Scribble Rinse Repeat

So, you've written a killer pilot for your TV show, but what's next? Creating successful repeatable procedures and behaviors for your characters, of course!

These are the actions your characters perform in each episode, giving your audience something to look forward to and helping to build familiarity and consistency. But how do you create these habits and behaviors?

First, consider the nature of your show. Is it a crime drama, a medical thriller, or a sci-fi adventure? The type of show you're writing will greatly influence the type of repeatable procedures and behaviors that will work best for your characters.

Next, develop unique traits that make your characters stand out from each other. Quirks, habits, or skills that set them apart and make them interesting to watch.

In the crime drama Psych, the main character, Shawn Spencer, was a fake psychic who solves crimes with his uncanny ability to observe and deduce details.

You knew that if you were one of the ten people, including me, who turned in every week, you would get to see Shawn do his thing.

Another way to create repeatable procedures and behaviors is to use recurring locations in your episodes. A specific set, such as a police station or a hospital room, or a location outside, such as a park or a coffee shop. Central Perk anyone?

In the legal drama The Good Wife, Alicia Florrick, frequently meets clients and other lawyers at a specific coffee shop. This location not only provides a consistent element for the audience to look forward to but also helps to ground the show in reality and make it feel more familiar.

Establishing a routine for your characters can create a sense of consistency and familiarity for your audience. This can be a morning routine, a work routine, or a specific set of actions that your characters take before or after a specific event.

In the spy drama Alias, our main character, Sydney Bristow, was a CIA agent who had a specific routine before each mission, including a debriefing with her handler and selecting her disguise. This repeatable procedure not only created a sense of familiarity but also helped establish Sydney's character and her relationship with her handler.

It was a routine the audience looked forward to seeing every week, and we writers loved coming up with and scribbling.

Using catchphrases or taglines can also create repeatable procedures and behaviors for your characters. Memorable lines your characters say in each episode help establish personalities and create consistency for the audience.

In The Office, Michael Scott, frequently uses the catchphrase "That's what she said" This not only creates a sense of familiarity but also helps to establish Michael's character and his (lame) sense of humor.

As your series progresses, you can build upon your characters' established habits and traits, challenging them to improve or change their ways. This growth can occur in small ways, such as a character trying new food, or in larger ways, such as a character overcoming a significant personal flaw.

In Hannibal, for example, FBI profiler Will Graham struggled with his empathy disorder and had to learn to trust his instincts and embrace his unique perspective to catch the killer. Ironically, he learned how with Hannibal’s help.

Whether it's Jack Bauer's reliance on his trusty cell phone or Michael Burnham's Vulcan mindset versus Starfleet protocols, these habits can become iconic and memorable elements of your series.

Don’t look at this like you’re building Big Macs or Frappucino formulas, but creating repeatable behaviors and entertaining habits for your characters that will give your audience something to look forward to.