TV Shows with Great online scripts??

January 1, 2018 3:40 PM

Mom and i have started binge-watching the X-Files lately, a task made easier for me thanks to the excellent scripts, available online. These include not just dialog, but critically for me as a blind fan, descriptions of action and visuals. What others shows are out their with similar support?

I'm aware of Supernatural's fan transcripts, and some stuff for Buffy and other Joss Whedon shows. I'm wondering if people have any more unusual or just really great recommendations for this kind of thing.

If I could watch more shows with description, I would, but there aren't nearly as many available in the US as described movies, which are becoming a lot easier to access.

I'm particularly open to sci-fi, mysteries, and thrillers of all stripes, though am willing to look into other genres if the premise sounds good.

posted by Alensin to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

The West Wing has a pretty good transcript collection. Not sure if they are necessarily descriptive enough to suit your needs, but a quick glance seems to show that they at least describe the scene.
posted by General Malaise at 3:45 PM on January 1, 2018 [3 favorites]

It is organized funky and may be hard to navigate, but Outlander has at least this season's scripts online.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:40 PM on January 1, 2018 [3 favorites]

Do you have Netflix? Many Netflix series have audio description tracks available.

More info from the American Council for the Blind at this link
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:04 PM on January 1, 2018

Response by poster: I am indeed on Netflix. :) Stranger Things and a few other shows are delightful.

Thanks for the Outlander scripts, I know I've struggled some with the thick accents on occasion. And I've always meant to check out the West Wing.
posted by Alensin at 8:23 PM on January 1, 2018

Regarding the west wing, it's very dialogue-driven so most scenes can be understood by listening, almost like a radio play. The transcripts could help by setting the scene for various locations but you may not need them.
posted by mai at 9:54 PM on January 1, 2018

Since you already like X-Files, you'll probably enjoy the "lost" script for the unmade episode "Crampton" that turned up last year. Here's a direct link; it's plain text but formatted like a script with stage directions and blockquoted dialog, so hopefully it should prove fairly readable. This MetaFilter post on the script is also worthwhile; it includes this PDF link to another unproduced script that later became the basis for the movie "Final Destination."

If you're in the mood for longer fare, definitely check out Dave Egger's original screenplay for the excellent 2015 horror film The Witch. The period-accurate dialog is so musical, and the stage descriptions so evocative, that I ended up reading through the whole thing in one sitting immediately after watching the movie. It's currently available as a PDF file here on Google Drive. If that doesn't work jet me know and I can dig up an ebook version of it I made.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:48 PM on January 1, 2018 [2 favorites]

Generation Kill has incredibly detailed fan-made transcripts, with visual descriptions. They're available here (to read online or download in various formats).

Generation Kill is about a reporter embedded with the US Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but it's not your typical war story; it focuses on the everyday, mundane realities of being in the Marine Corps: the relationships, the management politics, the frustrations. It's actually kind of slice of life-y. It can be quite funny. Definitely not scifi, mystery, or thriller—but it's not my usual fare, either, and I got a lot out of it.
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 11:29 PM on January 1, 2018