and... (This should still be a part of the thread's title as far as I'm concerned) have a twist; Sad episode, beloved character scare episode, very sad, very, innocent in it's approach to being real so... Everyday worries, the little things, the non depressing things, the things with room for comic relief in a worry episode... How do you have a funny story, a sitcom, a funny sitcom, aimed at the family market? Like, Emmy winning Bafta winning etc funny, but for everybody, and, keep it funny, and, do this sad scene in a serious episode? Think, Boy Meets World had something when they killed of a character's Father... But that was 20 years ago and that was done, but, I want to write funny/sad/real, so, just write your life into script and see what you get is the only way I know how, however, what do you guys and dolls think of this idea? Family 'Buena Vista' Like no drugs or booze or alcohol at all unless it's somebody dealing with alcoholism in special with I am not going to pitch little lone write, but only if someone needed an invenerntion ; but real, but funny, so, family friendly funny with nothing more than a married couple kissing or a dating couple (any sexual orientation all round/keep it real) but just keeping it clean - with some IDK, good life advice thrown in, idk. Funny!!! Look into what's funny and what's real and what you can get away with showing to all members of the family, aim for a success in the family friendly watershed with the target it to keep it funny, which may see me writing anything that I might deem a 'You Couldn't Write It' thing, anything to keep it funny; so this has me thinking for myself, I'm best taking gags. And what I do is, I think of gags/jokes, I think of them, and I write them in, and, that's how I do most anything... So, a lot of gags, and gags come from life, and this idea can run on forever, or until no one buys it if pitched.
All I know about these kinds of shows has to do with the period of time when Disney bought ABC and all of their family-oriented programs had an episode at Disney (of course) and my then-BF and I were working for an extras company called Space Coast Extras. Got to have lunch with June Lockheart (she guest starred on the two-part Disney episode of Step by Step) who is exactly as sweet as you would expect her to be and met Jason Marsden who was... sigh... oh-so-dreamy... and tiny. He's like 5'1" or 5'2". Anyway, I think an idea like you propose, for an American market, the family needs something unique about them that lets the audience quickly and easily encapsulate who they are. We're going to explore all the other things they are through the episodes, obviously, but there needs to be something core about them. It's a single mom with two rambunctious tweens. It's a man and woman who already have kids when they meet. It's a spunky, feisty granny raising the kids. It doesn't have to be any of those things, but I would think there has to be some hook, some easily identifying quality to this family. Just my 2p.
I'm thinking global; like The Simpsons. So, you see Homer Simpson in Japan even... That said, from that alone... I'd like to use a Cockney family and aim this story at this global market whatever, and... Who knows, but, I'm in London, I'm a Londoner, it's a London family, if I applied the British idea of a 'family friendly' family, and have it do well. So... If there's children, school uniforms, if there's a lesbian couple who're the parents of a school friend of that child, there's a lesbian couple who're the parents of a school friend of that child, it just can't swear or mustn't use drugs or drink causally, if ever, IDK, I'd have to see what the watershed I want says I can do; Did Corey's father ever open a can of beer on Boy Meets World?
Ah, that's what I get for assuming! Sorry, bruv. You mentioned Boy Meets World and Buena Vista (which is another word for Disney)... I lived on the Space Coast of Florida... I immediately imagined a family-friendly Disney-esque style production. I still think that aiming at a family-friendly market necessarily means you're looking at engaging younger viewers as at least part of the audience, so my opinion of "easily encapsulated family" still stands. And.... I'm going to bow out now because the last show from the UK that I watched and enjoyed was Mongrels, and that show... is the total opposite of what you're proposing.
Let's just say, there's only Sci Fi and Fanatsy on domestic market sold on the global/success of The Simpsons market and... on the import market; The Simpsons/Family Guy/Bob's Burgers/Rick & Morty I'd like to tone down for the earlier watershed, since, not; The Simpsons/Family Guy/Bob's Burgers/Rick & Morty could be shown in the UK before a certain time of day. I mean, BBC, produced a show called Red Dwarf that merchandising helped children at school know the show; but it'll never be green lit for the watershed I want; so, I want family, but funny. And not sci fi. The only way I know how to write that is to write in gags I get for ideas. I guess it just has to be funny and real, all be it British, it has to be funny to markets I want to sell its product in.
Yep, I remember Red Dwarf. Good show. I know what you mean when you use the word "watershed", but I don't know what falls into the different categories. We don't really have that in the U.S. A show is either daytime (super fluffy), or prime time, and all else must needs go to a cable channels because ABC, NBC, and CBS can't air it due to content. Our regular networks allow more violence than your networks, but much less in the way of sex and language. It's hard for us to even get to see your shows, unfiltered. Our TV trade partner is Canada. We export all of our stuff, but we very rarely air Brit shows, and you will not see TV from Australia in the U.S. We have to resort to somewhat illicit means to see your programming.
No puppets, not even The Ferals, I want this to be real and wholesome and no puppets, think what ABC did with Boy Meets World in the UK, it was on Disney Channel UK aired at 6 pm when it broadcast. Then make that show British/a Cockney family, and then, make it the story of that Cockney family being a Cockney family in London, and aim it at Nickelodeon in the UK or Disney Channel UK. Guess the question is - Who's producing for Disney Channel UK and Nickelodeon in the UK, and, how do I get that market to shine as big as Rick & Morty or Family Guy! or The Simpsons have for after this watershed? How do I make it funny but clean, but funny, and well written? Maybe if it's organic, and make what's special about everyday (family), the thing that makes this Cockney family so special.
