Writing Hollywood: The Work and Professional Culture of Television Writers

Patricia Phalen, associate professor of media and public affairs, highlights the writing process in the production of television drama and comedy series in the U.S. Using data from personal interviews and participant observation at a prime time drama, she analyzes the relationships among writers in series television, describes the interactions between writers and studio/network executives and explains how endogenous and exogenous pressures affect the occupational culture of the television writing profession.