by Larry Brody
Over the years certain types of story construction have proven to work more effectively than others on TV. By “effective” I mean that series that plot their stories this way have gotten consistently higher ratings than others, and during the usual course of an episode fewer viewers have gone surfing away.
For one-hour shows, start with a Teaser that illustrates the premise of the episode. Make sure it shows us this week’s central problem. And make sure it really does “tease” us by ending on a note of tension – with danger (physical or psychological) either impending or rearing its fascinating head.