Spoiler alert:

The Sex and The City Sequel was pretty mediocre. And it got bad reviews.

And I watched every single episode.

After the first episode my wife and I were pretty sure it wasn’t for us. We talked about how disappointed we were. Was it just dated? Was it because we were older?  

Who knows, but it wasn’t our favorite.

Yet every Thursday, we watched . . . and watched . . . along with millions more . . . commenting each time how we still didn’t think it was for us . . . but we kept on watching.

Why? And what does that have to do with the theater?

We watched for one reason. ONE. And it’s the most important characteristic of all dramas.

We LOVED those characters.

We loved them so much. We couldn’t get enough of them. So, we’d even wade through stuff we didn’t enjoy just to feel closer to them.

Sequels always have that benefit. Prequels too. (Wicked, anyone?) The characters are like your friends from high school who you haven’t seen in years, but can’t wait to have the same fun you had with them years ago.

What’s the takeaway here?

Well, prequels and sequels and spin-offs are still in, by the way. So, if you’re looking for a new idea . . . think about an old idea first. (Look at A Doll’s House Part II or Clybourne Park for some great examples etc.)

Second, if you have an original idea with characters your audience does NOT know, you’ve got to work extra hard to get your audience to fall in love with them and fast. You don’t get a season of episodes. You get about 20 pages. Maybe.

But when you get your audience to love and root for your hero, they’ll stay with you to the very end . . . and even to a mediocre sequel.

If you want great dramaturgical advice on how to get your protagonist loved by your audience, click here to check out the master classes by Jack Viertel and Ken Cerniglia on TheaterMakersStudio.com. These two geniuses will make your script better on one listen. And when your script is better, there’s a better chance it’ll get produced. Check the master classes out here.

P.S. If you’re ready to speed things up but know you need some help, get on a call with my team. They’ll give you an honest assessment of where you are and if you’re ready to go to the next stage. Click here.