Category: 5 lessons

5 Essential Lessons from Shadow and Bone

It’s hard to know what to say with Shadow and Bone. Are these lessons in writing? Are they lessons in adaptation? I think they must be a bit of both since there’s only 8 episodes to work with, a popular book to draw from and all sorts of things to say. **there’s like spoilers everywhere […]

May 1, 2021 | Posted in 5 lessons
5 Essential Lessons from Timeless

Timeless is one of those shows that I misjudged, badly.  I saw the previews when it debuted on NBC and didn’t think it looked that interesting or that the characters seemed that compelling.  If they’d advertised the auspices of the show I’d probably have given the pilot a chance since I like Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke […]

January 19, 2020 | Posted in 5 lessons, Story Courses, tv
5 Essential Lessons from Roswell, New Mexico

The first three minutes of the original Roswell pilot are some of my favorite moments on tv, ever. One scene in BSG also makes the top 5 list, but this is about Roswell. That haunting Sarah McLachlan song, the urgency and intimacy of it all was absolutely captivating when it first aired and it’s never […]

March 13, 2019 | Posted in 5 lessons, Story Courses, tv
5 Essential Lessons from Eureka

Eureka is now on Amazon Prime so it’s a good time to catch up if you haven’t watched it before. There’s 5 seasons which is a good blend of enough episodes to keep you entertained but not drown you in a show you never finish. When it first aired, I watched the pilot and a […]

May 28, 2018 | Posted in 5 lessons, Story Courses, tv
5 Essential Lessons from The Brave

NBC recently cancelled The Brave which means, much like Haven, I was one of the few people watching it. Which is sad because it was really good. It’s not on Netflix or Amazon Prime (yet – hopefully soon…. or eventually). It’s only 13 episodes so they’re easy to catch up on. And, it’s not entirely […]

April 30, 2018 | Posted in 5 lessons, Story Courses
5 Essential Lessons from Haven

I feel like Haven is one of those shows that I’m the only person who watched it. But I still find it fairly interesting and it definitely has some valuable storytelling lessons to glean. I’ve tried to limit spoilers so you can access the writing lessons without ruining the show. I binged two and a […]

April 16, 2018 | Posted in 5 lessons, Story Courses
5 Essential Lessons from Reign

Sometimes I can’t explain what I like about Reign. I can tell you all the things I don’t like easily enough. And a lot of those are the essential lessons in what not to do in our storytelling. And yet, even with its flaws there’s a lot I enjoy about it. I enjoy most of […]

April 2, 2018 | Posted in 5 lessons, Story Courses
5 Essential Lessons from Once Upon a Time

*Note this only covers the first six seasons, it doesn’t (necessarily) address the reboot in season 7 Once Upon a Time is a rather fascinating study. It is imminently appealing and incredibly flawed at the same time. Which means, in many ways, it’s the epitome of a show you love to hate. Or perhaps more […]

March 19, 2018 | Posted in 5 lessons, Story Courses
Girl Meets World

I’d watched a few episodes of Girl Meets World with my nieces and nephews. Mostly out of curiosity because I loved Boy Meets World so much as a kid. I noticed it was on Netflix the other weekend and since I had unpacking and cooking and things to do around the house, I thought it […]

September 21, 2015 | Posted in 5 lessons, Life