I've been trying to write a sitcom for months. It's a show about apathetic teenagers and their self centered parents/relatives. I've finally found the perfect plot for the teenagers (the A-plot) for the pilot, but when it comes to writing a plot for the adults, I get stumped. I tried writing one off of the top of my head, but a reader stated that the dialogue and humor was unintelligent, so I scrapped the idea. I guess I'm stumped because the plot used for the teenagers was slightly planned out (well, the first part at least. I have not written down the rest yet) and has kind of a political undertone, while the plot I thought up for the parents only involves a misunderstanding at a furniture store that comes back to bite the character in the ass. Does anybody know how I can get past this?
Is it a B-plot just for the pilot episode, or an over-arching one for the series you are looking for? Is there maybe a way to weave it in and around the teenagers plot? You say they are self-centred parents, so the B-plot should be something that would adversely affect their offspring, particularly in the pilot, where you want to set out the dynamic between the characters from the offset.
If you can't think of a plot for the adults, maybe the adults don't belong in the sitcom. Charles Schultz made his Peanuts comic strip about kids only - there were no adults. It can be done. Don't try to force a storyline for adult characters where there isn't one. If you've got good material for your teens, focus on that and forget trying to bolster it with material that doesn't fit.
Without knowing the plot for the teenagers, it will be difficult for me to brainstorm ideas for a B plot.
