Cracking the Sitcom Code

"Cracking the Sitcom Code", an essay in The Atlantic online, is must reading for teachers (and students) of this popular media genre. 

Excerpt: " From The Simpsons to Seinfeld, from Everybody Loves Raymond to Everybody Hates Chris, from Taxi to Arrested Development to Parks & Recreation, there is a highly-specific, minute-by-minute recipe used to write the vast majority of sitcoms out there. And once you know the formula, it makes it much easier to write them, and much harder to watch them without seeing that formula—the “sitcom code”—everywhere you look."

TV Special Features Creative Process of Producing TV Sitcoms

"Now That’s Funny! On Set with TV’s Hottest Comedies: A Paley Center for Media Special,” airs on the CBS Television Network on Friday, December 26 at 8:00pm ET (check your local listings).  This one-of-a-kind program will give viewers a look inside the intricate process of getting television’s funniest shows on the air each week. From the brainstorming in the writers room, to the informal hilarity of the table read, to the energy and spontaneity of the actual performance, audiences will see how their favorite shows continue to keep fans laughing. 

Writers Speak To Kids (Videos)

In this NBC Learn special collection, Writers Speak to Kids, children‘s book authors share their writing experiences to help students learn more about the craft and techniques of creative writing.