A Tale of Two Pilots: Is There Such A Thing As A Far Far Better Thing?

Why do some sitcom pilots feel like a sprint while others feel like a slow crawl?In this episode I manage to apply Newton’s Laws of Motion to the reading of a pilot script, and explain why I stay in motion (that is, continue reading), and what forces act against that motion (boredom, confusion, lack of stakes, small print, andmuch much more).I’m taking a look at two successful major pilots: the highly anticipated The Office spinoff, The Paper (created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman), and the medical sitcom St. Denis Medical (from Superstore creator Justin Spitzer).What You’ll Learn in This Episode:If you’re a writer (or aspiring writer) looking for comedy writing advice to sharpen your own spec sitcom pilot writing, I share a little of the stuff I’ve learned over the time I’ve been doing it (you’re welcome to agree, disagree, ignore, or a little of all three).Watch the pilots of St. Denis Medical and The Paper (preferably before but even after you listen to the episode), then email me with your thoughts at [email protected]. And don’t forget to like and subscribe.