Best Masterclass Series Management Courses 2023: Learn The Art of TV Series

Masterclass is an online database that allows you to learn a plethora of invaluable skills for an annual subscription fee. But can you really learn anything and everything?

Writing for TV can be a daunting task – particularly when you’ve never done it before. Managing a TV series is completely different from any other writing job out there, and it can be difficult to find the best resources for learning. 

Luckily, that’s where Masterclass steps in. Here you can find 12 series of management courses taught by the best.

Here are our favorites and aspiring filmmakers, storyteller, and most famous directors which will make you an aspiring filmmaker and storyteller!

1. The Duffer Brothers Teach Developing An Original TV Series

First up is a Masterclass from the masterminds behind Stranger Things – one of the most popular TV series on Netflix to date. The Duffer Brothers will teach you everything there is to know about developing your own original series, from beginning to end. 

The Duffer Brothers let you inside their own thought processes when coming up with ideas for Stranger Things, from writing to character development, and worldbuilding to season arcs. 

You’ll also get invaluable advice on how to pitch and sell scripts, and what you need to do after this goal is achieved. If you’re looking to go into TV series management, this is an excellent Masterclass for you. 

2. Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside The Lines

TV series management is all about thinking outside the box and keeping your viewers guessing. How many times has a TV series had to change its course of action because viewers have guessed the plot twist – only for the new storylines to be terrible?

I think we’re all thinking of the same series… 

Anyway, Issa Rae (Emmy-nominated writer, actor, and producer) gives you insight into how to be as creative as possible without being obvious in her Masterclass. 

From developing a story to creating believable characters, Issa Rae gives you all you need to get your series up and running before sending it to networks. She even gives you a pep talk at the end! 

3. Shonda Rhimes Teaches Writing For Television

Shonda Rhimes is the writer and producer of some of TV’s greatest series, including Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. In this mammoth 6-hour Masterclass series, you’ll learn all there is to know about series management from one of the best. 

Shonda begins by walking you through the writing process for TV, ending with the pitching creative process. Then you’ll learn how to write the script, with plenty of case studies about the pilot episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. 

The final act of this Masterclass is to teach you about working on set, in the writer’s room, in TV production, and what you can expect as a showrunner. 

For any budding series managers, this is an invaluable Masterclass that you should begin right now! 

4. Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting

Aaron Sorkin is a screenwriter who is most well-known for the likes of The Social Network and The West Wing. He has even won Academy awards for his writing on TV and film scripts, and this Masterclass course allows you to delve into his processes. 

In another massive course with 35 lessons, Aaron leaves no stone unturned as he takes you through what it’s like to write for TV. There are eight lessons just on being in The West Wing’s writers’ room! 

He also teaches you how to collate story ideas, develop and create compelling characters, manage story arcs, and writing habits. There are also plenty of group workshops to participate in with other writers!

5. Martin Scorsese Teaches Filmmaking

If you want to learn from the best, there’s no skipping over this Masterclass from the one and only Martin Scorsese! The academy award-winning director of Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and The Departed will surely have some invaluable information to teach you! 

While this Masterclass focuses more on the film industry than television, Martin still goes into amazing detail about what it’s like working on a production set, including working with a crew, editing, using music, casting actors, working with scripts, and more. 

Suppose you want to work in television production. In that case, we highly recommend learning the basics from Martin Scorsese. 

6. Ron Howard Teaches Directing

Ron Howard is the most important film director alive most known for Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind. However, this Oscar-winning director has also directed countless TV shows, such as Happy Days, The Simpsons, and Arrested Development. 

His Masterclass goes through the processes of working on a script until it’s perfect, collaborating with the rest of the crew on the set, casting, working with actors, editing, sound design, and much more. 

Again, Ron tends to talk more about directing for independent films than TV in this Masterclass, but the main principles are still relevant to series management. Plus, Ron Howard made his first film adaptation in only 15 days – who doesn’t want to learn how to do that? 

7. Ken Burns Teaches Documentary Filmmaking

Ken Burns is a 5-time Emmy Academy Award winner for his documentaries. His 2017 debut The Vietnam War has raked in over 39 million viewers! With his 5-hour Masterclass, he is going to teach you how he makes such compelling TV series. 

Ken leaves nothing untouched here, from choosing your story to finding all of the necessary information for your accurate series. This Masterclass focuses on non-fiction, so you’ll learn about archives, nonfiction characters, and interviews.

Ken Burns takes you through the entire process of teaching documentaries from start to finish, which houses incredible content for anyone interested in series management. 

8. Jodie Foster Teaches Filmmaking

Jodie Foster is a two-time Oscar winner and she has been a part of the entire filmmaking process – from starring in Silence Of The Lambs to directing Little Man Tate. She has seen it all and is now coming to you with a tell-all Masterclass. 

Jodie talks about several processes that you will find helpful in series management, from prepping and scheduling, acting, directing, casting, shooting, editing, music, and more. 

When learning about series management and independent filmmaking techniques, it helps to learn from everyone working on the project. Jodie Foster is all of those people rolled into one, and her filmmaking Masterclass provides some unique insight into what you can expect from series management. 

9. Neil Gaiman Teaches The Art Of Storytelling

One of the most important parts of series management is the writing process. From initial scripts to revisions, quick changes, and complete rewrites, you’ll need to be clued up to the art of writing. 

Luckily, Neil Gaiman has created his first-ever online course on Masterclass that teaches you all about the art of storytelling and writing. 

Neil Gaiman, the author of the likes of Stardust, The Sandman, and Coraline, has written for plenty of TV shows like Doctor Who and Good Omens.  

While the course does focus on writing fiction rather than television, it will never hurt to get lessons in imaginative writing from Neil Gaiman. From developing original ideas to character building, this course has it all. 

10. LeVar Burton Teaches The Power Of Storytelling

LeVar Burton is an actor best known for his roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Roots. He has also hosted Reading Rainbow for 23 years and is an Emmy, Grammy, and Peabody winner. 

This Masterclass takes you through TV shows and film production through the eyes of an actor. Utilizing this, as a series manager, will give you an amazing edge over your competition when you can see the process from all angles. 

LeVar talks about storytelling, connecting with an audience, performative storytelling, and more. If nothing else, this Masterclass provides plenty of inspiration for telling your story correctly through television, 

11. Werner Herzog Teaches Documentary Filmmaking

Werner Herzog has created 70 films and has amassed 50 awards for these throughout his filmmaking career, and you can learn from him thanks to his 6-hour long Masterclass course. 

This course is all about making documentaries and feature filmmaking, from storytelling, cinematography, location scouting, financing, documentary interview techniques, and bringing your ideas to life. 

All of this information is excellent for series management and documentary filmmaking, and we particularly recommend the video lessons on working with actors to create characters and on-set. These will no doubt help you as a showrunner! 

12. R. L. Stine Teaches Writing For Young Audiences

R. L. Stine is the author of Goosebumps and is now coming to you with a Masterclass that teaches you how to write funny and horror stories. From an author that has sold over 400 million copies, that’s quite an offer! 

This course teaches you how to work through writer’s block, develop plots, and build suspense through writing.

Again, this is a course focused on writing rather than TV series management, but we think that the lessons learned will be able to cross over into the management process seamlessly. 

Summary

We hope that you’ve enjoyed our article on the 12 best Masterclass courses for series management! With your yearly subscription to the platform, trying these 12 courses for yourself means that they could work out as low as $15 each. 

For invaluable information from all of these creators, that’s an incredible deal!