Quote: Mr Writer Like In The Song @ May 16 2012, 5:32 PM BSTEach episode of a sitcom should have the potential to be the first one the viewer watches. You don't want someone turning on at ep 4 and going "I don't understand who these people are". You have to have the explanations on hand in every episode. So why bother writing a whole episode that laboriously wheels everything into position?
Totally agree when it comes to multicam audience sitcoms. But (while obviously you don't want a stale 'setup episode'), if you're creating a show that has an ongoing story, and isn't written on the (wonderful, hilarious, I wish I could write like it) 'Bright/Kauffman/Crane/Linehan Model' (i.e.: joke a second, cut to: surreal pre-recorded illustrations of characters jokes, shot in front of a live studio audience, build around a small lovable cast etc etc), there's nothing wrong with a good setup - and each episode cannot be the first.
There are some excellent comedy series which have been built around a strong narratives - Rise and Fall..., The Book Group, I'm Alan Partridge, Nighty Night etc.
Anyways... If anyone's interested, what I ended up doing was spending a few hours creating a frankenscript, with the funniest scenes from episode two, and some of the introductory components of episode one. Here's hoping it's funny enough and well structured enough to provoke some interest. Thanks again for all the advice.
