OP Episodic Lab

OP Episodic Lab
Submit your work for 2027
The Labs

Episodic Lab

A virtual lab where a cohort of writers develops their TV pilots through group critique, professional notes, a mock writers’ room and pitch practice.

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Format

Virtual cohort

Where

Online, from anywhere

When

Six weeks, starting late summer 2027

Submissions

Open call · free

What it is

The Episodic Lab gives writers time, resources and community to realize their vision for a pilot and, ultimately, a series. Most of the lab is spent refining the pilot script, with group critique from the cohort, notes from outside professionals, a mock writers’ room and a panel on pitching.

The lab has two phases: a late-summer development phase led by an OP Program Director, meeting as a group twice a week, and an OP Forward Lab in the fall on how to take the work into the world.

Who it's for

Writers excited to build community with a diverse group of peers and committed to developing their pilot with an appetite for feedback. There is industry involvement, but the lab’s focus is dramaturgy, not career advancement.

Participants have varying experience, and most have shown creative work in public before, in any arena, not just television. Anyone can submit: there is no age requirement, and you don’t need an agent.

What you'll do

  • Read your cohort’s scripts and give feedback as a group.
  • Rewrite your script from the notes of your program leader and cohort.
  • Work in a writers’ room to break a season of television.

What you get

  • A writers’ room where you’re showrunner some weeks and staff writer in others.
  • Notes from writers at every career stage.
  • Script and pitch notes from industry professionals.
  • The experience of breaking season one of a show.
  • Pitch coaching and practice.
  • A polished pilot by the end of the lab.
  • Ongoing access to resources and industry contacts through OP Forward (optional).
Dates and schedule

The 2027 Episodic Lab is mainly virtual, so writers can join from anywhere. It begins in late summer and runs for six weeks; exact dates will be confirmed later. A typical schedule:

  • Week 1: Welcome, orientation and group feedback
  • Week 2: Feedback from guest outside eyes
  • Week 3: Guided writers’ room with outside advisors
  • Week 4: Off for writing and ad-hoc writers’ rooms
  • Week 5: Pitching, with mock pitches to outside guests
  • Week 6: Final group feedback and closing
Recent guests and advisors

The Episodic Lab is only possible thanks to leading writers, directors and showrunners who have advised the program and its artists, including:

  • Warren Leight (Law & Order: SVU, In Treatment)
  • David Mandel (Veep, Seinfeld, SNL)
  • Bekah Brunstetter (This Is Us)
  • Neena Beber (Strangers)
  • Stephen Kay (Covert Affairs)
  • Theresa Rebeck (Smash)
  • Etan Frankel (Shameless, Get Shorty)
  • Dan Dietz (BULL, Person of Interest, Westworld)
  • Jamie Pachino (The Brave, Halt and Catch Fire)
  • Robert Schenkkan (The Pacific)
  • Andrew Guest (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
  • Gabrielle Allan (Veep, Scrubs)
  • Jennifer Crittenden (Veep, Arrested Development)
  • Rodrigo Garcia (In Treatment)
  • Beau Willimon (House of Cards)
  • Jason Grote (Mad Men, Smash)
  • Kyle Jarrow (Valor)
  • Sarah Gubbins (Better Things, I Love Dick)
  • Laura Eason (House of Cards, The Loudest Voice)
Submitting

Submissions for 2027 are open November 9, 2026 to 11:59 pm ET on January 3, 2027. Along with the project description and bio in this lab’s application, Episodic Lab submissions include a logline, series description and vision statement, and a draft of the pilot (plus other dramatic samples, if you have them).

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Read the FAQ
Every OP lab

Every lab is free, starts with an orientation in OP Creative Vocabulary, includes office hours and Community Learning events, and connects to OP Forward afterwards.

About all the labs
Recent artists

See who has worked in this lab in recent seasons.

Meet our 2026 artists

Episodic Lab alumni

See all alumni →

Back To Top

The Orchard Project (OP) is a preeminent artistic development laboratory and accelerator for creators of performance and dramatic stories.

Where to find us

PO Box 237091

New York, NY 10023

646 760 6767 x 101

Social

2027 submissions are open. Apply for free by January 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Start an application