The Hero Succeeds: The Character-Driven Guide to Writing Your TV Pilot

by Kam Miller

In The Hero Succeeds, veteran TV writer Kam Miller tells you exactly how to create your own TV series—from concept to writing a professional pilot script. Drawing from her career as a successful TV pilot writer, Miller shares her hard-earned knowledge about creating TV series that sell to Hollywood. She covers essential elements such as character, world of the show, story engine, tone, and themes for dramas and sitcoms. In this book, Miller introduces the groundbreaking character-driven structure that will help you solve even the most difficult script problems and create structurally sound, emotionally satisfying stories.

Miller illustrates the practical application of her character-driven script structure in current successful TV shows, including Cinemax's The Knick, NBC's Hannibal, Amazon's Transparent, BBC America's Orphan Black, ABC's Modern Family, FOX's Empire, FXX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, AMC's The Walking Dead, FOX's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, ABC's How To Get Away With Murder, CBS's The Good Wife, Starz's Outlander, Showtime's Episodes, and many others.

The Hero Succeeds shares professional screenwriting expertise, tools, and techniques previously available only to Miller's students at USC's School of Cinematic Arts and Boston University's Film & Television program. Whether you write drama or comedy for broadcast, cable, or digital distribution, The Hero Succeeds is the guide you need to build or expand your TV career.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

506 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2016

About the author

Kam Miller is a TV writer who has created pilots for Fox, CBS, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Television, and Universal Cable Productions. She wrote for Fox's "Killer Instinct" as well as the long-running NBC show "Law & Order: SVU." Her first feature, "The Iris Effect," was produced while she was at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Kam has taught TV writing at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Boston University's Film and Television department. She is a graduate of the WGA Showrunners Training Program. Her latest book, "The Hero Succeeds: The Character-Driven Guide to Writing Your TV Pilot," introduces a groundbreaking character-driven structure for creating TV dramas and comedies.

Kam's debut novel, "Myth of Crime", delivers a grounded crime thriller with supernatural elements. Dark and compelling, "Myth of Crime" introduces Victims Assistance Center psychologist Dr. Erika Harlow and rookie homicide detective Carter Hunt. Together, they investigate the emergence of a serial killer who defies the usual criminal profile models.

Kam also collaborated with fellow women TV writers on a short story anthology, "Empower: Fight Like a Girl," which benefits the non-profit Lupus Foundation of America. Her short story, "Dangerous Stars," features Myth of Crime characters Dr. Erika Harlow and Detective Carter Hunt. Empower: Fight Like a Girl is available from Amazon.

Currently, Kam is developing several TV projects and writing her second novel.

Reviews

[LynneV · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not an aspiring TV-writer, but even as a novelist, I found little gems of wisdom in here. The breakdown of pilot plots from Orphan Black, Hannibal et cetera are particularly useful in seeing how these writers controlled pacing and hit their story beats to create a compelling story that can span multiple seasons. Definitely recommend.

[Alejandra Mattoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most useful book on pilots that I've ever read

I've read a lot of books in the last 2 years about pilots and sitcoms and such. This one stands head and shoulders above the rest.

[Natalie Sayth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic character-driven guide or reference for all TV writers.

[Kenneth Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing,

This book gave me so much insight. I am so glad I read it and plan to put what I learned to work.

[Jo Hightshoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most helpful book I’ve read for tv writing, and provides a great structure to follow when writing pilots!

[Jordan Ramirez Puckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading her approach to tv writing structure. Some of the references were a little dated at this point but it was still helpful to see how Miller broke them down.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Recommended to me by another writing book (The Writers Room Survival Guide—rated 4.75), this book broadened my understanding of TV writing in ways I hadn’t seen before. Miller lays out the process with exceptional clarity, offering insights that I know will make me a better writer.

One of its strongest elements is its top-notch pilot deconstruction. Miller analyzes Hannibal, Empire, Modern Family, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Orphan Black, The Walking Dead, Outlander, Episodes, Transparent, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, breaking down what makes them successful while demonstrating how her character-focused storytelling system works across each one. Her approach is absolutely masterful and made me rethink how I approach my own pilots.

However, this book didn’t quite reach a perfect 5/5 for me—and that largely comes down to its niche focus. It’s a highly specialized, technical deep dive into TV writing, best suited for those with prior experience or at least a foundation in storytelling. I’d recommend testing the waters with some beginner-friendly books first before picking this up, as it leans more toward intermediate and advanced writers.

That said, if you’re serious about TV writing, this book is an absolute necessity. Shifting your perspective from plot-driven storytelling to a character-driven approach will only lead to stronger scripts and more compelling narratives. If this is the path you want to take, I promise you won’t regret reading this.