TV Show Development: 6 Ways to Build a Hook into Your TV Series or Web Series Concept

Many people don’t succeed at serialized storytelling because of this one thing.

Their series concept lacks what I like to call THE UNDENIABILITY FACTOR. That is, it’s missing a hook that makes watching the series an irresistible proposition.

A series must have a strong story concept or engine. This is the fundamental question at the heart of your series that will generate enough story across a season and potentially several seasons. A series concept that doesn’t have inherent tension or conflict built in often won’t have enough juice to sustain multiple-episode storytelling. It’s a mistake a lot of writers make that comes back to bite them on the butt when they find themselves stuck at scriptwriting stage, unsure of what should happen next in their narrative.

To avoid that, the TV show development process (early on) is when writers spend time and effort crafting a solid series hook. You can craft a strong hook by doing the ground-work first, establishing a strong connection between your main character & the story itself.

If you want to make your series “high-concept”, you should be able to distill its essence into one sentence. This makes it easy for a viewer (and potential buyer) to understand exactly why that premise might cut through the noise of the tv series and online content space.

For example (and I’m sure you’ll recognize this show):

A mild-mannered Chemistry teacher is forced to start cooking & selling a certain illegal substance to ensure the financial security of his family.

In one sentence, we can absolutely recognize the originality of the idea. We also get a feeling for all the potential conflict, stakes and moral hand-wringing this premise promises to deliver.

The TV Show Development Process: Breaking Story   

Early in the development process, writers and development executives will sit in a room together (or over zoom) and talk through the idea that's being proposed as a TV show. It’s critical to get the series concept right through this process of “breaking story” because the premise needs to grab the audience and make them hungry for more.

I've looked at six ways to frame your story and characters that could help in delivering that all-important hook to a series concept.

1. Irony

One way to bake a hook into your series idea is with the use of irony. Something about the main character’s weakness or circumstance triggers an ironic problem regarding what they’re trying to achieve. There’s a dichotomay of purpose between who the character is and what it is they want or need.

Here are some examples of shows that employ irony:

Succession: The story of billionaires living the high-life but who yearn for the one thing money can't buy: unconditional parental love & respect.

The Sopranos: A mob boss is forced into therapy when he experiences black-outs due to anxiety.

There’s instant story concept magic right there in both examples through the use of irony.

2. Unusual Point of View

This will immediately capture audience attention.

A series told from an unusual perspective, from a POV we haven’t seen before, acts as a powerful hook in piquing people’s interest. Let’s face it, in this content saturated market, it can seem like we’ve seen it all before.

So, when we’re confronted with a story told from a really unique angle, it makes it hard to look away. Let’s look at some examples:

Baby Reindeer: Told from the perspective of a man being stalked by a woman (unusual) and coming to terms with his past–the kind of trauma we usually associate with a female experience.

Heated Rivalry: This series follows a secret & super intense romance between two star ice-hockey players from a perspective we have not seen before (in this particular world).

You & Dexter: Shows told from the POV of a serial killer.

3. A Reversal

Characters are the heart of your series concept. It goes without saying that they need to be well-thought out and multi-layered, with defined character needs, goals, flaws and backstory.

Leveraging a reversal of some kind or opposites when creating characters & scenarios for your series adds a real magnetic pull that your audience will find simply irresistible. Opposing forces at work in your protagonists or the situation they find themselves in helps give that one element all long-running & successful TV series have in common: drama & conflict.

Let’s look at two examples:

Better Call Saul: Two brothers, both lawyers, but one is a highly-respected partner in a prestigious law firm while the younger used to be a petty criminal. Although he tries to follow in his brother's footsteps, he ultimately finds success in being a lawyer to criminals in the underworld.

The Bear: A brilliant chef from the fine-dining world of Michelin restaurants is forced to return home to run his local family business, a struggling sandwich shop.

4. Location

In fact all the examples I’ve listed above also have this one thing in common. They are incredibly specific about where the story is located.

When building the world of your series, place your characters into a place that feels very tangible, familiar in some ways but also extremely niche. Do this even if it’s a complete fantasy world of your imagination.

Think of Twin Peaks, Stranger Things, Severance, Bridgerton, all anchored in very specific locations and in some instances, time periods.

Put the same time and effort into world building as you do into creating your characters & story concept. These three elements–location, concept and characters–are like the holy trinity of storytelling.

As well as an emotional connection with your characters, it’s also the authentic, niche details of the story world that the audience are hungry for. 

 

5. Story Tropes

Another way to bake a hook into your series idea is with a story trope or archetype. Story archetypes are universal patterns, plots or characters that reoccur across eras and cultures. Because of the common experiences we all have as humans, we can immediately recognize a story archetype such as rags to riches, good vs evil, coming-of-age or a fish-out-of-water.

There’s a sense of familiarity about these stories. The audience understands the framework or template they’re signing up for. This means that, if done well, your audience will stick around to see just how you can fulfill or subvert their expections.

Beef: Using the revenge trope, two strangers in LA who get into a road rage incident leave the safety of their vehicles to bring chaos into the other person's life.

Wednesday: Using the coming-of-age trope, a loner sent to a boarding school for other misfits learns about the power of friendship.

(You can read more about story archetypes and tropes here).

6. Stakes

Are there clear stakes and conflict at the heart of your series concept? If there isn’t, it will be a hard task to get people to watch all the way through.

Stakes don’t always need to involve a life and death scenario, but they do need to be deeply connected to the characters we’re watching. The audience must understand the reasoning and the cost involved to the character–what they stand to lose if a course of action is unsuccessful.

The Girlfriend: A mother stands to lose the emotional bond she has with her only son as well as control of the family itself if she continues to question & investigate the motives of his new girlfriend.

We understand from the mother’s POV why the stakes are so high–this is her cherished only son she has a close (maybe too close?) relationship with.

Dead to Me: In season one, Judy is at risk of getting caught and both main characters of the series stand to lose a valuable friendship if she is implicated in the hit and run accident of Jen’s husband.

Because these two protagonists are drawn so well, the audience understands how losing that friendship would be particularly gut-wrenching for each of the women who in their own ways are crying out for deep connection & companionship.

When creating your series concept, remember these four core principles:

1. Define Your Core Concept: At the heart of every successful series is a strong core & inbuilt hook that forms the foundation of the narrative. Is this core concept solid enough to move forward? Does it contain an inherent hook that makes it intrinsically interesting to an audience? Spend time on this step before you start developing the idea further and save yourself a lot of headaches later on.

2. Create Rich Characters: Memorable characters are the lifeblood of any series. Develop protagonists and secondary characters with depth, flaws, and compelling motivations that viewers can relate to and bond with over the long haul. If viewers do not invest emotionally in your characters, you don't have an audience; you have the occasional spectator.

3. Build a World Worth Exploring: Transport your audience into a richly imagined world. Whether it's the corporate landscape of Succession, a distinctive localized story precinct like The Bear or the fantastic realms of Wednesday or Stranger Things, a well-developed setting can serve not only as a backdrop but as a catalyst for storytelling and a character in and of itself.

4. Establish Clear Stakes and Conflict: Conflict is the engine that drives every great story. Define clear stakes early on and establish ongoing conflicts that keep viewers interested in the outcome. If we don't understand what's at stake and why it's so vitally important for the character, the audience will soon lose interest. Give them a good reason to stay!

Story Inkubator was founded by writer, scriptwriter and teacher, Kristina Jilly, an Australian living in Central Europe who's written for HBO Europe and RTL Television. She has an M.A. in Screenwriting and teaches at the University of Applied Sciences in Upper Austria. Kristina also writes online content about the art of storytelling and topics that inspire creativity. 

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