739 - The One with David E. Kelley
Scriptnotes Podcast
John and Craig welcome writer and showrunner David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, Ally McBeal) to look at his process for adapting books to TV, particularly with his latest series Margo’s Got Money Troubles. They explore where to find your act breaks, crafting complicated tones, and when to trust the writer of the book. We also look at how TV has changed over David’s storied career, how he runs a writers room, creating story engines, the difference between writing for broadcast TV and streaming, and the one thing a TV show should never be. In our bonus segment for premium members, David...
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738 - Building Your Audience with Courtney Kemp
Scriptnotes Podcast
John welcomes writer and showrunner Courtney Kemp (Power, Nemesis) to ask, how do you find an audience and build momentum on television? They look at how writers can match their voice to an underserved audience, the pitfalls of being boxed in by a niche, and what new writers can do to get people excited about their work. We also chart how Courtney built her career from magazine writer to creating the television franchise Power, look at the exciting success of Obsession and Backrooms, and answer listener questions on talking to your reps about financial struggles, and how to find your...
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737 - Studio-Adjacent
Scriptnotes Podcast
John welcomes back Phil Hay (Destroyer, The Invitation) to ask, how do you get a movie made with independent financing? They look at how indie movies get made, where you get the money, deciding when to go indie, and whether streamers complicate the picture. We also follow up on testing movies with focus groups and answer listener questions on how to navigate the editing room, daily routines, and what to do when your story has too many themes. In our bonus segment for premium members, we look back on what Phil learned about D&D from his documentary The Dungeon Masters. Links: ...
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736 - The Devil You Know
Scriptnotes Podcast
John and Craig welcome back Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) to explore the timely questions about art and human labor posed by her long-awaited sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2. We’ll warn you now: Spoilers ahead! We also look at what AI knitting podcasts can tell us about the future of industrially-produced slop, and answer a listener question on how to approach the engine of a TV show. In our bonus segment for premium members, what would a hypothetical Scriptnotes Screenplay Club look like? Aline weighs in to make sure the design is impeccable. That’s all....
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735 - The Flashforward Fallback
Scriptnotes Podcast
John and Craig go back to the beginning to examine the mechanics of the flash-forward opening — or as it’s known on this podcast, the “Stuart Special.” They look at what makes a strong flash-forward, when to avoid them, and how to pay back the narrative debt they incur. We also follow up on the Scriptnotes survey and answer a massive grab-bag blitz of listener questions including the potential pitfalls of child protagonists, “unfilmable” elements, and how to end a scene. In our bonus segment for premium members, how do you socialize at Hollywood parties? We’ve made all the...
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734 - A Box Full of Teeth
Scriptnotes Podcast
John and Craig welcome back Katie Dippold (Widow’s Bay, Ghostbusters) to ask, what advice would you give to your younger self? They revisit the writers they used to be, offer specific guidance to each one, and demystify everything from “Why isn’t a producer calling me back?” to “Should I join that sorority?” Most importantly, we look at how Katie turned her former writing sample into the hilarious and spooky new show, Widow’s Bay. We also answer listener questions on calling out stolen ideas and how to pitch yourself when your past work doesn’t line up with your voice. In our...
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733 - Learning Comedy
Scriptnotes Podcast
John welcomes five-time Emmy-winning writer Ali Barthwell (Last Week Tonight) to ask, can writers learn to be funny? Drawing from her time as a teacher at The Second City, they look at what writers can learn from sketch and improv, and how to reliably find ways to make an audience laugh. We also celebrate the WGA membership’s ratification of the 2026 MBA, the educational future of the Scriptnotes book, and answer listener questions on the first scene of a comedy and when to stop taking assistant gigs and bet on yourself. In our bonus segment for premium members, Ali shares how she built a...
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732 - Something Very Bad is Going to Happen
Scriptnotes Podcast
on Netflix Read along with an by Gina McIntyre for LA Times by Carol J. Clover by The Comet is Coming , or Scriptnotes on and John August on and by Gloom Canyon () Scriptnotes is produced by and edited by . Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
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731 - Avoidance and Other Anti-Quests
Scriptnotes Podcast
John and Craig flip the idea of motivation on its head and ask, what are your characters running from? Using examples across film and TV, they look at the psychological underpinnings of discomfort, and how to use avoidance as a driving force of character and story. We’ve also been away for a minute, so there’s a lot to catch up on! We follow-up on where the heck we’ve been, locked pages, a Scottish rap duo, and a new scientific answer for whether one page of script really equals one minute of movie. We also answer listener questions on the afterlife of residuals and writing with a...
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SC39 - Sidecast: The 2026 MBA
Scriptnotes Podcast
There’s a brand new agreement between the WGA and the AMPTP! And since John was the co-chair of the negotiating committee, he’s excited to share all the details of the 2026 MBA. Links: John August on and Scriptnotes on and Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode .
info_outlineJohn and Craig revisit a favorite episode focused on a single topic: bad movies and how they happen. Using first-hand experience, they look at how bad ideas make it to the screen, how good ideas go wrong, and the range of patterns that end in terrible movies.
We also make a list of our then-dream guests for the podcast (many of whom have now been on the show). And fast-forwarding to 2026, we announce an exciting new feature for Highland Pro.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Drew ditch the texts and emails and to pick up the phone and make a call.
Links:
- Highland Fling has arrived! See it in action here
- CW Picks Up ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ As Hourlong Series by Nellie Andreeva for Deadline
- Scriptnotes, Ep 179: The Conflict Episode
- John’s Screencasts on Entering a scene, Writing better action, and Writing better scene description
- First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy
- Rob Schneider Is A Carrot
- Copyright, Exceptions, and Fair Use: Crash Course Intellectual Property
- Fallout 4
- Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
- Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book!
- Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
- Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
- Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription
- Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok
- John August on Bluesky and Instagram
- Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)
- This episode was originally produced by Stuart Friedel. Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.
Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.
The transcript of this episode can be found here.