Story Grid Showrunners

Parul Bavishi, Melanie Naumann, and Randall Surles
  • 4.9 (9)
  • BOOKS

Could watching TV can make you a better writer? We think so. We’re a group of Story Grid editors analyzing hit TV series to help you understand how great writers create masterful crime, thriller, love, society stories and more. If you're writing a novel, screenplay or TV series, our show will help you look at storytelling from an editor's perspective. New episodes are released every Thursday and our Show Notes are available at www.sgshowrunners.com

  1. 09/25/2020

    034: Game of Thrones S2 - How to write a successful book series

    Editor Reactions: Randall: The intertwining storylines are so intriguing.  Great setup. Mel: The Game of Thrones has officially started in this season with everyone wanting to be the next king, no matter who has a right to it and who does not.  Parul: The hungry for power in Season 1 (society genre) has continued and kicked off a war.  What's the Global Genre? In a multi-plotted saga like Game of Thrones, how do you work out the genre and why should you? So why we dissect it is to help us understand why we love it, and why it’s compelling. By analyzing this masterwork, we come to understand how stories are constructed and we might be inspired for our own stories.  How do we determine the genre? One method is to look at the core event of the season. What is the big showdown that happens towards the end of the series? We have a big battle scene, which is the core event for a war story. But we also have an attempted revolution - Stannis tries and fails to overcome the Lannisters but fails. This is the Society genre. Power battles still rein within the Lannister households and amongst every house We have a range of values that run through the season from victory to defeat. Of course, there are other storylines going on alongside these: Horror (core series storyline): White walkers emerge ready for battle () (life/death) Action: The Stark children are on the run to save their lives. Jon is beyond the wall (against nature - cold, against time - missing uncle, against the state - wildlings) Love: A twisted power/ love game between Melisandre and Stannis Baratheon. Robb Stark falls for Talisa Maegyr, culminating in their secret marriage.  See complete show notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

    38 min

  2. 08/28/2020

    033: Game of Thrones S1 - Winter is Coming

    This is a series with a mini-plot, multiple characters that each pursue their own storyline but come together for a larger story arc. In this first season of Game of Thrones you’ll see multiple storylines weaving together. But the value at stake is power - the clue is in the name: the Game of Thrones. This is closely linked to the action genre with its values of life and death. And you’ll see other genres laced throughout which we will share in our shownotes.  One sentence review from the editors? Randall: This is really one of my favorite series, and the screenwriters did such a great job with the first season.  It’s a great example of how to write a screenplay from a really excellently written book series.  And the author (George R. R. Martin) did such a great job connecting the plotlines throughout the books/ seasons.  This had to take so much planning, Harry Potter level planning. Mel: Awesome fantasy story masterpiece with very deep, three dimensional characters, an amazing story and throughout plotline, as well as the best title music and video. Parul: It is Society Genre combined Action at its best, everybody wants power and everybody will die.  To read all the show notes and get access to downloadable 6 core question files go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

    31 min

  3. 08/14/2020

    032: Ozark Season 3 - It just gets better

    Randall: I totally understand the hype on this series, I can’ believe it took this long for me to watch it.  It just keeps getting better. Parul: This show is getting darker and more complex. It’s riveting.  Randall: I think this is really what makes a good thriller, the ability to have compelling subplots/ red herrings that also have equally life/ death repercussions, but at the same time reminding the viewer/ reader who the real villain is.  The cartel is involved throughout the season, as Helen is present in just about every episode, but we never forget that they are the most dangerous player at the table in Marty and Wendy’s lives - they kidnap Marty, they seem to know everything that is going on, they manipulate Wendy (with the horse farm purchase).  At the same time, Frank Jr. and the mob are mad at Marty, the other cartel is a danger to Marty (he could get caught in the crossfire), Darlene is becoming more dangerous with every episode, the FBI is hot on Marty’s tail - all of these have life and death endings and they are just as engaging as the main battle between Marty and the cartel.  The story would have been so water-downed if these sub-plots weren’t there and not so deadly if it had just been Marty vs. the Navarro cartel. Compare this to Killing Eve - we keep losing sight of the threat of the 12 and there aren’t many other threats to keep the characters occupied. Read all the show notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

    31 min

  4. 07/31/2020

    031: Ozark Season 2

    What did we think? Randall: Great 2nd season, they kept the surprises and tension goingParul: This show is on fire!Beginning Hook: Inciting Incident: Del is killed and Marty must get rid of Del's body before Cartel find out Turning Point Progressive Complication:  Cartel tasks Marty with securing reparations for Del’s death, as he was the lieutenant. Crisis:  Does Marty back down from his request for reparations from the Snells?  Or does he ask for financial reparations or life for a life?Climax: He doesn’t back down but keeps his emotions in check, and talks financeResolution: Darlene insists the Snells won’t pay. Jacob kills Ash as reparationsTo read all of our show notes, go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com.

    36 min

  5. 07/17/2020

    030: Ozark Season 1 - 6 Core Questions and Foolscap

    Did the Story Work? Randall: Pretty good, some nice surprises, overall the story worked. Parul: High stakes, constantly moving. The story worked as a thriller. What are the Editor’s Six Core Questions? It’s a great way to analyze any story and figure out if it works. Here are the questions. We’ll touch on them in this podcast, but the full notes can be downloaded afterward. What’s the genre?What are the conventions and obligatory scenes for that genre?What’s the Point of View?What are the objects of desire?What’s the controlling idea/theme?What is the Beginning Hook, the Middle Build, and Ending Payoff?BEGINNING HOOK We start with what appears to be a normal family: Marty is an accountant who appears to watch porn all the time.  The kids are pretty normal, Charlotte is a normal teenager with attitude and Jonah seems to be pretty normal too.  Then we find out that Marty knows his wife is cheating on him.  All of this sets the stage for the viewers, we see the family at home, work and play and we have a good idea what they are all about. To see the rest of our show notes go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

    25 min

  6. 07/03/2020

    029: Ozark Intro

    Randall Expectations: I’m excited to watch this series, it’s got a lot of good hype.  I also really enjoyed Breaking Bad, with which I see some similarities. Parul Expectations: In terms of Genre? Action or Thriller with morality. Status? Maybe? It’s unclear why he’s making the choice, but we know he’s chosen to be a drug dealer and now will pay the price. As a viewer - this looks like it’s an edge-of-my-seat type of show. I’m excited but not looking forward to seeing the body count - I’m squeamish. Mel Expectations: An exciting story about a family man struggling to do what’s right for his family and what’s morally right, while their life gets threatened more and more, and his marriage is tested. Read all of your show notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

    12 min

  7. 06/19/2020

    028: Killing Eve Season 3 Finale - Does the Story Work?

    Villanelle demonstrates a cold brutality even though she looks stunning and absolutely beautiful which deceives everyone around her. Her beauty and innocent appearance is like the trap that lures her victims into her reach so that she can kill them. Villanelle doesn’t follow a moral code and only does what excites her. If she has to do something, she doesn’t want to, she falls back into lashing out like a child. Not being able to see the consequences of her actions. She’s impulsive, while her ego requires her to feel invincible. And still, there’s something about curly haired women in their early 40’s, that throws her completely out of balance. And she can’t deal with her emotions.. As we have gotten to know and love her, she is a twisted personality. She can show every personality trait that we can sympathise with. From funny, to warm, vulnerable, but also strong and frightening. And whenever you look at her, you can’T tell what’s on her mind. Is she gonna kiss you or kill you? That makes the show very exciting. As said in the last episode of season 3, she can make people change to their worst. She is the reason why Eve unlocked her inner monster and changed from that self-doubt person who carried so much guilt and said sorry for everything to becoming a person who slowly loses her moral path.  The beauty of the show is, as it seems, that maybe one day Eve and Villanelle will be at the same level. Eve seems to become darker and lose her sense of justice and morality, while Villanelle walks on the path of redemption - which was only possible through Eve. And maybe, one day, Villanelle will have changed so much for the better, that she can lead Eve back on the path of redemption. That would be a great twist and sign of character development. For complete notes, go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

    27 min

  8. 06/05/2020

    027: Killing Eve Season 3 Ep 8 - Are you Leading or Am I?

    Initial Observations: Mel - Seems like the biggest crisis and the most at stake was neither for Villanelle nor Eve, but for Konstantin in this final episode, while Eve and Villanelle were only bystanders. If I wouldn’t love the character of Konstantin that much, the episode would have been lots more disappointing. Parul - 50% thriller, 30% love, 20% morality  Randy - Finally.  Finally Eve and Villanelle meet again, and as always, they are the best scenes and the best dialog of the show. To so the complete notes go to www.storygrid.com or wwwsgshowrunners.com

    30 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Could watching TV can make you a better writer? We think so. We’re a group of Story Grid editors analyzing hit TV series to help you understand how great writers create masterful crime, thriller, love, society stories and more. If you're writing a novel, screenplay or TV series, our show will help you look at storytelling from an editor's perspective. New episodes are released every Thursday and our Show Notes are available at www.sgshowrunners.com

Information

  • Creator
    Parul Bavishi, Melanie Naumann, and Randall Surles
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2020
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Story Grid Showrunners