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Even some of the most popular shows in TV history have been canceled! Film writers are more likely to be able to tell their full story.

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Top 60 Best Shows That Got Canceled Way Too Soon - IMDb

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Top 60 Best Shows That Got Canceled Way Too Soon

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The potential for cancellations puts extra pressure on TV writers.

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TV writing and writing web series are quite similar. The channels of distribution are expanding.

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TV shows can be more open to feedback and criticism from fans and it can feel like brand management.

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Both film and TV writers have to rewrite scenes, but TV writers often have to rewrite full episodes for a number of reasons.

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The film writers did not discuss network notes and writers' meetings. These are some of the biggest considerations in television writing.

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In today's "Writers' Room 101," TV writer Eric Haywood breaks down the three primary types of television staffing meetings.

Eric Haywood has spent over a decade writing for network and premium cable television series including ABC's Private Practice, Showtime's Soul Food, NBC's Hawaii, and the Fox drama Empire. Follow Eric on Twitter at @EricHaywood.
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Always say yes to the bottled water.

It's springtime. Smack-dab in the middle of staffing season. You're scurrying around Los Angeles in your car, rushing from meeting to meeting with any network executive, studio executive, and showrunner who's read your latest writing sample and agreed to carve a little time out of their busy schedule for you. Before each meeting, an assistant will ask you to have a seat in the waiting area and typically offer you something to drink...a bottled water, usually. And if you're anything like me, you say yes to that bottle of water, each and every time.

Why? Because statistically speaking, it'll probably be the only thing you walk away from the meeting with.

That might sound harsh, but it's not an exaggeration. As I pointed out in my previous post, there are far more writers seeking jobs at any given time than there are jobs available, and that's especially true at the height of staffing season. As a result, the networks and studios (not to mention showrunners) are faced with reading and meeting dozens, if not hundreds, of writers each year as they decide whom they'll ultimately hire.

For all the endless talk about the importance of writing an awesome script (and yes, it is critically important), that's really only half the battle when it comes to landing an actual job on a television writing staff. You've also got to be "good in a room," as they say, which basically means making such a great impression that you win people over in these face-to-face meetings. After all, as good as your script might be, they're considering hiring you, not the script you wrote. Staffing meetings give the powers-that-be a chance to make a personal connection with you beyond matching a face with the name on the cover page of your pilot, and sometimes that can be enough to mean the difference between you getting the job and not.

Next time I'll talk in detail about what actually happens inside these meetings. But for now, let's differentiate between the three primary types of staffing meetings you'll have: general, show, and showrunner.

General meetings, to be perfectly honest, tend to be the most frustrating of the bunch. They're also the hardest to prepare for because they're, well, general. These meetings are the result of an executive reading your work and wanting to meet you because they're a fan (and/or your agent successfully convincing the executive that you're a writer who really really really should be on their radar). Which is great - it's certainly nothing to take for granted - but unfortunately it means that you're not there to discuss a specific job opening on a specific show; it's really more of a getting-to-know-you session.

Some writers think "generals" are a waste of time because by definition, no job offer will result from them. But I've come to view them as opportunities to a.) keep getting my name out there, and b.) further polish my interview skills so that I'm more at ease when an all-important showrunner meeting comes along. So my advice is to take any general meeting you can get and make the best of them. At the very least, you might establish a long-term working relationship that'll pay off months or even years later.

Then there are show meetings (not to be confused with showrunner meetings, which we'll get to in a moment). As the name indicates, these are meetings with a network, studio, or production company about a specific show of theirs. For instance, you might meet with NBC about a potential opening on The Blacklist next season, or Sony Pictures Television about Battle Creek, and so on.

As you can imagine, show meetings are considerably easier to wrap your head around than generals because instead of having to immerse yourself in the network's entire drama or comedy lineup, you can just drill down on the particular show in question and go in there ready to discuss it at length. So you'll binge-watch several episodes if it's currently on the air, or read the pilot script over and over until you know it by heart if it's a new series in contention. Either way, the major upside of a show meeting is knowing there's an actual job up for grabs, and that's always a plus.

Lastly, we have the all-important showrunner meetings. These are the meetings everyone wants, mainly because most of us harbor romantic notions of the showrunner liking us so much that they stand up in mid-conversation and yell, "You're hired!" And then (in our fantasy, at least), they order their assistant to cancel all the other meetings with all those other writers because they've finally found The One.

Rest assured that even the most successful showrunner meetings usually don't end that way, but we still like to think of them as pretty much make-or-break, and rightfully so. A showrunner meeting means you're sitting down with the executive producer of the show, who's often the person who created the series and wrote the pilot. Without their stamp of approval, your chances of getting the job are practically nil.

Having said all that, it's been my observation that the showrunner isn't always the final decision maker when it comes to staffing. Without question, the showrunner has a lot to say (probably the most to say) about who's going to end up on their staff, but ultimately, these decisions are made collaboratively between the showrunner, network, and studio. That means even if the showrunner loves you and wants to hire you, but the network is dead set against you for whatever reason (remember that general network meeting you refused to take seriously?), chances are you'll probably come out on the losing end.

At the end of the day, a lot of different people have to sign off on you before you receive an actual job offer. That means you'll need advocates on your side. As many as you can get. Therefore - and this should really go without saying - not only should you consider each meeting as important as all the others, you should treat each person you meet with like they're the most important person in the decision-making process...right down to the assistant who brought you that bottle of water. In a few years, they might be a development executive holding your next job in their hands.

Get expert advice at producer and Emmy-winning director Lane Shefter Bishop's webinar - Developing & Pitching the TV Series
Get your on-demand webinar now!

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WRITERS' ROOM 101: Three Types of TV Staffing Meetings

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In today's "Writers' Room 101," TV writer Eric Haywood breaks down the three primary types of television staffing meetings. Eric Haywood has spent over a decade writing for network and premium cable television series including ABC's Private Practice, Showtime's Soul Food, NBC's Hawaii, and the Fox drama Empire.

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Film writers seem to have more creative freedom than TV writers, due to network executives and others who work on the show.

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In TV writing, you must pick your battles. "If you just start fighting [the execs] on every single thing, you become the problem in the room." - John Rogers (Showrunners)

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In television, film, and beyond, all writers are individuals with their own approach to the writing process!

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Writers approach projects differently. Capturing ideas as they come to you is important. Organizing them and reorganizing them and reorganizing them again is common in film and television.

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In television and film alike, writers work with a lot of people. Maintaining a positive environment can be difficult.

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Filmmaking attracts a lot of big personalities, especially when it comes to lead actors and "auteur" directors. Given the stressful and demanding nature of the movie-making business, it isn't uncommon for tempers to flair between actors and their directors, especially if they don't see eye-to-eye. And when you mix passion and ego, it can result in some intense on-set friction.

Most of the time, these clashing personalities are tempered for the sake of making a good movie; that's what everyone wants at the end of the day. But sometimes the tension isn't just caused by a difference in vision, but stems from a general disdain for the other party, which can result in some pretty explosive fights.

From unchecked egos to unfair and borderline exploitative working conditions, here are ten movies where the director and the lead actor(s) notoriously hated one another.

RELATED: Best Frequent Actor-Director Duos

12 Harvey Keitel and Stanley Kubrick - Eyes Wide Shut

Stanley Kubrick - as any film aficionado knows - was very demanding. While some actors took it in stride, others refused to tolerate it. Harvey Keitel was one of those people.

Keitel was hired to star in Kubrick's final film, but was recast a few weeks into the film's record-breaking fifteen-month shoot. While it's unclear exactly what caused the walk-out, there are two variations of the story. One version comes from Gary Oldman, who claims Kubrick had shot 67 takes of Keitel simply walking through a door. By the 68th take, Keitel allegedly said "I'm outta here, man. You're f***kin crazy" and walked off set, quitting the production.

The other variation comes from Keitel himself, although he was a little more vague about what actually went down. He said he felt "disrespected" by Kubrick, and "wasn't going to be disrespected by anyone." Keitel also insinuated that he was actually fired from the production, and didn't quit as Oldman suggests. Although the details are murky, one thing is clear: Kubrick and Keitel did not get along.

11 Bruce Willis and Kevin Smith - Cop Out

Ever since he was a kid, Kevin Smith had been a fan of Bruce Willis. So when he finally earned the opportunity to work with him on the 2012 film Cop Out, it was like a dream come true for the director. But Smith's experience working with Willis was far from a good one.

There was a lot of tension on set between the star and the director. While Willis hasn't spoken much on the topic (other than to call Smith a "whiner"), Smith has been very vocal, claiming it to be one of the worst experiences of his life. Willis would apparently refuse to take any direction, and had problems with how Smith was making the movie. Smith actually thought Willis was blowing scenes on purpose just to mess with him. Willis also refused to attend the wrap party, where Kevin Smith made a speech thanking everyone for making the movie possible "except for Bruce Willis." Smith later recalled: "Were it not for Tracy [Morgan], I might have killed myself or someone else in the making of that movie."

However, it seems like Smith is ready to put that all behind him. After Willis' recent aphasia diagnosis, Kevin Smith took to Twitter to say he felt like "an a**hole for [his] petty complaints" on set, and extended his love to the star and his family.

10 Paul Thomas Anderson and Burt Reynolds - Boogie Nights

Paul Thomas Anderson is revered both for his films and his genial attitude on set; he's just a nice guy. But while filming Boogie Nights, the director clashed with Burt Reynolds on a number of occasions.

Anderson has since gone on record to diffuse some of the more exaggerated rumors regarding the feud, saying that - for the most part - there were no problems on set. But he did confirm that there was a particular three-day period where tensions between the two were through the roof. Reynolds found Anderson - who was only 26 at the time of making the film - to be unoriginal, young, and full of himself. At the end of the day, Anderson thought their tension benefited the picture more than it hurt it, but the two never worked together after Boogie Nights.

9 Faye Dunaway and Roman Polanski - Chinatown

Although Roman Polanski's has gone down in history as one of the best films ever made, there was a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes drama that would suggest a production in constant turmoil. But when you're dealing with big personalities, such drama is probably inevitable.

According to Faye Dunaway, who starred as Evelyn Mulwray in the film, director Roman Polanski was controlling and belittling throughout the entire shoot. But things reached a boiling point when the two of them were filming an otherwise innocuous car scene; Polanski - the ever-demanding director that he is - was requesting re-take after re-take. After a few hours of back-and-forth, Dunaway asked to use the bathroom, but Polanski refused to let her leave, claiming it would slow down the shoot. In retaliation, it's reported that Faye Dunaway urinated in a bottle while Polanski was adjusting the lighting, and splashed her urine in the director's face.

The animosity between the star and the director continued after the completion of the film. During the press tour, Polanski consistently drew attention to Dunaway's "hysterics." She likewise would discuss his controlling behavior and - as she says - "his never-ending need to humiliate me."

8 Maria Schneider and Bernardo Bertolucci - Last Tango in Paris

is a difficult film to watch, but it was more difficult to film for Maria Schneider, especially one scene in particular.

About halfway through the movie, Paul (played by Marlon Brando) sexually assaults Jeanne (Schneider). The scene wasn't in the script, but Maria felt an obligation to director Bernardo Bertolucci and decided to film it. To make matters more disturbing, Marlon Brando allegedly improvised the now-infamous use of butter in the scene. He and Bertolucci purposely withheld this information from Maria in favor of capturing her genuine humiliated reaction on camera.

Schneider has gone on record saying the scene left her humiliated and angry. The experience of filming the movie, as well as its controversial release (its explicit sexual nature garnered a lot of criticism, and painted Schnieder in an unfavorable light) led the actress to abuse drugs and even attempt suicide. She eventually sobered up, but the trauma of the scene lingered for years after.

In 2013, Bertolucci publicly stated that he felt bad about the scene, but didn't regret doing it. "I wanted her reaction as a girl, not as an actress."

7 George Clooney and David O'Russell - Three Kings

David O'Russell has a reputation for being a bit of a control freak (to put it lightly). Some actors overlook his exhaustive creative process because most of the time, his films are critically praised and earn Oscar noms. But for a number of actors, making a good movie isn't worth dealing with a megalomaniac.

George Clooney reportedly got into a fist-fight with O'Russell on the set of Three Kings after seeing the director scream at extras. When news leaked to the press, producer Charles Roven tried to clear the air, saying the fight was the result of a misunderstanding; that both Clooney and O'Russell were under a lot of stress. Nevertheless, Clooney has refused to work with the director since.

6 Amy Adams and David O'Russell - American Hustle

Amy Adams had worked with O'Russell twice, first on The Fighter and then on American Hustle. But after her negative experience on American Hustle, Adams decided never to work with the director again. According to emails that came from the Sony leak, O'Russell was reportedly so hard on Adams that Christian Bale had to step in to defend her. She told GQ Magazine that she cried nearly every day on set, and would go home exhausted every night. Like Clooney, Adams has refused to work with the director since, and doesn't plan to reunite with him anytime soon.

5 Lily Tomlin and David O'Russell - I Heart Huckabees

Perhaps the most famous example of O'Russell's on-set behavior comes from a leaked video during the making of I Heart Huckabees, where the director is seen throwing props and screaming at star Lily Tomlin. The actress appears cool and collected - a stark contrast to O'Russell's riled-up behavior. It should be obvious at this point, but the two never worked together again.

4 Shelley Duvall and Stanley Kubrick - The Shining

Stanley Kubrick was often an exacting and difficult director to work with, putting his actors through the ringer for the sake of getting the perfect shot. But no actor suffered more at the hands of Kubrick's demanding perfectionism than Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining.

Much has already been written about the infamous shoot, especially regarding Kubrick's tyrannical attitude, but it was Shelley who took the brunt of it. Kubrick and his defenders would argue it was to get her in the right headspace for the movie, to make it feel more real - but how much is too much?

Shelley was frequently isolated from the rest of the cast, reprimanded for the smallest infractions, and forced to repeat exhausting scenes over and over again. The famous scene where her character confronts Jack on the stairs with a baseball bat was reportedly filmed 127 times over the course of three days. Existing in that heightened state for such an extensive period of time caused her hair to literally fall out in clumps. The trauma and mistreatment she endured on that set almost made Shelley quit acting entirely. And while she still worked as an actress for a few years after the fact, it never seemed like she fully recovered from the nightmarish shoot.

RELATED: The Best Performances in Stanley Kubrick Movies, Ranked

3 Tippi Hedren and Hitchcock - The Birds

Tippi Hedren was the lead in Alfred Hitchcock's now-seminal horror film The Birds, but the late actress revealed in her memoir that filming the movie was a traumatic and exhausting experience due to Hitchcock's abusive behavior on set.

Hedren recounts specifically the arduous process of filming the climax of The Birds, where she's attacked by the aforementioned avian predators. Hitchcock allegedly promised her that mechanical birds would be used, but when the day came to shoot the scene, Hedren was shocked to see real birds. She was informed by the assistant director that the mechanical birds were malfunctioning and real ones must be used. But no one really believed that.

For five days, various birds were literally thrown at her by handlers off-camera. On the final day of filming the climax, live birds were actually tied to the actress and forced to peck and attack her. Hedren eventually reached her breaking point when one the birds pecked her a little too close to her eye, nearly blinding her. Emotionally and physically drained, she stood up, ripped the wires from her clothes, and stormed off set.

Although the set conditions were brutal, Hedren's performance was praised by critics. As a result, she worked one more time with Hitchcock on his next film, Marnie, which was their final collaboration together.

2 Ray Fisher and Joss Whedon - Justice League

Ray Fisher's disdain for Joss Whedon's behavior on the set of has been much publicized. After Snyder left production to mourn the loss of his daughter, Whedon was hired by DC to reshoot most of the movie. The huge responsibility on Whedon's shoulders was not lost on anyone, but apparently it made him a tyrant on set.

Fisher, who played Cyborg in the film, tweeted that Whedon's behavior was "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable." He continued by adding that Whedon's was racially insensitive, and changes to the script made some of the other actors - specifically Gal Gadot - uncomfortable. When confronted about these alterations, Whedon was apparently condescending and dismissive, refusing to take notes from any of the actors. Allegedly, "massive blowups, threats, coercion, taunting, unsafe work conditions, belittling, and gaslighting" was a common occurrence on set.

Since DC wanted Justice League to be shorter and more light-hearted than Snyder's original vision, much of Cyborg's backstory and lines were cut from the film. Furthermore, Fisher claims that Whedon attempted to lighten his skin color in post-production (which hasn't been verified). Fisher also called out Geoff Johns, head of DC Entertainment, and producer Job Berg for enabling his behavior. (Berg has since denounced these claims as false.)

1 Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski - Aguirre, the Wrath of God

The intense feud between Werner Herzog and his friend/mortal enemy Klaus Kinski is the stuff of legend - it doesn't get any more intense than this. At the premiere of Herzog's documentary My Good Friend, which covers their tumultuous relationship, Werner claimed he at one point plotted to murder Klaus. And that Kinski also tried to return the favor.

On the set of Aguirre, the Wrath of God- perhaps their most well-known collaboration - Kinski threatened to walk off set. Herzog, in a fit of rage, pointed a gun at the actor's head and threatened to kill him and himself if he walked. Aguirre was filmed in the remote rainforests of Peru; the isolation surely flamed the fires between them.

Kinski, by all accounts, was a volatile and destructive man. Herzog referred to him as a monster and a great pestilence, but also a genius (hence why they kept working together). He was loathed by everyone he worked with, including the film crew and extras. Herzog recalled that oftentimes, when a scene called for Kinski to be attacked, the extras would take great pleasure in punching and kicking him. "He was often quite badly hurt."

Despite his abrasive personality, the two men worked together five times. They made great movies together, but at what cost?

RELATED: The Best Werner Herzog Documentaries, Ranked

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10 Movies Where the Director and Lead Actor Hated Each Other

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Filmmaking attracts a lot of big personalities, especially when it comes to lead actors and "auteur" directors. Given the stressful and demanding nature of the movie-making business, it isn't uncommon for tempers to flair between actors and their directors, especially if they don't see eye-to-eye.

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While feature film and television writers alike must write with audiences in mind, Showrunners highlights the pressure TV writers experience from network executives.

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Working with actors is a concern of both film and television writers. In "Showrunners," it's mentioned that actors yield a lot of power since they cannot be replaced as easily as those behind the camera. In film, actors may be more easily replaced/the people behind the camera may hold more power to cast who they want.

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Both film writers and television writers pull from real-life situations.

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Jim Rash in "Adapting from Another Medium" - 2012 SBIFF Screenwriters' Panel

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Some details that are included in novels or television shows are best left out in movies, because there are greater time constraints.

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In writing a feature film, there is a limited amount of time in which to develop a story. There is a more defined beginning, middle, and end. In television writing, the stories often unfold in a less direct manner.

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There's a high level of responsibility in TV writing - A film may last 60-90 minutes, whereas a television show may last 25 minutes, once a week, for five years!

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There are a LOT of moving parts in television. Showrunners are required to pull everything together.

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You're writing for an audience. Tell the best story possible. What is real anyway?