THE RISE OF streaming has ushered in an period of overlong movies and sequence that ought to have been films. However M. Evening Shyamalan—who gained notoriety for blockbusters like 1999’s “The Sixth Sense” and 2002’s “Indicators”—is presently writing the shortest movie script of his profession. He’s additionally producing one thing of a modern-day unicorn: a half-hour TV drama. “At my core, I’m a minimalist,” stated the filmmaker. “While you put limitations on what you’re engaged on, that’s whenever you discover your voice and your magnificence.”
The third season of that unicorn, the Apple TV+ thriller “Servant,” for which Mr. Shyamalan serves as showrunner, govt producer and generally director, drops January 21. Its premise—a grieving couple hires a nanny to assist look after the doll that has changed their lifeless little one—might simply maintain one-hour episodes. However delivering the story in 30-minute bites, Mr. Shyamalan stated, permits him to deal with the few themes that floor every episode. Equally, in writing a good script for his subsequent characteristic, “Knock on the Cabin,” he’s discovered that each line and each second has to earn its place within the movie.