Hello all. My first post here! I have a question about plot in a sitcom. When the show has multiple characters and two or three storylines to cover all of them , if the stories are not related (at least not at the start), should they at some point converge and connect with each other and end up with the characters at the same place (literally)? For example and this is completely random: if one character goes to a job interview, the other one thinks she's pregnant, and another one looking for a house, should the stories touch each other in the end? Thank you a lot!
I don't think you necessarily have too, different story arc might progress at different rates and one might conclude before the others. Certainly though if multiple storylines do cross, depending on the type of storylines, it can create a degree of drama. Though assuming your dealing with a group of characters I think cross over of storylines is inevitable. I think the excution is the key to making the difference between gripping storylines and a mess.
The most common way is for all three storylines to touch at the beginning and at or near the end. Watch episodes of M*A*S*H (just about any one after season five) for some excellent examples (except for the ones where Alan Alda got all artsy). They usually start with several characters involved in some situation that then branches out to follow each of three characters as they react to initial event(s) which then culminate in those three storylines coming together in one final clash that ends the episode.
Thank you both for your replies. That makes sense, i've been seeing Modern Family this past few days and that's present in most of the episodes. In some episodes they dont get all together at the end but i think the stories still related thematically. Anyway i have an idea for the premise but i still have to think about the characters.