If you want to write for television, you need to go beyond just having a compelling idea and TV pilot. Yes, having a solid pilot script is the most important piece of the puzzle when it comes to proving that you have a compelling story and cast of characters audiences would be willing to follow. But you also need to showcase that your series has lasting potential for not just a whole season, but multiple seasons.
What Is a TV Show Bible?
In television, show bibles generally serve three purposes at different stages of a project’s development and production.
Early on in the development process of the series, as you are developing the concept, writing a show bible is a great way to organize the key elements of the series that could unfold over the course of multiple seasons.
- The Premise
- The World
- The Characters
- The Story
- Story and Characters Arcs
- Tone and Atmosphere
As you develop the bible, you’ll be able to see the larger scope of the series unfold. Many writers draft a bible well before they write the pilot episode to get a clearer understanding of the long-term direction of the show.
Once the pilot script is written, the bible turns into a pitch document. This is when the bible becomes a more comprehensive overview of the series that can be shared with producers, network and streaming platform executives, etc. Its goal is to clearly communicate what the show is, how it works, and why it has potential for multiple seasons.
Once the series goes into production the bible takes on a different role, gradually becoming an evolving reference document used inside the writers room. As episodes and seasons are produced, the bible expands to track character arcs, storylines, and future narrative plans. It also helps newly-hired writers to understand the tone, atmosphere, style, and direction of the series so they can develop and write characters, stories, and arcs that fall in line with the intended direction of the series. At this stage, maintaining the bible usually becomes the responsibility of the whole writing staff.
With all of that in mind, here we share ten TV show bibles that represent excellent examples to learn from. Some are pitch bibles while others are the reference bibles used during production.
Note: Because it’s difficult to get show bibles from more recent TV series currently in production, you’ll find that a lot of these examples are from older shows. However, they are still excellent examples you can learn from as you write your own show bibles.
1. Adventure Time Show Bible
In the magical Land of Ooo, a brave boy and his shape-shifting best friend travel the realm battling strange creatures, helping unlikely allies, and growing up through wildly imaginative adventures.
The Adventure Time bible perfectly captures the surreal and imaginative spirit of the show. Instead of it being a more rigid pitch document, this bible showcases the playful tone that defines the now-iconic series.
It introduces the strange and unpredictable world, filled with bizarre characters and a whimsical tone. It also pitches the series as continued stories of friendship, loyalty, and growing up. And because it’s an animated series pitch, the artwork and character design is utilized to showcase what the actual series animation would look like.
2. Battlestar Galactica Show Bible
After a devastating robotic uprising wipes out civilization, the last survivors of humanity flee through space in search of a mythical refuge known as Earth.
Show creator Ronald Moore wrote this 31-page bible, complete with a table of contents. It’s a textbook example of a well-structured show bible that delves into series arcs, multiple-episode arcs, and episodic arcs.
While the story centers on humanity’s struggle to survive after the Cylons have destroyed the colonies, the bible also highlights the political, ethical, and philosophical questions and issues that arise when civilization collapses.
3. Carnivàle Show Bible
During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, a mysterious young man traveling with a carnival becomes entangled in a supernatural struggle between the forces of good and evil.
The Carnivàle bible is unique. The 60-some page document utilizes creative character journals, pictures of historical newspaper clippings, character breakdowns, and character arcs. To be honest, the bible isn’t the best example of how a newcomer should write one. However, it does showcase an example of a unique way to get readers into the tone and atmosphere of the story while introducing supernatural elements grounded in reality. If anything, you walk away from the read intrigued - truly understanding what type of series this will be.
4. Fargo Show Bible
In the snowy Midwest, ordinary people are pulled into extraordinary crimes where dark humor and sudden violence collide with small-town morality.
The Fargo bible captures the tone of the Coen Brothers’ film while creating a format that expands a similar narrative to episodic storytelling.
Clocking in at just 12 pages, the document dives into the themes, characters, and story arcs in a super creative and Coen Brothers-like way. We’re given character breakdowns, their arcs, and some additional show thoughts and possibilities by creator Noah Hawley.
It is perhaps one of the best examples of how to write a lean and tight pitch bible.
5. Freaks and Geeks Show Bible
In a suburban Michigan high school during the early 1980s, two groups of teenagers struggle with friendship, identity, and the awkward realities of growing up.
The Freaks and Geeks bible was developed by show creator Judd Apatow. Here is what he wrote regarding the bible:
“This is the bible I wrote for ‘Freaks and Geeks’ before ‘Freaks and Geeks’ was ‘Freaks and Geeks.’ Confusing? You bet! A series bible is what every respectable TV show creator writes up for his series, so that the writers you hire can get inside your head without you having to tell them everything. There are no rules for series bibles. In fact, when I decided to write one I tried to get bibles from other shows and nobody could find any to give me. So, I just put in anything and everything I thought of that could help all of us on the writing staff, as well as the production staff, make the series everything I wanted it to be at the time. As you look through the bible, you'll notice that lots of stuff changed, which means that we had such great people working on the show that many times they had better ideas about stuff than I did. And that's the way it's supposed to work. A TV show or a movie is a collaboration between many talented people who have their own areas of expertise. So, wade into the ‘Freaks and Geeks’ bible if you dare and see our series' humble beginnings.”
Apatow’s bible is a 55-page document that takes a more thorough deep-dive into the world, characters, and themes of the series. The first twenty-five pages focus solely on the many, many characters - lead and supporting - and their backgrounds, personalities, life views, etc. After that, he dives even deeper into the characters, character types, and setting of the series. It’s very clear that Apatow was pitching the characters as the forefront of the series, selling buyers on the universal feeling of the high school experience amidst the cliques and social tiers everyone can relate with.
6. Grey’s Anatomy Show Bible
Young surgical interns navigate the pressures of hospital life while balancing intense medical cases with complicated personal relationships.
The Grey’s Anatomy show bible was a clear pitch bible for the series. The document is fairly tight at 22 pages, and offers an excellent example on how to pitch not just characters, world, and themes, but also breakdowns of each episode of the first season. After the bible showcases the characters in the first five pages, the rest of the document focuses on breakdowns of twelve episodes that span the entire season one story and character arcs. Each episode summary also highlights the intended theme of the episode, opening with a Meredith (main protagonist of the series) voiceover.
7. New Girl Show Bible
After a painful breakup, an upbeat but awkward teacher moves into a loft with three single men, creating an unconventional found family.
The New Girl bible is another lean and tight document - just 8 pages long. It reads more like a long email. It’s somewhat informal, addressing the buyers as peers through a first-person pitch. The writer details that the series is inspired by her own life and interactions with friends. The pitch bible offers character breakdowns, possible tags, a pilot summary, and then very brief, one-paragraph descriptions of potential episodes. It also captures the humoristic voice of the series creator, and what type of tone and atmosphere the sitcom would have.
8. Scrubs Show Bible
A daydreaming young doctor navigates the chaotic and emotional world of hospital life while learning what it truly means to care for patients.
The Scrubs bible - all 10 pages of it - captures the quirkiness of the series from the get-go, starting with breakdowns of the pilot episode, and then onto six more episodes. Each breakdown offers a descriptive sentence covering the A, B, and C stories, followed by two paragraphs for the episode synopsis. The writer then details ideas for the show’s iconic fantasy sequences, as well as some facts and tidbits about the characters, all of which will be present in the episode.
This pitch bible is another great example of how to keep things short, sweet, and to the point while also showcasing the intended tone and atmosphere.
9. Stranger Things Show Bible
When a young boy vanishes in a quiet 1980s town, his friends uncover a terrifying supernatural mystery connected to secret government experiments.
The Stranger Things pitch bible is perhaps the best example of how to successfully pitch a series today. It’s visually compelling and captures the tone and atmosphere of the series more than any other bible or pitch deck out there. The writers even name drop Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, mentioning that the series (then titled Montauk) is a love letter to them.
The cover of the document is like an old and worn Stephen King paperback, with each following page looking as if it’s a paperback novel we’re reading. The writers masterfully utilize iconic and atmospheric pictures from Spielberg movies of the 1970s and 1980s to set the intended visual stage and overall vibe of the series.
The bible is broken down into sections:
- The Conspiracy
- Story
- Structure
- Tone and Style
- Horror
- The Kids
- The Outsider
- The Teenagers
- The Adults
- Franchise Potential
Each section of the 23-page bible briefly describes elements of the story, characters, and world, accompanied by even more pictures from genre movies of the 1970s and 1980s to capture the look and feel.
This bible is amazingly creative and the example of how to turn heads in Hollywood. Hollywood eventually began to request and utilize more pitch bibles and pitch docs after the writers of Stranger Things sold their show this way.
10. Star Trek: The Next Generation Show Bible
The crew of the starship Enterprise explores the galaxy, encountering new civilizations while confronting ethical dilemmas that challenge humanity’s ideals.
The 53-page bible is an example of a show bible existing for the use of incoming writers and directors, labeled as Star Trek: The Next Generation Writers/Directors Guide. Written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenbery, the document opens with a table of contents, and then goes into full-on guide mode, informing the reader of nearly every element of the series needed to start working for the show.
- There are breakdowns of the mission of the ship, accompanied by the world and time frames of the series.
- The document details this new Star Trek world with this sequel series, detailing what has changed, what hasn’t changed, etc.
- It covers how the scripts should be formatted, and what does and doesn’t work in the creator’s eyes.
- There’s a section about the new ship that goes into detail about the set, the crew community and family life, etc.
- Then we get character profiles of the crew.
- Finally, there’s a section that covers terminology, weaponry, the capabilities of the ship’s computer, etc.
Overall, it’s a fascinating series bible that serves as the perfect example of one that is used primarily for writing and production purposes.
The Biggest Takeaway From These Show Bibles
If studying these examples proves anything, it’s that there is no single way to write a series bible. Some focus on characters. Others emphasize mythology, tone, atmosphere, or world-building. Some outline full episodes and seasons. Others just establish the foundation of the series. What they all do well is answer the same crucial question executives and decision-makers ask:
“Why should this series exist?”
A strong bible doesn’t just explain the premise or list the characters. It demonstrates that the world, characters, and storytelling engines are compelling enough to sustain years of episodes and seasons.
When you can communicate that clearly, you’re no longer pitching a pilot - you’re pitching a series.