The central focus of Scripting Hollywood is the television writing process for drama and comedy series. Patricia F. Phalen argues that the way writers do their jobs is heavily dependent not only on the demands of commercial business but also on the uncertainties inherent in a writing career in Hollywood. Drawing on the literatures of "Media Industry Studies" and "Occupational Culture," Scripting Hollywood shows how writers efforts to control risk and survive in a constantly changing environment affect the stories they tell and how they tell them.

Using data...