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?