--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're making a television show…" description: "\"When you're making a television show, it's about the story and arc of the show rather than any particular episode or director.\" — Eli Roth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/eli-roth-2841_arcs_when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it_760489.jpg" --- # When you're making a television show, it's about the story… ![“When you're making a television show, it's about the story and arc of the show rather than any particular episode or director.” quote by Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/eli-roth-2841_arcs_when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it_760489.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/eli-roth-2841_arcs_when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it_760489.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/eli-roth-2841_arcs_when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it_760489.jpg) > “When you're making a television show, it's about the story and arc of the show rather than any particular episode or director.” [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The focus of a TV series should be its overall narrative and character development, not isolated episodes or directors. **In simple terms:** Prioritize the series’ story arc. Key Takeaway Focus on long‑term storytelling. Themes storytelling media production Mood analytical insightful Type critical educational When to use this quote - show development - writer meetings - director selection Key Concepts narrative structure creative collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How does episode quality affect the overall arc? - What balance should creators strike between consistency and innovation? A Different Perspective May downplay the impact of standout episodes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Television show](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television-show/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of the television industry is so cookie-cutter. In general, there are so many shows that are easy and bland to watch. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-baldwin/a-lot-of-the-television-industry-is-so-cookie-cutter-in-general-there/) [Adam Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-baldwin/) > [It's a real challenge to complete a story arc and end up with a cool punchline in 120 characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/it-s-a-real-challenge-to-complete-a-story-arc-and-end-up-with-a-cool/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [Plotting is difficult for me, and always has been. I do that before I actually start writing, but I always do characters, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/plotting-is-difficult-for-me-and-always-has-been-i-do-that-before-i/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [I like my characters to go through some changes during a story arc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-starlin/i-like-my-characters-to-go-through-some-changes-during-a-story-arc/) [Jim Starlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-starlin/) > [Each of us is our own story, but none of us is only our own story. The arc of my own personal story is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-barnhill/each-of-us-is-our-own-story-but-none-of-us-is-only-our-own-story-the/) [Kelly Barnhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-barnhill/) > [The writing for us is the hardest, but also the most important. You want to get to the next part of it, to production,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-duffer/the-writing-for-us-is-the-hardest-but-also-the-most-important-you/) [Matt Duffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-duffer/) > [The voice for 'Surly' is, of course, very close to my own voice, but it's informed a lot by this story, by the arc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-arnett/the-voice-for-surly-is-of-course-very-close-to-my-own-voice-but-it-s/) [Will Arnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-arnett/) > [“a story’s plot has a beginning, middle, and end consisting of a sequence of events developed around a particular conflict or gradual unveiling. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/a-story-s-plot-has-a-beginning-middle-and-end-consisting-of-a/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [I feel 'The Night Circus' has a complete story arc in one book. I like it as a single volume. It feels complete to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-feel-the-night-circus-has-a-complete-story-arc-in-one-book-i-like/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [What's so great about making television is that it's a collaborative beast. It's created by a great many hands belonging to a great many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gilligan/what-s-so-great-about-making-television-is-that-it-s-a-collaborative/) [Vince Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gilligan/) > [All these women had directed movies that I loved on the film festival circuit, but couldn't get a job making television. That's how locked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/all-these-women-had-directed-movies-that-i-loved-on-the-film-festival/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [If you're ever making a television show, don't cast smart actors because they are just a pain in the ass. The moment you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/if-you-re-ever-making-a-television-show-don-t-cast-smart-actors/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [To me, the real genius in making television for kids is making something that inadvertently - or perhaps intentionally - becomes something that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/to-me-the-real-genius-in-making-television-for-kids-is-making/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [My first job in Hollywood was as a PA in the writers room of 'Dawson's Creek,' and from that early experience on, I've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-fleischer/my-first-job-in-hollywood-was-as-a-pa-in-the-writers-room-of-dawson-s/) [Ruben Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-fleischer/) > [You realize after you travel enough that there's some things that, no matter how good you are at making television, no matter how good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/you-realize-after-you-travel-enough-that-there-s-some-things-that-no/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) ## More by Eli Roth > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [Twitter is wonderful. You can kill rumours instantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/twitter-is-wonderful-you-can-kill-rumours-instantly/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [Shooting at Quentin Tarantino movie was like a masterclass in directing. Although I went back literally right into rehearsal, started shooting... while I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/shooting-at-quentin-tarantino-movie-was-like-a-masterclass-in/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I need to eliminate 'like' from my vocabulary. I begin sentences with, 'That's seriously like ' I hear myself talking in this Los Angeles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-need-to-eliminate-like-from-my-vocabulary-i-begin-sentences-with/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [ I started the film \[Hostel Part II\]with the girls in an art class and there's a nude male model. People think that women are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-started-the-film-hostel-part-ii-with-the-girls-in-an-art-class-and/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I have so many different projects, I hear voices in my head - the characters talking all at once - and I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-have-so-many-different-projects-i-hear-voices-in-my-head-the/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I'd love to see us get to a point where you can make a movie and not worry about the limits of the violence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-d-love-to-see-us-get-to-a-point-where-you-can-make-a-movie-and-not/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [A comedy can actually get funnier and funnier. Even though you know the joke, you enjoy it so much, it's the facial expression, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/a-comedy-can-actually-get-funnier-and-funnier-even-though-you-know/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The point of the first one was that it was about guys being lured by sex and the stereotypes... I always say it's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/the-point-of-the-first-one-was-that-it-was-about-guys-being-lured-by/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I've always dreamed of having a year-round haunted house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-dreamed-of-having-a-year-round-haunted-house/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [Look at comic books. It used to be something that only geeks were into. And now it's everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/look-at-comic-books-it-used-to-be-something-that-only-geeks-were-into/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I was listening to music to kind of pump myself up and get psyched up, like I was listening to Iron Maiden and Misfits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-was-listening-to-music-to-kind-of-pump-myself-up-and-get-psyched-up/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [One of the great elements of the supernatural is having that mystery and letting people's imaginations run wild with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/one-of-the-great-elements-of-the-supernatural-is-having-that-mystery/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If you are having fun on the set, you are not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/if-you-are-having-fun-on-the-set-you-are-not-getting-things-done/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I hear what people say, I read all the reviews, all the blogs, and I am always curious to hear it, because you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-hear-what-people-say-i-read-all-the-reviews-all-the-blogs-and-i-am/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) [Explore all 148 Eli Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) ## More Arcs quotes > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [Through the music I hope to give it an arc that gives it a greater sense of a journey through the set rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/through-the-music-i-hope-to-give-it-an-arc-that-gives-it-a-greater/) [Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/) > [Because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/because-we-grew-up-surrounded-by-big-dramatic-story-arcs-in-books-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Joan of Arc should be played as a "pain in the ass" and how do I know she was a "pain in the ass"?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-clurman/joan-of-arc-should-be-played-as-a-pain-in-the-ass-and-how-do-i-know/) [Harold Clurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-clurman/) > [When in doubt, the rule of threes is a rule that plays well with all of storytelling. When describing a thing? No more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/when-in-doubt-the-rule-of-threes-is-a-rule-that-plays-well-with-all/) [Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/) > [Sanchez looked at me and we locked eyes a second too long. There was nothing I could do about it. The signal went out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/sanchez-looked-at-me-and-we-locked-eyes-a-second-too-long-there-was/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [When we are young, we spend much time and pains in filling our note-books with all definitions of Religion, Love, Poetry, Politics, Art, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-we-are-young-we-spend-much-time-and-pains-in-filling-our-note/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I suppose that, for me at least, the biggest difference betweenThe Gunslinger Born and the next two story arcs (The Long Road Home and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-furth/i-suppose-that-for-me-at-least-the-biggest-difference-betweenthe/) [Robin Furth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-furth/) > [We've got this arc of instability from North Africa to South Asia, and we have to pay close attention to it. And we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-ve-got-this-arc-of-instability-from-north-africa-to-south-asia-and/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one. . . . But from what I see I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/i-do-not-pretend-to-understand-the-moral-universe-the-arc-is-a-long/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [I think every woman character, every female character, has her own arc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katheryn-winnick/i-think-every-woman-character-every-female-character-has-her-own-arc/) [Katheryn Winnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katheryn-winnick/) > [I am committed now to one thing: lyric sequences. I want the intensity of lyric, but the scope and arc of narrative. so, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-orr/i-am-committed-now-to-one-thing-lyric-sequences-i-want-the-intensity/) [Gregory Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-orr/) > [We must move forward in the days ahead with audacious faith. The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-move-forward-in-the-days-ahead-with-audacious-faith-the-moral/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Most games follow a real railroad plot, no matter what you want, you're following their storyline to its unavoidable conclusion. I'd like to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/most-games-follow-a-real-railroad-plot-no-matter-what-you-want-you-re/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Arc, amplitude, and curvature sustain a similar relation to each other as time, motion, and velocity, or as volume, mass, and density.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/arc-amplitude-and-curvature-sustain-a-similar-relation-to-each-other/) [Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/) Browse all 250 Arcs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're making a television show, it's about the story and arc of the show rather than any particular episode or director.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eli Roth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it-s-about-the-story-and-arc-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arcs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it-s-about-the-story-and-arc-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/eli-roth-2841_arcs_when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it_760489.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/eli-roth-2841_arcs_when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it_760489.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/eli-roth-2841_arcs_when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it_760489.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you're making a television show, it's about the story and arc of the show rather than any particular…” — Eli Roth", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eli Roth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you're making a television show,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it-s-about-the-story-and-arc-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/when-you-re-making-a-television-show-it-s-about-the-story-and-arc-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```