Screenwriting : Movie or TV series? by Meriem Bouziani

Hi, Meriem Bouziani. I mainly write movie scripts, so I usually turn my ideas into movie scripts. Sometimes the idea works better as a TV series/limited series because there's too much story to fit in a feature script.

Since I still can’t match everything between paper and screen in my head, I let ChatGPT help me test the events.

Right now, I have about seventy micro-events that need more space and time.

Forcing them into a movie structure means deleting some, and I feel something important might be lost.

At the same time, I want to show the gradual development of the story — but I also fear that turning it into a series might make it feel stretched or forced.

So, I still can’t decide. Maurice Vaughan

Hey Meriem Bouziani The story itself usually tells you which format it needs—the key is listening honestly rather than forcing it into your preferred medium.

Choose a feature film when:

- Your story has a clear, self-contained arc that resolves definitively

- The narrative centers on one protagonist's transformation over a compressed timeframe

- You can tell the complete story compellingly in 90-120 pages

- The concept doesn't naturally generate ongoing stories beyond the central narrative

Choose a limited series when:

- Your story needs breathing room for complex character development across multiple arcs

- You have distinct chapter breaks or episodic structure that creates natural cliffhangers

- The world-building is extensive enough to justify 4-8 hours of storytelling

- Multiple interconnected storylines deserve equal weight rather than subplot treatment

The honest test:

If you're struggling to cut your story down to feature length without losing essential elements, it probably wants to be a series. If you're inventing subplots or padding to fill episodes, it's likely a feature trying to be something else.

Also consider: features are generally harder to sell but faster to produce if they do sell. Limited series require more pages, more commitment, but can showcase your ability to sustain storytelling across multiple episodes.

Thank you very much for your guidance Pat Alexander

Yes, I’ve tried to condense the scenes, but I feel some parts got lost.

I also have a lot of characters, and the story moves across many locations — the ISS, planet Oziross, Earth, the Oziross prison, the Oziross Council, earth zoos and more.

I’ll try testing it as a series and see how it could look.

Finding Elpis has this same concern; I'm writing it as a series of features, but given just how rich the story is, a case can definitely be made to break up each feature entry into 2-3 (maybe even 4) TV series episodes because they functionally act as arcs. Especially now that it's expanded into a hexalogy it's probably more likely to be reworked into a series (some sub-plots can even stand to be expanded as a result). Not to mention that it's pretty easy for me to come up with several plotlines holding it together rather than just one; it's more in keeping with a TV series than a movie.

I guess it depends how deeply you wanna dive into the world you're creating. TV series give you more room to do that.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

My story has a very gradual development of events, which is why it needs more time to unfold — I think it should be three episodes.

You're welcome, Meriem Bouziani. Honestly I like stories that take their time, and you can definitely do a lot in three episodes, especially if they're long episodes. You can even come up with smaller side episodes if you wanted (in anime/manga those are called "omake" [pronounced "oh-mah-keh"]. They're usually gag episodes not connected to the main plot). It's your call in the end, of course, but it's definitely something to think about.

Pilot movie doubling as a standalone film - that way, you get the best of both worlds if the pilot isn't picked up and doesn't go to series (similar to how the extended cut of the "Twin Peaks" pilot, shown outside of the US, has a complete ending in case the show didn't get picked up).

Thank you very much. I’ll search for them.Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

You're welcome, Meriem Bouziani.

Thank you very much Stefano Pavone

I’m still trying to learn and understand how to handle this chaos, and scince I'm a new screenwriter I feel like a child fighting a monster.

Is it one great story with a limited Engine e.g. might get a sequel or two but thats not the point yet - FEATURE

Is it a brilliant movie that somebody might buy to also serialise after they see it? - FEATURE

Is it clearly multiple story capable with great characters, which could go four or more series? - SERIES

Is it a Procedural or can it be one? - Definitely SERIES because procedurals are very popular.

Do I have enough time in ninety minutes to tell the story properly and do it justice - if no - Series.

Did I write it the pilot and lots of stuff because as a series it could run forever and ever and ever and I really want it to because it’s brilliant - SERIES. I’ve got one of those and I absolutely love it.

Etc

Thank you very much, David Taylor

The story is a large-scale brain catastrophe with a gradual impact on human health and life.

Many events happen simultaneously across three major locations — Earth, Oziross, and the ISS.

The characters are diverse, each playing a critical role in either solving or worsening the situation, depending on their background.

The story is called The Silent PFC War.

When humanity loses access to the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain responsible for higher thinking, decision-making, planning, and the very essence of what makes us intelligent and Homo sapiens. David Taylor

Another way to look at this is from a producing and sales perspective. A key question is whether the story justifies being finite and can realistically gain traction with buyers as a limited. Early in my career, a network executive mentor told me that a limited series must feel like an EVENT to sell. When we take out a limited, we’re asking a buyer (and eventually an audience) to invest in something with no ongoing return, so the narrative has to merit that one-season, contained experience...something that feels intentionally complete and special to stand out against ongoing series. And be robust/layered enough to stand out against a close-ended film. If the emotional journey lands cleanly and the audience should feel fully satisfied after one season, it’s likely a limited. If the world or character arcs naturally continue, that leans series. And if the story’s power comes from experiencing it in one uninterrupted movement, that’s when it may want to live as a film.

So far, I created 4 pilots (TV Series) all being helped by Google Gemini A.I. it's been helpful. I'm still trying to figure out a movie concept though. It took a while to come up with a brilliant animation superhero movie with the help of Google Gemini to reveal the entire script. But otherwise, I've been creating wonderful animations with Google Gemini and didn't figure a manual outline, scene, or anything. I finished 4 pilots within two weeks. I feel accomplished. Feel free to take a look at one of my three loglines, synopsis, and screenplays all take place in one fictional humongous world environment. Just create a shared universe and then work on a TV Concept outside of the fictional city heroes. It's getting good and gaining a huge momentum.

Thank you very much for your help Laura Notarianni

This is really the big question — I’m afraid of making the wrong choice and losing opportunities.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience.

Keep going, and good luck! Chase Carmichael

I also use ChatGPT a lot in my creative journey, and it’s been incredibly helpful on many levels for developing my worlds.

I thought a bit about the TV series format, and I think the story fits perfectly into three episodes with no second season.

1. The Beginning: The mind catastrophe starts, with events unfolding in two locations — Earth and the ISS.

2. The Rising Stakes: Tension escalates in parallel across Earth, Oziross, and the ISS, revealing glimpses of a possible solution.

3. The Resolution: The solution emerges for both planets, showing the aftermath and long-term effects of what happened.

Final screen note:

This story is a celebration of our intelligence — and a reminder to protect it on every level. Laura Notarianni

Meriem Bouziani Oh! I've had first hand experience with this, recently. I have a tv series idea, I thought would be a movie, but the moment I felt, inner knowing, that it was a tv show, was a combination of: the pace was slower, and shorter bursts of the story would be better during a longer period of time; the character relationships needed room to breath and develop; the world/universe it seeded from, could grow so much. It's going to take me time to really get this one up and going, since I did not intend on writing a tv show! But, the muse spoke.

Honestly I never thought much about writing a series until I met a friend at Austin. So these comments are awesome!

Same for me — the story’s scale and depth are pushing me toward a TV series format.

I hope you develop your series perfectly and bring everything to life just the way you envision it. Juliana Philippi

Yes, everyone has given me a lot of insightful and helpful guidance on different levels to test and decide which path to take.

I’m really grateful to all of them.

And if you have the same question about your work — is it a TV series or a movie — use everything you can to test it and start writing.

Good luck Coty Hampton

I've never thought so in depth about it. I think about what I want it to be before writing, that way I don't over write to get to the resolution... which still happens and then I have to cut out a lot of fluff. I internally ask myself, can the story end within 1 hour or so "naturally". If no, then I should write a series that would eventually lead to a satisfactory end.

That’s so good Eden Lopez

And it probably comes with a lot of experience when your mind can finally connect what’s on paper with what appears on screen.

But I’m still a beginner, and this will be my first script.

The idea itself challenges me to learn and question things I never knew before.

I decide beforehand but even that can shift. TETHERED did. It started as a limited series. But as I dug into it, I realized... This is no sprawling story. It's one story. A brother trying to understand the darkest part of the younger one he lost. And finding that he understands it all too well because he shares that dark part too.

I had stretched it too far by trying to make the real story bigger than what it was.

You can stretch any story into a series if you try hard enough. Added characters. Subplots. Side quests.

I had to really ask myself if the sprawling cast I had put together mattered. In the end, much as I loved them and all their mini arcs and parts .. they didn't. They only mattered to force my story into a format it didn't belong in.

My script is much stronger as a feature than it ever would have been as a limited series.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience Elle Bolan

Condensing too much or adding too much can both harm the story — in the end, the story itself decides.

Meriem Bouziani I wish you luck and just remember, don't be afraid to ask for feedback from a trusted person. I've noticed that sometimes I can zone out during writing and what made sense to me doesn't make sense for the story. Having a trusted friend give you feedback can help you flesh out better details and, if you wrote off track, it can help you back on track.

Yes, you’re absolutely right Eden Lopez

Right now, I always get feedback and ratings from ChatGPT O3, and it rated the concept 8.1/10.

But of course, I’ll also seek human feedback.

I’m so excited to get professional reviews and ratings for my work.

I don't mean this to sound all new agey, but I listen to my story, and it tells me what it needs to be. The story I want to tell in "Dungeoneers" is a three seasons, nine-episodes-per-season, arc. Each season is three distinct acts. For "Fourth Night" my horror story, I only need 120 minutes or less to tell it properly. I knew before I created the worlds what they would be from the outset. Things can absolutely evolve, but more often than not I know the story length before I start writing.

That sounds so amazing — thank you very much for sharing Sean Rodman

I agree with you, the story has a soul of its own and decides for itself.

Sometimes, my story decides to be TOO long. I always INTEND to write 6-8 page scenes and they wind up being 12-15 page scenes.

Yes, I think it’s all because of the little details.

At first, you think there’s just one major scene or goal — then it turns out to be made of many gradual, smaller scenes. Sean Rodman

Movies I think of as one offs (yes I know sequels). The audience heads to the theater, gets their popcorn and soda, and sit for three hours (30 min of trailers) and leave better than when they entered the theater. TV series I think of multiple viewings with cliffhangers leading to the next episode.

Yes, this is a good instinct Desiree Middleton

Every screenwriter imagines how their future audience will be impacted and emotionally connected to the work.

It depends. You can write a script for the movie having a good story. But also it can turns out that you can transform your movie script into a script for TV series. You would have two versions of the story having both scripts. All in one.

Well, Meriem Bouziani, my first time was a TV show pilot, but afterward I felt I wanted to write the whole story, so I changed to a feature, and today I am on my fifth version. Now, I only write features and short scripts, but one day I'll jump to a TV show.

The more I thought about you post you inspired me to consider converting my crime drama juice da m to a tv pilot

Yeah, it’s actually exciting to think about both, and how writing can be flexible enough to become either a movie or a TV series. Aleksandar Lahtov

That’s so inspiring — to be working in different kinds of writing. Thank you very much for sharing your journey.

I wish you the best of luck with your future TV series Sandra Isabel Correia

I’m happy that I could inspire you. I wish you a great writing journey and success in creating your TV series. Coty Hampton

Meriem - A sequel would be what your characters do next when they discover a new threat and conflict arises from that. You may have told the PFC story but your characters are still there. So the question is, what is the next challenge?

Thank you very much for the clarification David Taylor

I actually thought about the possibility of long-term neurological effects on newborns, but I chose not to explore that direction. It would push the story into a much darker territory, and for this project I want the ending to remain hopeful and complete.

For now, The Silent PFC War feels like a self-contained story with no need for a sequel. I prefer to let the characters finally breathe after everything they survived.

You might even consider a game adaptation Meriem Bouziani if your world has enough missions, environments, and lore; games can handle huge multi-location stories without losing anything. With Earth, Oziross, and the ISS each offering unique challenges, the structure already fits a campaign-style format. A game can carry all the depth plus leave room for a TV/Anime series or film later.

I have a romcom right now that can be either-- and I've written the feature script and looking at writing it as a limited series. But I admit-- for me I normally know offhand if something is deep enough for a limited series-- like my serial killer/psychic ex-FBI agent or if it's just deep enough for a feature itself with possible IP going forward.

That’s a great idea

Thank you very much for suggesting it Dwayne Williams 2

I've actually thought about that before, or even about developing VR simulations based on my different sci-fi worlds.

For The Silent PFC War, players could experience the story through different characters, confront Dreln as the main antagonist, or explore the entire Ozirossian planet and uncover its secrets.

Yes Cynna Ael

I think the more experience we gain in writing, the more we develop an instinct for shaping a story — whether it should become a movie or a TV series.

Thank you very much for sharing your journey.

This is a great question—and one I wrestle with myself. There’s a strong pull toward streaming series these days, so I think the real question to ask is this:

Does your story need the emotional catharsis that comes from a contracted, contained runtime—something that might lose impact if you stretch it out—or is it a story that works just as well (or better) in an episodic form?

Not every story thrives as a series, and not every story reaches its full power as a feature. The trick is figuring out whether yours truly belongs in streaming or as a standalone feature.

Thank you very much Adam Spencer

My story has a very gradual development of events, which is why it may need more space.

But I’m trying to write it without forcing it to become either a movie or a series.

I want to finish the story first, and then I’ll see what form it naturally belongs to in the end.

For me it was easy - my tv series project, ARIGNI, was just too long with too many characters for a movie feature

That’s great that you know how to develop it easily Michael Thorn

For me, it’s harder to decide since I’m still a new screenwriter.

Meriem Bouziani even fleshing out the villains so players can step into their perspective would be fun. If it helps, I usually finish writing the full franchise as a film first before adapting it into games. I try to flesh out 40–50 action scenes that can fit one character, or break them up into multiplayer so each player has around 20 missions per story.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience in making games — that’s truly fascinating Dwayne Williams 2

I’ll try to think more about it once I finish my writing.

depends on the main story arc for me. if its too complex too fit it in a 2 hour length i like to go for a limited or a series perspective rather then rushing things and trying to fit it in a movie.

Thank you very much for your help Shazz K

I think the problem for me is that I still can’t match scenes and timing in my mind.

When everything exists only as words, the moments feel like they need more room to breathe.

Meriem Bouziani try doing vertically at first with the scene. go according to the minute per 1 page rule. once you get the whole outline from start to finish of the scenes you will get an idea that even if you have to edit out some parts, is your story satisfying you enough to fit it in the 90 to 120 page mark or you wanna go beyond. thats how i do it. if need any help let me know always up for it.

Thank you very much for clarifying this Shazz K

Yes, I’ve started writing, and I’ll see how many pages the story reaches as it develops.

Meriem Bouziani your welcome and all the best

I had a 100 some pager for Setesh 2025 and the first raw version was 3 hours...1 page per minute doesn't always work.

Hi! I didn’t really have to decide. The story simply developed in a way that it naturally split into three parts, and the endings of the first and second sections made that structure feel right.

It really sounds like things are much more complicated, but I’ll try my best to make it work Jon Shallit

That’s great that your story shows clearly how to write it Sanna Peth

My story keeps challenging me on different levels.