The Sitcom Project Page 4

My Family? The Royle Family?

I like the taxi driver Idea its kinda like the one I had about the drivers.

I'll go with whatever decided. It's always a good exercise to try and work to someone else's brief.

I don't like My Family so I didn't watch it. The Royle Family makes 1. In over 10 years of obsessively watching modern comedies (from 90's - Now) I can only think of one I personally enjoyed. I'm sure there's more, but my point being, since the 90's Men Behaving Badly and Friends was the norm, lads comedy, mates but not family.

I don't watch My Family either, but its still a family based sitcom. How long ago was 2 Point 4 Children?

I agree there isnt many family sitcoms about, but there still not groundbreaking to make nowadays. After You've Gone or what ever its called that new BBC sitcom, isn't that about a family?

You're an argumentative little bastard aren't you, lol?

Do you not want to do a family based sitcom or are you just so determined to get your point across, that I am wrong and we should leave the family sitcom alone in the 70's, when it was perfected and still reflects todays modern families?

lol Sorry, I didn't mean to come across like that. Just trying to say that family sitcoms are still going and I read your point earlier about coming up with something imaginative and new that hasn't really been done before and I just thought you was aiming for this Arrested Development style thing too much.

But yeah, I have nothing against doing a family sitcom, we just need to give it a new edge.

Lol that's ok. It just felt like you were being relentless and I was getting scared. I just really am liking AD at the moment, but your right, I can't let it get in the way of an original idea.

Just look at the difference though between the old fashioned 2.4 Children to something like Shameless.

I was thinking we should make a leap like that. We're the cool young hip kids and there's some fogies working on this project too and there's Charley's input(whatever that is). I just think a family project would be good and I've never considered it before myself so it would be interesting.

This'll sound like Larry Sanders but why don't you do a sitcom about doing a sitcom. If you should write what you know then it would be perfect because what you all have in common is that you want to write a sitcom. Just a thought

P.S. I know third rate Larry Sanders such as Annually Retentive and Extras have done this but that would mean it would be more likely to be commissioned. Then you'll have made a third rate Larry Sanders.

If this argument of such is based upon my idea about the son in law/husband then perhaps I can clariy it a little because I don't see it being a standard family based format; not like 2 point 4 children OR Shamless. Let me explain a liitle more in depth about my idea.

The show as such has the main character who is a bit like a gentle flower that has found a thorn bush has ground around it. He has somehow aloud himself to get swept along by a strong minded girlfriend but she herself is dominated by her even stronger willed family and so he is not only subject to her but also to her family. The young man wants out but the only way he is gonna just clean cut dump her is if he can skip town straight afterwards because the town is too small to be able to avoid her and the never ending fallout that would follow.

So why doesn't he do that? Why don't he just dump her and move away? Well he has his own family of lovable layabouts who runs his favourite pub full of his mates and he doesn't wanna lose that part of his life because he loves it, so it always goes back to him trying to figure out ways to get sacked BUT not sacked in a bad way.......better yet if he could secretively make the company go bust and do it without anyone knowing it was his fault then result, he loses his job without being sacked! These are things he spends alot of time planning.

Of course there are other things. He's had enough of his wife but if he dumps her her Dad will have his balls but the bitch won't leave him for love of money.......so what can he do..hmmm.......it would be great if she cheated on him, he could dump her guilt free and the in laws would be on his side....everyone wins...well just him but thats all that matters, so how can he get his devoted wife to look elsewhere?

So much to plan, and he can't wait a second longer!

So as you can see it is based around a mans relationship with a family but it isn't a 'My Family', 'Royal Family' format, it is edgy and a bit dark the way I envision it to be

Hmm so you want it edgy and dark, see I think we should move away from that, because there's too much of that around now. I think we should do something with lots of gags and strong plots.

Also about the idea of 'writers trying to come up with a sitcom', that is Season 4 of Seinfeld, it really can't be done better than that so best to leave that idea alone.

Hi Martin

This is a group effort so though I initally thought of it being dark and edgy I can see the flip side of the coin, it could be the total opposite and be light and fun in a frank spencer type of way, where this unfortunate soul will try anything to escape and he just can't succeed, or more plot based, abit like Derek Trotter who has lots of great plans but they always fall short of the sun

I think the idea has enough potential to go either way and as a group it would be for us to discuss and decide what would be the best course to take

I meant it should be abouting making a sitcom, including but not exclusively writing it. I don't want to slash any sacred cows here but Larry Sanders is far superior to Seinfield and therefore did do series 4 of Seinfield better than Seinfield.

If your not gonna to look for a common shared interest then I think the sitcom will fail as people will get posessive. However I can't think of many things people share on the forum. Maybe you should just say screw it and think of the most difficult random scenario ever e.g. a man whos an epilectic DJ who shares a flat with a eco terrorist who drives around in a 4x4. Their wacky neighbour is a optimistic manic depressive and they live on a military firing range.

Wow Adam! That's it! That's are sitcom!

Been reading with interest.

Remember that although one or two people first suggested the idea, it has been turned into a group project. So it means that it may not go exactly to everyone's (or indeed anyone's) individual want list, but it still has to satisfy the group as a whole. T'is democracy.

That you'll all be working to a brief that is not your own will be a good experience as it'll make you think beyond your favoured territory. So being too dogmatic won't help you to use this exercise to develop your skills. You're able to state your cases well and give reasonings for and against. Just be prepared to be working on something none of you originally envisaged.

I think Scott has a promising idea, but you may need to ask every one of the writers to pitch an idea or two so that you can fully explore the possible premises open to you.

I'm lucky in that I can sit in the background and watch.