Write On: 'Hysteria' Showrunner Matthew Scott Kane

“We wanted the whole series, but specifically the pilot episode,
to lure you in with the kind of comfort and coziness of the 80s
nostalgia and the trappings of John Hughes movies, and all of
that, while also giving it the 80s heavy metal flavor, and then
start to build paranoia and change the vibe a little bit
throughout. But we always knew that the series was going to hinge
on this scene with Judith [Jessica Treska] where you realize that
the beautiful girl next door is actually so much trouble!” says
Matthew Scott Kane, creator and showrunner of Peacock’s Hysteria!
Starring Julie Bowen, Anna Camp and Bruce Campbell. 


The show explores the so-called Satanic Panic that actually
happened in the 1980s at a fictionalized high school in the
midwest. When a varsity football player disappears under
mysterious circumstances, a struggling teen heavy metal band
realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the
occult by creating a fake Satanic cult – to their surprise,
everyone is into it. Things quickly get out of control when the
town takes the cult more seriously than the high school band
members. 


In this episode of the Write On podcast, Kane talks about delving
into the generational fear of teenagers, balancing horror with
humor, and writing characters who need “to be seen” by their
peers. He also shares details about his journey to becoming a
professional TV writer,  specifically the many benefits of
being an assistant in Hollywood. 


“The biggest gift of being an assistant – which is not an easy
job, it’s very difficult, it’s very time consuming, you have to
be available 24/ 7 and it takes a lot out of you – but the best
possible thing that you can get, and not all showrunners will do
this, is to make yourself available to watch every step of the
creative process. Make sure you are in the room while they are
breaking story. Make sure you are reading outlines that are
coming in. Make sure you’re in concept meetings, tone meetings,
production meetings, all of these things that might feel like
they don’t have anything to do with writing, but they have
everything to do with writing,” says Kane. 


To hear more, listen to the podcast.