Sitcom template script

Learning how to write a sitcom can open your career to more opportunities and get your ideas on the small screen. But first, you have to master the sitcom structure and format. Skip to main content. No Film School. By Jason Hellerman. September 3, Writing a sitcom means mastering story beats So let' take a closer look. So, it means not perfectly closing any of those loops. This tool is free and easy to use. Our sitcom script example is a great resource for anyone interested in TV writing.

In addition to being a helpful sitcom script template example, we also hope our pilot and treatment are enjoyable to read. Thus, a sitcom script is generally between 25 and 40 pages long. Every sitcom episode has a main plot story A , as well as one or two subplots stories B and C. Sitcoms usually have three main acts divided by two commercial breaks , as well as a teaser scene in the beginning.

Make sure that the problems or challenges of stories A, B and C are wrapped up or have some conclusion by the end of the third act. Buy or download a scriptwriting program or template such as Final Draft or the Screenwright screenplay formatting template. Both programs provide directions on where your margins should be, where the dialogue goes and where your stage directions, scene headings and character descriptions go in the script.

Indicate where the scene is taking place and the time of day. Write the entire scene heading in caps and separate all of the information using a dash. For example, INT. All of your scenes must start with a scene heading. If it did then the episode would be over. So the protagonist must encounter another obstacle. The protagonist can lose every single battle and the war.

He can just bounce around like a pin ball getting hit in the face by life until he falls into a hole in the ground and dies. Another logical reason why protagonists often fail to overcome minor obstacles is because it would be extremely hard to maintain a sitcom about a protagonist who waltzes through every problem for 9 seasons.

You knew that the protagonist had to win in every episode, because to lose would mean getting his head cut off. This was exciting for a while, but after a few seasons there was just no point to watch the show anymore…and it was cancelled.

If your protagonist is going to fail then there needs to be a logical reason why. There are really only two reasons why a protagonist ever fails to achieve their goals. Either the obstacles in front of them are simply insurmountable or the protagonist has a major character flaw. However, if the protagonist has a major character flaw that often gets in his way then his successes and failures will make more sense.

She was a nearly flawless super hero whose brilliant schemes were always complicated by her retarded alter ego, Inspector Gadget. Plus the jokes are funnier. It all adds up to a multi-faceted, entertaining sitcom. However, since it does stick to the same formula every episode it does get a little tedious after a couple of episodes. People watch blockbuster movies to see the protagonist win so they can feel good about themselves.

If the protagonist manages to get past the first sub-obstacle in 30 seconds then just keep putting progressively more difficult sub-obstacles between him and the main obstacle of the episode. Each new sub-obstacle will have to constitute a new scene with its own introductory shot.

Then the protagonist will have to figure out a way to address the new sub-obstacle and then attempt to enact his plan.

The plan will then succeed or fail as is characteristic for the protagonist. A sub-character may go on a rant or the protagonist may force you to watch a Johnny Cash video for three minutes. These obstacles can be completely random and be delivered by a deus ex machina with no foreshadowing or relevance to the story afterwards. Normally this would be a lazy way to structure a story at best or cheating at worst. However, this form of storytelling is often easier for zoned-out television viewers to follow.

They just want to see something amusing happen. After that, have him miss a train and then have him hijack a boat. The protagonist has been working towards his goal for 13 minutes now. Time is running out, and the protagonist is getting desperate.