Pilot script with no ideas/intent for production?

(1) Is it OK to write/submit a sitcom pilot for which you have no ideas/intention for making a complete series?

This might seem like a strange question, but a few people have said on here that many open submissions are looking for 'writers' rather than 'projects', and thus a solitary pilot could act as an advertisement for the writer's skills.

(2) Are 'one-offs' ever produced in comedy?

By this I mean a self-contained single episode, which is too short to be a feature-length release, but too long to be a pilot (i.e. in the 40-60 minute range). I've seen it in drama, but not so much with comedy.

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I'm trying to find some use for my previously overly-bantery and dialogue-heavy feature-length script, as it could possibly end up as a reasonably-tight 30-60 Celtx pages; when cut-down from its current 78 pages (at it's peak, it was 129 pages!).

However, I am not interested in changing it from it's current single story, and fragmenting it into individual episodes. I've been told that it is far preferable for individual episodes to be self-contained stories, rather than a story spread over a while series, and I totally can't be arsed with that.

I don't think you have got much to worry about. There are plenty of sitcoms that make it to production that have your preferred, "carrying a plot through a whole series".

Take Mrs Brown for instance. From the first episode of series one its had a story line that its managed to carry right through to the end of series three, and probably will continue to do so in to episode one of series 4.

Quote: SimonWing @ March 6 2013, 10:40 PM GMT

(1) Is it OK to write/submit a sitcom pilot for which you have no ideas

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Most pilots seem like this after a while...

Seriously, before The Office sitcoms seemed on the way out, and now people won't stop subbing them. Books, plays, radio plays and films. There must be more sellable ways to make comedy...

I should imagine most people start off with just a pilot script and no thoughts about subsequent episodes - that was certainly the case with me. If you're then asked to write more, it'll concentrate the mind wonderfully!

I've heard there have been times (although I can't quote any examples) that writers (or more likely their agents) have "sold" the idea of a show to a production company, i.e. all the rights to it. These companies have then gone on to draft in a team of their own writers to work on it.

I'm assuming that these writers had at least the pilot script written to show them that the idea worked in the first place.

When this happens, the original writer usually gets a "created by" credit in the titles.

Of course, saying that, the chances of getting anything produced are slim, so if you feel the script is a good example of your talent, then simply punt it out as your calling card.

Clement and La Frenais thought like this when they produced the Likely Lads pilot. They soon backtracked when someone wanted to turn it into a series...

Quote: Mikey Jackson @ March 7 2013, 6:10 PM GMT

I've heard there have been times (although I can't quote any examples) that writers (or more likely their agents) have "sold" the idea of a show to a production company, i.e. all the rights to it. These companies have then gone on to draft in a team of their own writers to work on it.

I'm assuming that these writers had at least the pilot script written to show them that the idea worked in the first place.

When this happens, the original writer usually gets a "created by" credit in the titles.

Of course, saying that, the chances of getting anything produced are slim, so if you feel the script is a good example of your talent, then simply punt it out as your calling card.

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No.

Yes and no - but mainly no.