Looking for Laughs

Tired of Sitcom Bombs, Networks
Try Novel Ways of Generating Ideas

By Brooks Barnes
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

For decades, new TV shows were the product of a rigid Hollywood formula: Networks would typically order up pilot scripts in October and summon a pool of established writers to deliver them in December. After shooting the first pilot episodes by April, the networks would decide which shows to buy in May and then start full-scale production for the important fall TV season launch.

But broadcast executives are increasingly blaming this old methodology for the lack of blockbuster new programs, particularly sitcoms. For the first time in years, they are reaching well beyond the time-worn system for original content.

Fox, for instance, has teamed up with the University of California, Los Angeles, to offer a course called How to Create a Television Series. Fox expects the class, offered as part of the school's Master of Fine Arts program, to yield bona fide development deals. Several months ago, the network also launched Naked TV, a project where scripts from first-time writers get a test-run onstage as plays.

Bravo, meanwhile, is working on "Situation: Comedy," a reality show in which aspiring writers compete to pitch their script to network executives-for real. The slogan: "Where will television find its next great comedy hit? From you." Even talent scouts are in on the act. William Morris Agency is currently gearing up for a TV festival in New York whose main purpose is to find young new writers.

Fridays Off

The industry's anxiousness to pursue such unorthodox channels for material is an indication of just how starved it is for good programming. While the broadcast networks have had early success with quirky dramas this season, hit sitcoms-which can gush profits in syndication-have been scarce. "Listen Up," a high-profile comedy on CBS starring Jason Alexander, is a ratings dud. And ABC's Friday night "TGIF" comedy block is down a steep 34% this season in total viewers compared with a year ago. Given the cool sitcom climate, NBC has taken a cautious approach: This season, the network is airing half its usual number of comedies.

Sitcoms have suffered droughts before, notably in the early 1980s, when the airwaves were jammed with prime-time soaps and spinoffs of existing shows. This time around, the genre is being hit particularly hard by the reality-TV boom. Compared with that gimmicky fare, the traditional workplace comedy or living-room sitcom has begun to look a bit stale, especially to younger viewers.

"People are craving comedy that doesn't come in the same old cookie-cutter format," says Leigh Brillstein, director of TV talent for International Creative Management.

Because some of the latest avenues don't involve full-scale production costs, they also stand to cushion the financial risk for networks. Under traditional formulas, a pilot could cost as much as $9 million.

Already, some of the newer efforts are showing signs of early success. Following the lead of the cable show "Project Greenlight," a contest launched in 2000 by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to nurture aspiring filmmakers, "Situation: Comedy" is generating lots of creative sparks. Co-executive producer Arnold Shapiro says novice writers submitted 7,000 scripts for the competition, or about 4,500 more than anticipated. Fox is developing two sitcoms-one about rival cheerleading coaches in a small town is called "Dirtbags"-that bubbled up through its Naked TV initiative.

Perhaps the most ambitious new effort is a spin on the traditional film festival. William Morris Agency and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office of film, theater and broadcasting are planning a TV festival this year where the public can screen pilot episodes made by students and independent producers. The hope is that such a forum will allow TV executives to spot a hit amid material that might not otherwise land on their desks. William Morris is close to inking a sponsorship deal for the festival with TV Guide, say people on both sides.

Unconventional Gems

Festivals have certainly helped the movie industry find unconventional gems such as "The Blair Witch Project," and last summer's shark thriller "Open Water." But film festivals were designed to showcase big-screen movies, not TV series, which can be much more difficult to size up in a festival setting. A movie is basically a finished product, whereas a TV pilot is more of a roadmap for subsequent episodes. It is a high burden in a festival environment, because entrants won't have the luxury of script revisions and casting changes that are inevitable with TV pilots.

That is the point, say the festival organizers. "We want to showcase raw ideas that might never make it past a network pitch meeting because they're hard to visualize on paper or sound too risky," says Terence Gray, the festival's director.

Even so, it is far from clear whether any of these efforts will result in successful shows. Developing a new series can take years. Moreover, the attempts to develop fresh talent have angered some Hollywood writers, who feel they're being blamed unfairly for the creative slump and already are upset at the broadcast networks for running so much reality programming. Other writers and producers say the networks and studios are simply trying to worm out of paying union prices.

"It's great to go looking for fresh talent, but it takes experienced writers to turn a good idea into a commercially viable show," says veteran sitcom writer Jeffrey Hodes, who is currently working on the successful sitcom "According to Jim" for ABC.