Mitch Hurwitz’s Guide to Getting a Sitcom Cancelled
Via Deadline. A few excerpts:
Have a confusing title
Come up with an unwieldy title that perhaps comes from the realm of psychology, so that the title of your show is almost instantly forgettable. For example, if you were to call the show Welcome Matt, an audience could immediately understand the concept: this must be a character named Matt and he must either be a welcoming person or stepped on. If you call a show Arrested Development it’s confusing and sufficiently disorientating to guarantee that a wide audience never discovers the fruits of your labor.
Add a sprinkle of incest
They’ll never admit it, but viewers love sex. In fact, they love any sort of titillation, with the exception of incest. So focus on that.
Make a show for British sensibilities
And then show it in America.
Admit it, your life has never quite had the same sheen since the cancellation of “Arrested Development,” has it? A little less fun and a lot less laughter. Who was your favorite AD character? And do you still hold out hope they might actually make the long-awaited AD movie?