tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3153222317920882130..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: What show to spec?By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40042425364527829692012-10-18T14:18:13.533-07:002012-10-18T14:18:13.533-07:00FRIDAY QUESTION--what are the differences in writi...FRIDAY QUESTION--what are the differences in writing a multi-cam show versus a single-cam show? Do you approach each differently? Does either lend itself to different types of jokes or visuals more than the other? <br /><br />Thanks for all the great blogging, Ken!Donn Reichmuthnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6743997290158344332012-10-18T10:00:36.928-07:002012-10-18T10:00:36.928-07:00Friday Question here:
When writing an original sc...Friday Question here:<br /><br />When writing an original script to go with your spec, you've obviously got the challenges of creating a whole new world that the reader isn't going to know about. While there's the benefit of saying imagine a "John Goodman-esque" character, there's still more detail that you need to get across. How can you do this, outside of sharply written dialog? There's room for direction in script, but how much is too much? Is a character sheet at the beginning inappropriate? Etc.Angel Jordannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48304967911303016502012-10-17T20:44:48.665-07:002012-10-17T20:44:48.665-07:00I'm sure this has been asked, but how come we ...I'm sure this has been asked, but how come we never see Norm's wife Vera?Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00760229533287495672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32276523551199278882012-10-17T11:14:03.145-07:002012-10-17T11:14:03.145-07:00I can consolidate two threads running through thes...I can consolidate two threads running through these comments by noting that DWEEBS ran on Friday nights. It came before by a sitcom starring Bonnie Hunt. She went on Letterman's show to promote the series, and he became greatly amused by the fact that it was following by something called DWEEBS. Hunt responded, "I've been following dweebs on Fridays for years."Naddlou 29noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53116623868333352122012-10-16T14:56:13.461-07:002012-10-16T14:56:13.461-07:00Writing spec scripts for antique sitcoms is idioti...Writing spec scripts for antique sitcoms is idiotic. That's like trying to land a gig on Saturday Night Live with sketches written for Milton Berle, circa 1949.Calebnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73379470204947592432012-10-16T10:10:33.517-07:002012-10-16T10:10:33.517-07:00Hi Ken,
I was wondering if you have any insight a...Hi Ken,<br /><br />I was wondering if you have any insight about pitching a show that may be seen as particularly subversive. I've had a few ideas for shows, and I haven't really pursued this in much depth, but in general the feedback I've gotten is that they are funny ideas but either too dark or too irreverent to be on TV. But I'm guessing that shows like South Park were probably received in a similar way before they became hits -- so do you have any advice about how I should approach this, if I decide I do want to try to pitch one of these ideas?Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18292380491615330283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50583071080510159182012-10-15T13:14:34.544-07:002012-10-15T13:14:34.544-07:00Ken, Loved MASH, usually enjoyed Frasier, but I ha...Ken, Loved MASH, usually enjoyed Frasier, but I have to confess I think Good Luck Charlie is quite often hilarious.<br /><br />Sorry, I'll turn in my taste buds now.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13775430353810840374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3760119123955086242012-10-14T07:44:38.147-07:002012-10-14T07:44:38.147-07:00Re: spec scripts. Honest to god, I know someone wh...Re: spec scripts. Honest to god, I know someone whose spec scripts are written for oldies like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie" and "I Love Lucy." Newest thing he's written is a "Golden Girls" script. He cannot be persuaded that this really isn't the best approach to take to get someone to look at your stuff. These aren't the kind of updated takes Mike L. talked about someone doing on "That Girl" in an earlier post. These are just straight "Endora puts a spell on Darrin and Samantha stands in the kitchen yelling, 'Mother, you get back here and take that spell off Darrin immediately' rehashes of the originals.Jannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10522203629787097962012-10-14T00:23:26.260-07:002012-10-14T00:23:26.260-07:00But the "Big Wave Dave's" script I&#...But the "Big Wave Dave's" script I've been working on will get the network juices running, right?Breadbakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53225751227912960602012-10-13T07:31:40.420-07:002012-10-13T07:31:40.420-07:00Dave Creek, it's vanity. It has nothing to do ...Dave Creek, it's vanity. It has nothing to do with what WE need to know from the credits and everything to do with what agents negotiate for their clients to make them feel extra special and important in the credits. That's the only reason you see some people "as Character" or "and so-and-so" or "with such and such as so-and-so" etc. Because their agents negotiated it that was so they'd stand out.DBAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2771418212562080052012-10-13T05:22:44.139-07:002012-10-13T05:22:44.139-07:00I will never understand why people like Modern Fam...I will never understand why people like Modern Family! If they wrote the "jokes" on bats and beat me in the face every other second it would be more subtle and less rapid-fire what they do now! That show is UNBEARABLE!!!Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45912715238141151442012-10-13T04:27:56.401-07:002012-10-13T04:27:56.401-07:00Johnny: You made me think of the opening teaser an...Johnny: You made me think of the opening teaser and credits for the "Super Johnathan" episode of "Buffy". The first time I saw that, I looked at the TV, looked at the joint in my hand, looked back at the TV, and stubbed out the joint. Messed me UP.<br /><br />Cheers, thanks a lot,<br /><br />StormStormnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-92076384665912725902012-10-12T18:28:31.596-07:002012-10-12T18:28:31.596-07:00Gottacook: Joss Whedon was always very clever abou...Gottacook: Joss Whedon was always very clever about "surprise" guests, sometimes working the shock into the pre-credits teaser, or something similar, so the credits themselves didn't spoil anything. Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16452888608136070572012-10-12T17:44:05.789-07:002012-10-12T17:44:05.789-07:00I want to know why it's sometimes the big-name...I want to know why it's sometimes the big-name actors in credits who are identified by their character's names, and not lesser-known ones. I first noticed this on HOMICIDE when Ned Beatty's credit included "as Bolander." Well, yeah -- but other actors as well-known (Yaphet Kotto, Richard Belzer) weren't identified by their names, and neither were lesser-known ones. In the days before IMDB, it was years before I knew which actor was Clark Johnson, for instance.<br /><br />In STAR TREK GENERATIONS, William Shatner was ID'd as "Captain James T. Kirk." Really? Did we really need to be told that?<br /><br />Why aren't the lesser-known actors, the ones we need to be identified, the ones that get those credits?Dave Creeknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18312171568176342992012-10-12T17:38:21.113-07:002012-10-12T17:38:21.113-07:00"John Leader Alfenito asked:
Sometimes, espe...<i>"John Leader Alfenito asked:<br /><br />Sometimes, especially on procedural, the casting tips the plot for me. A familiar character actor, introduced early along with some other cast members, invariably turns out to be the bad guy"</i><br /><br />Amen. I noticed about 20 years ago that on <i>Law & Order</i>, and especially on its spin-offs, that the biggest name in the guest cast not playing a lawyer would be the killer always. D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73829813092511609742012-10-12T17:33:20.306-07:002012-10-12T17:33:20.306-07:00The cast of "dweebs" per IMDb:
Farrah F...The cast of "dweebs" per IMDb:<br /><br />Farrah Forke ... <br />Peter Scolari <br />Stephen Tobolowsky<br />Adam Biesk <br />David Kaufman <br />Holly Fulger Harold Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07803159453346537762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35724390821972895492012-10-12T13:38:06.380-07:002012-10-12T13:38:06.380-07:00Apropos of absolutely nothing:
Once upon a time in...Apropos of absolutely nothing:<br />Once upon a time in 1995, there was a programme called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dweebs_%28TV_series%29" rel="nofollow">Dweebs,</a> about a start-up computer software company. It wasn't very funny, but as a programmer who had worked for such companies, I thought: "Aha! At last my people have a programme."<br /><br />The programme milked a single joke: that programmers are socially dysfunctional. So the company hires its first (female) secretary who hides her total ignorance of computers to get the job. The (male) programmers cover for her in return for her assistance in helping them to integrate into society (get dates).<br /><br />Well, not surprisingly, the programme was cancelled after six episodes. And twelve years later, the exact same premise is reworked to great success as <i>The Big Bang Theory</i>. I guess execution is everything. Or is it timing?Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67468398663523092782012-10-12T13:31:15.987-07:002012-10-12T13:31:15.987-07:00***FRIDAY QUESTION***
Ken, being the lighthearted...***FRIDAY QUESTION***<br /><br />Ken, being the lighthearted stage classic that it is, was there ever any discussion or kicking around the idea of trying to riff on O'Neill's comedy epic "The Iceman Cometh" at "Cheers"?Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00107309396839340695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13617402093698444352012-10-12T13:18:59.222-07:002012-10-12T13:18:59.222-07:00Steve: The networks gave up on Friday and Saturday...Steve: The networks gave up on Friday and Saturday nights when they decided that anyone over 49 was not worth programming for.<br /><br />A relative of the "big-name murderer" is the "big-name victim." If a famous person dies very early, and--this is crucial--we are not shown the body, it's a 90% probability that he'll turn up alive at 10:50 (and as a bonus may be the actual murderer as well).cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85404091305749776622012-10-12T12:39:17.027-07:002012-10-12T12:39:17.027-07:00Hi Ken,
Love your blog. I have a great concept fo...Hi Ken,<br /><br />Love your blog. I have a great concept for a sit com that I would like to pitch. Is there any way someone like me, with nothing more than a great idea and a dream of hitting it big in tinsel town, could somehow wrangle a meeting with network suits to pitch my Idea?Ericnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70641601845254590522012-10-12T11:35:57.099-07:002012-10-12T11:35:57.099-07:00"Now that networks squeeze the end credits, g..."Now that networks squeeze the end credits, good luck getting actors to agree to have their credits placed there": Absolutely. But I'm still curious as to when guest actor credits started appearing at the beginning (and stopped appearing <i>only</i> at the end), which predated the more recent phenomenon of squeezed end credits and/or ads during end credits.gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75793486201253334252012-10-12T10:50:54.307-07:002012-10-12T10:50:54.307-07:00My Friday Question: When watching Wings I'll ...My Friday Question: When watching <i>Wings</i> I'll sometimes notice Tony Shalhoub trying not to laugh - which makes me laugh even more. As a director, would you generally reshoot the scene or leave the genuine "fun" intact? I know these make for some of the most beloved scenes in <i>The Carol Burnett Show</i>, but that was live and the option to reshoot wasn't available.Janicenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91852097504529848802012-10-12T10:30:02.365-07:002012-10-12T10:30:02.365-07:00The other problem is if a familiar actor appears t...The other problem is if a familiar actor appears to have been killed off early in a show's history, we know he or she isn't really gone. (Hello, Michael Rapaport on "The Mob Doctor," and just about everybody on "Revenge.")BigTednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47003115190305659602012-10-12T10:19:52.648-07:002012-10-12T10:19:52.648-07:00Actors aren't like you and me. Who would have ...Actors aren't like you and me. Who would have guessed that playing a murderer would be considered better than playing a red herring?Paul Dushkindnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60002760696640963552012-10-12T10:13:59.823-07:002012-10-12T10:13:59.823-07:00Regarding the guest villain:
I remember Henry Wi...Regarding the guest villain: <br /><br />I remember Henry Winkler doing a guest spot on LAW & ORDER: SVU back in 2002; he played a husband who comes home one night and finds his wife murdered. He appeared in the pre-credit sequence, then was interviewed by the cops in the first scene after the credits. Then we didn't see him again for the rest of the first half hour. During the half hour commercial break, I thought "Why would they hire somebody as famous as Henry Winkler, pay him a big fee, then have him disappear after a few minutes? He must be the murderer."<br /><br />And I was right.Tim Dunleavyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01881671137563687203noreply@blogger.com