💬 Weekly Question: What TV writers' room do you wish you could've been part of?
Most of my weekly questions here at 5AM StoryTalk try to tackle bigger questions about art that both the casual art lover and most devoted artist might have something to say about. Today, I’m going to get more specific than that, though I expect television fans might still have an opinion on that matter. Today, I want to talk about writing for the medium of TV.
What TV writers' room do you wish you could've been part of (and why)?
A writers’ room is a colloquial term for both the writing staff that create seasons of TV in the United States (and increasingly elsewhere around the globe) and the actual room where the creative magic happens. These rooms have given us just about every great American TV series ever aired. Many of them are legendary for the talent that was involved. Many are equally infamous for how toxic the environments were.
In my case, my answer has changed from what it probably would’ve been for a good fifteen years of my professional writing career. What I mean is, had you asked me this question even three years ago, it would’ve been “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” just as it would’ve been twenty years ago — but the revelations about Joss Whedon’s toxic behavior make that a fool’s choice today. Instead, I’m going to go with the other foundational TV series in my development as a storyteller: “ER”, and specifically Season 1 to 3. As far as I’m concerned, this is some of the most consistently brilliant, character-driven TV ever produced, and they did it for twenty-four episodes a season.
TNT's _Leverage_.
John Rogers' stories about the writing process are great.
I contend Joss Whedon’s behavior should have zero impact on one’s ability to appreciate the art, but this is the critic’s point of view. From a writer’s perspective, I can think of no other writers room I would have wanted to be a part of than ‘Better Call Saul. At that point, ‘Breaking Bad was revered by the world, creativity from every production department was at its peak, and viewer expectations had yet to be established. People wanted more stories from this universe and they wanted it now. These creative professionals had a vibe and process that was first class, best in business, a perfect balance between the commercialism and the art. Vince Gilligan is a kind, humble, brilliant artist, who lifts others up instead of tearing them down. His success is built on a well run team of artists and engineers operating on a fuel of respect and transparent creativity.