The search for the ‘next great sitcom’ continues with all-new one-hour episodes airing every Friday starting tonight in their new regular timeslot at 7:00pm.

Reality Reel Media
08.12.05

Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes (NBC's "Will & Grace") and producing partner Todd Milliner continue to follow neophyte writers as they earn the opportunity to produce and sell the "next great sitcom." The eavesdropping audience will give the final thumbs-up by choosing the winning entry that will be broadcast on Bravo.

The producers of "Situation: Comedy" have scoured the country looking for the hottest undiscovered writing talent at colleges, in comedy theater groups and even writing classes. Each candidate submitted an original sitcom script. Producers have received over 10,000 scripts.

After producers and experienced show-runners Stan Zimmerman ("Gilmore Girls") and Maxine Lapiduss ("Roseanne") narrowed the field to five semi-finalists, the lucky five writers were flown to Los Angeles, where they were thrown into the deep end of the creative pitching pool. They then submitted their ideas to NBC network executives who green-lighted two of the scripts to go into production as 15-minute presentations - shot by two very recognizable directors, Fred Savage ("The Wonder Years") and Amanda Bearse ("Married with Children").

The final two "wannabe" writers (or writing teams) were thrust immediately into the high-energy, high-stress world of television production. Viewers will be with them as they meet their staffs and find that they have to share many of their key staffers.

In addition, audiences will watch the entire process through casting, set design, rewrites, rehearsals, taping and post-production. In the end, they will see each completed presentation and can vote online for the sitcom they believe should get a shot for broadcast on television. The winner will receive a cash prize of $25,000 and exclusive representation for one year with a major Hollywood talent agency to further help launch a successful writing career in film or television.

"Situation: Comedy" was developed by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. Multiple Emmy-winners Arnold Shapiro and Allison Grodner are executive producers together with Hayes and Milliner. "Situation: Comedy" is a HazyMills production in association with Shapiro/Grodner Productions.