Download or read book Beyond Sitcom written by Antonio Savorelli and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2010-04-27 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the mechanisms that have driven the evolution of televisual comedy from the classic sitcom, a genre deeply rooted in its theatrical origins, toward a more mature stage of television's history. It analyzes four comic series--Scrubs, The Office, The Comeback, and Ugly Betty--revealing how each separates itself from the traditional sitcom archetype and shows increased awareness of the comic genre. Throughout the author focuses on two cardinal themes: the relationship between comedy and euphoria; and the relationship between comic texts and reality.
Download or read book Writing Television Comedy written by Jerry Rannow and published by Allworth Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Veteran television writer/producer Jerry Rannow gives aspiring and experienced comedy writers a humorous and eye-opening guide to conceiving, writing, and marketing a winning TV sitcom. Drawing on more than twenty-five years' experience, he tells how to construct a story outline, structure and format scripts, develop character and dialogue, pitch to producers, collaborate with other writers, and work with network and studio executives, producers, directors, agents, writers, and stars. Full of laughs and profitable tips for making a living in the business, this book is an invaluable tool for any writer who wants to break into TV comedy. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
Download or read book Comic Visions written by David Marc and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comic Visions by David Marc is the most influential critical history of American television comedy. This Second Edition updates the subject matter and takes into account how new technology, especially cable TV, has affected this popular form of home entertainment.Marc examines the roots of television comedy beginning with the influence of Vaudeville, cinema and radio on the variety shows and sitcoms of the 1940's and 1950's. He then moves into television's response to the turbulent 1960's and the great expansion of situational comedy popular in the 1970's. A completely new chapter looks at recent developments such as Comedy Central and the proliferation of stand-up comedy and also includes an engaging analysis of why shows like Seinfeld and The Simpsons are such major hits in the 1990s.Witty, lucid, and engaging, Marc combines historical research with cultural analysis to provide a study of television comedy that is deeply rooted in the diversity in American society.
Download or read book Television Comedy Series written by Joel Eisner and published by Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland. This book was released on 1984 with total page 888 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Guide to the syndicated sitcoms
Download or read book Satire TV written by Jonathan Gray and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2009-04 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work examines what happens when comedy becomes political, and politics become funny. A series of original essays focus on a range of programmes, from 'The Daily Show' to 'South Park'.
Download or read book Popular Film and Television Comedy written by Frank Krutnik and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-10-19 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steve Neale and Frank Krutnik take as their starting point the remarkable diversity of comedy's forms and modes - feature-length narratives, sketches and shorts, sit-com and variety, slapstick and romance. Relating this diversity to the variety of comedy's basic conventions - from happy endings to the presence of gags and the involvement of humour and laughter - they seek both to explain the nature of these forms and conventions and to relate them to their institutional contexts. They propose that all forms and modes of the comic involve deviations from aesthetic and cultural conventions and norms, and, to demonstrate this, they discuss a wide range of programmes and films, from Blackadder to Bringing up Baby, from City Limits to Blind Date, from the Roadrunner cartoons to Bless this House and The Two Ronnies. Comedies looked at in particular detail include: the classic slapstick films of Keaton, Lloyd, and Chaplin; Hollywood's 'screwball' comedies of the 1930s and 1940s; Monty Python, Hancock, and Steptoe and Son. The authors also relate their discussion to radio comedy.
Download or read book Saturday Night Live written by Arie Kaplan and published by Lerner Publishing Group. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1975 Saturday Night Live came out of the gate swinging, with a daring, bold, and rebellious vibe that was new to television back then. With a cast of comedic actors known as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, television producer Lorne Michaels launched a style of live television comedy that appealed specifically to young viewers with a taste for questioning authority?and that style stood the test of time. From hilarious characters?the Conehead family, Wayne Campbell, the Spartan cheerleaders, the Target Lady, and Stefon?to impressions of US presidents and politicians performed with spot-on precision, the late-night comedy show has shaped American comedy for four decades. With millions of loyal fans across a wide range of viewership demographics, Saturday Night Live has made a significant impact on American culture. It introduced catchphrases such as "Well, isn?t that special?" and "More cowbell!" It influenced public opinion through satirical political sketches and news commentary. It provided rich material for box office hits such as The Blues Brothers and Wayne?s World. It created megastars out of dozens of comedians. And in the process, the show earned an impressive roster of accolades including thirty-six Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. It's been ranked as one of the greatest shows of all time and has been inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Discover how the SNL brand of raucous humor has stayed meaningful and fresh over the years and continues to draw audiences today.
Download or read book Music in Comedy Television written by Liz Giuffre and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-03-27 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of television and music has expanded greatly in recent years, yet to date no book has focused on the genre of comedy television as it relates to music. Music in Comedy Television: Notes on Laughs fills that gap, breaking new critical ground. With contributions from an array of established and emerging scholars representing a range of disciplines, the twelve essays included cover a wide variety of topics and television shows, spanning nearly fifty years across network, cable, and online structures and capturing the latest research in this growing area of study. From Sesame Street to Saturday Night Live, from Monty Python to Flight of the Conchords, this book offers the perfect introduction for students and scholars in music and media studies seeking to understand the role of music in comedy onscreen and how it relates to the wider culture.
Download or read book Sitcom Writers Talk Shop written by Paula Finn and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-09-22 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Behind every great television show is a group of professionals working at the top of their games—but no one is more important than the writers. And while writing comedy, especially good comedy, is serious business—fraught with actor egos, demanding producers, and sleepless nights—it also can result in classic lines of dialogue. Sitcom Writers Talk Shop: Behind the Scenes with Carl Reiner, Norman Lear, and Other Geniuses of TV Comedy is a collection of conversations with the writers responsible for some of the most memorable shows in television comedy. The men and women interviewed here include series creators, show runners, and staff writers whose talent and hard work have generated literally millions of laughs. In addition to Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show) and Lear (All in the Family), this book features in-depth interviews with: James L. Brooks (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons) Al Jean (The Simpsons, The Critic) Leonard Stern (The Honeymooners, Get Smart) Treva Silverman (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) Ken Estin (Cheers) Matt Williams (Roseanne, Home Improvement) Dava Savel (Ellen) Larry Charles (Seinfeld) David Lee (Frasier) Phil Rosenthal (Everybody Loves Raymond) Mike Reiss (The Simpsons) From these conversations, readers will learn that the business of writing funny has never been all laughs. Writers discuss the creative process, how they get unstuck, the backstories of iconic episodes, and how they cope with ridiculous censors, outrageous actors, and their own demons and fears. Sitcom Writers Talk Shop will appeal to fans of all of these shows and may serve as inspiration to anyone considering a life in comedy.
Download or read book TV s Greatest Sitcoms written by Stephen Winzenburg and published by Publishamerica Incorporated. This book was released on 2004-06 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: TV's Greatest Sitcoms is the first comprehensive look at the top situation comedies of the past six decades. From the early hits of I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet and Leave It to Beaver to revolutionary '70s comedies like All in the Family and M*A*S*H, it includes classic recent success stories from Seinfeld to The Osbournes. In all, the book covers over 150 comedies including "The 20 Most Influential Sitcoms of All Time." Behind-the-scenes stories include the author's personal discussions with comedy greats like Mary Tyler Moore, Eddie Albert from Green Acres, Shelly Fabares of Coach, Alan Young from Mr. Ed, and the actors who played Beaver Cleaver, Eddie Haskell, Mike Seaver, Greg Brady, Elly Mae Clampett, Goober Pyle, and Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island. Get the inside story on the death of the sitcom format in 1983 and its resurrection with The Cosby Show or the daycare roots of popular modern comedies like Friends. The book uses ratings information to prove that more people watched The Munsters and Gilligan's Island than any comedy on TV today and debunks the opinion that The Simpsons is now the longest-running comedy in television history. The book also names the ten "worst sitcoms of all time" and the actors who have appeared in the most situation comedy flops.
Download or read book Writing Television Sitcoms revised written by Evan S. Smith and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009-12-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new edition of Writing Television Sitcoms features the essential information every would-be teleplay writer needs to know to break into the business, including: - Updated examples from contemporary shows such as 30 Rock, The Office and South Park - Shifts in how modern stories are structured - How to recognize changes in taste and censorship - The reality of reality television - How the Internet has created series development opportunities - A refined strategy for approaching agents and managers - How pitches and e-queries work - or don't - The importance of screenwriting competitions
Download or read book The Hidden Tools of Comedy written by Steve Kaplan and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A paradigm shift in understanding the mechanics and art of comedy, providing practical tools that help writers translate that understanding into successful, commercial scripts. Kaplan deconstructs secrets and techniques in popular films and TV that work and don't work, and explains what tools were used (or should have been used ).
Download or read book Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy written by Mark Lewisohn and published by . This book was released on 2003-10-02 with total page 900 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE RADIO TIMES GUIDE TO TV COMEDY is a definitive reference guide to over 2,600 comedy programmes screened on British television. This equates to 53 years of BBC1, 32 years of BBC2, 41 years of ITV and 14 years of Channel 4.The first book of its kind, every comedy show that has ever been televised on British television will be given its own entry, from sitcoms to specials and colour series, to black and whites and one-offs. Entries are listed in alphabetical order and include factual information on the programme - title, number of programmes, length and format, broadcast organisation, dates, days, times of day, cast, writer, director, executive producer etc. There is also a synopsis explaining what the programme was about, what it tried to achieve and why it succeeded or failed.Both an entertaining 'dip-in' and an unparalleled source of information, THE RADIO TIMES GUIDE TO TV COMEDY will be the bible in its field for many years to come.
Download or read book The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book written by Vince Waldron and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2001 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first and only complete, fully authorized "biography" of one of TV's most beloved sitcoms, including the first complete viewer's guide to all 158 episodes, as well as special behind-the-scenes trivia and a full chapter concordance. 50 black and white photos.
Download or read book Writing the Comedy Pilot Script written by Manny Basanese and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-29 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Navigating through the challenging process of writing a comedy pilot, this book will help screenwriters to create an original script for television. Practical and accessible, the book presents a step-by-step guide focusing on the key elements of the process. Incorporating both the history of TV comedy as well as its current evolving state in this age of the dramedy and an ever-increasing variety of broadcast and streaming platforms, the book will serve as a guide for the fledgling sitcom scribe. Author Manny Basanese breaks down the comedy pilot writing process from what may be perceived as an overwhelming, time-consuming mission into a series of much more manageable, smaller steps (from logline to outline to 1st, 2nd and polished draft). Utilizing his experience in Hollywood’s sitcom trenches, the author offers real-world advice on such topics as building the comedy pilot "world," creating memorable comic characters, sound sitcom structure, and the importance of crafting an emotional through line in a comedy pilot. Finally, there is also practical career guidance for marketing this just-completed script and breaking into the industry with advice on various topics such as the value of networking as well as gaining representation in the competitive Hollywood jungle. It is ideal for students of screenwriting and aspiring comedy screenwriters.
Download or read book You re Lucky You re Funny written by Phil Rosenthal and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2007-09-25 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The creator and executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond, on how to make a sitcom classic and keep laughing This laugh-out-loud memoir takes readers backstage and inside the writers’ room of one of America’s best-loved shows. With more than 17 million viewers and more than seventy Emmy nominations—including two wins for best comedy—Everybody Loves Raymond reigned supreme in television comedy for almost a decade. Phil Rosenthal was there at the beginning. United by a shared lifetime of family dysfunction, he and Ray Romano found endless material to keep the show fresh and funny for its entire run. Alongside hilarious anecdotes from the series and his own career misadventures prior to working on the show, Rosenthal provides an enlightening and entertaining look at how sitcoms are written and characters developed. You’re Lucky You’re Funny is an inspiration to aspiring creators of comedy and a must read for the show’s millions of devoted fans.
Download or read book Springfield Confidential written by Mike Reiss and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-06-12 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Semi-Finalist for the 2019 James Thurber Award * One of Vulture's Top-10 Comedy Books of 2018 * A "Must" pick by Entertainment Weekly * An A.V. Club Best Books selection * A "New and Noteworthy" selection by USA Today In celebration of The Simpsons thirtieth anniversary, the show’s longest-serving writer and producer offers a humorous look at the writing and making of the legendary Fox series that has become one of the most revered artistic achievements in television history. Four-time Emmy winner Mike Reiss—who has worked on The Simpsons continuously since episode one in 1989—shares stories, scandals, and gossip about working with America’s most iconic cartoon family ever. Reiss explains how the episodes are created, and provides an inside look at the show’s writers, animators, actors and celebrity guests. He answers a range of questions from Simpsons fans and die-hards, and reminisces about the making of perennially favorite episodes. In his freewheeling, irreverent comic style, Reiss reflects on his lifetime inside The Simpsons—a personal highlights reel of his achievements, observations, and favorite stories. Springfield Confidential exposes why Matt Groening decided to make all of the characters yellow; dishes on what it’s like to be crammed in a room full of funny writers sixty hours a week; and tells what Reiss learned after traveling to seventy-one countries where The Simpsons is watched (ironic note: there’s no electricity in many of these places); and even reveals where Springfield is located! He features unique interviews with Judd Apatow, who also provided the foreword, and Conan O'Brien, as well as with Simpsons legends Al Jean, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and more. Like Cary Elwes’ As You Wish, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s Seinfeldia, and Chris Smith’s The Daily Show: An Oral History, Springfield Confidential is a funny, informational, and exclusive look at one of the most beloved programs in all of television land.
