A big part of the job of being a showrunner is, in my way of thinking, being a good communicator because there's really no other way to have hope for getting what you want, at the end of the day.
Vince GilliganRead
A typical TV show is always about protecting the franchise - it's all about stretching it out as long as you can take it. And it's about taking the characters in any given hour as far as you can take them, but then resetting them more or less back to zero so at the beginning of the next week, so they're still the character you know and love.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote discusses the formulaic nature of TV shows that prioritize franchise longevity over character development.
Vince Gilligan's quote highlights a common trend in television where shows prioritize the sustainability of their franchise by extending storylines and character arcs, only to revert characters back to their original states by the next episode. This cyclical approach allows audiences to feel comfort and familiarity with their favorite characters while maintaining the show's ongoing success, but can hinder deeper character growth and storytelling.
Themes
Tv ShowsFranchiseCharactersStorytellingDevelopment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the quality of modern television storytelling.
More from Vince Gilligan
All quotes →You don't make a movie by yourself; you certainly don't make a TV show by yourself. You invest people in their work. You make people feel comfortable in their jobs; you keep people talking.
Vince GilliganRead
I never thought anyone would come up to me and say, 'I like 'Better Call Saul' better than 'Breaking Bad.'' If you had asked me before we started, 'Would that bother you if someone said that?' First of all, I would have said, 'That's never gonna happen. And yeah, it probably would bother me.' It doesn't bother me a bit. It tickles me. I love it.
Vince GilliganRead
The sad truth is, there's more Walter White in me than I'd care to admit, because if I truly was as kind as people think I am, I wouldn't be able to write Walter White.
Vince GilliganRead
For many decades - and this was reinforced by the broadcast networks' standards-and-practices department - bad guys on TV had to get their comeuppance, and good guys had to be brave and true and unconflicted. Those were the laws of the business.
Vince GilliganRead
I'm very glad people love 'Breaking Bad,' but the harder character to write is the good character that's as interesting and as engaging as the bad guy.
Vince GilliganRead
Similar quotes
I don't want to imitate life in movies; I want to represent it. And in that representation, you use the colors you feel, and sometimes they are fake colors. But always it's to show one emotion.
Pedro AlmodovarRead
Don’t go to a museum with a destination. Museums are wormholes to other worlds. There are ecstasy machines. Follow your eyes to wherever they lead you, stop, get very quiet, and the world should begin to change for you. And if you see me, say something! We can talk about it together.
Jerry SaltzRead
You want to tell a story? Grow a heart. Grow two. Now, with the second heart, smash the first one into bits.
Charles YuRead
I don't design clothes, I design dreams.
Ralph LaurenRead
Poems are like dreams: in them you put what you don't know you know.
Adrienne RichRead
Tasting a dish should be memorable If nothing remains in the memory of a single guest, then I have made a mistake.
Alain DucasseRead