SITCOM SUCCESS: What Kind of TV Pilot Should You Write?
To write a successful sitcom pilot, one should decided first what type of pilot to write. Join Marilyn Horowitz in Part 3 of Sitcom Success.
If you have ever wondered if you could write a perfect pilot fast---the answer is yes! Join Marilyn Horowitz for: Sitcom Success: The Perfect Pilot in 30 Days. This 10-part series will guide you through the creation of a sitcom pilot that sells!
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There are two types of sitcom pilots. The first is the concept pilot. In this kind of pilot, we meet the characters for the first time. For example, in Frasier, Frasier returns to his hometown and takes a job as a radio psychologist. In addition, his father moves in with him. The main character brings us into a new world, and we all get to know it together.
The other kind of pilot is the premise pilot. In this kind of pilot, we meet the characters in medias res—that is, we drop in on them in an ongoing situation. In Cheers, Sam already has the bar, he has his bar denizens, and then Diane comes crashing in, and she provides for conflict and complications. But Sam remains the main character.
So, what type of pilot are you writing? This depends on the premise you’ve selected.
If you’re at all unclear, I suggest that you write two short paragraphs about your sitcom, one as if it were a concept pilot, the other as if it were a premise pilot. This will give you some insight into the best choice for you, and will help you when you are take the next step: finding your story.
Here’s to your successful writing!
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
- More articles by Marilyn Horowitz
- Sitcom Success: Find Your Premise
- Download your FREE TV Pilot Kit to help you create your pilot!
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Marilyn Horowitz is an award-winning New York University professor, author, producer, and Manhattan-based writing consultant, who works with successful novelists, produced screenwriters, and award-winning filmmakers. She has a passion for helping novices get started. Since 1998 she has taught thousands of aspiring screenwriters to complete a feature length screenplay using her method. She is also a judge for the Fulbright Scholarship Program for film and media students. In 2004 she received the coveted New York University Award for Teaching Excellence. Professor Horowitz has written several feature-length screenplays. Her production credits include the feature films And Then Came Love (2007).
