Hey, everyone. I'm not doing a TV script for this year's Screnzy (I'm doing a regular ol' movie script), but I was thinking about doing a pilot + episode two for next year since I have an idea...

Now, this idea would be planned for a whole series (though I probably wouldn't write the whole series for Script Frenzy - but knowing me, I'd like to have the whole series planned at least at a basic level to make writing the pilot easier/better) and would have an ensemble cast. So then, my questions to you more experienced TV-scripters are...

1. How long is an average series in episode count? I would probably be writing 44-minute episodes (or however long they are when they're crammed into an hour of TV time), if that affects the series length at all.

And...

2. How large can an ensemble cast get without getting out of hand? Or, alternately, what seems to be the average size for a "large" ensemble cast? Or any ensemble cast?

Thanks, and good luck with the last third of the scripting month! =D

1) My suggestion would be for a pilot series to start with an aim of 13 episodes. If a show is initially picked up, its usually between 11-13 episodes that are ordered. So that is probably a good start.

2) Looking at some of the more popular hour dramas, an ensemble cast usually has 7-9 main cast members (ie. Criminal Minds has 7, CSI (Vegas) has 6-7 whether you count Jorja Fox or not, Numb3rs has 8).

I hope that helps

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-Sub Rosa-
Episode 1x01 "Down and Dirty"
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COMING SOON to a TV near YOU!

I'm doing that right now. My main ensemble consists of 7 characters, and it's pretty easy to handle. You could go a bit higher though. Firefly handled 9 without a problem. If you start getting too high, you'd probably lose control, though - you wouldn't have time to develop all the characters, and some would inevitably become "minor" characters as a smaller, core group developed. But hey, if you can do it...

As for number of episodes, the number can go as high as 24, even more. It can also vary each season, though. New contracts may demand a smaller or higher number of episodes. I'm aiming for 20-22 myself. Y'know, if I ever actually continue on writing after Screnzy. :P

For series length, you're best aiming for 13 episodes with a chance it could expand, lest what happened to Firefly, Drive, etc, happens to you. (Yes, I am still bitter. Why do you ask?)

"Haec credam a deo pio? A deo iusto, a deo scito? Cruciatus in crucem. Tuus in terra servus, nuntius fui. Officium perfeci. Cruciatus in crucem. Eas in crucem!"

IMO, you can have as many characters as you like (in my pilot, there are currently 24, around 16 of them regulars) as long as you focus on a main bunch (there are only about five who are the main-mains, and two of those who the entire thing centres around).

The new series lengths you guys are saying, I'm finding helpful. I was wondering that myself. I'll reference House on this one: Season 1 was 22 eps, but every other season is 24(except for Season 4, which has been cut to around 16 due to the writer's strike). I think every station, every time slot, every episode, and every prognosis has a different number. Starting with 13 is probably good, 'cause it'd suck to have written 22 then have to cut the series in half somewhere and change the ending so it's finale-esque and move the second half to Season 2. You can always have a cliffhangery, dramatic episode in the middle of a season, but you can't have a normal mid-season show as a finale. I hope I'm making sense. XD

Good luck. :3

You also have to remember that if you have too few cast members it also gets tough. So I wouldn't suggest having 2 regulars, but I'd probably try to cap it around 10.

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Script Frenzy 2008 - The Dreamweaver
AAYWC 1st Place Winner!
NaNoWriMo 2007 - The Four Horsemen - Won!

The average TV script is usually between 60 and 70 pages with room to cut, it tops out at about 45 seconds to a minute per page. Cast size really varies with the kind of show your going for. If you have a show like LOST or HEROS your cast is going to be much larger then if your doing a show like GIMORE GIRLS or SUPERNATURAL. So, think about what kind of show your doing, I wouldn't give your show more then six or seven prominent characters and would really center your show around two or three. As an entire cast you can really have up to twenty characters that you introduce over the first season, but these characters whouldn't be in every episode. TV gives you many more options when it comes to introducing characters, because you can have characters that only appear once or twice but affect the plot for many episodes to come.

Well, for characters, most tv shows - as you all mentioned - have 7-9. Some, like X-Files and Supernatural have only a few. There were other shows though that had a lot. Star Trek:Deep Space Nine had 8 main characters that the show was "starring" but there was about twenty recurring characters that had a fairly large part in almost every episode - so, by the last three seasons there were really about thirty mian characters the show focused on - and they were able to pull it of magnificantly. So, it depends on what you think is enough and what type of show you're writing.
William Louison
NaNoWriMo 2006 - Lost Worlds: Horizon - Won
NaNoWriMo 2007 - Demonria: The Dark Chalice - Won
ScriptFrenzy 2008 - Legends of Itherium: Episodes 1&2