Elephant Bucks. Sheldon Bull
problems later on when you stray too far from what is believable just for the sake of some jokes. Jokes will never sustain you when reality has been tossed out the window.
Sitcoms can be pretty silly. How many times have you watched an episode of a sitcom and thought, “Man, this is pretty dumb,” or “No one I know would ever act like that”?
I don't know about you, but the comedy series that I admired most were the ones that seemed the most real. I respected The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, Barney Miller and Cheers. I aspired to write as well as those series were written.
I also loved The Munsters. Here was a domestic comedy in which all of the regular characters except one were monsters. Main Character Herman Munster was Frankenstein. His wife, Lily, was Vampira. His father-in-law, Grandpa, was Count Dracula and his son, Eddie, was a mini wolf man. I think The Munsters was one of the funniest series ever. I think that within the boundaries of the universe in which The Munsters operated, the series was real. You can be outlandish, even silly, even broad and slapstick, and still be real.
What is “real”?
I remember an episode of The Munsters in which Herman's old army unit was getting together for a reunion. Herman tried on his uniform, and it no longer fit. Sounds pretty believable, doesn't it? Sounds like that episode of The King of Queens. Herman wanted to drop a few pounds before the reunion. Thousands of people have found themselves in the same predicament. You've got a wedding coming up or a high school or college reunion, and suddenly you're calling Jenny Craig. Herman went on a diet. There was just one complication, one obstacle standing in the way of Herman achieving his goal. The reunion was scheduled for right after Thanksgiving. That meant no Thanksgiving feast for Herman. Herman first tried to use will power, but he couldn't control his appetite. Sounds like a very real and believable story, doesn't it? Taking this very normal-sounding story into the universe of The Munsters, Grandpa strapped Herman down on a table in the dungeon while the family went out to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. Herman, crazed with hunger, broke out of his restraints and staggered through the neighborhood, just like Frankenstein's monster, looking for a meal. It was silly, it was broad, it was slapstick, but it was real!
Chandler going up on the Space Shuttle isn't real, because something like that would never happen within the universe of Friends. Herman Munster breaking his chains and roaming crazed through the neighborhood looking for turkey was well within the universe of The Munsters. A story about a man dieting because of vanity is grounded in reality. A story about a yuppie Manhattanite ending up on the Space Shuttle isn't. See what I mean?
When characters stop acting like real people, you take the audience right out of your story. Even when you're writing a sitcom, your audience has to care. They have to feel that what is happening is believable. They must be concerned that things are going to turn out right for the Main Character. This is called ROOTING INTEREST, and you must keep it alive in every scene. It's just like in baseball. The crowd has to be rooting for the home team or no one is going to stick around for the ninth inning. Whether your Main Character is Jerry Seinfeld or Frasier Crane or Herman Munster, if the audience stops caring about what happens to him, you've lost them. Audiences stop caring when they stop believing. Audiences stop believing when the action isn't real.
Herman Munster on a diet is believable. Chandler on the Space Shuttle isn't believable.
After you've decided on an area for your story, stop and ask yourself, “Is this real?” If you aren't sure, ask someone else. Ask your roommate or your girlfriend or boyfriend or your writing teacher. If you pitch them your story and they scrunch up their face, you may need to rethink your idea.
SEE HOW EASY THAT WAS?
You now have some logical guidelines to help you pick the right story for your spec episode. If you look back over the chapter, you have really narrowed it down. You don't have to pluck a story from thin air. You will have to come up with the actual idea that you are going to develop for your spec sitcom episode on your own, but you have your knowledge of the premise of the series to help you. You have your knowledge of the personality of the Main Character. You have your knowledge of the series formula. Your combined knowledge of all these important elements gives you a solid foundation for developing the right story for your spec script.
CHAPTER RECAP — THE ELEPHANT REMEMBERS
The right story for your spec sitcom script is in front of you!
A simple roadmap already exists to lead you to the right story. Define for yourself as completely as possible the premise of the series you have chosen to spec. What's it really about every week? What common themes seem to recur in every episode? Is your series about how proud, chauvinistic Dad needs to learn a lesson in cooperation every week, as on The Bernie Mac Show? Or is your series about an immature and neurotic divorced woman trying desperately to prove that she can manage her own life, as on The New Adventures of Old Christine? The more clearly you can define the premise of your series, the easier it will be for you to write to the premise in your spec sitcom script.
You'll want to do some serious thinking about the Main Character. Who is this guy or gal really? Does your series have an Active or a Reactive Main Character? What are the aspects of the Main Character's personality that makes him or her fun to watch? Why do you like this person? What makes you root for the Main Character to succeed?
You'll want to do some work figuring out the formula of the series you have chosen. Review episodes of the series and notice how the personality of the Main Character combines with the premise of the series to create stories. Is your Main Character an eccentric nut who constantly gets himself or herself into jams pursuing some elusive goal? The New Adventures of Old Christine.
Or is your Main Character a pretty stable person who seems to get stuck solving problems for his or her eccentric family and friends? Everybody Loves Raymond.
In developing your story, use the paints that are already in the tray. Leave the series the way it is and work with what you've already got.
Try testing the premise. See if you can come up with a story that really goes to the heart of what the series is about.
You already know and love the series you have chosen to spec. What story would you most like to tell using these characters and this premise? I'll bet you have a special insight into your favorite series. Can you share that insight in a story?
YOUR “TO DO” LIST
1) Clearly and completely define the premise of the series you have chosen. The premise of any series is the central problem that the characters are trying to work out. The Friends pursued careers and love in an attempt to find their place in the adult world. On The Brady Bunch, Carol Ann and Michael Brady were trying to successfully blend their two families. On The Office, the characters endure the stifling boredom and petty rivalries of the work place. On My Name Is Earl, a former loser is trying to right all the wrongs he has committed in his life. (This is one of the simplest and clearest premises ever for a sitcom, and therefore runs the risk of becoming tiresome.) What is the central problem that the characters on your series are trying to work out? Your spec story should involve the characters in addressing that central problem.
2) Clearly and completely define your Main Character. Is it hard to tell if your Main Character is Active or Reactive? Sometimes it is. The best way I've found to answer that question is to rephrase it: Is your Main Character creating the hubbub in this week's episode or trying to fix it? Try to list as many aspects of your Main Character's personality as you can remember. These are the springboards to your story. What aspects of your Main Character's personality get him or her into trouble every week? Is he or she jealous, competitive, selfish, immature, controlling, lazy, neurotic, naïve, outspoken, dumb, horny? In which situations have you most enjoyed watching your Main Character? When he or she is in a jam? When he or she is pulling off a scam? When he or she is knocked down