Though they may not be every writer’s cup o’ tea, TV pilot outlines can often make constructing a story a whole lot easier. And they are not only used as a guideline for writing the screenplay but they’re also used by development executives or even potential buyers to see details about the trajectory of a story.
Here is a guideline on how to write a TV pilot outline in three easy steps. But first, what’s an outline, anyway?
Table of Contents
What’s a TV Pilot Outline?
A TV pilot outline is a narrative summary of a script broken down scene-by-scene. It is a product that is protected by the Writers Guild of America theatrical and television minimum agreement. Not to be confused with a beat sheet, the outline is much more detailed and will often include act breaks, sluglines, scene descriptions, and sample dialogue.
Read More: What is a Script Outline and Should You Use One?
How to Write a TV Pilot Outline
1. Ideate things that happen
Before you even start drafting your outline, begin by organizing your ideas for your story. Some people like to use index cards, writing an event or specific dialogue down on them. Each index card indicates something that happens, for example if we’re using The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy and Toto are caught in their house in a twister, the house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, ruby slippers appear on Dorothy’s feet, etc.
Using index cards to ideate is helpful because you can then begin to arrange the cards chronologically in the order the events will appear in the screenplay. You can also tape the cards to a wall to visually see how your story is progressing.
Read More: What is a Beat Sheet?
2. Create a beat sheet
Once you’ve got your ideas listed, it’s time to organize them into act breaks and major moments. Below I’ve listed Shonda Rhimes’ five-act structure for episodic drama to give you an idea of the blueprint. I will often start my drama pilot beat sheets with this exact skeleton, including the act descriptors (“hook ‘em” in the cold open, “launch the world” in act one, etc.).
- COLD OPEN – HOOK ‘EM
- ACT ONE – LAUNCH THE WORLD, CHARACTERS, INCIDENT
- A-Story:
- B-Story:
- ACT TWO – THINGS GET WORSE, ESTABLISH CHARACTERS/WORLD MORE
- A-Story:
- B-Story:
- ACT THREE – CHARACTERS FEEL LIKE FAILURES + TICKING CLOCK
- A-Story:
- B-Story:
- ACT FOUR – NEXT LEVEL OF INCITING INCIDENT
- A-Story:
- B-Story:
- ACT FIVE – CHARACTERS CLIMB BACK OUT OF HOLE
- A-Story:
- B-Story:
3. Create sluglines and scene descriptions
Once you have the overall structure of the screenplay, start building detail by opening your screenwriting software and filling out the act structures. Then, begin writing the sluglines for the scenes as well as descriptions of what will happen in them.
The goal is to include every scene that will be part of your final screenplay. As details come to you, you can also begin to fill them in. Your scenes might just be descriptions of what will happen or you might be ready to write some action lines and snippets of dialogue.
You can also be descriptive at this stage regarding what should be happening thematically, what the characters learn, or what insights the audience may experience.
TV Outline Examples
Keeping with Shonda Rhimes, let’s look at how the Grey’s Anatomy outline might have looked:
TEASER
INT. MEREDITH’S LIVING ROOM – SUNRISE
Meredith Grey (32, smart, awkward, irreverent, hard-working, and…well, naked) kicks out her cute one-night stand (Derek, late 30s, also naked).
INT. HOSPITAL SURGICAL SUITE – DAY
The Chief greets the new interns and describes how challenging the program will be. Meredith’s voiceover ends with “Like I said, I’m screwed.”
ACT ONE
Hopefully that’s helpful, but ScreenCraft put together a collection of examples of actual script outlines from famous films that you should definitely check out..and download…for free!
Benefits of Writing an Outline
Outlining in this way is a great practice for a number of reasons. Let’s go over a few of them.
Overcome the Empty Page
It can help a writer overcome the empty page; instead of fretting overwriting a script, you baby step from ideas on cards to bullet points to sluglines. Each step allows you to add more detail and bring your story to life.
Solve Problems Early On
Problem-solving in the outline stage can help you save time down the line. If there are problem areas or moments that don’t land, it’s easier to identify and fix them in an outline than to throw out or restructure already written pages.
It Can Be Used to Collaborate More Effectively
Though writing can feel like a solitary endeavor, filmmaking is collaborative. Showrunners, producers, and buyers want to see outlines to know how a story is progressing or to decide whether they want to proceed with a script at all. This is a professional product that you will most likely need to know how to create down the line. Feel free to research how other writers have formatted their outlines and find a system that works for you.
And as always, good luck out there and happy writing!
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Shannon Corbeil is a writer, actor, and U.S. Air Force veteran in Los Angeles with appearances on SEAL Team and The Rookie. She was also a 2023 DGE TV Writing Program Finalist and her screenplays have placed in various contests. You can read more about her on her website or come play on Instagram and Twitter!
