The TV Showrunner's Roadmap

15Pique Our Interest with a Potent Teaser

Ateaser is the opening segment of a television episode. Most shows open with the teaser, then cut to the main title sequence. On the page, the teaser is approximately five pages long, but can run longer (the pilot teaser for The Good Wife was sixteen pages). A good teaser does exactly what it suggests: it “teases” viewers with a compelling opening that leaves them wanting to find out what happens next so they don’t change the channel. Pilot teasers often have to work harder because viewers are experiencing the show cold, whereas teasers for established shows don’t have the burden of introducing dynamic characters, or grounding the audience in an unfamiliar world.

The hook. Effective teasers will hook ...