Review: HARLEM

​HARLEM - Script analysis. Now streaming on Amazon. No Spoilers.
​Characters: Ca-yute (Read: Cute)
Color Scheme: Ca-yute
Enjoying the lesson of the day = theme mechanism. Hoping it stays and isn't just used in the pilot.

Critiques:
- All of the action happens off-screen. We hear the ladies talk about things after the fact that we weren't privy to while they eat in a cute place in very cute clothes. It's always more entertaining to SEE the action not be told. It's the whole SHOW DON'T TELL of it all.
- If this is supposed to be an ensemble show and not a show where it centers on one woman with three friends on the periphery, then the other characters must also have goals. That's how you create multiple storylines. It doesn't have to be 4 storylines per episode because it's only a 1/2hr show. But, there can be at least 2 or 3. Each should have all of the main story beats to be considered a storyline.
- Two of the main characters enter a decently large point of conflict in the pilot that doesn't yet feel earned. We don't know them well enough to care about their fragmented relationship. It may have been more impactful around mid-season. We need to be in a place to root for their friendship like when Carrie stopped talking to Miranda in the SEX AND THE CITY film. We all felt that because after x amount of years, they've always been tight. We wanted them to fix it. So when they did, we all breathed a sigh of relief. This is catharsis.
I hope that it gets better. I'd like to continue to support it. I'll give it at least 3 episodes.
...
***Update: It gets much better and the storylines become much clearer. 💚

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AUTHOR

Shannan E. Johnson is a former creative executive at The Syfy Channel turned CEO + Head Consultant of The Professional Pen, a script consultancy that develops screenwriters from idea to pitch to become more confident storytellers ready for a professional screenwriting career, and consults with scripted development teams at entertainment companies to streamline their notes process to get to pre-production more efficiently.