CookbookBooks and writingNo. 5
A television series biblethe pitch document a producer reads first
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Low WaterLow Water
4of 14
Season arcwhat the water gives back
Observation, key section, 1 highlight, 1 note, 1,040 words
Each episode, the falling lake gives back something the town buried, and each one points higher up the hill. Ruth begins the season measuring the dam and ends it measuring her mother.
Low Water, season one: six episodes at a glance
| Episode | A story, then B story | Whose |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The spire | The spire breaks the surface; Ruth finds her father’s car in the mud. B: Jean will not talk about 1996. | Ruth |
| 2. Release schedule | The board wants a faster release; Ruth’s survey says the dam will not take it. B: Sgt. Marsh reopens Dale’s file. | Marsh |
| 3. The register | The drowned Endsleigh church gives up its register, one page cut out. B: Hale keeps a boat nobody knew about. | Hale |
| 4. Dead storage | Below the lowest outlet the water must be pumped; the town argues over who pays. B: Jean’s letters from 1996 surface. | Jean |
| 5. The inquest | The car goes to the coroner; the town remembers Dale six ways. B: Ruth is taken off the dam. | Dale |
| 6. Low water | The lake reaches its lowest, and what is left points up the hill. B: Rain is forecast for the weekend. | Ruth |
Whose: the character whose choice ends the episode. Dale owns episode 5 through the town’s memories of him.
Low Water, season one: six episodes at a glance
| Episode | A story, then B story | Whose |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The spire | The spire breaks the surface; Ruth finds her father’s car in the mud. B: Jean will not talk about 1996. | Ruth |
| 2. Release schedule | The board wants a faster release; Ruth’s survey says the dam will not take it. B: Sgt. Marsh reopens Dale’s file. | Marsh |
| 3. The register | The drowned Endsleigh church gives up its register, one page cut out. B: Hale keeps a boat nobody knew about. | Hale |
| 4. Dead storage | Below the lowest outlet the water must be pumped; the town argues over who pays. B: Jean’s letters from 1996 surface. | Jean |
| 5. The inquest | The car goes to the coroner; the town remembers Dale six ways. B: Ruth is taken off the dam. | Dale |
| 6. Low water | The lake reaches its lowest, and what is left points up the hill. B: Rain is forecast for the weekend. | Ruth |
Whose: the character whose choice ends the episode. Dale owns episode 5 through the town’s memories of him.
```element table
{
"caption": "Low Water, season one: six episodes at a glance",
"columns": [
{
"label": "Episode",
"align": "left"
},
{
"label": "A story, then B story",
"align": "left"
},
{
"label": "Whose",
"align": "left"
}
],
"rows": [
[
"1. The spire",
"The spire breaks the surface; Ruth finds her father’s car in the mud. *B:* Jean will not talk about 1996.",
"Ruth"
],
[
"2. Release schedule",
"The board wants a faster release; Ruth’s survey says the dam will not take it. *B:* Sgt. Marsh reopens Dale’s file.",
"Marsh"
],
[
"3. The register",
"The drowned Endsleigh church gives up its register, one page cut out. *B:* Hale keeps a boat nobody knew about.",
"Hale"
],
[
"4. Dead storage",
"Below the lowest outlet the water must be pumped; the town argues over who pays. *B:* Jean’s letters from 1996 surface.",
"Jean"
],
[
"5. The inquest",
"The car goes to the coroner; the town remembers Dale six ways. *B:* Ruth is taken off the dam.",
"Dale"
],
[
"6. Low water",
"The lake reaches its lowest, and what is left points up the hill. *B:* Rain is forecast for the weekend.",
"Ruth"
]
],
"notes": "Whose: the character whose choice ends the episode. Dale owns episode 5 through the town’s memories of him."
}
```The season closes the question it opens: what happened to Dale Calder is answered in episode 6. What it costs the town is left for the viewer.
How it works
A producer likes your pilot and wants the bible this week. Your assistant gathers the pilot, the outline and your notes into one document, from the logline to episode six, with the season on one page. You write every section yourself, then send one link with a password and an expiry.