Category: Opinion

How GOTHAM Became the Series It Needed to Be

Yeah, that title’s a little awkward. We at TVWriter™ take all the blame and want to openly acknowledge that Marc Alan Fishman, the writer of this piece, got it way, way better:

gothamHow Gothan Got Great(ish)
by Mark Alan Fishman

The past Monday, Gotham had its fall finale. While the episode itself was a bit meh to not-bad, the show thus far this season has been darn good to dare I say great. Since I last wrote about James Gordon and friends, the show has really settled into a fantastic groove. It’s been so good, I’ve privately sang its graces enough to ComicMix‘s EIC, Mike Gold, such that he mentioned it on his rockin’ good radio show. When Mr. Gold recognizes your opinion asvalued, then you know something must be going right.

With the new season dubbed “Rise of the Villains,” Gotham has added a bit more serialization to its previously procedural format. We started with the entrance of the never-been-comic-booked nemesis Theo Galavan. Introduced as a scene chewing billionaire by day/evil criminal mastermind by night, Theo’s been mostly a high point to the proceedings. Especially when he flipped the script and murdered the Joker. OK, should I have said spoiler alert? Nah. read article

Discrimination in Hollywood? Really?

Aren’t you surprised? Yeppers, us too.

Oh, wait–

by Anonymous

screenplay_pile“Well, you’ve certainly proven that a woman can do your job.” read article

Unwritten Rules Hollywood Needs to Stop Following

Alas, poor Hollywood. Whether you regard it as a place or state of mind, Hollywood and everything it stands for are just so damned easy to satirize. This article is so on-target that reading it should be mandatory for all new TV scribes:

by Diana Cook

No, dammit. We don't mean that kind of Hollywood. Or that kind of rulez.
No, dammit. We don’t mean that kind of Hollywood. Or that kind of rulez.

Hollywood is notoriously resistant to change. If something was found to be successful in the past, you can guarantee it will be played out over and over again — no matter how tiresome it becomes. For decades now, scriptwriters have relied on the same stock characters, cliches, and structures to produce lazy, formulaic films and shows that do little more than reinforce every negative stereotype about every segment of society imaginable. For example …

#4. Every Husband Is a Bumbling Idiot read article

Can’t Sell Your Original Screenplay? Try Sidewinding Your Way to Success

 by Lew Ritter

adaptationSelling a script to Hollywood can be hard. I had read stories in the trade papers of writers who gained entrance into the Hollywood system by optioning a true story. They gained the rights to a book or magazine article and then developed an interesting pitch letter for studios to evaluate.

They might hire you as the writer, or simply pay you a fee and send you on your way. Either way, you have a credit and a foot in the door.

My first attempt was back in the late 90’s early 2000’s. I was searching for books in my local library. I came across a book about two unsung Jewish brothers at the time of the 1941 German invasion. read article

New wave of women writers crashes into macho world of sitcoms…

“…And,” as the headline at UK’s The Guardian tells us, “hilarity ensues.” Here’s why:

The stars of TVWriter™'s favorite upcoming sitcom - RAISED BY WOLVES
The stars of TVWriter™’s favorite upcoming sitcom – RAISED BY WOLVES

 by Sarah Hughes

Hit HBO comedy Girls is to end after its sixth season, much to the distress of fans, but the era-defining show – created and written by and starringLena Dunham – is part of a surge of female-driven TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic.

Television has long been criticised for its lack of female comedy writers, but that is changing. “There does seem to be this whole new wave of very talented women who are writing smart and funny and very complicated male and female characters. It really feels like a moment,” says Rachel Springett, comedy commissioning editor at Channel 4. read article