Crafting Your Series Concept

Building a Foundation That Lasts

In today's content-saturated landscape, creating a series that captures attention and sustains interest over multiple episodes—or even seasons—requires more than just a good idea. It demands a rock-solid foundation that can support expansion while maintaining coherence and audience engagement. Whether you're developing a television series, a podcast, a novel series, or any other serialized content, the concept is your cornerstone. Everything you build will rest upon this foundation.

But what separates concepts that fizzle after a few episodes from those that fuel successful multi-season runs? How do you craft an idea with enough inherent tension and expandability to sustain long-form storytelling? This guide will walk you through proven techniques for developing series concepts with staying power, helping you build a foundation that can support your creative vision for the long haul.

The Art of the High-Concept Premise: One Sentence That Sells

At its core, a high-concept premise is a unique, easily communicated idea that instantly conveys your series' appeal. It's the elevator pitch that makes someone's eyes light up with interest. While your actual series will contain complexity and nuance, the ability to distill its essence into a single compelling sentence signals that you understand your own creation's appeal.

Elements of an Effective High-Concept Premise

A strong high-concept premise typically contains four key elements:

1. A unique situation or central conflict

2. Compelling character dynamics

3. A clear genre framework

4. An implied promise of what the series delivers

Let's examine some successful examples:

• Breaking Bad: "A terminally ill chemistry teacher turns to manufacturing methamphetamine to secure his family's financial future."

• The Handmaid's Tale: "In a totalitarian society where fertility has collapsed, the few remaining fertile women are enslaved to bear children for the elite."

• Succession: "The dysfunctional children of a media mogul viciously compete for control of the family empire as their father's health declines."

Notice how each premise contains an inherent tension that immediately suggests storylines. Breaking Bad's premise establishes the moral conflict between Walter White's good intentions and his criminal actions. The Handmaid's Tale creates tension between oppression and the human drive for freedom. Succession establishes a power struggle that can play out in countless ways.

Techniques for Developing Your High-Concept Premise

To craft your own high-concept premise, try these proven techniques:

The "What If?" Method

Start with a compelling question that establishes an unusual situation:

• What if a chemistry teacher started making drugs to pay for cancer treatment?

• What if a paper company office was being filmed as a documentary?

• What if superheroes were corrupt celebrities managed by corporations?

This approach immediately creates a concept that diverges from everyday reality in an interesting way.

The Character Collision Technique

Place characters with conflicting goals, values, or backgrounds in situations where they must interact:

• A by-the-book police detective is partnered with a consultant who believes in the supernatural

• A progressive modern family moves into a conservative small town

• A brilliant but misanthropic doctor is forced to work with patients

This technique builds conflict directly into your character dynamics.

The Genre Hybrid Approach

Combine elements from different genres to create something fresh:

• A Western set in space (Firefly)

• A superhero story as political thriller (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

• A zombie apocalypse as family drama (The Walking Dead)

Genre hybrids immediately differentiate your concept from more straightforward competitors.

The "Fish Out of Water" Foundation

Place a protagonist in an environment where their normal approaches don't work:

• A mob boss enters therapy (The Sopranos)

• A 19th-century man is transported to modern times

• A city lawyer must practice in a quirky small town

This creates immediate conflict as the protagonist must adapt to survive.

Refining Your One-Sentence Pitch

Once you have a basic concept, refine it by asking:

• Is it specific enough? Avoid vague language like "a young woman goes on a journey of self-discovery."

• Does it suggest conflict? Your premise should imply the central tension that will drive stories.

• Is it concise? Remove unnecessary details that don't contribute to the core appeal.

• Does it spark curiosity? The best premises make people immediately ask follow-up questions.

Remember, your one-sentence pitch isn't just a marketing tool—it's a compass that will guide your entire development process. When in doubt about story direction, return to this foundation to ensure your series remains cohesive.

Engineering Sustainable Conflict: Fuel for Multiple Episodes

While a compelling premise catches attention, sustainable conflict is what powers your series over multiple episodes and seasons. Unlike standalone stories, series need conflict engines that generate new stories rather than resolving neatly.

Types of Sustainable Conflict Structures

Different conflict structures lend themselves to different types of series. Consider which best suits your concept:

Central Antagonistic Force

This structure features a persistent antagonist or force that cannot be quickly defeated. Examples include:

• The White Walkers in Game of Thrones

• The criminal organization Hydra in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Cancer and the drug world in Breaking Bad

The key is creating an antagonistic force too powerful or complex to overcome in a single episode. This creates a clear series-long arc while allowing for smaller victories and setbacks along the way.

Procedural Framework with Character Conflicts

This approach combines episodic external conflicts with ongoing interpersonal tensions:

• Law & Order pairs case-of-the-week structures with evolving team dynamics

• House, M.D. features medical mysteries against the backdrop of the protagonist's personal demons

• Supernatural balances monster-hunting episodes with the brothers' complex relationship

This structure allows for satisfying episode resolutions while maintaining longer character arcs.

Competing Factions with Shifting Alliances

This creates an ever-evolving landscape of conflicts as alliances form and break:

• Game of Thrones' noble houses constantly realign in their quest for power

• The Wire's police, politicians, drug dealers, and other institutions form an ecosystem of conflict

• Succession's family members form temporary alliances while ultimately competing

This approach creates nearly endless permutations of conflict as relationships evolve.

Internal/External Conflict Pairing

Here, protagonists face external challenges while battling their own internal demons:

• Mad Men's Don Draper pursues professional success while struggling with identity issues

• Jessica Jones battles villains while dealing with PTSD and alcoholism

• Barry follows a hitman trying to become an actor while his violent past threatens his new life

This multilayered approach ensures that even when external conflicts resolve, internal struggles continue generating tension.

Techniques for Building Sustainable Conflict

To ensure your concept contains truly sustainable conflict, apply these techniques:

The Conflict Mapping Exercise

List all your main characters and identify:

• What each character wants (their goal)

• Why they can't have it (the obstacle)

• Who or what stands in their way (the opposition)

• What they're willing to do to get it (their moral boundaries)

Where these elements clash between characters, you'll find rich veins of sustainable conflict. The best series concepts create situations where multiple characters' fundamental goals naturally oppose each other.

The "Yes, But/No, And" Framework

Test your conflict's sustainability by playing out potential resolutions:

• When a conflict seems to resolve, ask: "Yes, but what new problem does this create?"

• When a conflict worsens, ask: "No, and what complications does this add?"

If you can easily generate new complications from resolutions, your conflict has sustainability.

The Fractal Conflict Structure

Develop conflicts that exist at multiple levels:

• Personal (character vs. self)

• Interpersonal (character vs. character)

• Group (faction vs. faction)

• Societal (character vs. system)

Series like The Wire excel at this approach, showing how conflicts at each level influence and complicate the others.

The Status Quo Challenge Test

Ask how your series maintains tension despite the protagonists' efforts:

• What inherently prevents resolution of the central conflict?

• Why can't characters simply walk away from the situation?

• What recurring elements reset or complicate progress?

Mad Men demonstrates this through Don Draper's cyclical behavior—his fundamental character flaws repeatedly undermine his progress, creating new iterations of similar conflicts.

Standing Out in a Crowded Market: Making Your Concept Distinctive

With thousands of series competing for audience attention, distinctiveness isn't just desirable—it's essential. Your concept needs a clear value proposition that sets it apart from similar offerings.

Elements That Create Distinctiveness

Unique Perspective or Point of View

Offer a fresh lens on familiar subject matter:

• Killing Eve examines the spy genre from a female-centered perspective

• Atlanta presents the music industry through a surrealist lens

• Fleabag brings fourth-wall-breaking intimacy to contemporary drama

The perspective through which you tell your story can be as distinctive as the story itself.

Innovative Format or Structure

Experiment with how your story is presented:

• Russian Doll uses a time loop structure to explore character development

• The Good Place reinvents itself with major premise shifts between seasons

• WandaVision uses evolving sitcom formats to reflect its protagonist's mental state

Structural innovation can make even familiar stories feel fresh.

Subverted Genre Expectations

Play with audience expectations of your chosen genre:

• The Boys presents superheroes as corporate-sponsored celebrities with dark secrets

• Barry combines hitman thriller elements with showbiz comedy

• Lovecraft Country blends supernatural horror with historical racial injustice

Subversion works when it's purposeful rather than merely contrary—it should reveal new truths about the genre.

Distinctive Tone or Voice

Develop a unique tonal quality that's immediately recognizable:

• Succession balances Shakespearean power struggles with cringe comedy

• Euphoria pairs raw depictions of teen struggles with dreamlike visuals

• What We Do in the Shadows applies mockumentary techniques to vampire roommates

A distinctive voice can make your series instantly recognizable even when described briefly.

Strategies for Developing Distinctiveness

To make your concept stand out, try these actionable approaches:

The Competitive Analysis Exercise

Research similar shows to your concept and create a Venn diagram:

• In one circle, list their key elements, appeal, and approach

• In your circle, list your concept's elements

• In the overlap, identify what might make your show seem derivative

• Revise your concept to minimize the overlap while maximizing your unique elements

This visual approach helps identify whether you're truly offering something different.

The "Only Show That..." Test

Complete this sentence: "This is the only show that..."

• "This is the only show that explores superheroes as corrupt celebrities."

• "This is the only show that combines cooking competition with supernatural elements."

• "This is the only show that portrays media succession through the lens of family dysfunction."

If you cannot complete this sentence convincingly, your concept may need more distinctiveness.

The Target Audience Specificity Method

Instead of aiming for general appeal, identify a specific audience whose needs aren't being fully met:

• Heartstopper targets LGBTQ+ teens seeking positive representation

• Yellowjackets appeals to viewers interested in female-centered survival stories

• Reservation Dogs speaks to indigenous audiences rarely centered in mainstream content

Specificity often leads to greater distinctiveness and stronger audience connection.

The "Everything and the Kitchen Sink" to "Essential Elements" Funnel

Start by listing every element you want in your series, then:

• Identify which elements are truly essential to your vision

• Remove or combine redundant elements

• Keep only what serves your core concept

• Ensure the remaining elements work harmoniously

This distillation process often reveals what makes your concept special by eliminating distractions.

The Expandability Test: Confirming Multi-Season Potential

Even the most brilliant concept must demonstrate expandability to sustain a multi-season run. Before committing to development, test whether your foundation can support the weight of extended storytelling.

Key Components of Expandability

Evolving Character Dynamics

Characters must have room to grow while maintaining their essential appeal:

• Can your characters evolve in meaningful ways without losing what makes them compelling?

• Are there relationships that can develop in multiple directions?

• Do your character conflicts have multiple potential resolutions?

Breaking Bad demonstrates this through Walter White's gradual transformation—his character evolves dramatically while remaining recognizably himself.

Escalation Potential

Your concept should allow for natural escalation of stakes:

• Can the central conflict grow in scope and complexity?

• Are there larger contexts into which your story can expand?

• Can character decisions have increasingly significant consequences?

The Good Place exemplifies this by expanding from individual ethical dilemmas to questions about the fundamental nature of the afterlife and moral judgment.

World Depth and Breadth

The world of your series should have unexplored territories:

• Are there aspects of your setting that can be gradually revealed?

• Can you introduce new locations, factions, or elements that feel organic to your world?

• Does your concept support "episode types" beyond your primary storyline?

The Mandalorian demonstrates this by establishing a structure that allows exploration of different planets and communities while maintaining its core premise.

Thematic Richness

Your central themes should have depth enough for extended exploration:

• Can your themes be examined from multiple perspectives?

• Are there related thematic elements that can be introduced over time?

• Do your themes connect to universal human experiences with many facets?

Six Feet Under explores death from countless angles across its five seasons, finding new thematic territory without straying from its fundamental concerns.

Practical Tests for Expandability

Apply these tests to determine if your concept truly has multi-season potential:

1. The Season Arc Outline Test

Without developing full details, sketch outlines for at least three potential seasons:

• Season 1: Establish the world, characters, and central conflicts

• Season 2: Deepen complications, raise stakes, expand world

• Season 3: Further evolution, new dynamics, progressing toward larger resolution

If you struggle to envision distinct seasonal arcs that feel fresh rather than repetitive, your concept may have expandability issues.

The Character Evolution Matrix

Create a matrix with characters down one side and potential seasons across the top:

• In each cell, note how each character might evolve in that season

• Identify potential relationships that could develop or change

• Note key decisions or turning points each character might face

This visualization helps identify whether your characters have sufficient growth potential.

The B-Story Generation Exercise

List at least 10 potential B-storylines that could run alongside your main plot:

• Character-focused side stories

• Exploration of world elements not central to the main plot

• Thematic variations on your central concerns

Strong series concepts generate B-stories organically rather than feeling like diversions.

The "Will They Still Care?" Test

For each potential season, ask:

• Will audiences still care about these characters' journeys?

• Does the concept provide new questions as it answers existing ones?

• Can the central premise sustain interest once its initial novelty fades?

The Office demonstrates this quality—while the premise of "documentary about a paper company" seems limited, the character relationships provide endless combinations for storytelling.

Bringing It All Together: The Concept Document

Once you've developed and tested your concept, consolidate your thinking into a clear concept document that serves as your roadmap. This document should include:

1. Your high-concept one-sentence premise

2. A paragraph expanding on this premise

3. The central conflict engine that will drive stories

4. Key character descriptions and their primary conflicts

5. The unique elements that distinguish your concept

6. Brief descriptions of potential seasonal arcs

7. Your series' tone, style, and audience appeal

This document becomes your creative North Star, helping you maintain focus as you develop episodes and ensuring all creative decisions serve your foundational vision.

Concept as Ongoing Process

While this article has presented concept development as a linear process, the reality is more iterative. As you develop characters, plot arcs, and world elements, you'll likely circle back to refine your concept. This is not only normal but desirable—your concept should evolve as your understanding of your story deepens.

The strongest series concepts provide both structure and flexibility. They offer clear guidelines for what belongs in your series while allowing room for discovery and evolution. By investing time in developing a concept with a compelling premise, sustainable conflict, distinctive elements, and genuine expandability, you build a foundation that can support years of storytelling.

Remember that even the most successful series began as simple concepts. Breaking Bad started with the image of a man in his underwear in the desert with a gun. Stranger Things began as a story about a small town where something supernatural happened. What makes these concepts powerful isn't their complexity but their clarity and the rich storytelling possibilities they contain.

Your concept is both the seed from which your series grows and the roots that keep it grounded as it expands. Nurture it accordingly, and you'll create a foundation that truly lasts.

---

About the Authors:

Phil Zizza and Wade Peña bring over 60 years of combined entertainment industry experience to their writing. From LA to NY to Orlando, they've worked on the writing, consulting, and producing sides of top TV, film, and animation projects.

Ready to elevate your storytelling?

Discover the professional techniques for story structure and pitching in their new book, "The Series Development Playbook."

Grab your copy on Amazon: https://a.co/d/7rhfW58