TV sitcom is the goldmine genre, watched by millions. An absurd predicament, witty banter, a group of hilariously dysfunctional people: it all seems so easy. But is it? If you’ve ever said ‘I can do better than that’, then this book will encourage, test and pull you through the sitcom-writing boot camp.

Introduction 8 Part One Sitcom essentials 10 What is sitcom? 11 What makes great sitcom? 14 Studying the genre 19 Origins 24 UK vs. USA 29 Types of sitcom 33 High concept 38 Writing for stars 41 Part Two Where do I begin? 44 Keeping a notebook 45 Transcribing a dialogue 47 Your sense of humour 48 Ideas into practice 49 Learn from the best 51 Script layout 53 Part Three Practicalities of sitcom 62 Modern sitcom 63 Comedy drama 65 Team writing 66 Soapcom 69 Alarm bells 70 Long shadows 70 Nostalgia 71 The paranormal 72 Cops 73 Media 73 Taboos and beyond 75 Arc of character 80 Exceptions to the rules of sitcom 82 Part Four Character 84 Finding inspiration 85 Writing a C.V. 88 Real or cliché? 91 Conflict 97 ‘Story of my life’ 98 Opposites repel 101 The foil 103 Locked in a room 105 Troubleshooting 110 Part Five Situation and relationships 113 Situation 114 Relationships 120 The false family 126 Class and failure 130 The trap 134 Unique attitudes 138 Titles and title sequences 141 Part Six Plotting 144 Plot 145 Subplot 148 Scenes and acts 150 Escalation and resolution 153 Coincidence and contrivance 157 How many plots do I write? 159 Plot checklist 160 Not having a plot 160 Too many plots 161 The plot fails to engage 161 Too much exposition 162 Part Seven The script 163 Writing the script 164 How long is a script? 165 Where to write 167 The writing process 169 Description 172 Write visually 174 Dialogue 175 First draft to second draft 180 The polish 184 The second script 185 Cliché 187 Guerrilla sitcom 189 Animation 192 Part Eight The business of sitcom 194 Submitting the script 195 Copyright 200 Feedback 202 Agents 205 Options 209 The writer’s life 211 Resources Useful addresses and websites 215 Recommended scripts 218 Courses 219 Top 40 sitcoms 219

Comedy guru Marc Blake has written for Spitting Image, Frankie Howerd and Craig Charles, and had his own TV show and BBC Radio 4 series Whining for England. The author of several humour books and comic novels including the bestselling Sunstroke, he has taught comedy writing across the UK for ten years.

 

How to be a Sitcom Writer by Marc Blake
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