The first piece of advice entertainment expert and media arts instructor Dan Watanabe offers for writing successful episodic content is to never solve anything. Of course, characters will resolve small conflicts during each episode, but you risk losing the show’s appeal if you solve the bigger issue too soon. One of Watanabe’s examples is The X-Files. Once the main characters Mulder and Scully admit they have romantic feelings for each other, that bigger conflict of their romantic tension is resolved and viewers aren’t as invested anymore. Watanabe’s second secret is to keep characters true to themselves. If a well-known character completely changes his or her personality, or if a plot is driven forward too quickly without understanding character motives, viewers may become frustrated or confused.