Speaker 1: So you understand how to write a pilot, how to build philosophical conflict, and how to create character change. Now let's talk about everyone's favorite controversial storytelling topic, structure. Why have structure? What is its purpose? How does it work with a TV series? And is it useful to think about the structure of your TV season or just individual episodes? If you have a narrative drama, you have conflict. And if you have conflict, you will have momentum. Momentum will be the ebb and flow of conflict within your story. And if you have momentum, you can structure your story so that you can use story momentum to your advantage. So the purpose of structure is to give rhythm and momentum to your story. Many writers get confused on how they should go about structuring a TV series. The episodes aren't as long as a feature-length screenplay, and each episode is a part of a series-long story. So how do you structure a TV series? Is it different from writing a screenplay? And how do you write if you don't even know how many seasons there will be? When you're structuring a TV series, a great way to look at it is to break it up into two major sections, a season arc and an episode arc. You may not know how many seasons will be in a particular show, but you will know how many episodes will be in your season. Now I've talked a lot about using Dan Harmon's Story Circle to structure different kinds of stories. I consistently talk about it because I believe it is the most reliable and the most helpful way to structure a story. So can it be helpful with TV? In Dan Harmon's quick series of articles explaining the fundamentals of the Story Circle, he takes some time to look at it in relation to TV. Harmon writes, The pilot episode of a TV show usually tells the story of a person entering a new situation. A TV pilot is giving us 1, 2, and 3 on the Story Circle, then encouraging us to tune in and watch 4 for the rest of time. But that's looking at the entire run of the show as a single story. Within the scope of an individual episode, pilot or not, you still have to run a full circle. So what Harmon is saying is that on the series level, from season to season, the show is in stage 4 of the Story Circle. The main character of your story continues to adapt. They continue searching for what they truly want at 5, never truly getting it, because that would end the show. Then at the very end of the series, in the last season or only in the finale, the show finishes up the rest of the Story Circle and ends. So it looks something like this. The pilot episode gives you 1, 2, and 3. The series gives you 4. And the finale or final season gives you 5, 6, 7, and 8. So the series will run through a Story Circle, but will have an extremely long adapt phase. But remember, each season of your show and each episode are their own contained stories. And so if you look at a single season or episode of television, they are contained stories that run through full Story Circles. So I want to examine the structure of the first season of Breaking Bad, as well as each individual episode in the season, to give an understanding of how the Story Circle can be used to structure your show at different levels. Just like I explained that a feature film has a large Story Circle for the whole story and smaller Story Circles for each of the acts, a television season and its individual episodes works the same way. Let's take a look at how Breaking Bad's first season fits within the Story Circle. Like Carmen said, the pilot episode gives us 1, 2, and 3. Walter is our character. Walter wants to be in control and feel respected. He enters an unfamiliar situation when he is diagnosed with lung cancer, and we watch him begin the adapt phase. He starts

Speaker 2: cooking meth with Jesse. But you know the business, and I know the chemistry.

Speaker 1: Episodes 2 through 5 show Walter continuing to adapt. He fights back against the two drug dealers who want to kill him, and he takes some time to decide what he truly wants, and if cooking meth is actually the path he wants to go down. At the end of episode 5 and into episode 6, Walter gets what he wants. He is now cooking meth and on the route to earning the respect he wants. However, he encounters a serious problem. Tuco, a high-level dealer, steals their meth and beats Jesse. At the end of episode 6 and through episode 7, Walter enters into point seven by threatening Tuco and getting the money he earned from him. This ends the major conflict for the season, and in these two episodes, we see Walter's full change into Heisenberg. He is gaining the power and respect he feels he deserves. Then at the end of episode 7, the show leaves it open for more to happen in the next season. Walter and Jesse aren't out of the woods yet, and they still have tons of work to do, so the entire season moves together as one full story circle. But the episodes have their own story circles that create the momentum within the show. In the pilot episode, Walter wants respect and control. He enters an unfamiliar situation when he finds out he has lung cancer. He adapts to this by deciding to go on the ride along with Hank and sees Jesse, his former student, fleeing the scene. Walter gets what he wants when he and Jesse cook their first batch of meth, but this comes at a cost. The two drug dealers Jesse tries to sell to end up trying to kill Walter and Jesse. Walter incapacitates the two men and they leave the scene, ending the conflict of the episode. Walter has changed. He has taken his first real step into his new belief system. In episode 2, Walter and Jesse are both the main characters. They want to clean up the bodies and be done with cooking meth. They enter an unfamiliar situation when they realize that Crazy 8 isn't dead. They adapt to this by flipping a coin on which of them deals with each of the drug dealers. Jesse gets what he wants when he melts the dead drug dealers body down, but this comes at a cost. Jesse did it wrong and the strong acid eats through his floor.

Speaker 3: You see, hydrofluoric acid won't eat through plastic. It will, however, dissolve

Speaker 1: metal, rock, glass, ceramic. So there's that. The episode completes its story here, leaving out 7 and 8 on the story circle. For Jesse, his point 7 is simply cleaning up the mess he just made, which he does in the beginning of episode 3. But Walter has his own challenge. In episode 3, Walter wants to handle Crazy 8, ideally in a way where he doesn't have to kill him. Walter enters an unfamiliar situation when Crazy 8 starts talking to him, and Walter realizes Crazy 8 knows his name and who he is. Walter adapts by making a pros and cons list on what to do with Crazy 8. He also talks to Crazy 8, getting to know him more as a person. And Walter gets what he wants when he finally makes a decision. He's going to let Crazy 8 go, but there is a piece missing from the broken plate. Walter realizes he can't let him go. Walter ends the conflict of the episode by killing Crazy 8, and Walter has changed. He has committed murder to save himself and his family. In episode 4, Walter just wants his life to go back to normal, but he enters an unfamiliar situation when he begins getting some of the initial medical bills. He adapts to this by gathering the money he made from cooking meth to pay the bills, and he gets what he wants. He pays the initial bill, but he meets Ken. This man's existence reminds Walter that he is accepting passivity and disrespect. At the end of the episode, Walter destroys Ken's car. The new Walter is not going away, and Walter is now realizing that this is who he is. Episode 5 is predominantly Skyler's episode. Walter isn't really taking action at this point. He's trying to assimilate back into his old world, but Skyler is taking action. Skyler wants to find a way to pay for Walter's treatment. She enters an unfamiliar situation when Elliot offers to pay for Walter's treatment, but Walter refuses. Skyler adapts by planning an intervention for Walter. Skyler gets her intervention and tries to convince Walter to do the treatment and take Elliot's money, but she fails. Walter refuses to do chemotherapy. However, the next morning, Walter changes his mind, ending the conflict of the episode. Skyler remains unchanged as a person, and Walter secretly goes to Jesse to begin cooking meth again. In episode 6, Walter wants to simply cook meth and make money, but the money is a lot less than he had hoped for.

Speaker 4: This is unacceptable. I am breaking the law here. This return is too little for the risk. I thought you'd be ready for another pound today. Walter adapts by

Speaker 1: sending Jesse out to look for a new buyer, and Walter gets what he wanted when Jesse gets a meeting with Tuco to sell their meth.

Speaker 5: This kicks like a mule with his balls wrapped in duct tape. We got a deal.

Speaker 1: But Tuco beats Jesse to a pulp and steals their meth. Walter ends the conflict of the episode by threatening Tuco and taking the money he deserved, and Walter is changing once again. He is becoming more powerful and more respected. In episode 7, Walter wants to cook meth for Tuco, but they enter an unfamiliar situation when they need more pseudo to meet Tuco's demand. Walter and Jesse adapted this by finding a new way to cook their meth. So no pseudo. No

Speaker 5: pseudo. So you do have a plan. Yeah, Mr. White. Yes, science. Walter gets what he

Speaker 1: wants when he and Jesse steal the ingredients they need and they cook enough meth. But when they deliver the meth to Tuco, he beats one of his men to death. Walter and Jesse are reminded just how dangerous their situation is, and we are set up for the second season. Now this is a bird's-eye view of the episodes. There are other subplots and character developments that happen, and this isn't to discount those elements of the story. What this structural method does is help you build that backbone of narrative momentum so that you can build out the rest of your story. Story structure is a tool. Don't think of it as a restriction. Think of it as a tool you can use to build your story with the strongest narrative momentum possible. It allows you to explore ideas in an interesting, entertaining way. Using the story circle to structure your entire season and each individual episode will give you the momentum your story needs to maintain a strong narrative drive for the entire show. Writing a script for a feature or television episode can be a difficult task. Many new writers struggle with writer's block and procrastination and never even finish a single script. Some writers get 20 or 30 pages into their screenplay and give up. And if that's you, then I have a video for you to watch where I show you how to write 5, 10, even 15 pages a day consistently and finally overcome your fear of writing. Click the first link in the description to watch it now. And if you liked this video, leave a like and subscribe for more videos just like this one. Thanks for watching.