Writers' room

The television industry has long had a collaborative model for writing shows, though not all shows use a writers' room.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/06/the-greatest-tv-writers-rooms-ever.html|title=The Greatest TV Writers Rooms Ever|last=Kurp|first=Josh|date=2018-06-22|website=Vulture|language=en-us|access-date=2020-04-02|archive-date=2020-02-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228140107/https://www.vulture.com/2011/06/the-greatest-tv-writers-rooms-ever.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-madelyn-pugh-davis-20110422-story.html|title=Madelyn Pugh Davis dies at 90; 'I Love Lucy' writer|date=2011-04-22|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-02|archive-date=2020-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402153432/https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-madelyn-pugh-davis-20110422-story.html|url-status=live}}

With the explosion of scripted shows, and the competition among the networks and streaming channels, a "fluidity has developed to the way shows are created." The writers' room follows no single formula; it is an open-ended process with a range of set-ups. Room sizes vary from two to thirty, depending on the budget and number of episodes, each room with its own rules.{{Cite web |last=Hub |first=Filmarket |date=2020-02-17 |title=WHAT IS A WRITERS ROOM? |url=https://medium.com/filmarket-hub-academy/what-is-a-writers-room-949cd799b086 |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=Filmarket Hub |language=en}}

"Mini-rooms" exist for limited series and smaller shows, mostly those not yet approved.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/08/the-end-of-the-tv-writers-room-as-we-know-it-mini-rooms|title=Is This the End of the TV Writers' Room as We Know It?|last=Press|first=Joy|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=7 August 2018 |language=en|access-date=2020-04-01|archive-date=2020-08-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807220729/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/08/the-end-of-the-tv-writers-room-as-we-know-it-mini-rooms|url-status=live}} Mini-rooms consist of fewer writers than ordinary writers' rooms, who are paid less, and may not be employed for the duration of the production.{{Cite news |last=Scheiber |first=Noam |date=2023-07-20 |title=How TV Writing Became a Dead-End Job |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/20/business/economy/writers-strike-hollywood-gig-work.html |access-date=2023-07-21 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |last1=Koblin |first1=John |last2=Barnes |first2=Brooks |date=2023-05-02 |title=Hollywood Writers Go on Strike, Halting Production |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/media/hollywood-writers-strike.html |access-date=2023-05-02 |issn=0362-4331}}

The "proliferation" of mini-rooms in the 2020s, partly as a cost-cutting measure by producers, was one of the major issues in the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Historically, television seasons had so many episodes that writers' rooms worked on the later episodes while filming began on the first few episodes. Thus, writers had plenty of writing work to keep them busy, and were also able to provide extensive feedback on the production of early episodes and interact with cast and crew on set. This traditional arrangement allowed them to gain valuable experience on the production side so they could then pitch their own shows and become showrunners someday. The shift to shorter seasons for streaming series meant that mini-rooms would churn out an entire season of scripts first, then only the showrunner and one writer would remain with the series throughout principal photography to revise those scripts further as needed. This shift meant less work and less money for writers, along with less opportunities to graduate to showrunner.

The showrunner runs the entire writers' room. They have overall responsibility for the entire series; they are in charge of the budget, scripts, crew, keeping actors happy and interacting with the studio or network. They are usually writers themselves and are generally listed as executive producers.{{Cite web |last=Team |first=N. F. I. |date=2022-03-18 |title=Showrunner - Everything You Need To Know |url=https://www.nfi.edu/showrunner/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=NFI |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717190901/https://www.nfi.edu/showrunner/ |url-status=live }}

An executive producer is a writer and second in charge and may act on behalf of the showrunner.{{Cite web |title=How to Become a Television Writer |url=https://www.thebalancecareers.com/television-writer-1283470 |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=The Balance Careers |language=en |archive-date=2022-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717191853/https://www.thebalancecareers.com/television-writer-1283470 |url-status=live }}

Producers in television writer's rooms are typically writers who have moved up the room hierarchy. This group includes co-producers. They are involved in script approvals, casting, production and creative direction.{{Cite web |title=Writers room explained |url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writers-room-explained#3lalbjr5aME7OihLR2dM1X}} A line producer is a managerial position, and often not a writer.{{Cite web |title=What do line producers do? |url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-101-what-does-a-line-producer-do}}{{Cite web |date=2013-03-29 |title=The Importance of a Line Producer |url=http://www.filmconnection.com/reference-library/film-entrepreneurs/importance-of-a-line-producer |access-date=2022-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329164737/http://www.filmconnection.com/reference-library/film-entrepreneurs/importance-of-a-line-producer |archive-date=2013-03-29 }}

Executive story editor is a mid-level writer in charge of groups of staff writers.

Staff writer is an entry level writing position, reserved for someone working on their first or second scripts.{{Cite web |last=Buchman |first=Eric |date=2014-02-07 |title=Anatomy of a TV Writers' Room |url=https://buchnotes.com/2014/02/06/anatomy-of-a-tv-writers-room/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=buchnotes |language=en |archive-date=2021-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805013807/https://buchnotes.com/2014/02/06/anatomy-of-a-tv-writers-room/ |url-status=live }}

Writers' assistant is one of the most coveted early-career jobs in the industry.{{Cite web |last=Sam |date=2016-11-03 |title=How to Become a Writers' Assistant • Any Possibility |url=https://anypossibility.com/how-to-become-a-writers-assistant |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Any Possibility |language=en-US |archive-date=2021-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220054502/https://anypossibility.com/how-to-become-a-writers-assistant |url-status=live }} The assistant takes notes in the room and interacts with the writers and creators. They learn the business from the inside and make contacts, hoping to be able to later move up the hierarchy. It is their job to make sure that no good ideas are lost, do research, produce web material and occasionally make creative pitches.

Bill Lawrence, a television screenwriter, has said that:

{{Blockquote | ... the end credits of a TV show, it will say staff writer, story editor, executive story Editor, co-producer, producer, supervising producer, co-executive producer, executive producer. (While) (s)omeone else will (also) be executive producer because they help to run the room, every other title is just ... writer who's been here one year, writer who's been here two years, writer who's been here three years, ... and it's just a pay scale.{{cite episode |title=TV Producer Bill Lawrence Reveals How a Writer's Room Really Works |series=Off Camera |date=2015-12-07 |url=https://www.directv.com/tv/Off-Camera-with-Sam-Jones-UzJxcVdKR09SdHlGby9GckxSaXJvUT09/Bill-Lawrence-MXpNa3kwalNvQ0h6amNyelFxdUF0Zz09 |network=Audience |season=4 |number=48 |last=Jones |first=Sam (host) |access-date=2022-07-18 |archive-date=2021-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304000940/https://www.directv.com/tv/Off-Camera-with-Sam-Jones-UzJxcVdKR09SdHlGby9GckxSaXJvUT09/Bill-Lawrence-MXpNa3kwalNvQ0h6amNyelFxdUF0Zz09 |url-status=live }} }}

{{Incomplete list|date=July 2022}}

• I Love Lucy with Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf{{Cite web |title=I Love Lucy Fast Facts |url=https://lucy-desi.com/i-love-lucy-history/fast-facts/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717211301/https://lucy-desi.com/i-love-lucy-history/fast-facts/ |url-status=live }}
• Your Show of Shows with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, Woody Allen, Tony Webster, Lucille Kallen, Selma Diamond, Danny Simon, Mel Tolkin, Max Liebman, Sid Caeser and Neil Simon.{{Citation |last=Spudgun67 |title=English: Plaque at the rear of The City Centre building, West 56th Street New York NY |date=2016-10-19 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Writers%27_Room_plaque.jpg |access-date=2022-07-19}} Five years after the Holocaust and in the midst of the Blacklist (which frequently targeted Jewish writers){{Cite web |url=https://www.thejc.com/culture/features/hunting-communists-they-were-really-after-jews-1.10702 |title=They were really after Jews |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=www.thejc.com |archive-date=2022-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524035629/https://www.thejc.com/culture/features/hunting-communists-they-were-really-after-jews-1.10702 |url-status=live }} it has been noted that they were all Jewish except for Webster.{{Cite web |title=The Geniuses of Your Show of Shows – Next Act Theatre |url=https://nextact.org/geniuses/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=nextact.org |date=8 November 2019 |archive-date=2021-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618154715/https://nextact.org/geniuses/ |url-status=live }}
• The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour{{Cite web |last=Kurp |first=Josh |date=2018-06-22 |title=The Greatest TV Writers Rooms Ever |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/06/the-greatest-tv-writers-rooms-ever.html |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=Vulture |language=en-us}} with Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, Rob Reiner, Allan Blye,{{Cite web |last=Zee |first=Michaela |date=2024-10-06 |title=Allan Blye, Emmy-Winning Writer for ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,’ ‘Van Dyke and Company,’ Dies at 87 |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/allan-blye-dead-smothers-brothers-comedy-hour-1236169449/ |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} Mason Williams{{Cite web |title=Mason Williams Television Comedy Writing |url=http://www.masonwilliams-online.com/careertvcom.html |access-date=2023-05-02 |website=www.masonwilliams-online.com}} Pat Paulsen,{{Cite web |date=2016-03-01 |title=Comedian Pat Paulsen's Sincerely Insincere Presidential Campaigns |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70735/comedian-pat-paulsens-sincerely-insincere-presidential-campaigns |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Mental Floss |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717213855/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70735/comedian-pat-paulsens-sincerely-insincere-presidential-campaigns |url-status=live }} Tony Webster,{{Cite news |date=1987-07-02 |title=Tony Webster Is Dead at 65; An Award-Winning TV Writer |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/02/obituaries/tony-webster-is-dead-at-65-an-award-winning-tv-writer.html |access-date=2022-07-19 |issn=0362-4331}} Ron Clark{{Cite web |title=Ron Clark |url=https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/1104/ron-clark |access-date=2023-05-02 |website=Concord Theatricals |language=en}} and Bob Einstein{{Cite web |last=Freeman |first=Marc |date=2017-11-25 |title='The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' at 50: The Rise and Fall of a Groundbreaking Variety Show |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/smothers-brothers-comedy-hour-oral-history-1060153/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717212842/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/smothers-brothers-comedy-hour-oral-history-1060153/ |url-status=live }}
• The Dana Carvey Show with Steve Carell, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Robert Smigel, Robert Carlock, Jon Glaser, Dino Stamatopoulos and Dana Carvey{{Cite news |last=Yamato |first=Jen |date=2016-07-09 |title=The Greatest TV Writers' Room Ever: Dana Carvey, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, and More |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/09/the-greatest-tv-writers-room-ever-dana-carvey-louis-c-k-stephen-colbert-steve-carell-and-more |access-date=2022-07-17 |archive-date=2022-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719003007/https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-tv-writers-room-ever-dana-carvey-louis-ck-stephen-colbert-steve-carell-and-more |url-status=live }}
• The Dick Van Dyke Show with Carl Reiner, Garry Marshall, Sam Denoff, Sheldon Keller, Dale McRaven, John Whedon, and Jerry Belson.{{Cite web |last=Kurp |first=Josh |date=2018-06-22 |title=The Greatest TV Writers Rooms Ever |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/06/the-greatest-tv-writers-rooms-ever.html |access-date=2024-01-01 |website=Vulture |language=en}}
• SCTV (1976–1981) with Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O'Hara, and Dave Thomas.
• Saturday Night Live with Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Al Franken, Rob Smigel, Conan O'Brien, Bob Odenkirk, Gilda Radner and many others.
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien (circa 1993-1994) with Tom Agna, Andy Richter, Conan O'Brien, Louis C.K., Bob Odenkirk, Robert Smigel, and Dino Stamatopoulos.

The Dick Van Dyke Show ran on CBS from 1961–1967. One of the show's leading story lines centered on the work of television comedy writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), the head writer for the fictional Alan Brady Show in New York. The show was based on Carl Reiner's life and was an early television depiction of a writers' room.{{Cite web |last=Larrylambert |date=2022-06-13 |title=Remembering the Dick Van Dyke Show |url=https://medium.com/the-haven/remembering-the-dick-van-dyke-show-82c84d7a68e3 |access-date=2023-05-15 |website=The Haven |language=en}}

The Writers' Room was a 2013–2014 American television talk show hosted by screenwriter and actor Jim Rash. Each episode featured a behind-the-scenes look at the writing staff of popular television series.{{cite web|title=Sundance Channel greenlights THE WRITERS' ROOM, premiering July 29th|url=http://www.sundancechannel.com/blog/2013/05/sundance-channel-greenlights-the-writers-room-premiering-july-29th|publisher=Sundance Channel|accessdate=July 29, 2013|date=May 23, 2013}}{{cite news|last=Zurawik|first=David|title=Sundance 'Writers' Room' goes backstage at 'Breaking Bad'|url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-07-27/entertainment/bal-writers-room-breaking-bad-sundance-20130727_1_vince-gilligan-breaking-bad-thomas-schnauz/2|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130729081153/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-07-27/entertainment/bal-writers-room-breaking-bad-sundance-20130727_1_vince-gilligan-breaking-bad-thomas-schnauz/2|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 29, 2013|accessdate=July 29, 2013|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=July 27, 2013}}

In the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, stand-up comedian Midge Maisel is largely relegated to a writers' room.{{Cite web |last1=April 19 |first1=Maureen Lee Lenker |last2=EDT |first2=2023 at 09:00 AM |title='Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' team talks putting Midge in a writers' room |url=https://ew.com/tv/the-marvelous-mrs-maisel-season-5-midge-gordon-ford-show/ |access-date=2023-05-15 |website=EW.com |language=en}}

The Writers Room, founded in 1978, is a workspace in New York City where writers work on their projects and have access to reference materials and fellow writers.[https://www.writersroom.org/ The Writers Room]

Not every show uses a writers' room - some shows, especially in the UK, where writers' rooms are rarely used, either use a single writer or hire freelancers on a per-episode basis.{{cite news |last1=McFarlane |first1=Mhairi |title=British TV should give writers room |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/feb/28/britishtvshouldmakeroomfo |website=The Guardian |date=28 February 2008 |access-date=14 July 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Birnbaum |first1=Debra |title=Writers' Rooms Vs. Solo Scribes: Where Does TV Creativity Flourish Best? |url=https://variety.com/2014/biz/news/writers-rooms-vs-solo-scribes-where-does-tv-creativity-flourish-best-1201219160/ |website=Variety |date=12 June 2014 |access-date=24 June 2023}}{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=Steve |title=The room where it happens: why writers' rooms make for great TV |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/oct/21/the-room-where-it-happens-why-writers-rooms-make-for-great-tv |website=The Guardian |date=21 October 2020 |access-date=24 June 2023}} HBO's Michael Lombardo said in 2015 that he preferred British scripts because they were more "voice-driven" for not being from a writers' room.{{Cite news |last=Aroesti |first=Rachel |date=2024-12-07 |title='The vibe may be British, but the money is not': how the US quietly conquered UK TV |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/07/us-uk-television-ted-lasso-industry?utm_medium=email&utm_source=pocket_hits&utm_campaign=POCKET_HITS-EN-DAILY-SPONSORED&PAVED-2024_12_14=&sponsored=0&position=4&category=fascinating_stories&scheduled_corpus_item_id=606f9f5d-fc77-4dc5-baf5-9cd09e9523f3&url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/07/us-uk-television-ted-lasso-industry |access-date=2024-12-14 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

Criticisms include lack of diversity, including age, gender, socio-economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds;{{Cite web |date=2020-06-14 |title='Killing Eve' faces backlash for lack of diversity in writers' room |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-killing-eve-writers-lack-diversity-20200614-5s32qixzyvaftptnotxvvkinhm-story.html |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Chicago Tribune}} hierarchical structure which leads to a toxic culture where junior writers are overlooked, abused and exploited; stress from long hours and high pressure to meet tight schedules; lack of credit for junior writers;{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Allyson |date=2023-06-29 |title='The Other Two' Ending Amid Allegations of Toxic Behavior in the Writers' Room |url=https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/the-other-two-ending-amid-allegations-of-toxic-behavior-in-the-writers-room.php |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Pajiba}}{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=2023-05-31 |title=Former 'Lost' Scribe Shares More Tales From Writers Room; "I Do Hope Future Abusers Will Be Deterred" |url=https://deadline.com/2023/05/lost-writers-room-abuse-bullying-racism-javier-grillo-marxuach-1235383756/ |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} lack of job security and need for a living wage;{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Stephen |title=No More TV Until Writers Paid Living Wage. PAAAAAY THEMMMMM Oh My God PAAAAAY THEMMMM. |url=https://www.wonkette.com/p/no-more-tv-until-writers-paid-living-wage-paaaaay-themmmmm-oh-my-god-paaaaay-themmmm |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=www.wonkette.com |language=en}} and, sexism.{{Cite web |title=The only woman in the room |url=https://www.thelily.com/its-lonely-being-the-only-woman-in-a-writers-room-just-ask-them/}}

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Category:Television terminology

Category:Screenwriting