BY – Ella Henke
TV is an ever-changing market. The rise of streamers and the way people consume entertainment is constantly evolving, causing huge shifts in TV writing and what is expected of TV writers. While these shifts can be unpredictable and move quickly, it’s valuable to stay attuned to market trends so we can keep our writing current.
A key feature of TV scripts that have seen a shift in recent years is act breaks. Back when Netflix was just a DVD-by-mail service and you were still gathering around the TV for your show to come on every week, act breaks were a staple part of any TV script.
What Exactly Are Act Breaks?
Act breaks are there to mark the end of one act and take us into the commercials. Networks place a lot of importance on them because they have the all-important task of hooking the audience enough for them to stick around through the ad break. This might look like a mini cliffhanger, or teasing an unanswered question.
With watching habits changing, there is now more debate around the relevance of act breaks in the age of streamers. More recently however we’ve been seeing streamers adding commercials to their platforms for the first time, which has resulted in more non-network shows reintroducing act breaks. Whether or not you need to be writing to act breaks depends on the kind of show you’re writing and what platform you intend for it to be on, but a lot of people believe it’s good practice to always write to act breaks even if you take them out later.
Examples of Act Breaks
Extract from Parks and Recreation (2009) Pilot S1E1
In this extract from the Parks and Rec pilot script, we can see Act One ends after an inspiring ‘talking head’ from Leslie Knope. The mission of the episode has been established and the stakes are clearly high for Leslie. We now go into the ad break wanting to know whether or not Leslie will manage to build the park.
Extract from Abbott Elementary (2021) Pilot S1E1
Unlike PARKS AND RECREATION, ABBOT ELEMENTARY came out well into the age of streaming, but still, its script utilizes act breaks. Although the show plays on NBC, it is available to stream on Disney outside of the US, and many viewers are now watching on demand. This highlights how act breaks are still a key part of many shows regardless of the platform they’re on. In this extract, Act One ends at the climax of Ms. Schwartz getting into a conflict with one of the students, which leaves us wanting to know more about what will happen next between them.
What About Scripts That Don’t Use Act Breaks?
There are many examples of successful scripts today that don’t feature act breaks, like the pilot of the Golden Globes comedy winner HACKS or the pilot of the hugely popular TED LASSO. Both of these shows went straight to streamers (Amazon and Apple TV), which plays a huge role in why their scripts don’t include act breaks like shows with a more formulaic structure associated with traditional network television.
I’d challenge you to have a read of both these pilot scripts and see how their structure differs from a show like PARKS AND RECREATION. Where might the acts in each script come to a close if you had to write the breaks in? And how do the writers create arcs in the shows’ structures without explicitly pointing out the beginning and end of each act?
Why Act Breaks Are Useful
Although they’re arguably less relevant than they once were, it is still widely considered good practice to use act breaks because they help you to implement structure in your script and ensure that you’re always thinking about how to keep your audience engaged. This is especially important when writing a pilot script as you’re trying to capture an initial audience. You can always take act breaks out further down the line if a streamer becomes attached to the project.
If you’re writing scripts intending to land on a network then you should make sure to use act breaks in all your writing. It’s also a good way of showing a reader that you’ve done your homework and know about traditional TV structure. Some Network Fellowships still require act breaks in their submissions, for example, the NBC TV Writers Program states that all comedy pilots must “follow a four-act structure or Cold Open + three-act structure”, and drama pilots must “follow either a six-act structure or Cold Open + 5 act structure”.
Taking It Case-By-Case
Above all, it’s important to be flexible and stay open to adjusting your script to the different scenarios you’re presenting it in. The market is always changing, and so are its demands. Whether you’re pitching to a network, or you’re working with a producer who thinks act breaks are unnecessary, your script is a living document that will change depending on the home it finds.
Does your current TV WIP utilize act breaks? Why or why not – we want to know! And have you heard about our TV Writers Mentorship Program? It is now open for applications! We’re looking for writers to join our 8-week program, including meeting with showrunner Beth Schwartz (ARROW), taking calls with development execs and reps, working on pitching prep, and more. See a full breakdown of the program here. Early deadline is March 14th.
Ella is a lover of all things storytelling. When she’s not conducting market research at her part-time job as a movie theatre usher, she’s interning at Shore Scripts or hunched over Final Draft. So far, her scripts tell coming-of-age tales that are seemingly about very little but show seismic shifts in her character’s growing worlds. You can find her at ellahenke.com.
