Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show Page #3

Writing 22 episodes

of a television show

is a heavy endeavor,

and anybody who can do it

on their own, more power to them.

But we're not really interested

in doing it on our own.

We're interested in

having a family of writers

who are all contributing

to make the show something

that collectively, we're all proud of.

And hopefully,

by the time it gets on air,

everybody feels that

part of them is in that episode.

Part of them is in it.

Yeah, we don't really care...

I mean, there's a lot of

showrunners that are

very concerned because

their name's on every script

and while it's our responsibility

to come up

with the stories, you know,

um, on a consistency

and a through line of where

we're going,

you know, it's not important for us

to have our names

on the scripts so much.

It's kind of more important

that people recognize,

"Okay, those guys are

the ones behind the shows."

John, why don't you just head for...

Can you get as far

as the end of act two?

Yeah, I can.

Can you get as far

as the end of act three?

I can get to the middle of act three.

I wanted to just hear act four.

Go, John.

We're really gonna

come back to the new season,

picking up where everyone's story was.

In other words,

we're gonna find Brennan...

This is full of spoilers;

I'm a little hesitant to speak.

Don't hesitate. Go ahead.

Don't worry about the spoilers.

This is gonna come out after we...

It's a rich stew of spoilers.

So, uh, Brennan is on the run still

with her daughter Christine.

Um, booth doesn't know

where Brennan is.

He is looking for her.

So we're gonna pick up on...

99% of the audience,

they don't know my name.

They don't know that people

write it, even.

I mean, my father

was on set once and, um...

My dad has watched TV since

they made TV... he loves it.

First time he saw my name on TV,

he had a little weep.

And he's a logger.

He's not a weepy guy.

He was standing watching Emily

say one of her, you know,

scientific things about the bones,

something I'd written.

And he turned to me and said,

"Wow, how does she

come up with that stuff?"

And I thought,

"That's my dad."

That's, nine... That's the audience.

Those people

who don't know how the soup is made.

Um, and then there's a small...

uh, a very small, uh, portion

of the audience that thinks

they know how the soup is made

and... give you advice on

how much salt to put in.

And I think they should be ignored,

because they're not...

Not that they're stupid or anything.

Some of them are stupid.

Some of them are very, very smart.

But they should be ignored

because they're not your audience.

Once the whole story is written down,

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