{"id":1650,"date":"2015-11-01T12:21:48","date_gmt":"2015-11-01T12:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/?p=1650"},"modified":"2026-01-21T10:48:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:48:05","slug":"sitcom-writing-tips-how-to-abc-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/sitcom-writing-tips-how-to-abc-better\/","title":{"rendered":"Sitcom Writing Tips: How to ABC better.."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Our Sitcom Writing<\/a> teachers\u00a0Declan Hill\u00a0and Simon Wright<\/a>\u00a0consider how writing multiple plotlines makes for quickfire, punchy situation comedy. Taking inspiration from the some of the best American comedy shows, they set their Level 2 students the challenge of developing \"A,B,C\" plots of their own. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The American TV network had a horrible slogan a few years back. I remember watching an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where a crying widow squealed this corporate catchphrase through her exploited tears as she reflected on the new home that the network (via the advertising revenue she generated) had built her. \u201cThank you for helping me ABC better,\u201d she wailed. Would she have said that in real life? I doubt it. Everything that is good and bad about America.<\/p>\n

But what American TV does do brilliantly is the speed in which they create three storylines (the A, B and C plots), explore them, play with them, joke them around and then resolve them all in 22 minutes, sometimes 19. Shows like Friends, The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family use their six central characters to maximum effect by pairing them off and giving each of them a problem to solve or an opportunity to lose. We can\u2019t think of a British sitcom that does it with such skill since the demise of Stephen Moffat\u2019s Coupling.<\/p>\n

So we set our Level 2 writing students a task this week \u2013 come up with an ABC episode for your characters. We weren\u2019t looking for anything too detailed, just a straightforward beat sheet. The first student finished hers in just under 13 minutes and the slowest took a still impressive 20.<\/p>\n

A few things were noticeable from the exercise. We\u2019d given them a template to use and the most successful of the episode plots followed it \u2013 there was a tendency to get so far and then veer off in their own direction. While it\u2019s always excellent to experiment and play around with ideas and structure, it\u2019s also good in these circumstances to stick to the rules.<\/p>\n

As those clever people at TV Tropes point out<\/a>, having multiple plots versus a singular storyline will change the theme and tone of the episode. If you\u2019re visiting three storylines in 22 minutes and cutting between each of them, you\u2019re looking for quick-fire, punchy, jokey comedy, while if you opt for a single A plot, like Everybody Loves Raymond, then you\u2019ve got more time to explore your central characters\u2019 emotional response to this episode\u2019s problem, drag up the wounds of the past, throw a couple of dramatic pauses and teary moments in and go into greater depth.<\/p>\n

Singular A plots are more theatrical and are more reminiscent of short plays than their televisual cousins which are more literary in nature. Multi-strand novels happily devote a chapter to each plot-line and use it as a way to keep the audience in suspense, leaving each chapter on a cliffhanger or with unanswered questions.<\/p>\n

Having multiple plot-lines isn\u2019t necessary, but it does show a production company that you can create, explore and resolve a number of stories in one episode. Which will help them to XYZ better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tSITCOM WRITING COURSES \t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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Simon Wright<\/a> is a City Academy Sitcom Writing tutor - City Academy run adult Writing Classes<\/a> across central London, find a class for you below:<\/p>\n

\"simon<\/p>\n


\n- All Writing Classes<\/a>
\n- Sitcom Writing Taster<\/a>
\n- Sitcom Writing Beginners course<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

To see all classes being taught by Simon Wright CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our Sitcom Writing teachers\u00a0Declan Hill\u00a0and Simon Wright\u00a0consider how writing multiple plotlines makes for quickfire, punchy situation comedy. 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