teleplay

American  

[tel-uh-pley] / ˈtɛl əˌpleɪ /

noun

1. a play written or adapted for broadcast on television.

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Etymology

Origin of teleplay

First recorded in 1950–55; tele(vision) + play

Explanation

The script for a TV show, including camera directions and dialog, is called a teleplay. Before the cameras can start rolling, writers need to try and come up with a great teleplay. Most television shows and TV movies have a whole team of writers, and in many cases only some of them work on the teleplay. Writing credits are often split between the story (the basic themes and plot) and the teleplay, which includes the actual lines of dialog and camera set-ups. In the earliest days of TV, teleplay meant "radio play written for television."