50 Essential 21st-Century One-Hour Pilot Scripts to Download and Study for Free

From 'BREAKING BAD' to 'MAD MEN' and 'STRANGER THINGS' to 'YELLOWJACKETS', I've collected the best of the best for you

Sep 05, 2023

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Below you will find links to fifty 21st-century one-hour TV pilot scripts every screenwriter should study regardless of where they are in their careers. More than a few of them launched iconic series based on what you’ll read here.

My picks represent a wide variety of genres, tones, and styles, are selected from across network, cable, and streaming, and, to the best of my ability, represent a wide range of creative voices (to the degree to which this is possible in English-speaking markets where non-white CIS male voices were largely ignored for the better part of this century).

All of these screenplays tend to vanish, as all things do on the Internet. Download ASAP for your personal educational purposes. And if you want more resources like this one, be sure to check out my articles:

"THE AMERICANS" (2013) by Joe Weisberg

In hindsight, the twist at the end feels inevitable…and yet you never see it coming.

“BEEF” (2023) by Lee Sung Jin

“BIG LITTLE LIES” (2017) by David E. Kelley

“BLACK MIRROR” (2011) by Charlie Brooker

A pig-fucking British prime minister. Of course this was going to be iconic from the moment it hit air.

“THE BOYS” (2019) by Eric Kripke

Best TV series ever produced about America, as far as I’m concerned, though it only narrowly edges out “LOVECRAFT COUNTRY” (which you can find below) and “WATCHMEN” (which is unfortunately not available).

“BREAKING BAD” (2005) by Vince Gilligan

One of the greatest pilots of the 21st century, if only because it gave birth to one of the greatest TV characters of the 21st century.

“BRIDGERTON” (2020) by Chris Van Dusen

“CHERNOBYL” (2019) by Craiz Mazin

This is a perfect episode of television.

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