How to get laughs without writing jokes

Most people think that to be a good comedy writer you have to be a good joke writer. That’s not true. Joke writing is a nice talent to have.  But would you believe there are ways of writing hysterically funny scenes without a single “joke?”

How? It’s in the structure. It’s in the comic premise that you set up. Give your character a goal. And then pile on ways that make it harder and harder for him to achieve it. Guilt, circumstances, temptation, pride, embarrassment, ego, time restrictions – these factors can be the comedy writer’s best friends. The more frustration you can build for a character the better.  And sometimes really loading it up can make it funnier. 

The truth is it’s hard to write jokes. Especially when there’s not much happening. But if you design a solid comic premise the lines will flow and the laughs will come.

Let me give you an example. Bob wants to call off his wedding to his fiancé, Jen.

First, a portion of the scenes with jokes:

INT. RESTAURANT – NIGHT

JEN IS SITTING AT A TABLE. BOB ENTERS AND SITS DOWN.

BOB: Hi, Jen. Sorry, I’m late. Traffic was ridiculous. I should have kept the car home and taken a turtle.

JEN: Y’know, we have a subway here in Los Angeles.

BOB: We do? Where?

JEN: That’s the problem. No one knows where it is. If Bin Laden rode the LA subway he’d still be alive today.

BOB: So, anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something.

JEN: Must be important if you’re taking me here. Look at these prices. I needed to take out a second mortgage just to look at the menu.

BOB: I think we’re okay as long as we don’t order the Endangered Special of the Night.

JEN: That would be Nicole Kidman.  So what do you want to talk to me about?

BOB: Oh, it can probably wait until we order and I clear it with my accountant. Are waiters endangered here too? I haven’t seen one yet.

JEN: Bob, are you hands shaking?

BOB: Oh, that happens all the time.

JEN: Really?  That's not good for a surgeon.


You get the idea. Now the same scene beginning sans jokes:


 INT RESTAURANT – NIGHT

JEN IS SITTING AT A TABLE. BOB ENTERS AND SITS DOWN.

BOB: Hi. Sorry, I’m late.

JEN: That’s okay. I’m so crazy about you you could be an hour late and I wouldn’t care. God, I love you so much.

BOB: Yeah, right, well…

JEN: Y’know what I was doing while waiting for you?

BOB: No.

JEN: Giving a lot of thought to that … thing you said you always wanted a woman to do to you during sex?

BOB: Yeah?

JEN: The one I said no girl would ever agree to. Well, if it would make you happy and give you that much pleasure then let’s do it tonight when we get home.

BOB: Really? You’d do that for me?

JEN: Yes, my little perv.  I wouldn’t do it for just anyone, that’s for sure. But my future husband, okay. Oh, and I went on birth control pills. I know, it’s against my religious beliefs, but you hate using a condom. So you said on the phone you wanted to talk to me about something?

BOB; I did?  Uh… yeah. Right.

JEN: Oh, before I forget. We sent out the invitations.

BOB: You did? I thought we were going to wait until we signed the contract with the Sheraton.

JEN: Right. I forgot to tell you. We’re not doing it at the Sheraton. We’re holding the wedding at the Ritz-Carlton. Daddy said, he’s only got one daughter, and this should be the happiest day of her life, and what’s the point of having money if you can’t spend it on something really joyous? So he sold his boat, signed the contract, and gave them a non-refundable five thousand dollar down payment. Y'know, you're the first boy my parents ever liked.  They used to say I didn't know how to pick 'em, but you sure proved them wrong.  Oh, and your mom wants me to wear the ring that's been in your family for two hundred years.  I'm the daughter she never had, she says. 

BOB: She always hated my former girlfriends too.

JEN: Speaking of relatives, now that we have a bigger venue daddy invited all the relatives. You know they all think he’s kind of a schlub and this will be a chance for him to really show off. They’ll be coming in from all over the world. Even my grandma, who’s 92 is flying in from Russia. She can hardly move but she insists on being here. She said -- and this is so sweet – her life has been so hard and filled with so much tragedy, but seeing me walk down the aisle will give her a contentment and piece of mind that will make everything – even the loss of her husband and seizing of her house and disappearance of her daughter, two daughters actually -- seem okay. It will all be worth it to see me married. Are you okay? You look a little green?

Which scene would you rather watch?

Lots of elements go into good comedy besides jokes – structure, performance, timing. The key is creating good characters and putting them in fun situations. Who cares how you get the laugh?

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EXCLUSIVE!! The REAL story behind Ann Curry's firing.

There’s been much finger-pointing following the public execution – excuse me, “reassignment” of Ann Curry from her position as co-host of THE TODAY SHOW. Who’s to blame? NBC? Matt Lauer? Well, it turns out with all the corporate take-overs NBC has endured over the last couple of years, the man really pulling the strings is none other than Charles Montgomery Burns. This blog has received a secret tape made in his office that explains the whole messy affair. This is a byKenLevine.com exclusive. I expect to be flooded with calls from every major news organization and CNN.

But here first, for my loyal readers, is a transcription of that recording:

BURNS: Smithers! Ger in here!

SMITHERS: (over an intercom) Yes, sir.

(Burns hums “MMMBop” and two beats later Smithers is heard entering.)

BURNS: What took you so long?

SMITHERS: I was giving Dan Harmon notes.

BURNS:  What show is that nitwit on?

SMITHERS:  COMMUNITY. 

BURNS: Oh!  He needs to use Chevy Chase more!

SMITHERS: That’s exactly what I told him, sir.

BURNS: He’s the only one who’s funny on that misbegotten show.

SMITHERS: He should be the face of our network, sir.

BURNS: Without question! The kids love him.  But that’s not why I brought you in here, Smithers.

SMITHERS: Chelsea Handler said no to your sexual advances, sir.

BURNS: Drat!  Promise her a sitcom.

SMITHERS: Which hotel would you like me to reserve a suite?

BURNS: I don’t care. The one I had with that Whitney person will be fine.

SMITHERS: Ah, yes. The Times Square Marriott. The champagne, Viagra, and hair piece will all be chilled and waiting.

BURNS: Excellent! Now to the business at hand. We have to fire Ann Curry.

SMITHERS: Absolutely, sir. The girl has to go. I can't believe we waited this long.  But may I ask why?

BURNS: Why?  Why?  Why she had the audacity to slap my face.

SMITHERS: Uh, that was Julie Chen, sir.

BURNS: Oh. Well. The yearning has passed. Fire her anyway.

SMITHERS: I’m afraid that due to the union we’re going to have to show cause before we can do that, although it needs to be done.

BURNS: Damn those infernal unions! From now on I want MEET THE PRESS to come out of Ottawa. We'll break them, the bastards!

SMITHERS: Yes, but returning to Ann Curry…

BURNS: A reason for dismissal? Oh, fiddle-di-dee.  She doesn’t sparkle on cooking segments. Off with her head.

SMITHERS: That is unconscionable I will grant you that, but I’m not certain it’s enough -- avoiding-litigation-wise.

BURNS: There’s no chemistry.  How about that?

SMITHERS: Actually, I think she and Matt Lauer get along nicely.

BURNS:  I mean no chemistry between her and ME!

SMITHERS:  Gotcha, sir.  Zinc and Yttrium.

BURNS: She doesn’t measure up to past hosts. Now Deborah Norville, she was the oyster's ice skates. And the public loved her.

SMITHERS: You might be thinking of Katie Couric.  Or Jane Pauley.

BURNS: Well, whoever had the colonoscopy. Now that was great television. In fact, take a note: I want all NBC talent to have on-air colonoscopies. Let's see ONCE UPON A TIME compete with that!

SMITHERS: I of course agree with you that Ann Curry is a liability, but there may be a PR issue.

BURNS: How so? And stop sniveling on my desk.

SMITHERS: Sorry, sir.  Well, as valid as those reasons to let her go are, the public might not see it that way. And instead they might blame you, sir.

BURNS: Me? What did I do? Is it my fault she can’t cook a ham and is married to Les Moonves?

SMITHERS: Uh, that’s Julie Chen.

BURNS: Well, whoever says “This is TODAY on NBC” and is Asian, fire her sorry ass!  But do a colonoscopy first.  And blame someone else.

SMITHERS: Right.  Of course.  I suppose we could say Matt Lauer wanted her off the show.

BURNS: Who’s he?

SMITHERS: Her co-host.

BURNS: Yes! Yes! That’s it! He’s jealous of her talent. She wouldn’t sleep with him. Something like that so the public will be on his side.

SMITHERS: Only one problem, sir, although that is a brilliant idea.

BURNS: She did sleep with him. Oooh, wait’ll Moonves hears about that.

SMITHERS: No. I have a number of memos from Matt saying he really does believe in her and strongly advises we give her more time. Eventually, he claims, the audience will really love her.

BURNS: So he is sleeping with her.

SMITHERS: No. I believe that’s how he truly feels.

BURNS; Well, destroy those memos!   Shred them!

SMITHERS:  They're emails, sir.

BURNS:  Then shred the computers!  

SMITHERS: What if he goes to the press?

BURNS: Hmmm. We have to put the fear of God into him. I know. Make him host the Golden Globes red carpet show.

SMITHERS: Sir, with all due respect, he didn’t kill anybody.

BURNS: I don’t care! Besides, this will all blow over in two days. Nobody is going to care. I didn’t get to run the National Broadcast Company by not knowing precisely what the public likes and doesn’t like.

SMITHERS: Fair enough, sir. So who should replace her?

BURNS: I’ve had my eye on that Rachel Maddow. Call her and reserve my suite at the Times Square Marriott.  Chill the champagne and Viagra.  Heh heh heh!

SMITHERS: Alright, sir. But I really don’t think that’s going to play out the way you think it will.

(At that point the tape cut out.)

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GIRLS and "likeability"

A recent article in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY defending GIRLS accuses the haters of not appreciating the show because the characters aren’t likable. The writer, Melissa Maerz says:

PEOPLE WHO HATE GIRLS are missing the point. Hannah (Lena Dunham) and her friends are supposed to be many things — vulnerable, arrogant, ambitious, delusional about the way their clothes fit — but likable isn't one of them. If you want likable, don't watch Louie or Curb Your Enthusiasm or Seinfeld or any other great complicated-antihero comedies, many of which were created by people who play whinier versions of themselves and none of which have earned half the hate that's been firehosed at Dunham, who created Girls.

I think she’s missing the point.

First off let me say, that this is not a post debating GIRLS. Many of you love it; many of you hate it – enjoy or loathe to your heart’s content.

My issue is her contention that non-fans of the show only respond to likable characters, which she seems to define as nice, sympathetic.

Being nice is not what makes a character likeable. Being interesting, compelling, relatable, and in the case of comedy – funny is what people respond to.

They can infuriate you, they can confound you, they can annoy you, but there’s something about them that keeps you glued to the screen. Clearly, it’s subjective, but I’m sure that many people who don’t like the GIRLS girls do like Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld.

I will say this:  networks do try to steer writers towards making their characters nice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten the network note, “Gee, we don’t like her when she does that.” And when you argue that the point of comedy is conflict and characters need flaws to be funny that rarely sways them.

But now that HBO and others have pushed the envelope – specifically to do shows networks WOULDN’T do – networks are relaxing their stance (somewhat). I still think we’re a few years away from seeing a BREAKING BAD-type series on ABC following THE MIDDLE. (Can you imagine back in the day when TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL was on CBS what the reaction would have been had Vince Gilligan pitched them BREAKING BAD?  Yikes!)

Today we root for Russian spies, Mafia families, serial killers, and worse. In the pilot of THE SHIELD, the star of the show shoots a fellow cop for God’s sake. And we’re riveted! GIRLS doesn’t put people off because it’s not THE DONNA REED SHOW.

To me Ms. Maerz’s argument is somewhat condescending. It suggests that people who respond to GIRLS are too unsophisticated to appreciate “complicated” characters (to use her word). No. A large part of the audience just doesn’t find the quirks in Lena’s ladies interesting enough to follow, much less care. Period.

So why is this? Why are some complex characters compelling and others off-putting? Writing certainly but I believe a huge factor is casting. Anyone other than Shelley Long and America might have hated Diane Chambers, despite the brilliant writing by the Charles Brothers. I’m guessing Harvey Keitel as Michael Scott and THE OFFICE would not still be on the air. Could it be – and I’m just asking (before you bombard the comments section) – that someone other than Lena Dunham playing Hannah might prompt the haters to like her more? Or any of the girls for that matter?

When Carl Reiner created THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW it was originally called HEAD OF THE FAMILY and a pilot was shot starring Carl Reiner as Rob Petrie. It tanked. He was smart enough to swallow his pride and replace himself with Dick Van Dyke. Here’s the interesting thing about Lena Dunham for me. I’ll be honest. I don’t like her character on GIRLS. But I love her in real life.

Later in the article, Ms. Maerz goes on to say:

People who hate Girls also think it's narcissistic. But it actually encourages us to take a hard look at some unflattering personalities and understand where they're coming from.

That’s fine but if we don’t enjoy the characters why would we watch? Your message may be a good one but if it’s not getting through then what’s the point? Narcissistic characters are great comic foils. Just think of Frasier, and Diane, and every character Charlie Sheen plays, and everyone on SEINFELD. We’ve already gotten that message.

Hannah (Lena Dunham) and her friends are supposed to be many things — vulnerable, arrogant, ambitious, delusional about the way their clothes fit — but likable isn't one of them.

Actually likeable is ALL of them. 

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I hate Pop-Up ads!!!

Okay, this is me going on a rant.

I will not buy anything I see in a pop-up ad. They are the most annoying form of advertising ever devised. I know the big problem with the internet is that no one has figured out yet how to make a substantial profit out of it. That certainly is my problem. Banner ads are only slightly effective. And newspapers and other sites have found it’s difficult to charge people for their services when other outlets will provide it for free. Why go to reputable newspapers when there are people like me in their underwear banging out blogs?

But I can’t imagine anybody… ever… in any corner of the universe… buying something they see from a pop-up ad.

It’s as if you’re watching a concert and suddenly from out of nowhere someone gets right up into your grill and screams “HEY, WANNA BUY LIFE INSURANCE?!!” What are the chances you’ll say “Sure. Thanks. I specifically went to this remaining-Beatles reunion just hoping someone would sell me long term life insurance”?

Wouldn’t it be more likely you’d knee him in the groin and threaten to kill him and his family if he ever again came within one mile of you?

That’s the common reaction when people are assaulted by pop-up ads. First off, they resent the product. Like me, they’ll probably boycott it. It doesn’t take Don Draper to figure out that boycotting is not a good end result to an advertising campaign.

Seriously, should an X10 camera ad pop onto my screen I will scramble to my mouse and obliterate it faster than if it were a sex scene between Larry King and a goat.

Girls, name me one time a guy ever won your heart by continually yanking at your hair. This form of attention getting DOES NOT WORK!

Of course the idiot advertisers who think otherwise are devising new ways to skirt pop-up blocking programs and making their CLOSE tabs so small no one can find them without a microscope so strong it can differentiate atoms.

As for you websites that allow these obnoxious pop-ups, I understand that you need revenue, but you run the risk of pissing off your readers and losing your audience. And once you have no traffic your sponsors will go away too. So it’s a lose/lose/lose/lose/lose situation.

Just know this: I will never “CLICK HERE TO WIN MY PRIZE”. I will never “CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS”. I will only “CLICK HERE TO HAVE EVERYONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS KILLED BY MUTANT COWS”.

I feel better now. Thanks.

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Richard Burton & Jack Elam offered the same part

Here's a belated Friday Question time:

From Chris Andelman:

My question is about writing episodes for guest actors. Do you ever sign them first and then write with them in mind?

Yes, but not always. The CHEERS staff had an idea for a character they thought would be great for John Cleese. He liked the idea and agreed to played it. Peter Casey & David Lee then wrote a brilliant script.

When my partner, David Isaacs and I wrote the Tonight Show episode of CHEERS we had Johnny Carson going in. We kind of insisted on it.

A hot show will attract hotter guest stars. The Zeitgeist Factor is huge. Britney Spears did a HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (back when Britney Spears meant something). I doubt they could have gotten her for ACCORDING TO JIM. Julia Roberts did FRIENDS. We couldn’t get Iron Eyes Cody for AfterMASH.

It always helps to hear the actor’s voice in your head as you write but most times you’re not afforded that luxury. You write a character and hope it will attract a big name.

In the first year of CHEERS David Lloyd wrote a wonderful episode called “The Spy Who Came In For a Cold One”. It’s about a larger-than-life figure who comes into the bar. Richard Burton had just done an episode of SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN (I think he and Lee Majors were friends) so we thought, “Let’s get him.” Burton passed. I forget who came up with this brainstorm but we then offered the part to Jack Elam. He was that terrific character actor with the wandering eye who always played scruffy characters, usually killers in westerns. I’m sure it’s the first time the same role had ever been offered to Richard Burton and Jack Elam. Elam passed. And we wound up with Ellis Raab, a rather flamboyant theatrical actor – who couldn’t have been more dissimilar to either Burton or Elam.













For the “Hot Rocks” episode of CHEERS, David and I thought we had Celtics’ star, Larry Bird. So we concocted a story where Rebecca thought he stole her earrings. Bird then dropped out. So we went with the next logical choice -- Admiral William J. Crowe, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But if I had to break it down I'd guess you go to the guest star before you write the script 70% of the time. Maybe 71%

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Friday Questions

Here are answers to some of your Friday Questions:

Mitch gets us going:

Your comment about ONE DAY AT A TIME falling between the cracks prompts a question, Ken. Have all your years in television, as a writer, a director and a show runner, given you any insight into why some shows remain perennially popular while others fade out? It doesn't necessarily seem to be question of quality. There are lots of excellent shows that rarely, if ever, see the light of day, while some not-so-excellent shows retain their popularity.

That’s a hard question to answer because there are so many shows and so many variables. But here are a few general thoughts. Some shows stay out of syndication because there are rights issues. These tend to be series that were independently produced. CYBILL was hung up in rights issues for years. So too BARNEY MILLER.

WKRP IN CINCINNATI had a unique problem. As an AFTRA show and not SAG they were able to use music without paying high license fees during their network runs. But that changed when they went into syndication. And as fans know, they replaced actual songs with covers and it hurt the overall effect greatly.

Other times the studio that owns the series is unaware they own it. Case in point is ALMOST PERFECT. We made it for Paramount. CBS/Viacom now owns the library and although we have 34 episodes and it has been in syndication twice (USA and Lifetime) I don’t think anyone there knows they have the show. And I don’t know who to contact.

Most long-running shows do go into syndication and for whatever reason a few don’t click. I suspect that was the case with ONE DAY AT A TIME. It didn’t get decent ratings and disappeared. Why audiences didn’t respond? I couldn’t tell you. To me it’s a lot better than other shows from that time that still air.

One element that undercuts a series’ syndication value is topical references. They make the show seem dated. The perfect example of this is MURPHY BROWN. How many of you would enjoy Dan Quayle jokes? Many many Dan Quayle jokes.

Seems to me the shows that do best in syndication – and this is comedy I’m talking about – are the ones that are more universal and more relatable. The characters and situations are as identifiable now as they were when the shows first aired. Family shows tend to age well.

Some shows survive because they’re just damn funny and entertaining. THE GOLDEN GIRLS continues to kick ass. And then there’s Lucy.

I think in fifty years in whatever platform television shows will be shown they will still be running I LOVE LUCY and MASH twelve times a day. I hope my heirs spend the ten-cent residuals wisely.

Steve Catron wonders:

Was there ever a thought of giving Winchester a spin-off show. I always thought it would be terrific if he went back to Boston with new-found humanity and clashed with his old money family.

Trust me when I say 20th and CBS approached everybody. The result of course was AfterMASH and a pilot called R*A*D*A*R that never made it to series.

But few people remember that during MASH’s run the same producers – Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds created a show called ROLL OUT. This was for the 1973-4 season and was a military comedy set in France during World War II. The war may have been won but that battle was lost.

From Adam:

I've noticed that comedies tend to keep either one director or a few directors and use them for the run of the show (or at least an entire season) where dramas will have a maybe 13 or more directors in a season. Is this just a timing issue between a half hour and an hour long show?

Hour shows require several days of prep and “tone meetings” as they’re called where the producers go over the script with the director to explain their intentions line by line. There may be complicated sequences, locations to scout, effects technicians to consult, etc. The DGA requires sufficient prep time be provided for the director.

In multi-camera shows there’s no generally no real prep. Same sets, same people, same tone.

Also, single-camera shows generally film for twelve for more hours a day. Not so with multi-cam. Most days you rehearse the actors and wrap by 5:00. It would be grueling for one single camera director to do episode after episode.

Now you might say, well the cast of single-camera shows have to deal with that week after week. Yes, but each cast member is not usually in every shot. On the other hand, sometimes they are (Kiefer Sutherland in 24, Hugh Laurie in HOUSE) and in those cases yes, the actors are fried by the end of the year.

And finally, XJill asks:

I have checked off a box on the 'ol bucket list and got tickets for some Spring Training games at Camelback Ranch. I would love some pro tips on what to do, etc. to get the most out of my Spring Training experience!

Get out there early. In the morning you can usually watch workouts, and minor league games on backfields for free. It’s a relaxed atmosphere and often you can get autographs and pictures with players.

Then walk over to the park and watch batting practice. For the game I’d suggest you bring a cap or visor because there’s little shade. And don’t even bother scoring because there will be so many substitutions.

The later in spring training you go the more you will see the regulars. By the final week the regulars will be playing six or seven innings at least.

Bear in mind this year that with the World Baseball Classic a lot of regular players will be absent for several weeks. And of course, there will always be a few idiot players who still can’t enter the country because of visa problems.

Say hi to all the guys for me.

What’s your question? Leave it in the comments section. Play ball!

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Solving a writer's nightmare

What do you do when you have to write a script and on page two you’re stuck? You’ve cleared the story with the producers, the outline has been approved, you have a deadline, and four lines after FADE IN you come to a screeching halt. I feel an arctic breeze go up my sphincter just thinking about it.

It’s happened to me. It’s happened to most writers I know. It can happen to you. And there’s no flu shot you can take to prevent it.

So what do you do?

Well, all I can tell you is what we did and then maybe what we should have done.

My partner, David Isaacs and I had gotten a freelance assignment on a show called THE PRACTICE. No, this wasn’t the legal drama created by David E. Kelley. This was a sitcom in the late ‘70s starring Danny Thomas. It was essentially BECKER (except Danny had a son who was a Park Avenue doctor, while he was a neighborhood sawbones and much of the series conflict stemmed from that). The show had two things going for it.

1) Danny Thomas was a gifted comic actor, especially when playing a crank.
2) The show was created by Steve Gordon, who later went on to write and direct ARTHUR. No one wrote funnier dialogue than Steve Gordon.

The story we were assigned was that Danny (Dr. Bedford) got an Afro-American intern and one of his long time patients was uncomfortable being examined by him. Dr. Bedford was outraged, racially charged issues ensued, and tell me, if you can. where any of that is funny. But this was the story they wanted to do and we went off, approved outline in hand, to write the first draft.

We hit a brick wall the minute we pulled out of the garage. Although the story was a lovely little morality tale, gleaning comedy out of it was like getting blood out of a turnip or Larry King.

For three days we just stared at each other.

Finally, David suggested we shake up the routine. “Let’s drive to San Diego, lock ourselves in a hotel room, and just blast through the script” he said. The idea was to just get anything on paper. And that’s what we did. We found a large hotel in Mission Valley, ordered room service (okay… several drinks), and dove in. Sure enough, we broke through and completed a very rough draft by the end of the weekend. We drove home, spent the next few days trying to punch it up (or, as I like to say “putting lipstick on a pig”). And we turned it in.

The producers were happy and gave us second draft notes. Even though the notes weren’t major there was just enough story restructuring to almost send us back to San Diego. We persevered and finally turned in the second draft. The series was cancelled an hour later. Our episode was never filmed.

I had such mixed feelings. For all the work we put into that damn script we at least wanted to see it performed. On the other hand, if our instincts were right and the story was essentially a downer, the table reading might’ve been a train wreck. And you know who would have been blamed for it.

We’ve used this technique of getting out of town and conducting marathon writing sessions several times subsequently. Most of the movie VOLUNTEERS was written over a four-day period in San Diego. The change of scenery is helpful. Being in a hotel room where there’s nothing else to do is advantageous. And it harkens back to those romantic days when Broadway shows would have out-of-town tryouts and the playwrights would pull all-nighters in their New Haven hotel rooms turning turkeys into eventual blockbusters.  Forget how many shows closed out-of-town. 

So that’s a helpful tip, and I recommend it.

But here’s what we should have done: When it was clear to us that the story wasn’t working we should have called the producers and expressed our concerns. We were young and quite frankly afraid to do that. After all, they had approved the outline. So the assumption was that the story worked, and if we couldn't get it to work it was only because we sucked as writers. If the producers wrote that same script it would positively sing. We didn’t want them to say to us, “You’re the writers. It’s you job to make it work! Do we have to do everything for you?”

In truth though, you save a lot of time and effort. And if your instincts are right they’ll see your point and call you back in to re-work the story. Or they’ll think it works as is and walk you through why. Maybe they’re right and you just didn’t see it in proper perspective.

But if you’re a freelancer or a staff writer and you absolutely can’t lock into the story, put aside your pride and fear and speak up. Better the producers get the call from you then from the stage on the first day of production.

Final note: We learned that lesson and several months later we found ourselves in a similar situation with a script for another show. This time we decided to call the producers. David got on the phone and said, “Hi, this is David Isaacs” and the producer (who sat with us in his office for three goddamn  days breaking the story) said, “Do we know each other?”

So there’s no downside. You get your story problems addressed and if the producers are irritated that you called they won’t remember who you were.

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