Writing a comedy for TV isn’t all that difficult. Take some characters that people can either relate to or find intriguing for some reason. If possible, make most of your characters single, because clumsily finding love is comedy gold and make for easy storylines. Sprinkle in some references to things that the “kids” are in to (Lady Gaga, Twitter, Facebook), and you’re well on your way.
What about plots for episodes? That’s easy too. Years of successful comedies are built on one of these hand situations.
• A character takes a drug unwittingly and acts funny, discloses something he or she shouldn’t, and/or gets in trouble because other characters don’t know that it’s the drugs making the character act funny.
• A character overhears something, misinterprets it, and takes action as if he or she heard it correctly. (In the industry, this is known as the Three’s Company plot.)
• A character gets a new boyfriend or girlfriend that everyone else realizes is terrible. Other characters try to subtly tell the newly smitten character, but this usually ends in either misunderstanding or resentment.
• A character tells a lie to make him or herself seem more important or lass of a loser. The character is later confronted with the lie, making him or her look like an even bigger loser. (In the industry, this is known as the Ricky Gervais plot.)
• A character inadvertently says something racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted. He or she is then confronted by the oppressed minority and concocts a defense that makes the character appear more bigoted.
At this point, you may be asking, “but what is the show about?” If you follow these plot outlines, it doesn’t matter. Keep the hijinks coming, and you too can be a successful TV comedy writer.
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