today. In the Grey’s Anatomy heyday of seasons 1 and 2, people couldn’t stop buzzing about the medical show that eclipsed all other hospital dramas. Then the rules were broken and the show began its slow but steady slide down, never to fully recover.
Rules Followed
From the onset, Grey’s Anatomy followed Rules #1 and #3 to a near perfect degree. Seriously. The cast was brilliantly diverse and interesting to look at. The males greatly outnumbered the females and the sex appeal weighed heavily toward the male gender. Add to all this writers who understood well-written dialogue and it’s no wonder Grey’s had a cult-like pull after just half a season.
Other rules followed:
o Rule #5. When characters such as Bailey, Callie and Addison became fan favorites, they were given more screen time. When a poor romantic pairing (Gizzy) made fans want to vomit, they were put on the backburner.
o Rule #6. Several incredible shockers kept viewers entranced. Watching a bomb blow a man into millions of pieces is a TV moment most won’t soon forget. And fans who stuck with the show even after it’s laborious decline were finally rewarded for their loyalty with the George-getting-hit-by-a-bus shocker on last season’s finale.
Rules Broken
Season 3 marked a tough transition for Grey’s when Rule #7 was broken with gusto. New character Lexie Grey was revealed as Meredith’s sister and the prosaic plot became rife with family drama and boring conflict.
Other Rules Broken:
o Rule #1. Gay characters were poorly written. No one wanted to watch fan favorite Callie discuss her fears over “doing the deed” with fellow doctor Erika.
o Rule #5. As Meredith got more whiny and obnoxious she needed to be given less screen time. But this didn’t happen. And even though fans adored the pairing of Christina and Burke, network execs gave Isaiah Washington the boot in order to keep up their GLBT-friendly image. This should have been an instance where riveting storytelling trumped political correctness.
o Rule #8. Everyone on Grey’s Anatomy began functioning as sex addicts. McSteamy made it sexy to be a slut-which might have been permissible if everyone else at Seattle Grace hadn’t followed suit. The more the doctors all appeared interested in one thing and one thing only, the more the show played out like an implausible juvenile soap opera better suited for the CW.
The One Success
There is only one primetime show on television right now that has acquired both critical acclaim and an obsessive fan following. Lost is an international success that has achieved something truly astounding-it has retained the allegiance of fans across the globe through the ups and downs of five seasons. Millions of viewers will experience the depth of the show’s title after the series finale airs in 2010.
So how has Lost accomplished a feat so rarely seen in primetime television? By following the rules, of course.
o Rule #1. The Lost cast is enormous-more than 30 characters at last count. These characters range greatly in age, (from Walt to John Locke) and ethnicity, (from Sayid the torture-specialist Iraqi soldier to Charlie Pace the heroin-addicted UK rock star). The men outnumber the women.
o Rule #2. Each season unveils a new common goal and a new greater evil more insidious than the last. More and more layers are pulled back as the sides of light and dark are revealed.
o Rule #3. The Lost writers rarely write a line of extraneous dialogue. Character interactions are almost always believable. When they aren’t, fans speak up.
o Rule #4. The show’s creators have, much like Jacob, woven a brilliant tapestry of themes together to form the fabric of the series. From the science of time travel to the philosophy of John Locke to the theories of B.F. Skinner, fans are treated to a comprehensive mythology that includes a hodgepodge of fascinating knowledge worthy of further research.
o Rule #5. As previously mentioned, the Lost producers practically wrote the rule on fan favorites. Whether they were creating a new role for the Ben Linus character or killing off Nikki and Paulo, they’ve been consistently on point when it comes to utilizing fan favorites throughout the series, even taking fan favorite romantic pairings into account, such as Juliet and Sawyer.
o Rule #6. If viewers are only likely to remember the most shocking moments from any given show, Lost has offered up some good ones. Who can forget the moment we all realized we’d actually been watching a flash forward instead of a flashback during the last scene of season 3? (“We have to go back, Kate!”) Or how about the moment we saw the island disappear into the ocean? Or the moment Locke revealed he was going to kill Jacob?
o Rule #7. The Lost showrunners have excelled at this rule as well. Every time they’ve introduced new characters, (e.g. the Others, the crew from Charles Widmore’s freighter, etc.), they portray the newcomers with great skepticism, taking the emotions of the audience into account.
o Rule #8. While the Jack-Kate-Sawyer-Juliet quadrangle can get a bit nauseating, the writers have found a balance when it comes to romance. For the viewers that need a little relationship fix, they get it-but never at the expense of good storytelling.
Summary
You now know the 8 Simple Rules for Creating a Primetime Hit and how only one show, by following these rules, has succeeded not just in the short-term, but for the duration of its series (almost). Maybe in 2010 network executives will finally take the will of the people into account as they develop new shows. The viewers know what they want and have spoken as loud as a swirling black cloud of smoke in the middle of an island jungle. It’s time for those
Tags: Network, Should, Television