The structure of sitcom scripts usually begin with a teaser, also known as the cold open. A teaser is the first two to three minutes of the show. The teaser establishes the plot of the sitcom's episode. For scripts with a teaser, the writer begins with the word "TEASER." Most teasers have one scene, marked by "SCENE A." The purpose of a teaser is to get television audiences interested in a show so they won't change the channel. Teasers appear before the show's credits.
One of the major differences between writing a screenplay and a sitcom (or any scripts written for television) is the acknowledgement of commercials in a sitcom's script structure. Corporate sponsors are major financiers of sitcoms. For sitcoms, commercials occur after the teaser, after Act I and after Act II. The series of commercials during the sitcom's time slot is generally referred to as the “Two-Minute Commercial Break.”
Traditionally, all sitcoms were shot in multi-camera format, meaning multiple cameras are used to record the show. Examples of multi-camera sitcoms are “I Love Lucy,” “The Cosby Show,” “Seinfield,” “Full House,” and “All in the Family.” Some newer sitcoms, such as “Scrubs,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Sex in the City” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” employ the single camera format, which has one camera following the show's characters. Most multi-camera sitcoms are written in two acts, while some single camera sitcoms have three acts. Another difference between multi-camera and single camera is single camera shows are not shot in front of a live audience, whereas most multi-camera shows are. An act is a script term for a major segment of a show.
In sitcom writing terms, elements are the non-dialogue parts of the script. The proper placement of elements makes scripts easy to read. Some examples of elements are the scene heading (where the scene takes place), character name (written above the character's dialogue), sound cue (notes when to play a sound), parenthetical (describes the demeanor of a character's dialogue), and transition (the beginning and end effects). Each element has different spacing from the edge of the page. Also, not every sitcom has the same element formatting. The sitcom industry standard for font and size is Courier in a 12 point.