this is a bit out of nowhere, but i ended up deciding to attempt the Showrunner's Challenge while simultaneously also doing NaNoWriMo this year.
i considered writing a Supernatural fic for it, because that type of show felt in the spirit of the original challenge, but i didn't really want to write a Supernatural fic, so i ended up coming up with a WHOLLY ORIGINAL fake tv show that is somewhat of a Supernatural pastiche, but has its own worldbuilding and characters and plot and all of that.
it's called The CW Show. it's set in 2015.
and i can't really talk about the things that i think are going to be actually interesting about it because it's spoilers, but i have some twists in mind that i'm genuinely a bit proud of, and i think it's going to be fun.
i decided i wanted to get real audience feedback as it was being written (and not just the fake audience feedback that's part of the Showrunner's Challenge), so i decided to break my "no uploading WIPs" rule on AO3 and am going to be serializing it weekly. new episodes every wednesday 8/7c.
i also won't share the dice rolls until the end, though some will likely be obvious immediately.
i have made a few modifications to the rules to make them more viable and also more realistic for how these shows actually tend to go.
first: i'm aiming for a full 22 episode season, so i have given myself 5 episodes with no dice rolls: the pilot, a mid-season 2-parter, and a 2-part finale. usually the really plot-essential episodes are more fixed ahead of time anyway and the showrunner has more direct control of them.
i have also given myself 5 re-rolls (or the ability to postpone or forgo a roll entirely). i figure that this represents expending built-up social capital (calling in a favor or relying on someone else's goodwill to defy what the executives want for an episode or to strong-arm uncooperative actors into participating as i want them to)
some individual rule modifications:
4 Executive meddling. You must change to a different genre. You cannot go back to a genre until you have changed genres three times since then.
this one is tough for my fic because it's multiple genres. so instead, i looked up Supernatural's genres because those all basically apply to my fic as well, and i think if i roll a 4, then i'll have to roll a d6 on the Supernatural genre list and whatever i get will have to be the predominant genre for that episode. the list is as follows:
1 Action
2 Adventure
3 Drama
4 Fantasy
5 Horror
6 Mystery
i decided that fully changing to a different genre was way too harsh and also unrealistic, because these shows often cover multiple genre bases anyway, and especially without any kind of pity mechanic, it felt highly unlikely that with just 22 episodes that i would roll a 4 enough times to circle back to any genre. so the shift in genre focus will just apply to that one episode
9 Go to the most recent line in your fic that references a brand. Due to ongoing legal action, that brand cannot be mentioned again, but you score 1 audience point every time you allude to it in a way that paints it in a negative light.
if i get this one without having introduced a brand yet, it automatically converts to 2 (Product placement! The next chapter must center (and subtly promote the features of) a product belonging to the most recent brand you've seen.)
all brands must exist in 2015 because that's when this is set.
10 The two most recently mentioned characters' actors have, IRL, gone through a VERY messy divorce or friend breakup. You cannot put them in the same scene, but they must both remain relevant parts of the show. If you get this with the same two characters again, they reconcile.
as this rule is written, i think it's very, very unlikely that they'll ever reconcile. because if you can't write them in the same scene, then how can they ever be the last two mentioned characters? i suppose it's possible that their names come up in a conversation or something, but it just feels really unlikely...
i also thought that if you got this early in the season, it feels extremely unlikely that the actors could hate each other to that extent already, since the assumption i'm working off of is that these people haven't worked together before. so i decided to modify it to introduce a pity mechanic and also make the odds better for conflicts that happen very early in production as opposed to very late in production (when a breakup is likely to be far messier).
so, my modification is that after every episode, i'll roll a die to see if they reconciled. the die starts out really easy (just a d2, aka a coin flip), but the roll gradually becomes more difficult as the season progresses. in order for the characters to reconcile, they have to roll the maximum number on the die.
here's the list (first number is episode number, second is die you roll)
02: d2
03: d2
04: d4
05: d4
06: d6
07: d6
08: d8
09: d8
10: d10
11: d11
12: d12
13: d12
14: d20
15: d20
16: d20
17: d20
18: d20
19: d20
20: d20
21: d20
22: d20
i'm also adding a little more leeway with the main characters because the actors playing the leads might be contractually obligated to still work together.
12 The most recently mentioned character's actor has decided to leave the show. You must write them out in the next chapter. If you are brave, also roll a d12. 1--6, they were well loved and their sendoff must be as flowery as possible. 7--12, they were despised by the cast and crew. Mulch them.
likewise, if i get this one, it only applies to the minor characters and not the four leads, because the assumption is that the leads all signed on for a full season contract.
i might modify things further as the fic "airs" and as i encounter new dilemmas with the rules, but this is the plan i have so far.
i hope at least a few people check this project out lol though i don't anticipate it'll get many readers at all
i have amended the Showrunner's Challenge with some additional prompts! some of these were sourced from friends, and a few were ones that i came up with.
in the latter half of the season, the original 12 prompts started to get a little repetitive, so i started allowing myself to re-roll on the original chart (without spending one of my designated 5 re-rolls) when i rolled something i had already done that wasn't very repeatable.
and starting around episode 15, i introduced a second chart that i could choose to roll on instead of the original 12 if i rolled on the first chart and got a repeat.
1 Filler episode—the network needs to fill a full season of episodes. Due to budget limitations and scheduling needs, you are tasked with writing an episode that must fit between plot-consequential episodes and be engaging enough without substantially advancing the plot in any way.
2 Celebrity guest appearance—the executives have gained access to a celebrity talent for one single episode. Write an episode that will feature this celebrity in a prominent way for a one-off appearance.
3 Backdoor pilot—executives are testing the waters for a spin-off or sequel series and want to use your show to debut what is essentially a pilot episode for a separate show. The episode should feature brand new characters taking center stage and set up a premise that could easily be spun off into its own story.
4 Literary reference—the executives want the show to seem more intellectual to make it more attractive to critics for award season. Include a direct quote from classical literature. Bonus points if the episode "subtly" weaves in themes from the referenced work.
5 Fanservice—ratings are falling, and the executives want to catch viewers’ attention and keep them from flipping the channel. Include at least one shirtless scene in the next episode, or more if you can manage it. The more titillating the better.
6 Conservative backlash—executives want the show to tone down its more provocative elements after it was the target of a letter-writing campaign by conservative groups. The next episode must include no profanity or sexual suggestiveness. Bonus points if you follow the Hays Code as much as possible (within reason).
7 Hit book/film influence—there's a new book/film series that's all the rage and executives demand you write your next episode to be more like it. Pick whatever book happens to be a bestseller that week, or whichever film happens to be the biggest box office that month.
8 Musical episode—let’s shake things up a bit. This episode must prominently feature the characters singing in some way, bonus points if it is the main cast. For extra bonus points, include at least one original song that directly deals with important themes in the story, both affectionately poking fun at the tropes while also sneaking in some genuine emotion.
