The next big hit is just around the corner. Premiering Tuesday on the Bravo Channel is Situation: Comedy, a ten episode series, allowing viewers to peer into the world of television production as producers Sean Hayes (Will and Grace) and Todd Milliner search for the best in undiscovered writing talent.

By Christine Blackmon
Reality Reel Media
07.30.05

Bravo's weekly one-hour reality series provides a perspective on the making of a sitcom pilot. Viewers go behind the scenes of national television as novice writers earn an opportunity to produce and sell their sitcom. The viewing audience ultimately has the final vote by choosing the winning sitcom, which will broadcast on Bravo.

To compete, each writer submits a script for a pilot episode. The pool of finalists are narrowed down to five semi-finalists who will pitch their ideas to sitcom producers, two will be chosen to create pilots based on their scripts.

This series follows both sitcoms through casting, set design, rewriting, rehearsing, and finally taping with post-production. The completed pilots, screened during the final episode allow the viewers to make the final decision on which pilot, if any, merits attention from the network (and public) for a series. Along with the opportunity to pilot their series, the winner receives a cash prize of $25,000 and exclusive representation from a major Hollywood talent agency for a year in order to further launch a writing career in film and/or television.

In episode one, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner team up with Stan Zimmerman ("Gilmore Girls") and Maxine Lapiduss ("Roseanne") in a contest devoted to discovering America's next hit sitcom. After receiving thousands of scripts, they each fly their favorite writers to L.A. where they deliver a pitch in order to continue in the competition. After deliberation the top 10 scripts are narrowed down to five. For these writers this is just the beginning.
Building on the advice that they received from their initial pitch, the writers prepare to pitch to NBC. When NBC Entertainment President, Kevin Reilly announces the network's top-two script choices, the writers will have six weeks to shoot a pilot presentation, rewrite their script, and find the perfect cast.

Tuesday night the public was introduced to the ten finalists. They were chosen from over 10,000 scripts, which included "anyone from anywhere" in the country. This reality series provides a platform for writers to present their work—and as shown in this premier episode, presents a challenge in the pitching of their ideas. The ten finalists are: Shaun Birmingham with his screenplay "Retailers," the team of Dale and Eddie Adelman with "The Maine Dish," Matt Caruso's "On Your Mark," the twosome Andrew Leeds & Dave Lampson with "Stephen's Life," Jim Donnelly's "Dentally Challenged," Jen Doerr's life-based script "The Rev," Byron Yee's "Strings," Jason Schuster & Mark Treuster with "The Sperm Donor" and Brian Fuller "Baked Alaska."