This is a little piece I wrote awhile back for a now-defunct humor website, so I decided to post it here. 
~Jack

The key to breaking into "the biz" (that's "showbiz-speak" for "showbiz"), is to write a terrific spec script. A spec script is when YOU actually write an episode of a TV show that's already on the air.

You're probably saying, "SAY WHA!!"

It's true. Even YOU can write your very own episode of such popular television shows as CSI, Friends, and CSI:Miami.

Now, when preparing your spec script, it's usually a good idea to watch the show 2 or 3 times, to get a sense of all the characters' names.

I know what you're thinking. "WHAT IF THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE? I DON'T HAVE HBO."

Don't fret. You can still navigate to the show's description on your TV's cable box, and read the descriptions of all the episodes.  If you don't have a cable box, ask a neighbor if you can borrow their TV Guide. (Be a good neighbor and return it when you're finished!)

This is how I wrote my BATTLESTAR GALACTICA spec. I've never seen the show, and since I didn't have cable at the time, I had to read the description of the show in an advertisement on my bus.  Luckily, I got the gist of the series.

Basically, the show is about a young pilot named Starbucks, and his battles with the evil robot race known as the Cylons. Here's an excerpt from my script, below.

*SPOILER ALERT* IT'S PRETTY GREAT.
 

                    INT. SPACESHIP - SPACE DAY

                    As before...

                    The battle won, Starbucks grabs the Cylon robot by its steel neck and throws it to the ground.

                                                                                STARBUCKS
                                                 Take that, you over-grown bucket of bolts!

                    Starbucks raises his laser gun, prepared to destroy the vile robot. 

                                                                                CYLON
                                                 BLEEP BLOOP BLEEP BLOOP.
                                                 No! WAIT! 
                                                 BLEEP BLOOP BLEEP BLOOP.

                    Starbucks is unmoved by its pleas.

                    Just then, his female co-pilot races in!

                                                                                FOLGERS
                                                 STARBUCKS NO!

                                                                                STARBUCKS
                                                 FOLGERS??

                                                                                FOLGERS
                                                 If you destroy it, then we're no better than the machines.

                                                                                STARBUCKS
                                                                   (lowering the laser gun)
                                                 Crap. That's... true. But... I'm conflicted.

                                                                                CYLON
                                                 INITIATE SELF-DESTRUCT.

                    K-PAOW!!! The Cylon's head bursts into flames.

                                                                                CYLON (con't.)
                                                 BLEEP BLOOP BLEEP BLOOP.
                                                 Starbucks... Before I am gone... tell me... What is this thing the 
                                                 humans call... LOVE?
                                                 BLEEP BLOOP BLEEP BLOOoooop...

                    Before Starbucks can even answer, the Cylon flops over, destroyed.

                                                                                STARBUCKS & FOLGERS
                                                 We did it!!

                    Starbucks and Folgers embrace. As the camera pushes in, we see a single tear in Starbucks's
                    eye. He's kind of sad that the Cylon was destroyed...
 

Drama. 

That's what's going to grab the reader and pull him/her in, just as you were pulled in by the inherent drama of that scene above.

Don't get discouraged if your writing isn't as good as this right away! That script took me several hours to write. And since you're just starting out, yours might take even longer.

First, if you're writing a science fiction show like BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, you have to remember to include lots of science ficition-y stuff, like questions (such as, "can robots understand love?") and laser guns and space ships, etc.

Also, details are important! Notice how the female co-pilot I created in my episode was also named after a coffee company, keeping with the theme the original writers set. (I know there isn't already a character with the name FOLGERS, because I looked it up on the internet). It's this type of attention to detail that will get you noticed by a show's writers and get you the job!

Of course, in writing these example spec scripts, it's important to try to mimic the writers of the show, as best you can. So, when you're finished writing your episode, write down each individual line of dialogue into your favorite internet search engine and hit "enter." If that line of dialogue has already made an appearance into an episode of that TV show, GREAT! Move along to the next line of dialogue. 

If not, it's probably best to replace it right away, with a line of dialogue which has already appeared in another episode. DON'T BE AFRAID TO MIX & MATCH! You don't have to choose lines of dialogue from all the same episode. The writers won't care if the lines came from season 1 or season 6! 

But try to avoid using any lines from episodes after season 7, which is widely believed to be when most shows become terrible. This is called "Jumping the Seventh Season." I overheard someone talking about something like this at a restaurant IN Hollywood, so you know you can believe it.

I hope this advice helps, fellow scribes! Happy writing!