Sitcom Writer Answers Your Questions

[Sitcomics]

Hey everybody!

Ever wonder how sitcoms are made or what it's like to work on one? Well, my name's Darin Henry, I've been writing and producing sitcoms for 20 years and I thought it would be fun to start a thread where I could answer any questions my fellow TV fans have about what it's like behind the scenes on a sitcom.

I've written for Seinfeld, Futurama, Muppets Tonight, The Ellen Show and many other shows that, based on their ratings, were a lot more fun to write than to watch. I also lived in London for a few years and wrote for several BBC1 series including the top-rated but little-exported show My Family. I'm currently a writer and co-executive producer on KC Undercover, a new Disney comedy about a family of spies (premiering January 18th) . So go ahead and throw me your questions and I'll try to answer as many of them as possible.

hope to hear from you soon,

Darin

[Dude111]

My question is WHY ARE THEY MUCH WORSE NOW THAN THEY USED TO BE IN THE 80s and earlier??

Welcome to sitcomsonline

[robyrob]

I loved "My Family"

my question is: Are you really Bruce Villanch?

[Sitcomics]

Great questions!

@robyrob, thanks. It was a fun job and a dream gig for an Anglophile like me.

@dude111, back in the good old days, the networks (abc, cbs and nbc) were the buyers. The studios (fox, Warner bros, paramount, Sony, disney/touchstone, universal, etc.) were the sellers. When fox became a network, the rules had to change to allow a seller to also buy. Once that changed, disney bought abc and nbc and and cbs started to produce shows too. The final straw was when networks could buy from their own studios allowing them to own their hits and rake in big bucks in syndication. But that only happens if you create hits and the hits have been few and far between.

The problem to me is that some of the biggest comedy hits of the 70s and 80s were by "boutique studios" like Witt/thomas, Carsey/Werner, DLT and castle rock. Comedy is a very specific thing and small companies were better at helping creators realize their visions. If a network wanted to ruin an idea then studios could say no and sell the show to another network. For sample, NBC didn't want michael j fox on family ties. They didn't think he'd look good on a lunchbox. Gary Goldberg wanted him and paramount backed their producer and threatened to take the show to cbs. Nbc caved and m.j. fox helped make family ties a huge hit. That's a story I was told by the former head of paramount TV.

When networks started selling to themselves, the smaller companies went away and no one was left to stand up to bad network notes/"fixes".

@alanbradyshair, the job is almost exactly the same. The reference jokes are different but I don't usually write those jokes and My Family rarely called for them.

[principehomura]

Originally Posted by Sitcomics

@dude111, back in the good old days, the networks (abc, cbs and nbc) were the buyers. The studios (fox, Warner bros, paramount, Sony, disney/touchstone, universal, etc.) were the sellers. When fox became a network, the rules had to change to allow a seller to also buy. Once that changed, disney bought abc and nbc and and cbs started to produce shows too. The final straw was when networks could buy from their own studios allowing them to own their hits and rake in big bucks in syndication. But that only happens if you create hits and the hits have been few and far between.

The problem to me is that some of the biggest comedy hits of the 70s and 80s were by "boutique studios" like Witt/thomas, Carsey/Werner, DLT and castle rock. Comedy is a very specific thing and small companies were better at helping creators realize their visions. If a network wanted to ruin an idea then studios could say no and sell the show to another network. For sample, NBC didn't want michael j fox on family ties. They didn't think he'd look good on a lunchbox. Gary Goldberg wanted him and paramount backed their producer and threatened to take the show to cbs. Nbc caved and m.j. fox helped make family ties a huge hit. That's a story I was told by the former head of paramount TV.

When networks started selling to themselves, the smaller companies went away and no one was left to stand up to bad network notes/"fixes".

Thanks, finally a great explanation.

I see that studios are now looking to create instant-hits.
We see good-looking actors and "cutting-edge" (sorry for the word, English is not my first language and I can't find a better one now) shows.
My question is: why they made sitcoms that seems to be enjoyable just for a young audience (let's say 18-30)?

Is it because of internet and social media (and the almost free publicity they could get on that?

[Mace Dolex]

What is your opinion on live audience mult-cam sitcoms versus single cam sitcoms? which do you think has a longer longevity?

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by principehomura

Thanks, finally a great explanation.

Yes somewhat of a good one....

[factsoflife]

I see that you wrote for Grosse Pointe, I loved that show and I was wondering if you feel that the WB gave up on that show too quickly? It was a well written, hilarious show. I feel like if it had been given more time it could have become a big hit. Was that a challenging series to work on? Since it was supposedly heavily based on "Beverly Hills, 90210" did you ever heard any negativity or response from the cast of 90210 about the show and how they felt about it?


What is the biggest difference between getting a show on the air now as opposed to 10-15 years ago? Sitcoms in particular seem to be less popular than they used to be, do you foresee a time when the traditional multi-camera sitcom returns to dominance as the most popular comedy format on TV?

[Sitcomics]

@principehomura, the reason comes down to the perception that younger viewers (18-34) are most attractive to advertisers because they are presumed to be more open to trying new products or brands. Anyone younger than that isn't buying most items, anyone older than that has already found the brand they are happy with and will be less likely to change.

Unfortunately, the most sought after audiences are also the ones who have found other things to do with their time than watch TV. This is why the bar for what's considered to be "good ratings" continues to sink lower every year.

@Mace Dolex, my opinion is that the style and premise of a show should dictate whether it's multi- or single-cam. Frequently, a show is ordered as a single-cam that could easily be multi-cam but since multi-cam is considered old-fashioned within network executive circles, writers and studios pitch ideas as single cam hoping it'll improve their chances of getting on the air.

@factsoflife, Grosse Pointe was probably my favorite writing experience so thanks for remembering it so fondly. I loved pretty much every thing about it and the writers I met on that show include some of my closest friends to this day. The timeslot was the biggest hurdle on that show. We premiered after Sabrina the Teenaged Witch which was hardly a compatible lead-in for a witty single-cam satire about making a Hollywood soap opera. The 90210 cast weren't, to my knowledge, unhappy with Grosse Pointe but the pilot was altered to avoid offending Aaron Spelling.

As for selling a new sitcom, it's harder than ever, particularly for multi-cam and I don't see that trend reversing any time soon. I feel fortunate to have a job because I really love writing sitcoms and hope to do it for many years to come.

[treky]

did you also write for COMMUNITY. THAT 70S SHOW and 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN? If so, what were the casts of those shows like behind the scenes? Because my cousin worked on all 3 shows and he says the COMMUNITY cast was really nasty especially Chevy Chase who he says was "a really nasty S.O.B.", most of the "70s" cast was the same way, but the "3RD ROCK" cast was the complete opposite. Is that true, or is my cousin just "blowing smoke up my ***?"

[hugeFOLfan87]

Sitcomics what is your opinion on the state of sitcoms today i try to watch some but just cannot get through them i'm 27 years old and prefer to watch classic sitcoms especially ones from the 80's.

[factsoflife]

Originally Posted by Sitcomics

As for selling a new sitcom, it's harder than ever, particularly for multi-cam and I don't see that trend reversing any time soon. I feel fortunate to have a job because I really love writing sitcoms and hope to do it for many years to come.

It's ironic though that the most popular sitcom on TV "The Big Bang Theory" is also a multi-camera; and does very well with the 18-49 demo. I don't get why that show hasn't proven that multi-cams are viable. Even more ironic that aside from Modern Family few, if any single cams have broken through to become massive hits. I mean, NBC's multi-cams were hardly ever ratings winners, 30 Rock, Parks & Rec and The Office had very small audiences.

[bh7812]

Originally Posted by factsoflife

It's ironic though that the most popular sitcom on TV "The Big Bang Theory" is also a multi-camera; and does very well with the 18-49 demo. I don't get why that show hasn't proven that multi-cams are viable. Even more ironic that aside from Modern Family few, if any single cams have broken through to become massive hits. I mean, NBC's multi-cams were hardly ever ratings winners, 30 Rock, Parks & Rec and The Office had very small audiences.

Exactly! I firmly believe multi cam comedies absolutely do still have a place on network TV. I believe with the right creative peopl, cast and crew you can still get a true smash hit on the level of some 80s and 90s multi cams. But, it has to be the exact right equation or it seems like it won't happen. Worse yet in recent years is it seemed like a lot of the creative people-executive producers, producers, directors and crews had left network TV entirely. Turns out a ton of the names I recognize from 80s and especially 90s stuff landed on cable shows. Quite a few creative people from that period are on Disney Channel shows. Tgif lives on there now..only difference is the shows are on every night of the week now.

We need a few really good multi cams in the spirit of those past hits right now badly. I do enjoy "Mike and Molly" which I think is fantastic, "2 and a Half Men" whose time has honestly come after a long run and should have ended a few seasons ago, "Anger Management" which I've enjoyed Charlie Sheen in far more than the role he played on 2.5 men, and "Big Bang Theory" which is also quite good. Oh I can't forget "Last Man Standing" though I have yet to sit down and fully watch the first 3 seasons of it, which I got for Christmas the bits I've seen of it here and there have been laugh out loud funny. Of all the multi cams in now that reminds me most of the 90s ones. I've really been pulling for that show. So, there's some hope for multi cams but we need more. I've always preferred multi cams since you can hear audience reactions-what works and what doesn't. 97 percent of what's on now I just can't watch..it just doesn't look good to me. I know the current stuff has its audience but I really hope to see more multi cams eventually.

[Sitcomics]

@treky, never worked on any of those shows and I'm pleased to say most of my Hollywood experiences (20+ years) have been outstanding when it comes to both cast and crew. Your question makes me think of a writers' room adage about the relationship between writer/producers and their casts. In season 1, they work for you. In season 2, you work together. In season 3, you work for them. It's not that clearly defined but there is some truth to it. The trick is to last until season 3.

@hugeFOLfan, I write and produce a show during the day, then race home to spend time with my two young kids until they go to bed and then I spend another three or four working on my publishing company. It don't add up to much free time for TV viewing. The sad thing is so few comedies have become bona fide hits that it's hard to feel like I'm missing much.

@factsoflife & @bh7812, I agree. The really frustrating thing is that kids still watch a ton of multi-cams and really love them but when they graduate out of that demo, they're bombarded with a bunch of less fun single-camera comedies that don't resemble what they think of as sitcoms. I'm guessing a lot of Big Bang's college-age viewers grew up watching Hannah Montana, iCarly and Wizards of Waverly Place and don't feel like multi-cams are beneath them.

[tiredmike59]

Would you be needing an idea for a new sitcom by any chance?