Crafting a Limited Series for Television

Every story has its own natural gravity. While some are meant for the brief, intense spark of a feature film and others for the sprawling world-building of a multi-season series, the limited series offers a unique creative sweet spot. It provides the canvas to paint a deeply immersive, emotionally complex world, but with the narrative discipline of a definitive ending. It’s like a “novel for television” where every scene matters because the clock is ticking.

In this self-paced course, veteran filmmaker Ron Nyswaner will guide you through the process of crafting short-form prestige television. Nyswaner is the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Philadelphia and a writer/producer on such successful series as Homeland and Ray Donovan. In this course, Nyswaner draws upon his work on two limited series projects:

• Fellow Travelers, which earned Nyswaner a Peabody award and Emmy nomination
• Murder on Middle Beach, a four-part documentary series for HBO

This course builds upon a previous Sundance Collab Master Class and features exclusive insights and conversations with established writers and showrunners from Dying for Sex, Jane the Virgin, Little Fires Everywhere, and more. Using real-world examples, Nyswaner will reveal the core pillars of a compelling limited series.

In this course, you will learn:

• The role of the showrunner from development to post-production
• Narrative approaches to episodic writing
• How to create narrative drama from personal stories
• The eight elements of a good story
• A scene-for-scene breakdown of the pilot of Fellow Travelers
• How to create an effective TV pitch

Who this course is for: This course is ideal for aspiring television writers, producers, and/or showrunners looking to learn more about the limited series format.

Additional Benefits: Your enrollment includes a workbook and access to additional videos from Sundance Collab's Video Library.

Live Interaction and Support:

• Weekly Group Office Hours: Join our live online sessions with a Sundance Collab Advisor. This is your opportunity to ask questions, discuss challenges, and get real-time feedback in a supportive group environment.
• 1-on-1 Sessions (Additional $150): For more personalized support, you can book a 60-minute, 1-on-1 meeting with your Advisor to receive additional guidance.

Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.