I've heard from some people that Psych is classified as a drama, but some others tell me that it is a sitcom.
BBC defines a sitcom as "A TV sitcom is a comedy which uses the same characters to tell a self-contained story every week." This is Psych so far, but the standard length for sitcoms is 30 minutes, whereas Psych is an hour long.
I've also found a definition for a drama, "Dramas are any shows from a half-hour to one-hour in length that are serious in their tone, and these days tend to be shot in a more movie-like fashion." Psych is most definitely not serious in tone. It's a comedy.
Help, please? Somebody? Anybody? This is very important to me, since the format for writing TV scripts is different for Dramas, Sitcoms, and TV movies.
Full Version: Psych a Drama or a Sitcom?
QUOTE (BourneAgain @ Aug 27 2009, 12:05 AM) 
I've heard from some people that Psych is classified as a drama, but some others tell me that it is a sitcom.
BBC defines a sitcom as "A TV sitcom is a comedy which uses the same characters to tell a self-contained story every week." This is Psych so far, but the standard length for sitcoms is 30 minutes, whereas Psych is an hour long.
I've also found a definition for a drama, "Dramas are any shows from a half-hour to one-hour in length that are serious in their tone, and these days tend to be shot in a more movie-like fashion." Psych is most definitely not serious in tone. It's a comedy.
Help, please? Somebody? Anybody? This is very important to me, since the format for writing TV scripts is different for Dramas, Sitcoms, and TV movies.
BBC defines a sitcom as "A TV sitcom is a comedy which uses the same characters to tell a self-contained story every week." This is Psych so far, but the standard length for sitcoms is 30 minutes, whereas Psych is an hour long.
I've also found a definition for a drama, "Dramas are any shows from a half-hour to one-hour in length that are serious in their tone, and these days tend to be shot in a more movie-like fashion." Psych is most definitely not serious in tone. It's a comedy.
Help, please? Somebody? Anybody? This is very important to me, since the format for writing TV scripts is different for Dramas, Sitcoms, and TV movies.
A lot of people, including myself, call it a dramady...
But iTunes considers it a Drama....dunno if that helps
EDIT: Also, the story isn't exactly "Self contained"... it has a lot of call-backs and stuff...Well, that's my opinion...
I always call it a dramady (sp!) but if you look on On Demand and on the descriptions in the TV guide on On Demand, they consider it a comedy.
QUOTE (BourneAgain @ Aug 27 2009, 12:05 AM)
I've heard from some people that Psych is classified as a drama, but some others tell me that it is a sitcom.
BBC defines a sitcom as "A TV sitcom is a comedy which uses the same characters to tell a self-contained story every week." This is Psych so far, but the standard length for sitcoms is 30 minutes, whereas Psych is an hour long.
I've also found a definition for a drama, "Dramas are any shows from a half-hour to one-hour in length that are serious in their tone, and these days tend to be shot in a more movie-like fashion." Psych is most definitely not serious in tone. It's a comedy.
Help, please? Somebody? Anybody? This is very important to me, since the format for writing TV scripts is different for Dramas, Sitcoms, and TV movies.
BBC defines a sitcom as "A TV sitcom is a comedy which uses the same characters to tell a self-contained story every week." This is Psych so far, but the standard length for sitcoms is 30 minutes, whereas Psych is an hour long.
I've also found a definition for a drama, "Dramas are any shows from a half-hour to one-hour in length that are serious in their tone, and these days tend to be shot in a more movie-like fashion." Psych is most definitely not serious in tone. It's a comedy.
Help, please? Somebody? Anybody? This is very important to me, since the format for writing TV scripts is different for Dramas, Sitcoms, and TV movies.
Psych is classified as a comedy-drama. Coming from a screenwriter (okay, wannabe screenwriter, lol, but I have studied up a lot on it and have written many, many short scripts and I'm in process of writing my first sitcom
), the format for Psych would be written in a drama-type format. Sitcoms are filmed in front of a live audience. The dialogue is double-spaced and they are divided by scene number and acts. Shows like Friends, Two and a Half Men, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc. are written like that. Other comedies that may be described as "sitcoms" but aren't filmed in front of a live audience are written mainly like drama scripts and do not separate the different acts. They are also single-spaced. Shows that do this are Scrubs, Samantha Who, The Office, Everybody Hates Chris, etc.Psych would be written like any drama show, though I'm not sure how'd you write a "Shawn vision." I've heard never to use "CLOSE ON" or other camera angles (because it's the director's job...), but that may be justified because the camera angle there would be important to the story.
Each TV show differs slightly from the industry standard, so it may help to buy a Psych script on Ebay and study it.
One of these days, I was to write a Psych spec script, but that day is not very soon. Got to finish that sitcom I'm working on.
By the way, random, but here's two good sites with a list of actual TV scripts. They work awesome as samples:
Site One
Site Two
QUOTE (Crazy4Walt @ Aug 26 2009, 11:48 PM)
Psych is classified as a comedy-drama. Coming from a screenwriter (okay, wannabe screenwriter, lol, but I have studied up a lot on it and have written many, many short scripts and I'm in process of writing my first sitcom ), the format for Psych would be written in a drama-type format. Sitcoms are filmed in front of a live audience. The dialogue is double-spaced and they are divided by scene number and acts. Shows like Friends, Two and a Half Men, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc. are written like that. Other comedies that may be described as "sitcoms" but aren't filmed in front of a live audience are written mainly like drama scripts and do not separate the different acts. They are also single-spaced. Shows that do this are Scrubs, Samantha Who, The Office, Everybody Hates Chris, etc.
Psych would be written like any drama show, though I'm not sure how'd you write a "Shawn vision." I've heard never to use "CLOSE ON" or other camera angles (because it's the director's job...), but that may be justified because the camera angle there would be important to the story.
Each TV show differs slightly from the industry standard, so it may help to buy a Psych script on Ebay and study it.
One of these days, I was to write a Psych spec script, but that day is not very soon. Got to finish that sitcom I'm working on.
By the way, random, but here's two good sites with a list of actual TV scripts. They work awesome as samples:
Site One
Site Two
), the format for Psych would be written in a drama-type format. Sitcoms are filmed in front of a live audience. The dialogue is double-spaced and they are divided by scene number and acts. Shows like Friends, Two and a Half Men, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc. are written like that. Other comedies that may be described as "sitcoms" but aren't filmed in front of a live audience are written mainly like drama scripts and do not separate the different acts. They are also single-spaced. Shows that do this are Scrubs, Samantha Who, The Office, Everybody Hates Chris, etc.Psych would be written like any drama show, though I'm not sure how'd you write a "Shawn vision." I've heard never to use "CLOSE ON" or other camera angles (because it's the director's job...), but that may be justified because the camera angle there would be important to the story.
Each TV show differs slightly from the industry standard, so it may help to buy a Psych script on Ebay and study it.
One of these days, I was to write a Psych spec script, but that day is not very soon. Got to finish that sitcom I'm working on.
By the way, random, but here's two good sites with a list of actual TV scripts. They work awesome as samples:
Site One
Site Two
Ah. Thanks for the help (and for coming to the same conclusion I guessed 'cause I already started).
As for the Shawn-vision, I would define it as a filming technique first, and then I would be free to use the label later on.
Right now, I'm writing an episode of Psych in which Shawn, Juliet, and Abigail are stuck in an elevator together, and Shawn has to figure out why they stopped using his memory of his walk through the lobby. I originally had just Shawn and Jules in there, but I threw in Abigail to make it even more interesting. What do you guys think? Should I take out Abigail?
Not necessarily a 'sitcom' but definitely a comedy.
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