First of all—what is a sitcom, and why are they formatted differently than TV dramas and movies?
The term “sitcom” is short for “situational comedy,” and it is exactly that—a type of television program that is fueled by funny situations and characters RATHER than by plot. But that doesn’t mean structure isn’t important! It just has to be handled differently, and when it comes right down to it, the FUNNY JOKE will always beat out the COMPELLING TWIST.
Sitcoms are shot in front of a LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE. Or at least they should be. Some “audiences” have been replaced by laugh-tracks, but sitcoms are always shot in a three-camera studio format as though they were produced on the stage of a THEATRE. There is an invisible fourth-wall that is never shown because that is where the audience is sitting!
Formatting style for situational comedies has developed out of a long tradition of bucking the norms of movie writing and trying to do something distinctly different. In the 1940s and '50s, sitcom writers also came primarily from theatre, so many of the idiosyncrasies in the half-hour sitcom format are in fact carryovers from playwriting. However we got here, one thing is for sure—sitcoms do not look like movies on the page!
Although 22 minutes when they go to broadcast, sitcom scripts run 40-50 pages long, and are structured as follows:
The first act tends to be slightly longer than the second act, and overall, there should be approximately 15-18 scenes in your finished script.
Here's how to put a sitcom together on the page:
1) Like movie scripts, sitcoms are written in 12-point courier font.
2) If you’re beginning with a TEASER, write and underline the word “TEASER” at the top of your first page, and center it like so:
3) In a sitcom, each scene is demarcated by a LETTER, starting with the letter “A.” Before you can start writing a scene, its scene letter needs to be centered at the top of a new page. If it is the first scene in a teaser, a tag, or a new act, the scene letter should be placed three lines below this specification, like so:
4) Next step, move four spaces down your page, and left-justify a TRANSITION that will bring us into your scene. Some of the most common transitions are “FADE IN,” “FROM BLACK” and “COLD OPEN.” Your page should now look like this:
5) Two spaces below your transition should be your first SLUG LINE, also known as a SCENE HEADING:
Slug lines are made up of these three elements:
1. INT. or EXT. Short for interior and exterior. If it’s both, such as when a drunken cop is thrown through the doorway of his favorite bar, you can write INT./EXT.
2. LOCATION. Where the scene takes place. These should be short, and avoid emotive description. It’s not EXT. THE PENTAGON IN SHAMBLES, just EXT. PENTAGON. Don’t worry—they’ll be room for the fun stuff later.
3. TIME. Usually just DAY or NIGHT, but can also be a specific time, like 3:00 PM, if it’s an important detail to the plot. Try not to overuse demarcations such as DUSK, MORNING, MIDNIGHT, or LATER.
Slug lines are UNDERLINED and are always in CAPS. There are usually two spaces between INT./EXT. and LOCATION, then space, hyphen, space between LOCATION and TIME.
Occasionally, you’ll need a SUBLOCATION to clarify the location. These look like:
INT. HIGH SCHOOL/JANITOR’S OFFICE – DAY
INT. HIGH SCHOOL – JANITOR’S OFFICE – DAY
Some writers also use PERIODS to separate the parts of a logline, like:
INT. HIGH SCHOOL. JANITOR’S OFFICE. DAY.
A new slug line is needed every time you change locations, so you’ll be writing a lot of these!
6) Next comes your ACTION BLOCK. This is where you can fill in details for your location, and explain what your characters are doing RIGHT NOW. Action is always written in the present tense, and must be written in ALL CAPS. It’s always justified left, and looks like this:
When a character is introduced for the first time, his or her name should be UNDERLINED.
Any action that describes a character’s MOVEMENT, be it an entrance, an exit, or a moonwalk across the middle of the room, should also be underlined:
As much as possible, try to include the names of every character in a scene within the first sentence of your action block. This is a norm, but not a rule, so feel free to organize your introductions how you please.
Sometimes, all of the characters within a scene are also listed parenthetically directly beneath the slug line. This can be a useful way of telling your reader which cast members are in a scene. If you decide to use this method, you must do it consistently throughout your script.
It would look like this:
Another tradition which many writers break these days is to separate out and underline all sounds and sound effects onto their own line, justified to the left, like this:
SOUND: HEAVY CRASH
SFX: FINGERS ON CHALKBOARD
This formatting may be useful if you want to emphasize an especially important sound, but in general you may just underline your sound within an action block.
7) Almost there! Next stop—dialogue. Sitcoms are all about the talk. Keep your action blocks to a minimum, and try to focus on saying everything you can through dialogue and character movement.
In situational comedies, dialogue is the only part of the script that is NOT in ALL CAPS. Before a person can speak, you need to move two spaces down from your last line of action, and type their character name 2.2 inches from your left margin, like so:
A character’s dialogue block should start TWO SPACES DOWN from his name, and should be sandwiched within in a window one inch from the left margin to two inches before the right margin. The dialogue should be DOUBLE-SPACED, like this:
This double-spacing is why sitcoms tend to average two-pages per minute of screen time rather than the usual one-minute of screen time demanded by TV dramas and film scripts.
Directions for the actors in a sitcom can be very specific, and should be written parenthetically WITHIN the dialogue. These should also be written in ALL CAPS, like this:
8) When you’re ready to end a scene, move down two spaces from the last dialogue or action block, and right-justify the words “FADE OUT” or “CUT TO” like this:
9) When you have finished your scene, tab down to the top of the NEXT BLANK PAGE, and center the words “Scene B” at the top of the page. After that, format your new scene just as you did the last:
When you have finished your teaser, move down three spaces after your last dialogue or action block, and CENTER the words END TEASER.
To begin your FIRST ACT, tab down to the start of the next blank page, and set it up just like your did the start of your teaser:
When you have finished act one, move down three spaces after your last dialogue or action block, and CENTER the words END ACT ONE.
It’s that simple! Move on to your next act and begin again! Every scene always starts at the top of a new page, and your ACTS, TEASER and TAG should always end with a clear END-WHATEVER IT IS bookend.
That’s all there is to it…
You’ve got it! And if you run into the odd situation where you’re unsure how to format something, post a question in the comments section of this article, or check a commonly used reference book such as David Trottier’s The Screenwriter’s Bible. There may also be times when you notice that certain writers or writing instructors suggest slightly different formatting guides. As long as you choose one of them, and are consistent throughout your script, no one will ultimately care whether you go with one small style peculiarity or another.
Now that you know all the tricks of the trade, jump right in and start getting those witty jokes on the page! Remember—the television sitcom is all about three things: JOKES, CHARACTERS and JOKES. Just keep laying ‘em down, one zinger after another, and you’ll be amazed how quickly all that double-line spacing adds up to a finished first draft!
NOTE: Portions of this article first appeared in the article "How to Format a TV Script," penned by this author for the website www.scriptfrenzy.org.