From Script to Screen – Part 1

This is an attempt to consider how long it takes to produce an episode. Originally it was going to be called ‘Why Do They Show So Many Repeats?’, as I had the idea to write this post during season 10 before any of us knew what the future would bring. At that point, it was going to be a breakdown of the filming timescales and why that meant there were a certain number of repeats shown every season. As fans, we all look forward to a new episode of a show we enjoy, so it’s sometimes disappointing to realise that it’s going to be a repeat instead. However, this takes on a different context due to the current situation. In addition to the number of repeats that will be shown during season 11, there’s now the question of how long we might have to wait to see new episodes once it’s possible to start filming.

There’s a lot of detail to cover so I’ve split this into two sections; Part 1 looks specifically at the time it takes to make an episode, Part 2 will look at how this affects how the season is scheduled on TV. I’m obviously not part of the Blue Bloods production team, so won’t claim to know the specifics of everything they do, but there are things which common to all TV productions and other details can be inferred from what is shared online.

Episode Lifecycle

I’m not making any assumptions about how much everyone knows about making a TV episode; this is only a brief outline, so if you already know about the main stages of production you can skip onto the next section.

As viewers, there’s only one point in an episode’s lifecycle that’s always known to us, when it appears on TV. Before that, it can be a bit of a mystery – although thanks to those behind the scene moments shared via social media, we can get an idea of when the writers are working on scripts and when filming is taking place. There are four distinct stages to making an episode; writing, pre-production, filming, and post-production.

It all starts with the writing, which may go through several versions before it’s finalised. During pre-production, they work out the details of everything that is needed for filming. This includes planning how the scenes and stunts will be filmed, casting guest actors, scouting for locations, preparing sets, and arranging for items, such as props and wardrobe, that are to be used during filming. The episode is then filmed when they can be working in different locations, as well as in the studio. It then moves into post-production; what’s needed during post-production can vary drastically depending on the nature of the episode. It will include visual editing, which is when the different shots are put together, and some visual FX which might be working on green screen scenes. There will also be sound editing; plastic cutlery is used for the family dinner scenes and sound effects need to be added so it seems like they’re using real cutlery, as well as adding music, and potentially re-recording pieces of dialogue if they’re not clear in the original version. Eventually, the episode is ready to be aired.

Episode Timeline

Before looking at the typical timescales for a Blue Bloods season it’s important to understand what goes into making an episode of any TV show. Earlier this year Jeffrey Lieber shared some details on what it takes to make an episode including how long each stage of the lifecycle might take to complete.

The life of an average hour episode in NETWORK TV. Time to conceive, break and write: optimal conditions 20 to 25 days. In crunch periods… a week. Time to prep an episode: 6-10 working days (almost always one less days than it takes to shoot that episode)…

Time to shoot an episode: 7-10 working days. Time to edit an episode: 10-15 working days. Time for post on that episode: Anywhere from 30 working days, down to 15 at the end of the season.

Members of the Blue Bloods cast and crew have said that they take 8 days to film an episode, using that with the information from Jeffrey Lieber provides some idea of the total time to make one episode of the show.

• Writing = Up to 25 days (although it seems likely a lot of work will have gone into this while waiting for production to start)
• Pre-production (which includes casting, scouting locations, preparing sets) = 7 days
• Filming = 8 days
• Post-production (which includes editing, adding visual effects, sound effects, music, re-recording dialogue) = Up to 30 days

Based on these figures it suggests that under normal circumstances, it could take up to 70 days, or 14 weeks, to get from a script being started to the episode airing. To get a better idea of what happens on Blue Bloods it’s worth examining the information available from season 10, in 2019 Siobhan Byrne O’Connor shared some details from the making of Where the Truth Lies. On 22 October Siobhan showed that she had started outlining the episode, and by 18 November was able to share the front page of the finished script as well as images from their location scouting. Filming started on 20 November and finished on 3 December (because of the Thanksgiving holiday). The episode aired on 10 January.

Allowing for the various holidays that fell during filming and post-production that means 4 weeks for writing and pre-production, then a maximum of 5 weeks for post-production. In total it took up to 10 weeks to make that episode of the show and almost 7 weeks from the start of filming to the episode airing.

As we wait for news regarding when filming will start for season 11 (which may be within a few weeks based on other CBS shows), then knowing this might give an idea of how long it’ll be before we can watch those first episodes. Adjusting to the new guidelines will probably impact the normal timescales, but hopefully, they’ll start to appear by Thanksgiving. This post has considered what it takes to make a single episode, part 2 will look at how that impacts scheduling the whole season.