A Formula For Sitcom Success?

2023 is fast approaching. A new year. A new hope. If you read this blog, you and I probably share the same aim: to get a sitcom commissioned.

Is that a realistic hope?

Yes.

And no.

Here’s the yes: as I say on the  Sitcom Geeks podcast  regularly, “People like watching TV. And they like laughing.” Comedy is one of life’s essentials, like water, electricity and food. I mean that seriously. You are not wasting time when you write comedy. And if you can do it regularly and well, you will get more opportunities.

I’m in danger of making false promises and giving false hope: that talent will out and that you just need to believe in yourself and keep going and you’ll make it.

But is that a false promise?

Actually, no. I’ve hung around the British comedy industry for twenty-five years and the more I stick around, the less cynical I become. Maybe that’s surprising. But experience has taught me that I really do believe in this formula:

Talent + Perseverance = Success. Eventually.

Talent

What is ‘talent’? How much do you need? You need some aptitude to write. You need a few comedy instincts. But these reveal themselves slowly and don’t start out with brilliantly original ideas from the get-go.

Many people start by writing parodies of existing, established entertainment formats. If you’re my age, that would have been a Blind Date sketch. You get a few laughs based on the solid structure of a format everyone knows, and then you move on to something more original.

This takes perseverance, the second ingredient in our equation.

Perseverance

In some ways, I feel like I was lucky to get Think The Unthinkable commissioned by BBC Radio 4. I was only about 25. I hadn’t been doing comedy for long.

But then I realise that wasn’t true. I’d done nothing but comedy since about the age of 12, writing sketches at school, putting on plays, honing my craft at university and taking three different comedy shows to the Edinburgh Fringe in ’96, ’97 and ‘99. I was all about writing comedy.

However, my TV sitcom, Bluestone 42, was another 13 years after my first radio sitcom was commissioned. This was not for lack of trying.

So we get to that final word in the equation ‘eventually’.

For how long will you keep going in the pursuit of success? There is a cost to writing – and to persevering. It might be borne by your friends, your family and those to whom you have obligations. That’s  why you need a plan for 2023 . Time spent persevering and improving is time away from other things. So we need to use our time wisely.  We need a plan .

And we need a new approach as we get to that other word: success. 

Success. Eventually.

What even is success? How do we measure it? Is it to get a sitcom commissioned?

That’s a fine long term goal – but actually the decision to hit a green light is out of hands. Only a handful of sitcoms are commissioned every year, and the reasons for that are often rather arbitrary when it comes down to it. TV commissioners are making decisions based on all kinds of factors that we don't know about. And there's nothing we can do about that, short of raising £1.6m and making the sitcom ourselves.

So should we plan to get a sitcom commissioned in 2023?

It's a good aim. And we can plan to give ourselves a better chance of this happening. But it’s not wise to plan something that is not within your power. This will only lead to frustration.

 So how should we plan ?

I talk about realistic planning and a bunch of other things i n this webinar replay  from earlier this month called  Supercharge Your Sitcom Career , which you can access for next-to-nothing.

And it comes with a discount code worth £100 off my  Writing Your Sitcom  course. So click  HERE  for that webinar.

Fresh Thinking for Sitcom Writing in 2023

You know what? I’ve felt pretty low at times in my career...

It feels amazing when you’ve got your own show on TV or Radio. And I’ve had that with Think The Unthinkable, which ran for four series on BBC Radio 4. And Hut 33 did three series. And Bluestone 42 ran for three series on BBC3 and was a truly amazing experience.

But no matter how many times you have that, it ends.

And that great feeling goes away.

And then doubts creep in.

Suddenly you’re not sure why you're not very busy. You get resentful and wonder what to do next.

I had that. Let me tell you what I did next and how I had to reframe my thinking.

In fact, I explained it all in a webinar with some concrete actionable advice about how you can make your writing career go better in 2023. Supercharge it!

Okay, it's a slow and painful. But are you giving yourself the best chance of success?

What have you got to lose? A pound and ninety minutes? It's pay-what-you-like, with a £1 minimum, but you could chip in more. And/or you could also get something else at the checkout that could help you hone your sitcom script, or get my mini-course on supercharging your script.

Find out more OVER HERE.

How Can I Improve my Chances of Sitcom Success in 2023

Are you asking yourself any of the following questions?

• How can I improve my chances of success in 2023? And what does success even look like?
• How do I pitch ideas in 2023 (rather than wishing it was 2004 again)?
• Do I need to write a script?
• How do I even get in the room?
• How do I get a producer to take a chance on me?
• Isn’t it just too competitive now? Am I wasting my time?
• And how do I reframe this whole thing so that it doesn’t drive me nuts?

I'll be answering questions like that in another pay-what-you-like webinar. It's about how to exponentially improve the chances of success when it comes to your sitcom career.

Part-Seminar, Part-Intervention. No BS, no quick fixes and no pretending it’s easy.

And plenty of straightforward actionable advice from someone who’s been out there doing it for 25 years – and it turns out it doesn’t get any easier…

On Zoom on Fri 9th Dec at 7pm-8.30pm UK Time. (it might clash with some sporty thing, but your career is more important, right?) Book in over here. Pay what you like - or help me help you by buy something when you book.

How to Make Your Sitcom Go Horribly Wrong

I was plotting and planning a sitcom this morning, and stumbled across a neat little device to help escalate stores that so simple, I’m almost ashamed to point it out. Almost. But I found it useful so here it is.

If you’ve got a list of very basic ideas, or something that your character could do in an episode, like this:

• Trip to the Swimming Baths.
• Nature Walk. 
• Bakes biscuits.

Now try adding the phrase ‘goes horribly wrong.’

I know. That’s it. But you might be surprised at the results. See the difference:

Trip to the swimming baths 

So, erm, what could happen there?

• Character runs into someone embarrassing?
• Forgets swimming costume?
• Loses towel?

Okay, fine. But meh.

But it’s interesting that we’re thinking of steps 1 and 2 of the story rather than escalations and we've still got a lot of escalating to do.

Let’s add ‘…goes horribly wrong’.

Trip to swimming baths… goes horribly wrong

• Pool has to be evacuated?
• Water completely drains away?
• Water ends up looking like blood, and children need counselling?

Wow. That escalated fast. Suddenly, we’ve got much bigger outcomes.

While just typing this list as an example, I rather enjoyed ‘Water ends up looking like blood’. I know I’m a Bible guy so I’m thinking about Moses turning the Nile to blood, but it’s quite an image isn’t it? Is there anyway that could happen in your sitcom?

Now, these are just events. They’re not character-based. But they invite the question, ‘How would my character make that happen?’ Or ‘How could my character get into that situation?’

And maybe this proves to be a dead end. But it was more fun thinking about what happens when it turns out your character doesn’t have a pound coin for the locker. Booooring.

Make it go horribly wrong.

Maybe you've already sorted that. And you've got a script that escalates horribly quite nicely, thanks.

Would you like me to read it? We can make that happen.

In fact, I'm offering a thing called Supercharged Script Reading. Look over here for details.

Sitcom Plotting: The Nitty Gritty

Have you written a pilot sitcom script? 

There’s a very good chance that your first ten pages contains at least three of the following:

1. Introductions
2. Explanations
3. Exposition
4. Tracking shots / specified camera angles
5. A montage
6. Backstory
7. Detailed explanations of what we're looking at.
8. Specific tracks of music we're hearing.
9. Lots of dialogue for non-regular characters.
10. Lots of action in a location that we never see again.

How did you do? Marks out of ten?

A high score is bad.

I say this because having read literally hundreds of scripts in the last year, the majority of scripts contain an opening scene that runs for at least seven pages - normally nine - and includes every main character.

And there’s usually a pretext for introducing someone to everyone eg. it’s often the first day at work. (I’ve written a lot about this and made a video.)

Everyone’s standing around waiting for the story to start.

Don’t do this.

Start your story.

Give your main character a quest by the end of Page 3. Even better, by the end of page 2.

Give another character a quest by the end of page 5. Even better, by the of page 4.

Even better, have your main character decide to go on a quest, rather than have one thrust upon them.

Up a Tree

There’s a saying that in a comedy you should chase your character up a tree and then throw sticks at them.

This is wrong.

Or at least sub-optimal. Your character is being passive.

Give you character a clear reason to want to climb a tree. And then have them invite people to throw sticks at them. That way, your character is being active – and their own worst enemy.

And then give another character a good reason to cut the tree down.

Now it's getting funny.

Want more? Want to get into the nitty gritty?

Come to my pay-what-you-like webinar at 6pm (UK Time) on Tuesday 28th June where you’ll get 90-minutes of hands-on writers room experience with me and whoever else turns up.

We’ve done it twice before, and it’s both fun and useful. In fact, you get access to the replays if you sign up. Find out more over here.

The Feeling That Never Goes Away

The writing world is full of it – not least because the real world is full of it.

If you’re in the business of writing sitcom scripts, you’ll feel it a lot. The feeling is this:

Why are other people doing better than me?

Why was my script not shortlisted in that competition?

Why did that other writer getting representation?

How did that half-arsed, average comedianhack end up with their own sitcom?

In my case, it is more like when someone you used to work with writes a big show which is critically acclaimed and recommissioned. In your head, you’re saying:

Hang on. I used to be in a writers room with that bozo. And I was more experienced than them. And now they have an highly-acclaimed streaming series? In fact, I think I once paid for their lunch. They owe me money…

and so on.

Naming It

You could call the feeling Girard’s theory of mimetic desire. Or you could just call it what it is: the green-eyed monster of envy.

It’s not a pleasant vice to own up to because it so bitter. A line attributed to Gore Vidal, but not original to him, sums up this sentiment: 

It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.

You experience envy. I experience envy.

So, here’s are two bits of advice for those experiencing envy, so this is for me as much as for you:

Knock It Off

Stop it. This constant feeling of bitterness and envy is going to eat you up, like some creepy, soul-sucking Gary Gygax creation from Stranger Things. Resentment and envy might make you productive for a while. The whole 'I'll show them!' feeling might give you a burst of creative energy. But the feeling will never go away, especially if you feed it. So take action. And here's one way you can do that:

Take Control

You have control over what you write, and over how you improve your craft. Focus on that.

You have to focus on that because you don’t have control over anything else, like what’s fashionable, what networks say they are looking for (something like last year's show that worked), what networks are actually looking for (a funny show that just works) and how producers are going to second guess what networks are thinking the audience might want to watch next year. Chasing all those variables is a mug's game.

You are in a boat being tossed around by the wind, waves and currents. You just control your rigging, rudder, sail, outboard motor or whatetver. (I’m obviously not a sailor.)

But take control of the controls in front of you: your keyboard; what you're reading; what you're developing and writing; what you're rewriting and what you're sending out.

Focus on your craft, your ideas and your scripts. And if you want to do that, I can help you with a really clear and simple 12 Lesson video course. And it's even better if you take action before 4th July - like a couple of session with me.

So go on over and have a look and how you can write a sitcom script you’re actually proud of.

How to Write A Sitcom Script That Doesn’t Suck

The road is long. And the way is hard. But we’ve established that you don’t need qualifications or specialist expensive equipment – but because of that, everyone’s a writer and it’s competitive.

But a good script is hard to find and will get you noticed. Honestly.

So how do you write one? One that doesn't suck?

I figured it out by watching sitcoms.

That's because they're just weren’t any courses back in the late 1990s. If there were, I would have done one. But I had no way of finding out about them. I was raised on a farm, had no contacts in the industry, the internet was all dial-up, and there was no Google, so you couldn't find anything anyway.

So I figured it out.

I watched Porridge, Fawlty Towers, Yes Prime Minister, Ever Decreasing Circles, Red Dwarf, Blackadder, MASH, Cheers, Caroline in the City (seriously) and The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sergeant Bilko).

If you want to do the same, I’d recommend watching three shows:

Frasier is a masterclass in comedy writing, and it’s just crystal clear the whole time what the characters are trying to do – and it’s not too complicated. They make it look simple. Which is hard. Watch it for free on TV.

The Goldbergs is another show that’s shows the emotional journeys of the characters really clearly and loads of scripts I read get this wrong. Or don't have emotional journeys at all.

For pace, characters and jokes, you could learn a lot from Brooklyn 99.

Watch those episodes with a pad of paper, making notes, breaking down the scenes and figuring out what's going on - and you'll learn. Eventually.

Warning: Avoid Modern Family

Don’t watch the first three series of Modern Family.

Those episodes are just TOO good. They’re incredible. They're perfect.

The number of characters and the speed of the plotting and how it all comes together is just so amazing that trying to learn how to write a sitcom from Modern Family is like trying to learn how to drive by watching Formula 1.

Not the best place to start.  

Watching those early season of Modern Family almost made me want to give up. But that’s a story for another time.

How Save Months Of Time

So you could do what I did and figure it out how to write a sitcom that doesn't suck by watching sitcoms for hours, days, weeks and months.

Or you could save your saves months, and probably years, by doing my 12 Lesson video course, Writing Your Sitcom.

In the course, I tell you what you need to know, when you need to know it. And I don’t bombard you with stuff you don’t need to know. Why not find out more over here?

Can You Write A Sitcom? YES, but careful now...

Last time, I looked at four reasons why you could write a sitcom.

Here are two things to bear in mind. I said there was money in it, but...

Reason to be Careful #1 There’s no money in it for a long time

Starting out takes ages and writers have to do a lot of leg work in those early stages.

And it takes a long time to learn your craft and find your feet.

My first years of earning were REALLY LOW – which was okay as I was unmarried, early 20s. I'd just been a student. I knew how to live cheap.

But if you already have commitments and obligations, you’re going to have to fit in in around all that.

On the plus side, if you’re older with more life experience, you’ve got more to write about. So every cloud has a silver lining.

Reason to be Careful #2 It’s REALLY competitive

I recently ran a script competition here in the UK, and we had nearly 900 entries.

The BBC Writersroom or BAFTA Rocliffe competition gets thousands. There’s a lot of people out there trying to write scripts.

But you’re not just competing about other aspiring sitcom writers. You’re also competing against actual sitcom writers – like me - as well as higher profile stand-up comedians and writer-performers who have already proved themselves and have a following.

But here’s one more reason to be cheerful before I tell you want to do next.

Reason to be Cheerful #5 A good script will get noticed

Why? Because most scripts aren’t very good.

Sitcom scripts are really hard to write. I just read hundreds for this script competition and getting it down twenty or thirty scripts was not that hard.

Write a really good script, and you will get noticed, get meetings and get interest.

And eventually work, and eventually some money.

Now you may think I'm dead wrong because your script’s not getting noticed. Well this is awkward… Do you want me to say it? Maybe your script’s not that good.

Why not start over?

If you want to do that, and you understand what you're getting into, can I recommend my course, Writing That Sitcom? It's launch is imminent, and you'll want to get in there, as there are bonuses for those who sign up early. Get on the mailing list for when it all drops and offers in the future.

Can You Write a Sitcom? YES YOU CAN!

Right now, I feel like the monster in a Scooby Doo cartoon, trying to scare you away from something. In my last couple of posts, you might be thinking that I’ve been trying to stop you from writing a sitcom so I’ve got less competition.

That’s not why.

I really love sitcoms, and I want more sitcoms on TV and better ones. The more competition that drives up the quality that makes sitcoms funnier and makes me laugh more, the merrier!

I’ve been issuing the warnings because I’m launching my 12 Lesson sitcom writing course very soon, because it’s a big undertaking. I want people to know what they’re getting into because it’s really hard going.

Maybe you love sitcoms, but the idea of writing one seems impossibly hard. It’s too big a mountain to climb.

Or you think it’s really can’t be that hard. You’re like George in Seinfeld, who comes up with an idea for a sitcom which he says they could pitch to NBC.

Jerry: Since when are you a writer?

George: What writer? We’re talking about a sitcom.

George seems to think it’s incredibly easy, which says more about George than it does about the process of writing a sitcom.

So here are 4 reasons to be cheerful about the idea of writing a sitcom.

Reason 1 No Qualifications Required

You don’t need to qualify as a chartered script writer or sit exams.

Can you imagine sitting comedy exams? Feels like a Monty Python sketch, doesn't it?

Do you need go to film school, or get a Masters in Screenwritng?

Nope. My college degree is Theology.

I have zero qualifications. And some how I’ve written over a hundred episodes of sitcoms for BBC TV and Radio, including Miranda, My Family, Bluestone 42, Hut 33 and a bunch of others.

You don’t need qualifications. You just need to have something to write about. And then you need to write it. All you need is something to write ON. Which takes us to: 

Reason 2 No Special Equipment Required

You don’t need any kit. Just something to type on. You could probably use the device on which you watching this video… unless it’s an Apple TV. But there’s something brilliantly democratic about script writing.

You’ve got 30 pages and words – the same as Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Richard Curtis or any other writer you care to mention. And there are loads of names because…

Reason 3 People Like Watching TV. And they Like Laughing

This is not a minority skill you’re trying to crack.

It’s not like you’re trying to master writing haikus. Sitcom is not some rarified art form. It’s a huge multi-billion dollar industry. And that’s just Friends.

This is the golden age of script TV.

And although drama is really big, there’s still always a market for comedy and people are still watching them on streaming services. Which means that:

Reason 4 There’s money in it

There’s not a lot of money in writing haikus. At least not in Hollywood or the UK. But when the money does come in writing sitcoms, it’s pretty good. When scripts are commissioned, the money isn’t bad. And you get repeat fees and residuals (although not on Netflix, you don't.)

I’m still getting payments for stuff I wrote ten years, fifteen years ago. It’s not enough to retire, but it’s not nothing.

I’ve made a living predominantly writing comedy and sitcoms for twenty years. I didn’t study screen writing. I was born and raised on a dairy farm in Somerset and I didn’t go to Cambridge or know anyone in the industry. So it’s possible.

So those are four reasons to be cheerful. And I’ve got one more to come but first, there are two reasons to be careful, and we'll look at those tomorrow. But if you can't wait, you could just watch this YouTube video.

And why not subscribe to my mailing list to find out more about this 12 lesson video course?

The Crucial Ingredient in Writing A Sitcom Script

Last time, I said that in order to write a sitcom, you need to love sitcoms.

My overall tone probably sounded like I was trying to put you off.

I was.

Over the years, I’ve seen lots of writers underestimate what lies ahead, and what I don’t want is anyone to spend good money on my 12 lesson comprehensive video course, and then give up.

So why do they give up?

What are they missing? What's the crucial ingredient?

We need to know because writing is hard.

Writing a sitcom is particularly hard.

When you tell people this, they tend to nod and agree, but not believe you. The number of script competitions and initiatives suggests that anyone can do it. And everyone can have a go. They can.

But should they?

Turn Back Now

In my e-book, Writing That Sitcom, I begin with an intervention, trying to put off the reader from writing a sitcom. The chapter is called ‘Turn Back Now’.

I was inspired to do this by an article by screenwriter Josh Olson (History of Violence) who wrote a brilliant piece for the Village Voice back in 2009 about what happens when friends ask him to read their friend’s script.

The friend is usually under the mistaken impression that the script is probably basically fine, and just needs tweaks, because, after all, writing can’t be that hard, can it?

Olson writes:

“Here’s the thing: not only is it cruel to encourage the hopeless, but you cannot discourage a writer. If someone can talk you out of being a writer, you’re not a writer. If I can talk you out of being a writer, I’ve done you a favor, because now you’ll be free to pursue your real talent, whatever that may be. And, for the record, everybody has one. The lucky ones figure out what that is. The unlucky ones keep on writing shitty screenplays and asking me to read them."

Ouch. Okay, that's pretty grumpy.

But in article, he argues that people really don't understand how much work is involved in creating a script. Professionals spend all day every day doing it, and their scripts still aren't that great.

I often say that my advantage as a professional script writer is not really experience. I was relatively successful in my 20s and early 30s without as much as experience as I have now. But one key advantage I have now is that I know how long it takes to write a good script. So I know how much time to allow, and can adjust my expectations accordingly.

Are we there yet?

Those starting out writing a sitcom script – or looking at the 12 Lessons of my course - might look at the process and think they won’t need to go through those steps. But they will.

Or they may think, as they go through then, that they’re doing something wrong because each step is taking a long time, a lot of work seems wasted, and this whole enterprise is going to take months.

Correct. If takes ages, if you’re doing it right.

The crucial ingredient in writing a sitcom is: time.

Physician, Heal Thyself

All of this is easily forgotten. I took some short cuts on a sitcom script recently, and wrote thirty pages. And then I tightened it up.

When read it though and realised that the first 17 pages just don’t work, and aren’t needed. I got my wife to read it. She agreed. And she's really nice.

Now, I’m quite good at sitcom writing. I’ve been doing it for 20 years, and I’m looking at a script that just doesn’t work. And I’m a little numb with the amount of work that lays ahead of me. But I'm no surprised.

I should have done my own course and done it the right way – the long way. And you know what? That’s exactly what I’m doing. My own course, taking my own advice. And I recommend that you do the same.

You can get that e-book, Writing That Sitcom, or the audio version right now, but it’s included for free – along with many other things – in my Writing That Sitcom course. It’s a complete course that’s all about helping you write a sitcom script you’re proud of. It’s launches on 16th June – but you’ll want to get in soon as many of the bonuses are only available until 4th July.

Why not join the mailing list to so you’re ready for when it opens and anything else that's happening in the future? Join here.

To write a sitcom, all you need is... love?

If you’re thinking about writing a sitcom, what do you need? What do you need to do?

I can tell you – and I’ve put it all in a 12 Lesson video course that launches on June 16th – but a professional athlete or life coach will tell you what’s really important: mindset.

That’s what I’m going to be thinking about over the next few posts on this blog: what mindset do you need to write a sitcom? What are the qualities?

The first might be most surprising, but is obvious: love.

You need love. Love is not all you need.

But you do need to love sitcoms. Do you watch sitcoms? Do you like them? Are you passionate about them?

Do you have five favourite sitcoms and you can’t decide which you love the most. For me, I’m torn between Yes, Prime Minister, Arrested Development, Seinfeld, the Larry Sanders Show and Red Dwarf. 

Those are my favourites – which is not the same as shows I most admire, like Frasier which is a masterclass in sitcom writing.

Loving Characters

But while I love those shows, some of my favourite sitcom characters (After George Costanza, Hank Kingsley and Kryten) are from sitcoms which aren’t quite in my Top Five. They would be Ron Swanson (right) from Parks and Recreation.

I also love – and am slightly in love with - Liz Lemon from 30 Rock.

You need that love of the sitcom form because if you’re about to embark on writing a pilot sitcom script that you're proud of, then you are facing a giant labour of love.

Sitcom Are Harder Than Movies

Writing a script is not a question of opening Final Draft and typing. You already know that in your heart and your head. But that 30 page sitcom script takes more work than a movie script, because a movie is just one linear story (unless you're Christopher Nolan). Your pilot sitcom isn’t just a tight, funny, surprising story with great jokes: it's a template for another hundred just like it.

To write that, you need to know what your show is about, who the characters are, how they interact, and what story you’re going to open with. And then you need to plot, plan and develop that story before writing, re-writing and editing it. It's a lot of work.

Trial by Sitcom

To go through this trial by sitcom, you need to really love sitcoms.

Writing a sitcom makes no logical sense. Sure, dozens are being made every year across the channels and networks, but only a few dozen. Not hundreds.

But tens of thousands are having a crack at it. And they are competing with the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Ben Elton, Romesh Ranganathan - and me.

So, if you love sitcoms so much, and can’t not write one, then I can teach you a system and a method and a process to do that. I've developed a 12 lesson that will be launching on 16th June.

The best way to keep informed about it, and other webinars I’m running, as well as instant access to videos I’ve already done, is to join the Situation Room Mailing list.

Writing a Sitcom Script You Can Be Proud Of

My comprehensive 12 lesson sitcom writing course is back! Learn how to write a sitcom script you're actually proud of.

Writing Your Sitcom is better value than ever, but you'll need to act fast to make the most of it. It launches next week, so sign up to The Situation Room mailing list and you'll be the first to get all the information you need to secure your place on the course - and you'll also get instant access to lots of free webinars just for signing up. 

Sign up here!

Your Perfect Pilot Sitcom Plot

You’ve got some characters and a situation. You’ve got some relationships and some stories. But how do we turn that jumble of jokes and jeopardy into a script?

And not just a script, but a pilot script?

Hands On Experience

That’s what we’re covering in a pay-what-you-like webinar I'm running on 30th May at 6pm UK Time.

I'll be using a practical sitcom example from our last session (which you will get to watch on replay if you sign up) to do that so that it'll be a bit like being in a writers' room.

Here's the problem:

I’ve read a lot of scripts in the last couple of years, and it’s quite common to enjoy a script for a few pages, the characters and the jokes, but soon the problem becomes obvious.

The script isn’t going anywhere.

There isn’t really a story. It’s all ‘set up’. Nothing is happening. There’s lots of talking. But no action. So the characters stop being funny because they’re not being put under any pressure.

Or the script is going somewhere – but that’s not a place we want to go because it’s taking us away from the idea for the show, from the main location, from the world that’s being created.

30 pages seems at lot at first, but it’s not very much to show what your sitcom is really about, what a typical episode will be like, why we’re going to want to watch it week after week and that you’re the one to write it.

And most readers and producers have made up their minds by page 10. At the very latest.

Getting the right plot going fast is crucial for your pilot sitcom script.

The story needs to be carefully lined up with the idea for the show, the situation, the characters and their relationships.

Find help, answers and experience in the webinar on 30th May at 6pm UK time!

We’re going to be finding out what that looks like, using a sitcom called Big Day.

We’ll be thinking about three different options for our opening episode, how each idea might pan out, and which might be best.

When you sign up, you’ll get a PDF with the characters, the situation and some storylines to think about - and access to a replay of the previous session. And you can pitch some ideas in the webinar, or even email some suggestions beforehand. It’ll be like being in a virtual writers room. Do join us. The last one was great fun. This will be even better.

Could I Write A Sitcom?

Yes you can! Here are four reasons to be cheerful and two to be careful, plus what to do next:

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Kick Start Your Sitcom Script

You’ve got some characters.

And you’ve got a situation.

You’ve even thought of some jokes.

What now? I really want to show you with a practical, hands-on session that should feel a bit like being in a writers’ room. I’ll be running it. It’s going to be great fun. I hope you can join me! It’s at 6pm on Tuesday 26th April. Find out more HERE.

In the session, we’re going to be answering a couple of key questions that you need to think about when you’re trying to kick start your sitcom and writing that pilot script.

The first question is this:

What’s the sitcom about?

Sure, it’s about some funny people who work in a shop that sells cards, gifts and party things. It’s called Big Day! (It’s a sitcom I’ve created for training purposes.) It’s a shop in a shopping mall that has you covered when it comes to special occasions for those special people.

But what’s it REALLY about?

It’s the about the characters, right? Yes, kind of. There’s Ruby, Bill, Geraldine, Amy, Donna and Wayne, who runs the coffee stand opposite.

But what’s at the heart of the show?

We need some clear idea about why we’re writing about these characters in this situation now. It’s not just about the business of selling birthday cards. Or is it?

What's the solution? How do we kick start the sitcom? Find out over HERE where there's more information about the webinar and you can sign up. It’s pay-what-you-like, mainly so I can keep track of space in the Zoom room.

Sign up here and you’ll be sent the situation and details of the characters plus a bit of homework to do in advance, and then in the webinar, you can pitch an idea either verbally or in the chat. And we’ll see what we end up with! I have no idea how this is show’s going to turn out and I can’t wait to find out. I really hope you can join me.

How to Make your Sitcom Funnier by Starting in the Middle

In the first two articles in the series I really laboured why your script should not involve your lead character turning up to their first day at work, the main reasons being:

#1: It is a very common plot in pilot scripts
#2: Your main character is going to be reactive or passive
#3: ALL of your other characters are going to be funnier than your (passive) LEAD character.

I had a sample sitcom in which Deborah turned up on her first day, and being introduced to Alice, Jake, Megan, Val and Clem who all seemed funnier than Deborah.

Why is that?

Because Alice, Jake, Megan, Val and Clem have already started.

As far as we’re concerned, we arrive in the middle of their story. They’re settled into the office being themselves, embroiled in rivalries, plots, shenigans and stories. That’s when they’re funny.

And that’s the really big sitcom lesson to learn here: start in the middle.

Don't start at the beginning which is a terrible place to start. (Thanks, Maria.) Start in the middle.

If we want Deborah to be as funny as the other characters, we need to start her off in the middle, not the beginning. Let’s have her already entrenched in office politics like her colleagues, not tentatively dipping her toe in.

We started in the middle of the other characters plots – Jake with his photocopier, Alice and her sister’s wedding dress, Megan and Val’s plant war and Clem’s trip to Hawaii. They’ve all hit the ground running. Why aren’t we doing that with Deborah? Especially if she’s going to be the main character.

The fact is you can have character arriving on their first day, but it probably shouldn’t be the lead protagonist.

In Bluestone 42, we started the show with the bomb disposal team doing its thing, led by Captain Nick Medhurst who is the focal point of the show. Once they’ve done their thing, found the bomb and blown up the baddies, Nick gets back and meets a character who is new to the base. The padre, Mary. And he takes this as a chance to show off. And we can see that she’s met people like him before and isn’t that impressed.

We did start with another ‘new character’ in Bluestone 42, a visitor from the CIA played by Mike McShane.

Reader, we shot him.

This was to demonstrate that this was active war zone and that if didn’t follow procedures, you would die. So we now know what the stakes are in this sitcom world.

But you might be thinking my sitcom’s not set in an a war zoom or an office so none of this applies to me.

Well, actually, it might.

Sample #1 Your protagonist, Laura, is buying into a new house next to a church yard, and the estate agent is showing them around one last time, and then the removal men are bringing in their possession. This conveyor belt of possessions may reveal a character but your character is still being passive for pages and pages.

Start the Laura show in the middle. They’ve moved in to the house and already discovered that it’s horribly haunted by the graveyard next door and they’re living with it.

Sample #2 Or your protagonist, Terry, isn’t on his first day at work, but his last. He’s been fired from his job as an engineer, and gets home to find his partner has left. And then his long lost daughter turns up pregnant and moves in. Again, that’s pages of stuff happening, but it’s happening to your character. They are passive.

Start the Terry show in the middle. He’s an out-of-work engineer-turned-inventor, living with his daughter who has a new baby to cope with.

Don’t start at the beginning. Start in the Middle.

This is one of many mistakes it's easy to make in a pilot sitcom script. Why not find out the most common 14 problems in your script, based on the experience of reading literally hundreds of scripts in the last year? And crucially, find out how to fix them. Find out more HERE.

Is your Lead Character the Least Funny Character in Your Sitcom Script?

You can either read this blog, or watch me explain the whole thing in SEVEN minutes - with some nice visuals and graphics - here:

Wanna read? Okay, here we go:

Last time, I was fairly robust about why your pilot script should not be the first day at work for your lead character. Why? Three reasons.

Reason #1 The First Day At Work plot is a grindingly common tactic in a pilot script. Your script needs to stand out amongst the thousands of other pilot sitcom scripts floating around.

Reason #2 Your character is going to be acting out of character on their first day, being on their best behaviour. We need to establish them fast.

Reason #3 And this is the most important, your lead character is going to be passive for at least the first ten pages. That’s a problem because that is when the script reader is making up their mind about the script. They need to be making choices, revealing character and being funny, rather than nodding and noting where the coffee machine is, and where the mugs are.

But here’s another reason to avoid a ‘first day at work’ pilot plot: all of your other characters are going to be funnier than your passive lead who’s wondering the office wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into.

Reason #4 Your Lead Character is the Least Funny Character in the Room

Let’s say your lead protagonist, Deborah, is being shown around the office on her first day.

Scene one is the obligatory pep talk to herself outside.

Scene two is at reception where she is polite to the receptionist, Alice, who is engrossed in a video chat with her sister who is trying to chose a wedding dress and not paying Deborah any attention.

Eventually, scene three, Alice passes Deborah on to Jake whom we find having a fight with the photocopier to the point of declaring war on it.

Then Deborah meets Megan and Val. They are having a long-running feud with each other over office plants, which is escalating to the point where one part of the office is now a jungle.

Next Deborah is surprised that her boss, Clem, is trying different swimming costumes for their next conference which happens to be in Hawaii.

It’s Page Ten. Deborah has done nothing but react. She is passive.

And who’s the funniest character so far?

Answer: NOT DEBORAH. Deborah is booooring.

So we’re off to a terrible start.

Alice, Jake, Megan, Val and Clem already sound funnier than the lead character who’s nervously greeting people on their first day. That’s a problem.

Taking Action

As a script editor or development producer, I’m looking at this pilot script saying ‘this could work if you just get rid of Deborah’. I like Alice, Jake, Megan, Val and Clem. Lose Deborah.

You might have one of two replies to that:

Reply #1 You say, “Yeah. Wow. Deborah is boring. I guess she was useful to begin with, but actually she’s not necessary”. Great.

Solution #1 Deborah deleted. Script gets rewritten and we’re into it.

Reply #2 You say, “But the WHOLE show is about Deborah and her journey!”

We have a problem. One is existential one about what a sitcom actually is (it’s not about Deborah’s journey but we’ll get to that in a future post).

But the main issue here is a comic problem. This ‘first day’ storyline is essentially preventing Deborah from being active and funny.

Solution #2a Your solution might to have Deborah apply for that job and make her more active.

NO. WRONG.

The solution even worse than the problem. We’re going backwards. Your character needs to pointing forward. What do they want? What is their goal?

Solution #2b Fast forward. Deborah’s been there six months. Or it’s her first anniversary of being there.

Solution #2c Even better, just have a regular episode based on her character and situation. Jake’s plotting the demise of the photographer. Megan and Val have some kind of foliage/turf war going on. And Deborah is concerned that her boss’s trip to Hawaii is going to be a huge problem for her – and she has to put them off going. Clear goal. Stop boss going to Hawaii.

Next time, we’ll consider why Alice, Jake, Megan, Val and Clem sound funnier than Deborah, and what we can learn from that.

This is one of many mistakes it's easy to make in a pilot sitcom script. Why not find out the most common 14 problems, based on the experience of reading literally hundreds of scripts in the last year? And crucially, find out how to fix them. Have a look HERE.

 

The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Sitcoms

 

“Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…”

That’s how Maria (Julie Andrews) starts her Do-Re-Mi song. If you’re writing a pilot sitcom script, what could be a better way to introduce the audience to the characters than following around the main character on their first day at work? Sounds sensible. Right?

Wrong.

As far as writing a sitcom is concerned, it’s terrible advice. Do me a favour, Maria. Take your guitar and climb a mountain. So long. Farewell.

Do I sound a little tetchy on this?

It’s because since the beginning of this year, I have read over three thousand pages of sitcom script and this ‘first day at work’ plot is a very common feature to many, probably most, of these scripts that haven’t been picked up or shortlisted.

First Day At Work

It’s their first day. They’re nervously standing around outside giving themselves a pep talk before stepping into their new place of work.

Or, worse, we start with a ringing alarm on a bedside table, and a character floundering around getting ready for their first day, shouting at their partner, or their kids, kicking the cat and then running out so as not to be late on their first day.

Or worse still. They’re applying for a job (at which they get to explain their backstory). Then they get the job, and then it’s their first day.

Why am I taking exception to this whole ‘first day’ thing? Why is this a problem?

One might think one reason is that if everyone else is doing this, then you should do something else. March to the beat of a different drum. Be the odd one out. Zig while the world is zagging. After all, we had 887 scripts for our Sitcom Geeks Hattrick competition.

That’s true enough. When a huge number of scripts are starting the same way, the reader of the script – who is a human being, remember – is going to groan.

But the reason not to start your script with the protagonist turning up to work on their first day is this: your protagonist is going to be passive. This is a serious problem.

In a sitcom, we need to see the hero making choices. In fact, that’s not unique to sitcom. That’s drama. That’s novels. That’s movies. That is how character is revealed, through choices which bring chaos and conflict, and with a bit of luck, a following wind and several rewrites, a chance of comedy.

Being Nice

How were you on your first day at work?

I’ll tell you. You were on your best behaviour. You were not yourself.

Unless your protagonist a maniac or psychopath, they’re going to be terribly nice to everyone while they are guided from room to room, being introduced to other members of the team. We’re not going to find out what they’re really like for ages. The reader needs to know what the character is like because she’s got a hundred other scripts to read. The viewer needs to know that because he’s got serious options when it comes to alternatives to your show.

So my advice – having read 3000+ pages of sitcoms in the last two months - would be this: Avoid pilot sitcoms script where it’s the main character’s first day.

Now, you might be screaming names of sitcoms which do exactly that. Fine. We might get to those. And I’ve written two sitcoms where it’s a character's first day (Bluestone 42 & Hut 33), but I’m going to justify those in a future post.

But for now, why not join my mailing list, The Situation Room? You'll get all kinds of help writing your pilot sitcom script, including access to free videos about Plotting, Creating Characters and all sorts. It's free. Join here.

Why You Should Join my Mailing List

I've been very quiet recently. Plenty is brewing. I've been reading literally hundreds of pilot sitcom scrips for the Sitcom Geeks Hat Trick competition and I have many many things to say as a result.

I'll be saying them here, and on my Situation Room YouTube channel, and producing all manner of resources throughout 2022.

To find out about them, join my Situation Room Mailing List - where you'll also find bonus free videos about Plotting, Character and Comedy Drama. And there are discounts and priority booking to the courses and webinars I'll be running to help you write better sitcom scripts.

Sign up and you get an email in your inbox, rather than having to scroll through the rage and fury ofTwitter or Facebook for reminders or updates. So why not give it a go? Subscribe here.

What Writers Want (apart from money and coffee)

There's not been a blog all year. And here’s the main reason I’ve been quiet: I’ve been reading scripts.

Loads of them. Hundreds. Thousands! Actually, not thousands. But nearly a thousand.

We ran a competition on the Sitcom Geeks podcast in conjunction with Hat Trick Productions and we received 887 entries. That's 887 pilot sitcom scripts. The winner should be announced soon.

So what did I learn reading hundreds of pilot sitcom scripts?

It has been very revealing to read what newer writers are interested in writing about, and how they go about it. And I have to be honest. It’s been very frustrating. Why?

The vast majority of scripts are making basic mistakes so that by the time I’ve read to page ten, I’ve made up my mind to move on to the next script. And it's painful when I know how much work has gone into the script I'm reading.

So here's the big question:

How can you avoid making those mistakes?

I plan to spend the rest of this year telling you on this blog and on YouTube. They will be dropping regularly throughout the year. So look out for those. If you want to be kept informed of all that stuff, join The Situation Room mailing list for free. Straight away you'll get access to some videos and webinars that aren't on YouTube. Including videos on Creating Sitcom Characters, Plotting Your Sitcom and 13 Rules of Sitcom.

But you'll have also found out about this Webinar I'm running on Friday March 4th called 14 Problems with your Sitcom Script. And I'm doing it because I think I know what writers really want:

What Writers Want (apart from money and coffee)

Here’s what: notes. Feedback! If not unalloyed praise, then at least constructive criticism. Writers want some indication of where they are going wrong in their scripts so they can improve.

In the case of the competition, we’re unable to give feedback on every script. There are just too many. So, heads up. In a month or so, I’m going to be announcing a Supercharged Script Reading Service. 

But in advance of that, and at a much lower price, I’m releasing a resource called 14 Problems With Your Sitcom Script. It’s a 50+ page script diagnosis, explaining how most pilot sitcom scripts are going wrong and, crucially, how to remedy these avoidable problems.

That Webinar

And I’m hosting a webinar for that at 6pm-7.30pm on Friday 4th March on Zoom when I will run through the 14 Problems most common in the sitcom scripts I read.

Which will apply to yours? Do come and find out. There’ll also be lots of chances to ask me questions.

That is very soon, so book your place now.​

There is a small charge for that webinar (£17.99). These resources take a lot of time to get written, and get right – but the webinar will include a free copy of the PDF (which will cost £27 from Sat 5th March onwards so worth signing up just for that early bird price).