Like Vegas, what gets said in the writers’ room usually stays in the writers’ room. But this week, we all got a glimpse behind the closed door as two of TV’s smartest and funniest writing staffs went head-to-head on Twitter.
This year, writers’ room accounts gained real traction on Twitter. Offering their unique points of view as show creators, they often Tweet out behind-the-scenes photos and personal insights, giving fans the inside story. Suddenly writers for hit TV shows are making as much of a splash on Twitter as the actors.
Fresh from battling criminal masterminds and hellish beings from another dimension, the writers’ rooms from Elementary (@ELEMENTARYStaff) and Sleepy Hollow (@SleepyWriters) had a little fun with each other, giving fans access to moments found only on Twitter. And all in real time.
It didn’t start with a murder but with a jab about, of all things, ping-pong:
Dear @ELEMENTARYStaff, We kind of doubt it. Nothin but love, @sleepywriters
— SleepyHollowWriters ( @sleepywriters) October 10, 2013
This quickly escalated into a battle over the cast, costumes and socks:
Dear @sleepywriters, Our antagonist is way cuter than your antagonist. Warm regards, @ELEMENTARYStaff pic.twitter.com/XfOjDQ5iXW
— Elementary Writers ( @ELEMENTARYStaff) October 10, 2013
Dear @sleepywriters and @CSIWritersRoom, You don’t scare us. We’ve got socks. Yours Truly, @ELEMENTARYStaff pic.twitter.com/sf87YlIzQP
— Elementary Writers ( @ELEMENTARYStaff) October 10, 2013
@ELEMENTARYStaff and @SleepyWriters got into it with this Tweet — the most retweeted of the feud to date; for reference, the photo is a snap from Elementary star Jonny Lee Miller’s (@JonnyJLM) 1995 movie Hackers:
Hey @sleepywriters, We have more followers than you because we’re better at computers. pic.twitter.com/zzdpxV8g8Q
— Elementary Writers ( @ELEMENTARYStaff) October 17, 2013
This volley resulted in a call to action from the Sleepy account, using the hashtag #Sleepyheads, which helps fans find and take part in the conversation about the show:
Uh, @ELEMENTARYStaff has 10K more followers than us. Fix this, #SleepyHeads! Get your friends, family, horses, Northstar reps to follow us!
— SleepyHollowWriters ( @sleepywriters) October 17, 2013
It’s not just Elementary and Sleepy Hollow: the writers of other big TV hits have must-follow accounts on Twitter, including The Good Wife (@GoodWifeWriters), Back in the Game (@BITGWritersRoom), Trophy Wife (@TWWritersRoom) and Intelligence (@IntelligenceHQ).
Since writers keep an eye out across all of Twitter, it wasn’t long before the CSI writing team (@CSIWritersRoom) got in on the action, and even tried to drag in American Horror Story (@AHSFX):
Dear @ELEMENTARYStaff and @sleepywriters , How about we all team up against @AHSFX ? ;) Love, @CSIWritersRoom
— CSI Writers’ Room ( @CSIWritersRoom) October 10, 2013
And then of course the SVU team (@SVUwritersroom) challenged the Scandal team to a #selfie battle:
Dear @ScandalWriters & @kerrywashington, Looks like we both have #SVUSelfieScandal eps airing nxt wk. #Selfie battle? Challenge extended. xo
— SVU Writers Room ( @SVUWritersRoom) October 18, 2013
Not to condone fighting over followers (OK, maybe just a little) here’s how the two accounts compare (see how @SleepyWriters are catching up fast?):
In terms of mentions, check out this chart, which shows that the Elementary team actually gave @SleepyWriters a big bump in mentions. In fact, both accounts saw their highest mention numbers since the shows premiered.
Can you tell us about other innovative uses of Twitter? Contact us at [email protected].
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