THE RISE OF streaming has ushered in an era of overlong films and series that should have been movies. But M. Night Shyamalan—who gained notoriety for blockbusters like 1999’s “The Sixth Sense” and 2002’s “Signs”—is currently writing the shortest film script of his career. He’s also producing something of a modern-day unicorn: a half-hour TV drama. “At my core, I am a minimalist,” said the filmmaker. “When you put limitations on what you’re working on, that’s when you find your voice and your beauty.”
The third season of that unicorn, the Apple TV+ thriller “Servant,” for which Mr. Shyamalan serves as showrunner, executive producer and sometimes director, drops January 21. Its premise—a grieving couple hires a nanny to help care for the doll that has replaced their dead child—could easily sustain one-hour episodes. But delivering the story in 30-minute bites, Mr. Shyamalan said, allows him to focus on the few themes that ground each episode. Similarly, in writing a tight script for his next feature, “Knock at the Cabin,” he’s learned that every line and every moment has to earn its place in the film.
