Reddit reviews The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts

these three books are really good.
They give you a good idea of what a TV show should be:


http://www.amazon.com/TV-Writers-Workbook-Creative-Television/dp/0385340508/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313538456&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Television-Writing-Lee-Goldberg/dp/0471431680/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1313538456&sr=8-5

http://www.amazon.com/Crafty-TV-Writing-Thinking-Inside/dp/0805080287/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1313538456&sr=8-13

I'm in a similar situation, I've read Ellen Sandler's The TV Writer's Workbook. She wrote for Everyone Loves Raymond and the book is very helpful IMO. She advised the following on choosing which show to spec for.

• 1- The show must be on-air. Off-air means it's an old show and not relevant. Any show on-air for more than 5 years is too old to spec for, it's not keeping with the trends.
  
• 2 - It should be a hit show. Hit shows won't likely be cancelled by the time you write your spec. People are familiar with show and character. Hits are copied. Clones are looking for staff. If you wrote a spec of a show they cloned, it shows you can write for the show. Hit shows should be in the top 25-30 in rankings, check Neilsen ratings. Check awards, if it has won or been nominated for Emmys, Golden Globes and Guild Awards (Screen Actor, Director's Guild, Writer's Guild), the industry is aware of the show.
  
• 3 - If you have a connection with someone from a show (cast, crew, etc.), they can get you scripts of that show for you to study. You can also ask for feedback on your spec from one of the writer's on the show.
  
• 4 - Write for a show you like. If you don't like it, it'll show.
  
  Hope that helps. If you need more info on the book, please PM me.

I'm a television writer. I'm making my own kids TV show and trying to break into kids TV.

The best resource I've found is the TV Writer's Workbook. Tells you everything you need to know to write your own script, including how to make a great spec. Also gives some good industry advice.

ScriptNotes podcast. Literally everything you need to know and how to apply it. They even have this PDF called "The 100 Most Commonly Asked Questions About Screenwriting" that you can download for free here. Would post the actual file, but it's live, meaning it's updated periodically. So I recommend signing up.

If your interested in writing for television the TV Writer's Workbook is a must have. Simplifies everything and uses actual examples from the author's work ("Everybody Loves Raymond") to iterate points.

But most importantly, read. Everything. Especially screenplays. Like, a lot. Start with your favorite movies (or shows). Then go back and watch the film (or episode). What works? What doesn't? And why?

Good luck!