Published on July 28, 2023
Full title: The Short-Form Scripted Serial Drama: The Novice Showrunner’s New Opportunity
Abstract: This chapter will define some of the poetics long-form (40-60 minute) serialized television dramas (narrative structure/act breaks, cliffhangers, character arcs, A,B, and C stories, closued/open-ended) by analyzing Breaking Bad, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Chi. It will then examine short-form serial dramas—Special, The Stranger and The Other F-Word to determine which of the long-form conventions are still useful for developing the short-form series and how the short-form’s strategies must differ.
Publication: The Palgrave Handbook of Screenwriting Studies