8 Ways Television’s Boldest Female Creators Are Rewriting the Script

In today’s crowded television marketplace with many TV shows jostling for attention, safe is no longer going to cut it with audiences who are increasingly demanding more specialized and socially-relevant stories on their screens to engage them.

Five creative television powerhouses Mara Brock Akil (Forever), Debora Cahn (The Diplomat), Lesli Linka Glatter (Zero Day), Katie Walsh (Simone Biles Rising), and Tracey Wigfield (The Four Seasons) discuss how they do it.

The first rule of Write Club is:

Take risks, trust your obsessions, and rewrite the rules—intentionally.

1. Doubt Is Part of the Process

The creatives were asked the e existential question: How do you know when a show is working?

Debora Cahn, who turned The Diplomat into a critical and streaming hit, responded with what might be the most honest answer a writer can hear. “I’ve never had that feeling,” she admits. “I usually go to Janice, my producer, and ask, ‘Is this terrible?’ She replies, ‘We have to shoot something, otherwise everyone goes home.’”

For writers, this is sobering. It’s easy to assume that creative confidence comes with accolades or experience. But the reality—even at the top—is often iterative and uncertain. Each new show begins with a blank page. Doubt is a sign that you care.

[More: “A Marriage In Crisis In A World In Crisis” Debora Cahn Talks ‘The Diplomat’]

2. Writing Is a Team Sport

Tracey Wigfield, co-creator of The Four Seasons with Tina Fey and Lang Fisher, emphasized the deeply collaborative nature of television writing. She described the dynamic as “a marriage—on the days when you’re doubting, someone else is lifting you up.”

Your job isn’t just to be brilliant—it’s to be additive. Every writer has creative peaks and valleys so not every page will be brilliant.

3. Don’t Repeat Yourself—Even When You’re Winning

With a second season of The Diplomat now streaming, and a third on the way, Cahn dropped a mantra that all showrunners know, but few openly say: “The one thing you can’t do is what you just did.”

Sustaining a series is different than launching it. Your pilot introduces the world. Your second season has to expand it. That means reinventing characters, reshaping arcs, and resisting the urge to play the hits. The audience may love what you gave them—but what’s next has to surprise them and feel inevitable.

4. Make a Plan—Then Burn It

For documentary director Katie Walsh, the lesson came from the high-stakes chaos of filming Simone Biles Rising. During the Tokyo Olympics, she was capturing footage when Biles suffered an injury.

“We could hear her say, ‘I just tore my calf muscle.’ Our job was to capture what she was going through—without interrupting it,” Walsh says. “You go in with a plan, then prepare to throw it out.”

Even for scripted writers, the lesson applies: flexibility is your superpower in the writers’ room. Whether you’re chasing a true moment, discovering a better story beat in the room, or there’s a change in the production schedule rigidity will only slow you down. Plan fiercely. Then let go.

5. Story First, Research Second

Both Cahn and Glatter—veterans of Homeland, The West Wing, and The Diplomat—spoke about the balance between reality and storytelling. While their shows are deeply informed by real-world politics and institutions, both stressed that research must serve the story, not overshadow it.

“We met with heads of the CIA, NSA, State Department,” notes Glatter. “We asked, ‘What keeps you up at night?’ Then we tried not to panic.”

Cahn adds: “We load in as much detail as possible… then have to kill our darlings and remember, we’re here to entertain.”

Research should deepen character stakes—not offer exposition or jargon. Audiences don’t want a lecture. They want to care.

6. Write What’s Missing

When asked about creative motivation, several creatives described the stories they needed and wanted to see in the world that aren’t offered on our screens.

Tracey Wigfield reimagined Alan Alda’s 1981 film The Four Seasons, not through cynicism, but through empathy. “You’ve seen marriage stories where characters are screaming and divorce,” she says. “But not the funny, quiet challenges of staying in it.”

Mara Brock Akil’s ˆ, based on the Judy Blume novel, reframed the story through the lens of a Black teenage boy. “Judy carved out a space for girls like me. I wanted to do that for Black boys—who don’t always get to explore who they are.”

For writers, this isn’t just inspirational—it’s actionable. The best ideas don’t always come from industry trends. They come from personal gaps, cultural blind spots, and emotional truths that haven’t yet made it to screen.

7. Theme Is the Engine

Nearly everyone shared a personal thesis that guides their work—an emotional engine beneath the plot.

“I’m always writing about a woman trying to pretend she’s not overwhelmed,” Cahn admits.

“I like blowing things up,” confesses Glatter, “but only if it moves the story forward. I’m always exploring who people are under pressure.”

Walsh found hers in a direct quote from Simone Biles: “I wish people knew me as Simone, not Simone Biles.” That became her north star.

Brock Akil was even more focussed: “I just want love to exist. That’s the fuel behind all my storytelling.”

8. You Are the Storyteller—Own It

The panel closed with a powerful exchange between Brock Akil and Walsh. When Walsh downplayed her role in shaping Simone Biles’ story, Brock Akil interjected:

“Yes, Simone is the story—but how you frame her, what moments you keep, and what you cut… that’s the story too. You crafted her humanity, and that matters.”

Writers often shy away from authority—especially in nonfiction or IP-based work. But whether you’re scripting a biopic or a dramedy, your choices shape the emotional reality of what unfolds. Don’t underestimate your voice.

Key Takeaways for Screenwriters:

• Doubt doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re tuned in.
• Collaboration is crucial. Learn to give and receive support.
• Story evolution is essential. Don’t repeat your best work—build on it.
• Great storytelling requires adaptability and flexibility.
• Research deepens stories—but don’t let it hijack the plot.
• Write what’s missing on the screen. Find the personal or cultural void and fill it.
• Lead with theme. Know the emotional truth driving your characters.
• Your voice shapes the story. Even when it’s someone else’s life.

Great television doesn’t follow formulas—it follows feeling, instinct, and the courage to reimagine what’s possible by pushing the boundaries of storytelling.

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by Staff Writer

From our in-house editorial team.