I chose to pursue TV writing because I simply love TV. Now that I’ve taken college courses, read the screenwriting books, and have written my own pilots, I still love watching shows and learning from them. So let’s take a look at what I’m currently watching, and what I was thinking while I was!
The Studio has just ended and I thought it was so funny! Its camera movement was amazing and highlights even more amazing actors, but I think the way the dialogue of the show is constructed was only really achievable through that use of one shots. The way that everyone is constantly talking over each other would be really difficult to cut in editing if you were using individual coverage shots of each actor. While some people critique of The Studio’s use of the oner is that it’s just a way for the makers to show it off, I think it creates an atmosphere unless any other show by allowing these conversations to be so dramatic and silly but realistic.
Now, I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan ever, but I have seen all of the shows, movies, and most of the cartoon series. Usually I watch a piece of Star Wars media, say “yeah, that was fun” and then forget about it in a week. Not because it was bad or anything, but because it didn’t really speak to me. Andor did, and has since season one aired. There are moments in the first season that my brother and I quote all the time, and season two had us on the edge of our seats weekly. I love the way that the show’s creator, Tony Gilroy, talks about this show. He describes these elements of the story that are never really resolved in the show as intentional, as a “hole that Cassian can never fill.” It makes Andor unique to me, to seemingly set something up in season 1, episode 1 and have it seem like a loose end that was never tied up, because to Andor himself, that was never tied up. Some people will call it lazy, but I loved it. It’s the nature of war, and the nature of rebellion.
The Haunting of Hill House was recommended to me by Cody, How We Write’s other writer. I’m so mad at myself for not watching this earlier! Horror is a newer exploration to me, and Hill House is making my skin crawl in the best way possible. Unlike the previous two shows I’ve mentioned, I’m on episode four of Hill House, so less than halfway, but its format is such a great vehicle for this story. Each episode so far has been used to highlight one character and their relevant experiences throughout the years. It doesn’t get repetitive at all, thought, even though some chunks of the character’s episodes overlap with another’s. Each time something returns, it’s taken with a new context. I also want to highlight the writing of this script, and how it portrays the amazing cinematography in this show without being over direct-y. Of course, it’s written by the show’s director so Mike Flanagan had (and did use) the ability to direct from the page, but I really liked his verbiage in this. Saying “we float through the halls” really portrays how liminal this whole sequence and the manor feels. Even when Flanagan is directing from the page, it’s such a clear vision that he doesn’t have to describe the way the camera moves, just how the characters are existing in the space. Extremely detailed and vivid, and extremely fun to read and watch.
As someone that wants to write for TV, it shocks many people that I just started watching Breaking Bad for the first time. Breaking Bad (so far from the middle of season two) is one of those pieces of media that you instantly believe the high praise for as soon as you start watching. It’s incredibly intentional, and complex, and makes you uncomfortable in so many ways that somehow makes you want to watch more. I won’t go too far into this one for analysis just in case I have more to say when I finish it, but if you needed a sign to start it, start it!
The last show I’m watching is Shrinking. It helps me (and my brother who’s watching all of this with me) unwind after a tense episode of Breaking Bad and a spooky episode of Hill House. But even though it’s a comedy, it still finds a way to make me cringe and gets my heart beating embarrassingly fast. I’m also only a few episodes into this one, but I loved the opening of this show. It’s opening scene starts with side characters being exhausted by how loud their neighbor is— the main character of the show. They show how much of a mess he is, and then after about five-ish minutes, shows you how much responsibility he has at the moment that he possibly shouldn’t have given the state he’s in. I loved the opening and most of the show so far, but it hasn’t really sold me yet on being as amazing as people say. Maybe by the end of the second season I’ll change my tune!
That’s a lot of shows! And I’m also watching about four anime shows that are currently airing each week that we can look at another time, but I’m so glad to live in a time where amazing television is thriving! It always reaffirms my decision and continued work to make becoming a writer possible.
Let us know what you’re watching! We’d love to hear!
-Kait
How We Write 
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