645 - The Third Season

John welcomes Meredith Scardino (Girls5eva) and Jen Statsky (Hacks) to discuss the highs and lows of writing the third season of a hit comedy. But how do you push a series forward without violating the premise or retreading familiar terrain? Are the shows still the shows they pitched? How has streaming changed since their shows first went on the air? And how do you plan for your series’ future?

They also answer listener questions on non-binary characters, past tense emotions in action lines, and how to make the most of a mentorship.

In our bonus segment for premium members: Two years ago John sent a letter to Jen with his predictions for what would happen in the third season of Hacks. That letter has remained sealed until now. Were John’s predictions correct, close, or way off the mark?

Links:

Meredith Scardino on Instagram Jen Statsky on Instagram Girls5eva on Netflix Hacks on Max Chris Fleming Chris Fleming: HELL on Peacock Hannah Einbinder: Everything Must Go on Max Stouchi iPhone Camera Mount Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Rodger Corser (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.