Main Storyline (A-story)

The A-story will involve the main characters and take up most of the time. In a police show, they will usually be the "case": the cops are working on.

..think about a "Sherlock Holmes" episode...for example, both Holmes and the cops are trying to solve a murder of a woman in her bath tub..

B-story

The B-story covers secondary, or supporting characters. This helps the flow of the story by allowing implied time to pass between scenes. It also take the focus of the main characters. If the story is intense drama, the B-story can add comic relief and relief the tension.

The woman's neighbor is a kleptomaniac. He is accused of killing her because he has some of her items in his apartment. In truth, he is only a thief, the real killer is still out there...For some of the movie we are following the nieghbor, even though is is not the killer. ..This is the B-story that creates filler tension, yet is not the main story. To make a bit confusing, the real killer stole her rubber duckie as a trophy (an item clearly from her bath)...the conflation of the neighbor's kleptomania and a killer's trophy causes a pleasant confusion. The A and B stories work together to make a story much less predicable and mysterious

C-runner

A C-runner is usually found in a half-hour situation comedy and is a gag that runs throughout the episode.

what about a D-runner gag? ( Simple as a "Catch-phrase?")

..what about gags that run through entire TV series? Oh My God They Killed Kenny, Dynamite, what you talking about? missed it my that much live long? the big one bazinga...etc..bazinga punk

The purpose of looking at television structure is to consider a different way to tell a story and to offer greater story telling flexibility. When you are writing a story, be sure to consider using more than the typical three acts. Episodic and serialized structure may be even more suitable to certain stories like video games.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Krawczyk and Novak