What Even Is A Sitcom These Days?

Has the sitcom changed beyond recognition? What are new writers supposed to be writing? How do you get noticed? Do we need to be writing scripts the break the genre, mash it with something else and serve it up with some amazing visual gimmicks? Stick to your guns. Keep it simple. The traditional sitcom isn't done yet. Here's how to keep your head and avoid make rookie mistakes.
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[@VicForAChange]

Your channel has been so helpful to me and my writing! Thank you so much for making these videos!

[@experi-mentalproductions5358]

What about Bottom?
That's mostly just Rik and Ade talking to eachother.

[@thesituationroom9026]

Not really. Go back and watch the episodes and you'll find plot, character and motivation.

[@LozJeppy420]

Hi James, looking to start writing my first sitcom pilot script, a big inspiration for me is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia which I've not heard you speak about in your videos yet, I'd love to know your thoughts on the show from a writer's perspective?

[@thesituationroom9026]

I'm afraid I've never actually seen it. I've heard good things about it, particularly how they escalate plots, but have nothing to offer there in terms of insights. Maybe I'll get around to watching it before long, but it doesn't really sound like my kind of show.

[@LozJeppy420]

​@@thesituationroom9026 Ahh no worries, I'd recommend it - after 16 seasons they must be doing something right! I think it's incredible how they've made an entire cast meant to represent the worst aspects of humanity relatable and funny, tackling some controversial topics satirically whilst keeping with the times over all these years. They also have some creative bottle episodes and some surprising emotional scenes (ep - Mac Finds his Pride)

[@dragonkattz]

Yeah, Peepshow was originally called POV TV.

[@PippaHinchleyComedy]

Wondering why no mention of Chewing Gum, Fleabag etc which have specifically come from theatre and feel quite different to other sitcoms/30' comedies. The blur of boundaries between comedy and drama to the extent you could describe them as tragicomedy - Afterlife and many other non live audience shows also seem to be in another category and have avdifferent structure - they are linear narratives not circular- the characters CAN change in the way they never did in trad sitcoms. The whole point of these was that by the end of 30' the status quo was the same or had returned to how it was in the beginning. It was 10% key to sitcom and part of the premise. If the characters solve their problem or achieve their long held goal then the sitcom is effectively over- it can't function any longer as the circular and constant WANT/ GOAL has been removed. If Delboy gets rich he is no longer a London lad constantly trying and failing to get rich quick - which roughly describes the premises and engine of the show. To me this is a huge difference between trad sitcom and those that came later - not about studio audience or tone but about the structure that is serialised, non circular and allows the character to change for good and therefore the series has generally a much shorter lifespan often only intending g one series.

[@thesituationroom9026]

Hey Pippa. Yes, a good point. Those are two great shows that have come from theatre - and they have an arc to them, so you need an eye on that if you're doing a series narrative. But I guess my focus is on that first pilot sitcom script which can't be all set up and no resolution. It needs to tell a story with a beginning and a middle and an end, and the character can't change very much. Clear the first and last episode of Breaking Bad show a change - but the change is very slow, taking about 80 episodes. So, I think I'm just keen to help people avoid writing a script that isn't going to get them very far because it doesn't tell a story in its own right. But of course, everyone does, to some extent, need to find their own way.

[@Hadezul2]

Royal Family and Dinner Ladies were both really boring! If they weren't written by established writers you'd be saying they were examples of amateur writing! Its all nepotism at the BBC!