To be a successful sitcom writer, you need to have a thorough understanding of the craft of screenwriting as well as an excellent command of comedic pacing, especially delivering snappy dialogue. You need to understand the foibles of star-crossed human relationships because sitcoms are generally based on (1) people who belong together but are too dumb/defiant/encumbered to make it happen, and (2) people who are currently together as lovers/co-workers/neighbors but should never have even been placed in the same zip code. You need to be well versed in the history of sitcoms not to embarrass yourself by announcing, "Hey, wouldn't it be fun to have a comedy series about a Cuban band leader and his kooky wife?" or "I think it would be fun to write about six friends who are all in their late twenties and living in New York and having silly adventures." While it may seem that a number of sitcoms these days are clones of one another, producers are still looking for that one funny twist that hasn't been tried before. Imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery but it's not going to score you any points as a fresh commodity. Writing for TV--as well as for the movies--is also about playing by a very strict set of rules, particularly the rules of proper formatting and adhering to the "one page equals one minute of screen time" guideline. You could have the funniest idea in the world but if you don't know how to present your material professionally, it's not going to be read. While there are no age requirements to be a sitcom writer,nor do you have to have a college degree or professional certifications, you do have to be aggressive and tenacious and possess a very thick skin to handle a huge amount of rejection.
Ironically, a lot of people jump into writing a sitcom without having spent hours and hours of watching and studying past and present sitcoms to figure out how they are put together. Before you ever write your first scene, it's crucial that you get yourself an account with NetFlix or Blockbuster Video and then park yourself in front of a television with DVD collections of some of the best series sitcoms ever produced. Study the genre of comedy inside and out. Take copious notes on the things that make you laugh. Download free copies of sitcoms from website such as Script Dude.com. Further, think about how your own idea for a sitcom is either closely similar to or radically different from shows that have been long-running hits such as "Friends," "Frasier," "Cheers" and "Just Shoot Me." Keep in mind that "radically different" isn't necessarily a good thing; if no one has done a show based on your premise before, there's a strong possibility that it's because it's just not a funny idea. You should also become a serious student of the elements that cause successful shows to take a disastrous and implausible spin. Jumptheshark.com is a site that identifies the episodes in a storyline in which the writers took a wrong turn and, in doing so, managed to kill the audience's loyalty forever.
There's no shortage of joke books or comedy clubs. Reading joke books and attending stand-up comedy shows are good ways to teach you what your target demographic likes to laugh at. (In this age of political correctness, it will also instruct you what kind of material isn't universally embraced.) You should also be adding lots of how-to screenwriting books to your home library so that you can grasp the rudiments of good storytelling; specifically, a solid three-act structure, characters that people will care about, clever dialogue and surprise twists. Websites such as Michael Wiese Productions (mwp.com) offer books that are directly targeted to aspiring TV and film writers. It would further behoove you to purchase a scriptwriting software program such as Final Draft. While you can certainly replicate conventional TV formatting in a word processing program, the time and energy that you'll save using software that automatically puts everything in the right place for you will free those brain cells to come up with funny new situations for your characters.
As strongly as you may think that your hot sitcom premise is the greatest idea anyone has ever come up with, the reality is that it's much easier to break into sitcom writing by working on an existing show than trying to sell a brand new idea that may or may not fly. Accordingly, your best tool is to write what's called a "spec" script for a TV sitcom that is already on the air. While it's somewhat unlikely that the new scenario you design is going to be excitedly grabbed by network producers, the purpose of a spec script is to demonstrate that you understand the relationships and the limitations of the setting, that you can mimic the dialogue being used and that you know how to write 22 minutes of structured scenes within the 30-minute slot allocated to the show. The spec script can be compared to a calling card that shows prospective producers that you know what you're doing and that you can stay within the parameters defined by the show's original creators. The more spec scripts you have to show as samples, the better your odds of someone noticing your talent.
Let's say that your spec script gets the attention of the right people. Now let's say that you live in Omaha. Big problem. If you're going to work on a hit show that is filmed in Los Angeles or New York, you'll need to be able to participate in daily writing sessions with the other members of the team, sit in on reads and brainstorming sessions with the actors and be available to make nanosecond revisions if something isn't working once the cameras start rolling. Since there are no guarantees that the show is going to run forever, you're suddenly faced with the decision of whether you can afford to uproot yourself--and your family--for a move across the country to a city that is probably more expensive than where you're living now. Once you make the move, start shopping for a reputable agent to get you future gigs. Resources such as the Writers Guild of America (www.wga.org) can assist you in this daunting endeavor.
If you decide to take your chances writing something original in a sitcom, you'll need to pitch a treatment (an extended synopsis), have a pilot (the first show) written, and develop a brief summary of at least 10 episodes to keep the ball rolling. Since it is next to impossible to pitch an original sitcom series without an agent, your next best bet is to enter your sitcom script in a contest. Websites such as Movie Bytes have a great list of reputable competitions that you can enter. Before you put your script into circulation, though, make sure that it is registered first with Writers Guild of America. Its website will show you how to do this. In the meantime, it's essential that you network aggressively with like-minded writers in chat rooms, in workshops and at university film classes.