How Hard Can It Be To Write A Sitcom?

When I think of my favorite TV characters of all-time, George Costanza sits at the top. In so many episodes he is perfectly written, perfectly performed, perfectly remembered.

One of the many plots that Seinfeld turned into gold (wait...wasn't Seinfeld a show about nothing?) was the arc surrounding Jerry and George writing a pilot for NBC.

Little back story. Jerry is approached by NBC officials after a night of stand-up, and they ask Jerry to come up with an idea for a TV show.

George, in all his gloriousness, says "Come on, how hard is that? Look at all the junk that's on TV. You want an idea? Here's an idea. You coach gymnastics team in high school. And you're married. And your son's not interested in gymnastics and you're pushing him into gymnastics."

See? Gold.

Of course that wasn't the idea they ended up with. But they did spend an episode procrastinating while trying to write.

Because it's a show, and not real (or is it?), you wouldn't expect Jerry and George to have a plan, a strategy. You would expect them to wing it, for our amusement.

But if you are writing your own script, winging it won't help you at all. You need an idea, an outline, a strategy, and a process.

Now go watch season 4, episode 3 "The Pitch" and laugh.

Anyone that knows me know that I love helping others more than anything. If you are trying to figure out how to start that outline and strategy for your sitcom, then we should connect in real life. Reach out on LinkedIn or email me at eddie@ewilders.com

And before we get out of here, what newsletter wouldn't be complete without my daughter's latest dad joke...

How do you get a squirrel to like you?

Act like a nut.