The TV Showrunner's Roadmap

Neil Landau is a screenwriter, producer, author, and professor in the MFA in Screenwriting and Producing Programs at UCLA School of Film, Television & Digital Media. His movie credits include the teen comedy Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead; his TV credits include Doogie Howser, M.D., Melrose Place, The Magnificent Seven, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Twice in a Lifetime, and MTV’s Undressed, and pilot deals at CBS, Disney, Freemantle, Lifetime, Spelling, and Warner Bros. Television. He served as executive script consultant for Sony Pictures Television International for many years, is a faculty member in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and just won a Spanish Academy ("Goya") Award for best screenplay adaptation for the animated movie Tad the Lost Explorer, 2012; he is now working on the sequel, and a new animated movie: Capture the Flag for Paramount.

Chapter 1: Prepare the Perfect Pitch
Interview: Ian Sander and Kim Moses – Ghost Whisperer

Chapter 2: Explore a New Arena
Interview: Steven S. DeKnight* – Spartacus

Chapter 3: Service Your Franchise
Interview: Michael Rauch – Royal Pains

Chapter 4: Deliver the Verdict
Interview: Michelle and Robert King – The Good Wife

Chapter 5: Make Us Care
Interview: Vince Gilligan – Breaking Bad

Chapter 6: Value Family Dynamics
Interview: Shonda Rhimes – Scandal

Chapter 7: Fuel Your Story Engine
Interview: Pam Veasey* – CSI: New York

Chapter 8: Identify Characters’ Weaknesses
Interview: David Shore – House, M.D.

Chapter 9: Determine the POV
Interview: Alex Gansa – Homeland

Chapter 10: Get to the Heart of Your Story
Interview: Jason Katims – Parenthood

Chapter 11: Know Who and What They’re Up Against
Interview: Tim Kring – Touch

Chapter 12: Mine the Mystery
Interview: Damon Lindelof – Lost

Chapter 13: Blueprint Your Structure
Interview: Glen Mazzara – Walking Dead

Chapter 14: Unify Storylines (via Theme)
Interview: Chip Johannessen – Dexter

Chapter 15: Pique Our Interest with a Potent Teaser
Interview: Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin* – The Riches

Chapter 16: Hit the Sweet Spot
Interview: Hart Hanson – Bones

Chapter 17: Pay Off the Setups
Interview: Veena Sud – The Killing

Chapter 18: Establish the Mythology
Interview: Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis – Once Upon a Time

Chapter 19: Push Them Off a Cliff
Interview: Michael Kelley – Revenge

Chapter 20: Designate an Expertise
Interview: Janet Tamaro – Rizzoli & Isles

Chapter 21: Make Us Laugh
Interview: Christopher Lloyd – Modern FamilyInterview: Craig Thomas & Carter Bays – How I Met Your MotherInterview: Don Roos and Dan Bucatinsky* – Web Therapy