Great TV Treatments and Show Bibles - Part II

Carole Kirschner Treatments and Show Bibles Screenwriting.jpg

TV screenwriters always ask me about bibles, pitch decks and treatments. If you’re a successful television writer, you may not need a pilot script when you go into pitch. They know your work and want to be in business with you.

But, if you’re new to the business and don’t have a track record, the first thing you need to do is write a blazing hot pilot script. From there, it will help decision makers understand what your show is about if you have a compelling treatment and bible.

So, how do you put together a bible that’s informative and eye-catching? You can start by taking a look at how the pro’s do it.

Back in November 2019 (before the world turned upside down) I did a post about great show bibles to read and be inspired by - I think it’s time to add a few more to your reading list.

To be clear, the bibles listed below are just for inspiration - when you’re starting out you want your bible to be succinct and snappy. See the Stranger Things bible for a great example of that. The bibles/pitch documents in this post were created by people who had earned the right to turn in super long documents.

Go through these, and borrow ideas that you feel will help people understand your show. But don’t go into details about every episode of every season. Sadly, no one is going to take the time to read it.

Here are 4 MORE treatments and show bibles to learn from and be inspired by:

1. New Girl

Some writers (especially comedy writers) can get so caught up in showing “personality” in their series bible, that they forget to clearly communicate the nuts and bolts. While other writers know how to communicate a show’s logistics very well, but do it with zero personality (resulting in a very boring read). The pitch document for New Girlis a great example of how to strike a balance between showing personality/tone and clearly communicating necessary info:

“The guys Jess lives with all come with baggage when it comes to women. Nick’s engagement brutally and disastrously fell apart, Schmidt’s overbearing, terrifying mother runs his life, and Coach has watched as each of his friends leaves him to get married and have kids. Jess is the first girl they’ve met who isn’t trying to change them or hurt them or stop them from watching Sports Center while cradling their balls.”

2. Battlestar Galactica

This series bible does two things amazingly well right out of the gate. On the very first page it outlines the structure of the series in an easy to understand, exciting way - you instantly know what they are trying to do, why it would be groundbreaking, and how they are going to do it. They also leave an intriguing tag on the bottom of the first page to encourage the reader to flip the page and keep reading:

“There are no days for our characters, no safe havens, nothing approaching the quiet normal existence they once knew. They are on the run for their very lives.

This series is about a chase.

Let the chase begin.”

Show bibles can be long documents. But I think it’s worth mentioning again, as an emerging TV writer yours shouldn’t be this long. Ron Moore earned his right to turn in this length of a bible. While you want to be as clear about your vision as this bible is, you don’t want to go into this much detail. It’s daunting for the reader and they could easily put it down before they start. Use this terrific bible as inspiration but make yours at least 50% shorter, while still clearly demonstrating you know your show.

3. Scrubs

Any show that blends fantasy and reality can be challenging to explain. The bible for Scrubsmakes the difference between ‘facts’ and ‘fantasy’ crystal clear - going so far as to create a ‘Character Fact Chart’ and a ‘Fantasy Chart’ (to track what’s fantasy in each episode). I’m not saying you need a bible full of charts and diagrams - the lesson here is to do your best to make your bible as clear and succinct as possible. You want it to be easy for your reader to ‘get it’.

4. Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy is the longest-running scripted primetime show on ABC, and the longest-running American primetime medical drama series. If that’s not a reason to check out this bible, I don’t know what is. This bible does a lot of things well, including going above and beyond your standard episode descriptions. Before the document dives into the major beats of each episode, it serves up a memorable episode title, quote from the ‘would-be episode’, a clear theme, and a quote from the lead character’s voice over:

Episode 101. GET OFF MY CLOUD

“Okay, we’ll flip for it. Heads, I try not to kill her. Tails, you try not to kill her.” - Christine to Meredith, during a fight over a patient.

THEME: BOUNDARIES

Meredith (V.O): Everyone has a part of their lives that’s off-limits. Personally, professionally or romantically — we’re all drawing lines in the sand and praying no one crosses them.

Life at the hospital has turned into a tug of war. Both attending and interns are fighting for the best cases on Trauma rotation…

What show bibles inspire you? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!