TV Comedy/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Old TV Comedy | 11/28/2011 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I remember 'Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp', but wasn't there another one with Jack Weston, where the ... A: Wow. You've stumped my with this one. I remember Lancelot Link, but a family of monkeys... If I were ... | ||
| TV character | 9/10/2011 | Bill Richter |
| Q: My wife and I have been wracking our brains trying to remember a character from a TV program in the ... A: Wow, you've stumped me with this one. The only thing I can come up with was a character that Ernie ... | ||
| PAYOUT FOR A TV SITCOM PILOT | 4/19/2011 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: Have a pilot plus 7 other episodes written. Would like to sell to a cable station. Have an ... A: It all depends really. Usually, a sitcom with top people involved could go as high as a 50 to 100K, ... | ||
| Sitcom submission? | 11/22/2010 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: I wrote a sitcom. I want to submitt it to "someone" Its a comedy. What do you suggest? A: I suggest you do it! One thing you could try first is to get some actors together and do something ... | ||
| budget sample | 4/21/2010 | Bill Richter |
| Q: A: Answer: This is a difficult question to answer. One problem is that there are so many variables ... | ||
| Sitcom submission | 1/30/2010 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: I have recently written a sitcom pilot. What steps should I take to protect my sitcom? Who should ... A: Ok, if you have a sitcom written up and it has not been picked up or given a pilot of some sort, ... | ||
| treatment | 1/28/2010 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I have an idea for a treatment but need some idea on lenght. Its a pitch for UK TV. My question is ... A: I checked out your site. Some funny stuff. I've always been told to keep a treatment to 1 page or ... | ||
| Two and a half men | 12/27/2009 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: Who is singing the song at the beginning of the show? Is it really the three actors? A: Some of it actually is the guys, but through the magic of a recording studio, they blended in some ... | ||
| Stand - Up | 11/27/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: Stand up comedian/early 90s: (Maybe saw him on Comic Strip Live?) Bit was: "I got into another car ... A: OK, here are two sources that might help you: First is ... | ||
| Cost of sitcom production | 9/16/2009 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: I'm trying to determine the costs of producing a pilot episode of a new sitcom. This would be the ... A: Ok, it of course depends on where you be filming. Say your filming at a castle, they will have a fee ... | ||
| Best Format for TV Sitcom Treatment & Query Letter | 8/18/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: In drafting a treatment for a sitcom to pitch, and including a query letter, what is the proper ... A: Sorry to take so long. There are several things to consider when looking for an agent. 1. Agents ... | ||
| Best Format for TV Sitcom Treatment & Query Letter | 8/17/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: In drafting a treatment for a sitcom to pitch, and including a query letter, what is the proper ... A: Wow. You seemed to have figured out something already. There is no "right" answer when it comes to ... | ||
| The Man Show | 7/31/2009 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: What happend to The Man Show and will it ever be back on TV ANSWER: Ziggi Zagi Ziggi Zagi Oy Oy ... A: Yeah, but the reason they were taken off the air was because of ratings. The replacements were not ... | ||
| The Man Show | 7/31/2009 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: What happend to The Man Show and will it ever be back on TV A: Ziggi Zagi Ziggi Zagi Oy Oy Oy!! Who didn't love that show? Especially the ending. Well, it went ... | ||
| pilot | 7/24/2009 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: We're making a "variety show" type pilot for Latin TV. We're shooting on Sony digital 170....Is this ... A: I personally love Sony cameras myself, they are good for a variety of things. You need to make sure ... | ||
| 80s TV Show | 7/8/2009 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: I was overseas most of the 80s, but there was a US TV show we watched that I'd like to watch again. ... A: Like I said, it is just a guess. But I believe the name of it was Designing Women. I may be wrong, ... | ||
| 80s TV Show | 6/29/2009 | Joe Burgett |
| Q: I was overseas most of the 80s, but there was a US TV show we watched that I'd like to watch again. ... A: I am sorry for the late response, I have been unable to see the question until now. Please do not ... | ||
| how to | 6/10/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: how to find a agent in san francisco to submit a t.v. idea A: This is a really difficult question in that most agents (at least the reputable ones) don't take ... | ||
| tv commercial | 5/24/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: In the commercial with Charles Barkley, Dr. J, and Charles Barkley is on the phone with Dewayne ... A: Sorry for the delay, I had a family emergency that took me away from my computer. Most sources say ... | ||
| Lost Comedian | 5/16/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I'm trying to find a comedian that was on just for laughs, he tells jokes and then does impressions ... A: I have a couple of leads. My first instinct was Morey Amsterdam who played the role of Buddy Sorrel ... | ||
| Studio audience | 5/5/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: How can I go see "Two and a half men" being recorded live? A: I would start by writing to CBS TICKETS 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. They are ... | ||
| The Muppets | 3/3/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: Can you tell me why many of The Muppets play the guitar left-handed? Is it maybe some kind of ... A: Good question. This really isn't my area of expertise so I did some searching on the web. According ... | ||
| script fee scale | 1/14/2009 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I have been asked to rewrite a script with a budget of $5 - 10 million dollars. What is the minimum ... A: I would need to know a little more about it before I could give you a ballpark. How extensive are ... | ||
| The name of a TV show | 12/4/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I really hope you can help cos this is driving me mad! I need to know the name of a tv show that was ... A: I wish I could help on this but I really don't know many of the newer UK shows. I would go to ... | ||
| Absurdist comedy | 11/21/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: What is absurdist comedy? A: Absurdist comedy has its roots in the surrealism of the O.A.S. and O.A.S. artists like Salvador ... | ||
| television situation comedy | 11/19/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I've worked out some great ideas for situation comedies. I'm hopeful that I can, at least, get a ... A: This is a really difficult question. Generally producers don't want to see scripts or ideas from ... | ||
| SNL Obama act | 11/9/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I do an exception Barack Obama impersonation. I feel like I'm wasting my talents. The guy on SNL is ... A: SNL has a standard set of places that they usually draw their talent from. Mostly they get people ... | ||
| Submitting material / ideas | 11/3/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: Is there a way to contact writers of any particular show to float them a script or an idea? I have ... A: You are heading in the right direction. Maybe if you wrote on the envelope that you relinquish ... | ||
| Submitting material / ideas | 11/1/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: Is there a way to contact writers of any particular show to float them a script or an idea? I have ... A: You don't have to be a member but it sure helps. Here is why. Most writers / producers / ... | ||
| Comedy Writer Fees | 10/31/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I'm being considered to write comedy sketches for Starz. Can you tell me what my fee(s) should be? ... A: I have a few different answers for you. First, according to the 2004 Writers Guild of America scale ... | ||
| Comedy | 10/26/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: How do you audition for Last Comic Standing? I live in North Carolina. What would be the closest ... A: So far I don't see the auditions announced anywhere. The usual place to find them would be ... | ||
| Question | 10/17/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I hope you can help... I am trying to find the name of the actor that played Lyle Korman on the ... A: I understand why his face seemed so familiar. His name is Fisher Stevens. He is a character actor ... | ||
| Question | 10/17/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I hope you can help... I am trying to find the name of the actor that played Lyle Korman on the ... A: Good news, bad news. Bad news. I couldn't find anything online listing the extras of the ... | ||
| TV Budget | 10/13/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: Do you know where I can get a Sample FILLED OUT tv sitcom budget? A: This is a difficult question to answer. One problem is that there are so many variables involved, ... | ||
| Larry Sanders show | 8/25/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: What "Mad About You" star appeared on the "Larry Sanders Show?" A: Helen Hunt appeared as "herself" on an episode. But can you name the star from Diff'rnt Stokes who ... | ||
| i need help finding this halarious comedians name! | 7/12/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I am pretty sure that it was either june 29th or 30th...that i stumbled apon this comedian on either ... A: I've been looking for over an hour but so far nothing. I have a feeling it may have been NBC's Last ... | ||
| submitting a script for an existing show | 6/25/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: My friends and I are obsessed with a fairly new show on ABC Family (Greek). We have written our own ... A: Years ago it was much easier to get your script in front of a television producer than it is today. ... | ||
| Elliot Gould | 6/24/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: What was the name of the TV comedy with Elliot Gould an emergency doctor. It was about the late 80's ... A: According to the Internet Data Movie Guide the closest thing to the show you're describing is "ER". ... | ||
| help! | 6/24/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: you probably can't help me with this. but have you any idea what programme the quote 'i like to ... A: I've done my best but can't find it. The thing is if you do a "Google search" (which I'm sure you ... | ||
| investors make their money back | 6/23/2008 | Bill Richter |
| Q: I've had an idea for a family comedy for over 6 years. I don't consider myself a writer, but I do ... A: Wow...of all the questions this is probably one of the most difficult to explain. Let me start with ... | ||
Bill Richter
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
General questions about situation comedies, history of television, the industry, etc.
Experience
Professor of Mass Communications for over 15 years. Writing a book about the topic of situation comedies.
Education/Credentials
Ph.D., University of Tennessee
M.S.M.C. Arkansas State University
B. A. Columbia College, Chicago
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