Match the target show's current template: some episodic scripts label every commercial act, while many streaming specs use feature-style flow without printed breaks.
Direct answer
Use the current format of the show or recipient you are writing for. In an act-broken script, place TEASER or COLD OPEN and each ACT heading on its own centered line, usually starting a new page, and mark the end of an act only when the template expects it. A TAG is a short closing section after the main episode. Do not invent act breaks for a streaming or premium format that does not use them.
On the page
COLD OPEN
INT. SERVICE ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Every floor button lights at once.
END OF COLD OPEN
ACT ONE
INT. LOBBY - MORNING
Evidence weight
Broadcast, cable, streaming, single-camera, and multi-camera scripts do not share one act pattern. Commercial structure and house style continue to change, so a comparable current script or supplied template is stronger evidence than a generic page-count formula.
Act counts and page targets are often repeated as rules even though they vary by outlet, era, runtime, and show. Writers can reasonably structure the same pilot in different ways; what is not flexible is pretending a generic four-, five-, or six-act recipe represents every current episodic workflow.
Not one rigid template
For a sample episode, follow the show's current produced-script structure, including its labels, act count, capitalization, and page-break behavior.
Choose the most plausible format for the intended market and make it consistent. A cold open and tag are story tools, not mandatory decorations for every half-hour script.
Many scripts without commercial constraints omit printed act breaks while retaining act-like story turns. Current recipient guidance should decide the page format.
Reader and handoff friction
Choose for the recipient
Check the fellowship, room, class, or representation brief for format and page limits, then compare a current script from the closest relevant show. Use labeled acts only when that evidence supports them.
Once a show controls the script, its coordinators and templates govern act labels, scene labels, page breaks, revision marks, and headers. Preserve that house structure through every issued draft.
In Plot, keep printed act labels distinct from scene headings, using centered text and explicit page breaks only when the target format calls for them. The goal is a recognizable TV script that follows current recipient or house guidance—not one Inkwell-specific act model.
Browse the screenplay formatting reference
Complete, source-backed guides for common screenplay situations
Dual & overlapping dialogue
Use side-by-side dialogue only when two speeches are genuinely simultaneous; use interruptions, dashes, or action beats when the timing is sequential.
Title pages & anonymity
Keep a normal master title page with authorship and contact information, but create a separate anonymous PDF whenever the current submission rules require it.
Scene numbers & production
Leave scene numbers out of an ordinary spec unless requested; add and preserve them when a production needs stable references for breakdowns, schedules, and revisions.
