# Mid-Season Episode — Series Format

> Standard episode in middle of season. Balances self-contained story with season-arc advancement.

## Format basics

- Length: matches series
- Standalone enjoyable
- Advances season arc
- Subplots developed
- Recurring rhythm

## Structure

```
COLD OPEN (0-5 min)
- Hook for THIS episode
- Often character moment
- Or quick story setup

ACT 1 (5-15 min)
- Episode's specific conflict introduced
- Connect to season arc
- Subplots checkpoint

ACT 2 (15-40 min)
- Episode story develops
- Subplot advances
- Character moments
- Midpoint reversal

ACT 3 (40-55 min)
- Episode resolution
- Season arc nudged
- Subplots resolved or progressed

TAG (55-60 min)
- Often quieter than pilot
- Character beat
- Setup for next episode
```

## A-story / B-story / C-story

Most mid-season episodes have:

### A-story (main plot)
- Episode-specific
- Largest screen time
- Self-contained
- Connect to season

### B-story
- Subplot
- Different characters often
- Less screen time
- Develops over episodes

### C-story (sometimes)
- Minor subplot
- Brief scenes
- Setup for future
- Or comic relief

## Sample mid-season episode

```
TITLE: "Karavan" Episode 4 — "The Yemen Shipment"

LOGLINE: Eldar travels to Yemen to track the missing coffee shipment;
Nigar deals with a labor dispute at the warehouse; Ramin discovers
his father's secret personal connection to a city official.

COLD OPEN (0-5 min):
- Eldar in airport hotel in Sana'a
- Suspicious man following him
- He notices, takes evasive action
- Loses tail, but barely
- Establishes danger

ACT 1 (5-15 min):
- Eldar meets contact at coffee farm
- Nigar gets call: warehouse workers threatening strike
- Ramin researching father's history
- Subplots checkpointed

ACT 2 (15-40 min):
- A: Eldar at the coffee farm — discovers father had been buying
beans at premium to support local farmers being exploited by another
buyer; that buyer is the shipment thief
- B: Nigar negotiates with workers, learns labor dispute connects
to the missing shipment (workers haven't been paid for it)
- C: Ramin meets old friend of father; learns father had affair
with a senior city official thirty years ago

Midpoint: All three threads connect — the missing shipment, the
labor dispute, and the old affair are linked by ONE person

ACT 3 (40-55 min):
- A: Eldar caught by tail, in real danger, escapes barely
- B: Nigar secures temporary truce with workers
- C: Ramin confronts the old official (now elderly, retired)

TAG (55-60 min):
- Three siblings on three video calls
- Each shares one piece of information
- The picture clarifies: their father was being threatened for
months before the murder
- Cliffhanger: Eldar's flight back is cancelled. He's stuck in Yemen.
```

## Key principles

### Self-contained satisfying
Episode tells complete story. New viewer could enjoy.

### Season arc advances
Major question/conflict moves forward.

### Subplots get attention
Characters' individual journeys progress.

### Character relationships develop
New tensions, alliances form.

### End with hook
Cliffhanger or question for next.

## Episode types within mid-season

### Plot-heavy
Major plot advancement; less character

### Character-focused
Slower episode; deepens character; less plot

### Bottle (single location)
Constrained; dialogue-heavy

### Flashback
Reveals past; informs present

### Standalone (lighter season tie)
Almost standalone; case-of-week

### Multi-POV
Different storylines told in same episode

## Common mid-season pitfalls

- Stalling (no real advancement)
- Filler (no character or plot growth)
- Tone shift (different from rest of season)
- Underused regular cast
- Subplots unconnected to main
- Cliffhanger doesn't pay off

## When to write mid-season

- Series production
- Show staffed and running
- Need standard episode for X spot
- Subplot to advance
- Specific A-story idea
