--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't make a good show based on pure…" description: "\"You can't make a good show based on pure verisimilitude, pure anti-drama. But you have to acknowledge a lot of ordinary life. Most TV doesn't do that.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/david-simon-3189_acknowledge_you-can-t-make-a-good-show-based-on-pure_2425074.png" --- # You can't make a good show based on pure verisimilitude… ![“You can't make a good show based on pure verisimilitude, pure anti-drama. But you have to acknowledge a lot of ordinary life. Most TV doesn't do that.” quote by David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/david-simon-3189_acknowledge_you-can-t-make-a-good-show-based-on-pure_2425074.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/david-simon-3189_acknowledge_you-can-t-make-a-good-show-based-on-pure_2425074.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/david-simon-3189_acknowledge_you-can-t-make-a-good-show-based-on-pure_2425074.png) > “You can't make a good show based on pure verisimilitude, pure anti-drama. But you have to acknowledge a lot of ordinary life. Most TV doesn't do that.” [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good storytelling needs realistic details but also must go beyond mere imitation of everyday life. **In simple terms:** Stories need realism plus deeper meaning, not just surface truth. Key Takeaway Balance authenticity with purposeful narrative depth. Themes storytelling authenticity depth Mood thoughtful analytical Type educational reflective When to use this quote - scriptwriting - documentary filmmaking - journalism - novel writing Key Concepts narrative theory realism dramatic structure Questions to Reflect On - What everyday details enrich a story? - When does realism hinder narrative tension? A Different Perspective Pure realism can become dull without thematic focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acknowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acknowledge/) [Anti Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-drama-6149395/) [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Drama Acknowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama-acknowledge-6149397/) [Life Tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-tv-1860139/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-life/) [Pure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pure/) [Pure Verisimilitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pure-verisimilitude-6149396/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/) ## Related quotes > [My life has been on TV for so long now, I'm used to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/my-life-has-been-on-tv-for-so-long-now-i-m-used-to-it/) [Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/) > [Hacks' definitely changed my life. It was my first TV job. I'd been performing for a long time, but nobody was filming it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-stalter/hacks-definitely-changed-my-life-it-was-my-first-tv-job-i-d-been/) [Megan Stalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-stalter/) > [“Not only it is annoying, it is distracting from life itself. ~on what TV is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-cowles/not-only-it-is-annoying-it-is-distracting-from-life-itself-on-what-tv/) [R.K. Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-cowles/) > [If a filmmaker and I don't get along, it's four weeks of your life, so, whatever. 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People look to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/holidays-are-in-no-sense-an-alternative-to-the-congestion-and-bustle/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [The sad moment when you return to your ordinary life after watching an awesome movie!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sad-moment-when-you-return-to-your-ordinary-life-after-watching/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Divorce becomes a holy moment when you choose to use it as a catalyst for having an extraordinary life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/divorce-becomes-a-holy-moment-when-you-choose-to-use-it-as-a-catalyst/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [“Yet that grief and this joy were alike outside all the ordinary conditions of life; they were loop-holes, as it were, in that ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/yet-that-grief-and-this-joy-were-alike-outside-all-the-ordinary/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [That sad moment when you return to the ordinary life after watching an AWESOME movie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-sad-moment-when-you-return-to-the-ordinary-life-after-watching/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by David Simon > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [It is your birthright to live a life abundant in love. Make the commitment today to open your heart and let your love flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/it-is-your-birthright-to-live-a-life-abundant-in-love-make-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“If the case isn't plea bargained, dismissed or placed on the inactive docket for an indefinite period of time, if by some perverse twist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-the-case-isn-t-plea-bargained-dismissed-or-placed-on-the-inactive/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Boiled down to its core, the truth is always a simple, solid thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/boiled-down-to-its-core-the-truth-is-always-a-simple-solid-thing/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [When we spend time in silence, we can hear the voice of our soul whispering its sacred message and encouraging us to make choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/when-we-spend-time-in-silence-we-can-hear-the-voice-of-our-soul/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [You have the capacity to change the plot line of your life, even if you've been acting from the same script since before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/you-have-the-capacity-to-change-the-plot-line-of-your-life-even-if/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Healing is the process of reestablishing the integration between body, mind, and spirit, creating opportunities for the return of the memory of wholeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/healing-is-the-process-of-reestablishing-the-integration-between-body/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Authenticity is an alignment between your beliefs, your desires and your choices in the world. 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