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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/6132
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/6132
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

While I don't work in the TV industry, as I understand it, most shows have their own stable of writers and generally don't accept unsolicited manuscripts. (Some of the Star Trek shows did, but I gathered that was unusual.)

At the very least, if you do want to write for a show which does accept outside manuscripts (and I don't know of any), you would need to get an agent to submit it for you. Even a show which does take manuscripts from out-of-house writers is not going to take one without representation.

ETA References. The upshot is "it's extremely probable that you need an agent, but there's an outside chance you can get by without one."

[How do I submit my scripts to TV Shows?](http://www.scriptmag.com/features/primetime-how-do-i-submit-my-scripts-to-tv-shows)

[Writer's Guild of America](http://www.tvwritersvault.com/tvspecscripts/tvspecscripts.asp): _Companies with episodic television shows and once-per-week serials must hire freelance writers each season for each series, depending on their network order,_ but it explicitly says you must have spec scripts for an _agent_ to submit. A lot of good instruction at this link.

[What's the Process for Submitting a TV Script?](http://ask.metafilter.com/39564/Whats-the-process-for-submitting-a-tv-script)

[About.com:](http://animatedtv.about.com/cs/groening/ht/htwritescript.htm) "You must secure an agent to be considered a professional writer."

[Two references](http://scriptangel.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/i%E2%80%99ve-written-a-script-what-next-part-two/) for companies which will apparently take unsolicited scripts without an agent, in the UK.

[Do I need an agent?](http://www.screenwritingforhollywood.com/film-forum/do-i-need-an-agent)

Original score: 3