101 Tips from the World of TV Shows

Do you want to create a new TV series but need help finding a compelling world to set your TV show in? Sometimes reading simple genre story prompts is the easiest way to spark creative ideas.

Here are 101 hints of TV show worlds—worlds that haven’t been explored in episodic form or haven’t been explored enough.​​​

101 Tips for Building Your TV Series World

1. College baseball team.
2. College softball team.
3. College Marching Band.
4. High school drama club.
5. High school A/V club in the 1980s.
6. Club DJ.
7. Wedding party DJ.
8. U.S. Coast Guard.
9. Midwest Farm.
10. Archaeological digs.
11. Marine Biology Research Aquarium.
12. A firefighter’s life between calls.
13. The life of an undercover police officer.
14. The life of a federal undercover agent.
15. The lives of movie studio employees.
16. The lives of TV series employees.
17. The life of a Hollywood agent.
18. The life of a rock star in the 1980s.
19. The life of a rock star in the 1960s and 1970s.
20. The life of a Wall Street broker.
21. A toy collection store.
22. Dying Brooke and the life of a Mortar retail store employee.
23. Fast food restaurant.
24. New York pizza place.
25. Popular Chinese restaurant.
26. Youth Football League.
27. Youth Football League.
28. Youth Baseball League.
29. The life of a lumberjack.
30. Life as a Disneyland employee.
31. The life of a Hollywood tour guide.
32. Ski resort.
33. The life of a zookeeper.
34. The life of a wedding planner.
35. The life of a park ranger.
36. New York Caterers.
37. funeral parlor.
38. The Life of a Christian Pastor.
39. Hair salon.
40. A video game design company.
41. fashion designer.
42. The life of a florist family.
43. Life in a baker’s family.
44. High-end hotel.
45. Highway Motel.
46. An advertising agency through the eyes of an assistant.
47. The space programs of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s are visible to everyone except astronauts.
48. Air traffic controller.
49. Airline pilot.
50. The world of antique collectors.
51. The lives of mall employees around the 1980s.
52. Broadway productions.
53. Crime scene photographer.
54. Crime scene DNA expert.
55. Competitive deep sea diver.
56. Event Planner.
57. Military drone pilot.
58. Small town news station.
59. The life of a gym employee.
60. The life of a personal chef.
61. The life of a rich man as a private pilot.
62. Beach resort.
63. The lives of high-end spa employees.
64. The life of a team of surgeons.
65. Plastic surgeon.
66. The life of a travel writer.
67. Voiceover artist.
68. Bicycle courier.
69. Life as an Uber/Lyft driver.
70. The life of a food service delivery worker.
71. The life of a pizza delivery boy.
72. Traveling circus.
73. Circa 19th century traveling circus.
74. Personal Shopper.
75. Force military team testing military security.
76. Ethical hackers attack companies to show them where their weaknesses are.
77. A veterinary clinic.
78. The life of a garbage collector.
79. Truck driver’s world.
80. Video stores in the 1980s and 1990s.
81. Music stores in the 1980s and 1990s.
82. NSA agent.
83. Pinkerton agents in the 1800s.
84. The Pony Express in the 1880s.
85. A scene from a 1980s sitcom.
86. World War I battlefield.
87. Life on the International Space Station.
88. Life on a future space station.
89. Life on the first Mars colony.
90. Studio 54 circa the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
91. Tower Records store circa 1980s and 1990s.
92. A children’s hospital.
93. Mountain rescue team.
94. The Harlem Globetrotters World Tour was in its prime.
95. Film studio security.
96. Security company.
97. Life as a Toys R Us employee in the 1980s.
98. Car dealership.
99. A look into the lives of explorers who explored the Mississippi River.
100. The lives of explorers who explored the Amazon.
101. Life on a cruise ship.

Read more: What is a story engine and how it can help your TV pilot

‘breaking Bad’

Why world-building matters to you TV series

Our ideas come from many sources:

• News headlines, novels, TV shows, movies, our lives, our fears, our phobias, and more.
• A scene or moment in a movie or series that hasn’t been fully explored yet
• A single visual that attracts creative minds—a seed that keeps growing until the author is forced to finally put it down on paper or screen

When it comes to making a TV show, there’s one element that appeals to the web and streaming platforms the most – exploring an interesting world.

The world provides immediate visual and thematic context. That’s why it’s so important for series writers to find compelling worlds in which to place their characters.

Executives can easily sell globally. It’s no different than selling senior executives in the lines of a feature film.

mafia(Montenegro family), methamphetamine dealing (breaking Bad), a totalitarian society in which women are property (The Handmaid’s Tale), zombie apocalypse (The Walking Dead), 1960s advertising (mad Men), office life (office), wealthy people vacation in high-end luxury resorts (white lotus), about life as a teenager in the world of drugs, sex, trauma and social media ( Euphoria)—these worlds are perfectly matched with compelling characters.

Want more ideas? Check out our other story prompts!

Ken Miyamoto worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

As a production writer, he attended numerous studio meetings, meeting with companies such as Sony, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, Disney and Warner Bros., as well as numerous production and management companies. He previously signed a development deal with Lionsgate and has taken on various writing assignments, including producing the miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Hayley Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric Larsa and Bruce Bucklina star in the thriller Hunter’s Creed and many more thrillers from Lifetime. Follow Ken on Twitter @ken电影 and Instagram @KenMovies76.