Guest Author - Amy Ralston Young

Perseverance. That is 80 percent of what you need to become a successful sitcom writer. The other 20 percent is comprised of an idea, humor, and actors who can pull off your story. Over the next few weeks, this section will feature articles on how to write your own sitcom. Articles will cover topics such as the history of sitcoms, character types, broad plot ideas, what has worked in the past and what has failed, as well as other areas to jump-start your way to success.

Situational Comedies, a viewer’s brief history

Sitcoms, or situational comedies, first rose to popularity with the radio. Night after night families would gather around to listen to the newest adventures, often misadventures, of Gracie Allen and George Burns, or Amos ‘n’ Andy. With the invention of the television, these shows and countless other sitcoms became the staple of American family life.

Over the next four decades, sitcoms took over the airwaves with hits such as I Dream of Jeanie, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Brady Bunch, and Happy Days. Many shows explored the plights of average families like Leave it to Beaver, Family Ties, and Growing Pains. Other shows broke new ground dealing with subjects such as divorce, race relations, and adoptions. All in the Family, One Day at a Time, the Jeffersons, Different Strokes, Webster, and Punky Brewster made television characters seem closer to reality. Other shows hit the far end of the reality spectrum such as The Adams Family, The Munsters, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, and Bewitched.

Sitcoms such as The Golden Girls, All in the Family, and Three’s Company were so popular that producers were able to create new shows, or spin-offs, using background characters. Empty Nest, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons were a few of these successful spin-offs, where as Checking In, Gloria, The Ropers, and The Golden Palace lacked the appeal of the originals and soon fizzled out.

Sitcoms took a beating in the ratings department with the sudden interest in “reality TV,” crime dramas, and game shows, but long-running staples Friends, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond and Will and Grace were able to hold strong.

Over the past few years, sitcoms have turned to more dysfunctional lead characters to capture audiences. My Name is Earl follows Earl as he tries to right the many wrongs he has done in order to restore good karma. The Office centers on a clueless supervisor and his underlings, each with their own quirks. Audiences of Arrested Development watch as Michael Bluth tries to keep his family’s company afloat, while keeping tabs on his money-hungry sister, jail-evading father, and the remainder of his dysfunctional clan.

Today sitcoms are making a strong comeback. The common factors of their success? Each successful show has characters the public can relate to (even if they are a little more animated versions), plots that the public can relate too, and actors who can pull of their storylines.