A Guide to TV Show Bibles

A Guide to TV Show Bibles (and their off-shoot, Character Bibles) might be new to you, if you’re new to the world of TV writing and producing. For experienced TV writers and support staff, TV Show Bibles are absolutely essential to the long term health of any series. These collections lay the track that dozens (if not hundreds) of episodes will need to run on, with facts, directions, and history the viewer may never see.

So what is a TV Show Bible and what’s a Character Bible? Are they the same thing, and like most TV show documents they just carry a different title based on what stage you first shot on? The quick answer, is nope. They are very different creations with very different types of formats, authors, and purpose.

For the longer answer? We’ll take you inside everything that you would need to know with this Guide to TV Show Bibles, Character Bibles, and everything (and everyone) that goes into their creation.

A Guide to TV Show Bibles starts where most TV series do; a document written by the Creator/Showrunner of the series that discusses their vision of the show. They’ll outline what the show will (hopefully) accomplish, how it will tell stories, and sketch out the characters who’ll inhabit the story. Every TV show bible is different, the same way every show is different; they course different paths while filling in a lot of the same info. In the best TV show bibles you learn all about the main characters, the setting, the location, the time, and the tone of the series in a nice, clean package.

Sometimes referred to a Show Format, the TV Show Bible operates as the document laying out everything that needs to be known to someone trying to make the show. The creator(s) will write this document as a way to show execs, producers, directors, and fellow writers their vision for the series.

A TV Show Bible is created BEFORE the show is picked up or shot, usually as a piece of the writer’s development process. It’s a lot more economical in both time (and money) to have writer deliver a TV Show Bible than 2-3 seasons worth of content before the idea is picked up to series. This can be a paid part of development, as well, as there are WGA minimums for the material – but that alone, of course, does not guarantee that a writer won’t be asked to do one to ‘help with the process‘.

A Character Bible, however, is something maintained by the TV Show’s support staff, as they show is being made. The Character Bible, or as it’s known in the writer’s room ‘the bible’, is a collection of episode & character details tracking helpful information for the future writers of the show. What kind of information? All kinds of information, anything that you would need to keep the characters consistent from episode to episode and season to season. Information such as…

“Did we say if Andy had a sister?”– Siblings and Relatives; their names, where they live, and what they do

• Birthdays
• What grade kids are in
• Allergies
• Medical conditions
• The day a guy murdered his brother by mistake
• Pet names
• Favorites – colors, food, restaurants, etc.

That sort of thing. If you are the Script Coordinator, Writers’ Assistant, or Writers’ PA maintaining this document, you’ll come to recognize when something said will be helpful in the future. Also, when it isn’t something that will ever be mentioned again.

Here is a typical situation where the character bible will come into play. You’ll be working on a new story idea, and someone will pitch an episode where the main conflict happens on Grandma’s birthday.

SHOWRUNNER: “Did we ever say how old Grandma is? Or what time of year her birthday was?”

WRITER’S ASSISTANT (PANICS): “Ummm… let me check the character bible.”

Sometimes you’ll know it off the top of your head, and sometimes you’ll have to look it up. Keep tabs on these things in the script, then edit it down once the final cut of the episode is locked—we may say Andy has a sister in the Blue Draft, but the line gets cut for time, then, technically… we never said Andy had a sister.

You ideally want to track big events that happened per episode:

101 – Pilot

• Gregor leaves home for the King’s Castle
• Meets the King, King Mighty!
• Hired as new Head Knight

And important character moments, in character-specific sections:

King Mighty:

• 101 – Hires Gregor to be head knight
• 102 – Regrets hiring Gregor when Queen falls in love with him

As with all writers’ documents, see if anyone on your show has an example of one they’ve done on another show that they liked, and copy that format.

And with all show documents, a great way to keep track and maintain it is by using Scriptation.

With Scriptation, you can TAG all of your relevant Character Bible facts, and track them from draft to draft; with Script Compare, you’ll know if Andy’s sister’s mention stays draft to draft, or goes away forever.

You can also keep a copy of the latest Character Bible on your iPad with you in the writers’ room,

Try out Scriptation’s free script annotation app and try for yourself!

My boss sent me the show bible. What do I do with it?

Depends on who you are. If you’re a new writer on their show, you need to read the bible and have ideas to bring to help support that vision. Questions on what isn’t there is also good – who are the main character’s parents? What is the protagonist afraid of? What’s a funny quirk of the neighbor? It’s not smart to ask what to do with this if you’re a newly hired writer on the show; you’re supposed to read it and have thoughts. How many thoughts, or how much to add, is up to the boss.

If you’re on the support staff of that show, and your Showrunner sends you the TV Show Bible they wrote, it’s likely to send it out to prospective writers and producers before they start working on the show. It’s okay to ask what to do with it if your boss sends it without any context; usually it’s just for safe keeping.

When should I write my show bible?

Depends where you are… in development. If you’re writing your magnum opus to share with the world, you can write it anytime the mood strikes. If you’re down the road with development involving producers and a real-deal studio, this may be something you can negotiate payment for. More and more rarely, it seems.

What are some good examples of show bibles?

The Lost show bible is an all-time TV Show Bible, especially since they wrote it before they knew what most of the show was, so it really does have some lynchpins you see through the end of the series.

The Scrubs show bible is another good TV Show Bible example. Excellent tone and character definitions.

The TV show bible for Stranger Things (pictured above) is great to read since it does such a good job building out the world you just saw play out over 5 seasons (and ten years). There was definitely a plan, that changed and grew as the series did – as the best ones find a way to.

Do I get paid for the show bible?

This also depends on who you are. If you’ve created a hit show previously, probably. If you’ve only watched a lot of great TV, probably not.

What details do I need to include in my TV show bible?

You absolutely need to include what the show is about, which will likely include some characters going on a journey or trying to answer a key question in their lives. The series itself may ask an overall question; Breaking Bad, for example, asked “How can Mr. Chips turn into Scarface?” Basically, what do you want someone reading the TV Show Bible to take away? Can they read what you wrote, and see a full plan of what you’d do if you made the series? Or if they paid you to make the series?

Comedy bibles also do a great job setting up what will be FUN about the show. Does the boss not know what they’re doing? Or is the boss the only person who does, and their staff are raging lunatics? Where is the funny coming from, and is it sustainable over 100 episodes of funny situations?

How much detail do I need to include in my show format?

You don’t need to have episode log-lines for 7 seasons of TV, or know the name of the server at the character’s favorite restaurant. Some things will be discovered as the series is made, as actors bring parts to life, as other writers bring their influence and experience, and as directors mold a visual style for the program.

Why do I need to write a TV Show Bible?

You need to write a TV Show Bible because it can do the work your pitch or pilot can’t; go into the key details and secrets of a show to both A) show the reader you have a plan, and B) keep some surprises and intrigue in the script or pitch itself.

If you’re struggling to write a show bible, you may need to take some more time to brainstorm you series and it’s overall presentation.

What characters do I need to track in the Character Bible?

All of the main cast should get a section in the Character Bible; the Abbott Elementary cast pictured above? Each of them would merit their own section to track. As new characters get more screen time, like Mr. Johnson, consider adding them into the mix.

What’s the best way to maintain a Character Bible?

You will want to keep a living document that can be accessed by everyone updating the file as the season progresses. Having these files as a PDF on your iPad as you move around the production office, set, and writers’ room means you can mark up any relevant updates wherever you are. Do a pass after the script is almost ready to be shot (to make sure there’s no life-altering info that needs to change) and another after the final cut.

What info do I not need to worry about tracking in the Character Bible?

Anything that you would never realistically bring up again doesn’t need to be tracked. You mostly want to look for FIRSTS (first kiss, first love, first patient lost), LASTS (last drink before sobriety, last time they saw someone alive in a murder show), and NEED TO KNOW (where someone is from, parents names, etc). The rest, like what they ordered one time at a coffee shop, doesn’t need to take up any digital space.

Do I need to memorize the Character Bible?

No. That’s why it’s all written down and catalogued! The best thing you can memorize is things that come up a lot; if you have kids on your show, knowing what grade they’re in is very helpful. So if they were in Kindergarten in Season 1, and each season of your show is a new year, then Season 2 would be grade 1, etc.

Something that’s VERY helpful to memorize, though, are things that would affect a character forever. Fears – Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes, always. Allergies – if someone has a peanut allergy in S3, don’t have them crushing peanuts at a baseball game in S5. Doing this will keep your characters consistent, and show the viewers you respect their time.

The writers are pitching something I know we already did in S1. How do I tell them?

Carefully. No one likes to be told ‘Simpsons Did It’, but learning how to delicately point out that it’s an area previously explored is a key one. If this ‘old idea’ is being pitched by a new writer to the show in it’s later seasons, don’t worry; the rest of the writing staff also knows you already did it, and that the person pitching it hasn’t done their homework.

Something we said in an old episode contradicts something in the new episode – and it’s too late to fix it. What do I do?

If it’s something small – as in, in a joke two seasons ago someone said they hated fish, and now they’re at an aquarium – you can chalk that up to ‘people change’. If it’s large – a person was cursed by a ghost and they’ll explode if they go to an aquarium – you need to seriously address that however you can. Hopefully it’s above your pay grade!

Who’s job is it to write the Character Bible?

In the first season of a show, especially one that tells a larger story (VS episodic), the support staff should meet with the Showrunner and devise a plan for how they want to maintain the Character Bible. It’s a great way to give a Writers’ PA something creative to do with their downtime, and to see how they handle a more demanding task on top of getting lunch and doing runs.

If you’re on a later season of a show, there should already be a character bible to maintain. Simply follow what’s been done before you and keep it fresh.

If there isn’t one? You’ve got a great project ahead of you that can showcase what a help you are to your team!

Whether you’re defining the tone for your future opus, or checking the box of when the youngest sibling lost their first tooth, a Guide to TV Show Bibles will always remind you of one thing; TV is a medium of details, and how well you track yours goes a long way in building a universe that lives on forever.

Want more definitions, hacks, and tips for all things TV Production, TV Writing, and TV Making? Than stay tuned to the Scriptation blog!