Are Your Plots Too Obvious?

I was watching an episode of One Foot In The Grave the other day, the one with the dead scorpion and the pools collector. I've seen it many times over the years but David Renwick plants a scene where a lad nearly runs over her on a bike. The audience thinks that the person being carried to the ambulance is the woman, before revealing it is in fact the mugger. Very simple but effective in hiding the payoff scene.

There are parts of my writing where I think I'm revealing too much in a plot and need to find a way of hiding it further so the audience don't figure it out quite so easily. Like where you want a casual remark to turn out to be more important than a longer conversation someone is having. Have the viewer thinking, "Oh yeah, they mentioned that. I didn't think anything of it."

Anyone else trying to make their plots less obvious?

I try to do longer stuff and interweave inbetween the short gags, the advantage of course then is rewatchability if your clever about it you can mention a joke that appears later on and no one will notice on the first watch but then pick it up on the second watch. In the Animated Comedy I'm writing with the guys we do quite a few of these and they work really well, we done a few that span a number of episodes also which rewards "the audience" that stays with the show, but not being to "IN" that new people cant get in on the gag.

I think this is one of the hardest things.
You've got to set it up otherwise it comes from nowhere , but you don't want to telegraph it.
Renwick is the best at it, IMHO.
Sullivan tends to think of a great scene (eg Fools & Horses:Batman & Robin) and works out how he'd get there, then covers his tracks.
Sometimes I overwrite the set-up then nibble away at it, to see how much I can get away with not saying. Often during this process you come up with 'smarter' ways of setting it up, so it's worthwhile.
And don't forget, hardened comedy hacks like us are looking for the set up.
The average viewer will probably give you a bit more benefit of the doubt.
Not much though!

See: Arrested Development.

Arrested Development was only tainted because of Fox though, have you see how many plots they had to abandon when they cut down the episodes for 20 to 13? They had to tie up loose plot ends in a shorter time so couldn't really focus on the new plots. I still love Season 3, with all the Mr F stuff etc and any show that takes shots at the very network it's been broadcast on with the episode Save The Bluths is just fantastic. I just love AD development really, but yeah you all know that already.

Plot is, unfortunately for comedy writers, essential. I hate writing plot because I find it difficult to come up with good plot.

The good news though, is, there are different styles of equally rewarding plot.

In 'One Foot In The Grave' or 'Only Fools And Horses', the characters are so very well-defined that the plots are the major obstacle for the writers. We know how Vicor or Del Boy etc. will react, so think of a situation they will react comedically well in. In fact, give them any situation, a funeral, a wedding, an auction, a holiday etc. and the plot comes from them. My point being in these sitcoms is how does CHARACTER A respond to SITUATION A. Consequently, how does funny SITUATION A come about? Well, it comes about due to CHARACTER A being involed. Comedy character and comedy situation become like a chicken-and-egg situation. But, overall, you'll find it easier to evolve a plot and its twists out of your good characterisations rather than impose your characters on a fixed plot. Plots kill comedy, but comedy characters resurrect plots into good comedy.

I realise I'm being pretentious...

The other way to go is to say, "I'll let plot go to buggery, my characters are that strong". Big mistake. (Mostly) Everyone cites 'The Office' as unconventional, ground-breaking, genius. It is. But Merchant & Gervais (that's the way I order them, Merchant growing up a Bristol Boy like myself) actually did a lot of sitcom plot, not just over series plot-arcs, but within episodes. Watch how they used the 'mockumentary' talking heads to set-up plot points within each episode, and how plot always followed character. OK, they didn't want a "suddenly turns out to be..." twist towards the end of each episode, but they took you on some form of journey through plot, which, in turn, was led by a character trait.

Phew!

Very clear and to the point.
Plot is, as you say, character.
And if the plot comes about because of the characters foibles ie Victor's grumpiness, Del's desire to better himself, Brents desire to be loved - then the plot is satisfying because they are being hoist by their own petard ( whatever the hell a petard is). If things just 'happen' to characters it's all a bit random and distressing ( Which is why I don't ACTUALLY rate Charles Dickins that much - far too many random disasters).
Ohh! I do love a bit of theory over breakfast.