If you have an original idea for a show don't rush it. Take your time and really make it something special. Look to a similar show as a model and lay out your script in a similar way. Consider to whom you might want to sell the script. Are you thinking network? Maybe the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon for a show geared to kids? Do you have an idea for a weird and quirky cartoon that you could sell to Comedy Central or the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block? Or maybe you want to write something edgier for HBO.

Knowing your market will help you focus your show in the right direction. If you try to write a generic script for any market, you may end up with something no one wants.

A typical show runs about twenty-two minutes; that's roughly a minute a page. A typical show has two or three acts, with three of four scenes per act. Some have a teaser scene that is basically a quick joke before the credits or a tag scene that follows the last act. These are becoming a thing of the past as networks now try to blend from one show to the next. If your script does have a teaser or a tag, make sure they are independent from the body of the show and don't contain any major plot points, because these scenes are frequently cut when the show runs in syndication. Animated shows can have a lot more scene changes and can run twice as many pages for the same twenty-two minute script.

If you are pitching an original series, you'll want to have a pilot script along with two or three additional episodes, and a show bible. The show bible tells the prospective producers everything they need to know about the show: descriptions of the characters and locations, the overall story arc that tells them where the series is going, and a general synopsis of your vision of your show. This should be as complete as possible and should contain all the information you want to communicate about your show.

Existing shows have very specific bibles that contain information on every previous episode and miscellaneous trivia that has been released about the show. Everything from characters' middle names to phone numbers and addresses are included.