The pilot must demonstrate the show's crime-solving engine — whether it's procedural (case-of-the-week) or serialized (one long investigation). Open with the crime that defines the series. Your investigator's unique methodology should be clear within the first act. The criminal world needs authentic detail — jurisdiction, procedure, forensics, or underworld dynamics. Moral compromise should be introduced early — the protagonist should cross a small line in the pilot that foreshadows larger transgressions. Supporting characters should each own a domain of expertise. For procedurals, resolve the pilot's case while planting the season arc.
Cold open with the crime or its discovery (3-5 pages). Act one introduces the investigator and their world, assigns the case (12-15 pages). Act two follows the investigation through interviews, evidence, and dead ends (18-22 pages). Act three delivers the pilot's resolution — case closed for procedurals, major break for serialized — plus a hook for the next episode (12-15 pages). Target 55-65 pages.
Map the crime itself in detail before writing the script. You need to know everything — even what you won't show.
Give your criminal and your investigator equally compelling motivations. The best crime stories make you understand both sides.
Ground the world in specific, authentic detail — the language, the procedure, the geography of the criminal world.
Write the scene that shows the personal cost of the crime. That's what separates crime drama from crime procedural.
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