Referencing other comedies when pitching?

I'm undecided on whether this is good or bad. There you have your latest masterpiece and are facing the cliff face of pitching once again, but is it sensible to reference previous comedy masterpieces when doing so?

No-one's daft enough to jump straight in with "I've written the next Father Ted / Blackadder / Peep Show" surely, but does it help or hinder if you briefly namecheck a previous show to give a producer a rough idea as to where you're coming from?

One the one hand none of us would want to be pitching a derivative, but I do wonder if the industry is geared that way - come on, it's five minutes since we had a vampire drama / film.

High risk gamble really, but I wonder if it works in our favour or not?

Talk about it in terms of the audience.

I don't know. For me having things compared to other things just seems lazy and tends to put me off. Largely I suppose because things actually advertised as being like other things tends to mean they aren't strong enough to stand on their own.

I guess pitching is a lot different though.

Either way I'd probably steer clear of describing your project as "like X on acid" though!

I would say try and avoid it. If you really need to reference - to describe an aspect of the script, say, rather than the whole thing - make sure you only reference something that's been successful.

... but does it help or hinder if you briefly namecheck a previous show to give a producer a rough idea as to where you're coming from?

More to the point: if you don't bring it up, they will. A common question is: Over the last 5 years or so, your sitcom is most comparable to...? So have a good answer prepared.

If you really need to reference - to describe an aspect of the script, say, rather than the whole thing - make sure you only reference something that's been successful.

That's fairly obvious though, isn't it? If one were pitching a screenplay, referencing parts of Ishtar or Waterworld, wouldn't be advisable.

Quote: don rushmore @ April 18 2010, 12:18 PM BST

That's fairly obvious though, isn't it? If one was pitching a screenplay, referencing parts of Ishtar or Waterworld, wouldn't be advisable.

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Not to everyone. There may be something you love and was even critically acclaimed, but completely bombed.

More to the point: if you don't bring it up, they will. A common question is: Over the last 5 years or so, your sitcom is most comparable to...? So have a good answer prepared.

That may happen with films, but that's not been my experience with sitcoms.

If they've already read it, then it'll be them who bring up any other shows.

Quote: Dolly Dagger @ April 18 2010, 2:55 PM BST

That may happen with films, but that's not been my experience with sitcoms.

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Yes, no producer has ever asked me; they've said shows it reminds them of, but never asked me what sitcom my own script it like.

Not to everyone. There may be something you love and was even critically acclaimed, but completely bombed.

I get where you're coming from, but most producers will be acting first and foremost on a business level, not an artistic one.

Therefore, if one were to reference a film/sitcom that was 'critically acclaimed' but had 'completely bombed', all a producer will hear (rightly or wrongly), is the 'completely bombed' part.

It's really important to make sure that nothing remotely negative creeps into your pitch - whatever the context.

Yes, that's what I was saying. They don't want to hear it likened to something that was a commercial flop.

And as I originally said: you're stating the obvious, of course nobody wants their work, in any respect, linked to a flop. But I think we're going round in circles.

To the OP, if it 'feels right' to mention another sitcom, then mention it. Just don't say you've got an idea very similar to something that's already out there.

I see no problem with it if, like Marc P says, you reference it in terms of the type of audience it will appeal to.

You might want to watch The Player as well.

I don't think it's a good idea to compare your masterpiece with a sitcom that's known. For instance if you said it's rather like 'Out Numbered' whereby it's a family with troublesome kids, why would any company want a similar one?
Is it not better to say that you can't think of one similar, 'mine' is rather different?