How to Start that TV Pilot Script in 2025

So you have a TV pilot idea, but you have no idea how to get started.

Well, have no fear, your Fairy Godwriter is here.

Here are four ways to start gathering that mushy mess of ideas sloshing around in your head into a coherent pilot:

1 Watch/read a lot of TV

One of the easiest ways to start formulating your idea for your show is to watch and read other TV shows that have elements of what you want in your own pilot. Is your show an animated family comedy? Then it’s time to sit down and dissect some episodes of The Simpsons. Or maybe your vibes are closer to Rick & Morty. What the hell, might as well watch and dissect both shows. And while you’re watching, make sure to write down any ideas you get for your show.

Even better? If the episode is (as the kids say) "lit”, find the script online and read that too. Scripts are extremely easy to find online (yes some links are suspicious so download at your own risk), and actually reading the script allows you to see how your favorite scenes went from page to screen. The more scripts you read, the easier it’ll be to craft your own script.

2 Read this book

Jen Grisanti’s ‘TV Writing Toolkit: How to Write a TV Pilot That Sells’ is, in my opinion, the simplest and most straightforward book on how to write a pilot. For this reason, it’s required reading in my Zero to Pilot course. Written by a TV executive with decades in the business, the book not only walks you through the elements that make for good TV, but helps you shape the show far beyond the pilot.

3 Blue Sky

No, not the app, I’m talking about the 1-2 week process of gathering and organizing ideas used in a TV writer’s room known as “Blue Sky”. Usually done in the first two weeks of the writer’s room, the Blue Sky period is essentially a “group brain dump” where writers brainstorm and pitch ideas for episodes, characters, storylines, character arcs, scenes, set pieces, jokes, and everything in between.

If you’re stuck on how to get started with your pilot script, it might make sense to take a week or two to think broadly about your show. Here’s a free guide to help you do just that.

4 Practice thinking out loud

If you’re finding solo”in your head” brainstorming challenging, you may benefit from pitching your ideas out loud. You can either do this with a creative/writer friend or collaborator, or with an AI assistant like Chat GPT (I’ve yet to use an AI assistant to help brainstorm ideas, but I hear it’s been extremely useful for some people).

So much of being in a television writer’s room centers around thinking out loud (i.e. pitching). The more confident you get pitching ideas, the easier it gets, and the clearer your idea becomes.

Go ahead, give some of these a try. Happy writing.