Major Project: structure

I looked into detail into the structure of a half an hour sitcom. 

The black list define this as:

The half-hour format is usually reserved for more comedic series, including the sitcom. These series follow a three act structure, often including a teaser (also called a “cold open”) and a tag at the end.

My series has a teaser and a tag at the end which came natural to my writing but also something a lot of my favourite shows do. So i was heavily influenced by this. 

I also stumbled across a guide produced by a first time screen writer that they had found useful. It became one of my main referrals.

https://wisesloth.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/sitcom-analysis.pdf

1-3 min Intro	Establish what the protagonist wants.
3-8 min Cataclysm	An obstacle appears between the protagonist and his goal. The protagonist reacts to the antagonist/obstacle in his own signature fashion. Cut to a new scene that establishes what the minor character wants and how he plans to get it. Cut to a new scene where the protagonist comes up with a plan to neutralize his primary obstacle.
8-13 min Complications and Escalation	The protagonist enacts his plan, but he’s blocked by a minor obstacle. The protagonist comes up with a plan to neutralize the minor obstacle in his way. Cut to a new scene that shows the minor character enacting his plan and running into his own resistance. Cut to a new scene where the protagonist enacts his plan and succeeds or fails at overcoming the minor obstacle.
13- 18 min The Showdown	If the protagonist failed to overcome his sub-obstacle then he comes up with a new plan to neutralize his main obstacle given this new limitation. If he succeed at neutralizing his minor obstacle then he confronts the main obstacle directly with the new strength/resource he gained from his success. Cut to a new scene where the minor character confronts their primary obstacle and either succeeds or fails at neutralizing it. Cut to a new scene where the protagonist pulls out his last resort and throws a hail-Mary to beat the antagonist. The protagonist either wins or loses.
18-21 min The Sunset	Show where this chain of events leaves the protagonist and the minor character.

It really had some great points especially about having a show with lots of characters.

"If you’re writing a sitcom with four or five recurring protagonists like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and you want to give screen time to all the characters then you’ll have a hard time fitting in four quests even without trying to squeeze in a minor character’s subquest. In that case you can split your four protagonists into two protagonists with two heads. In “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Mac and Dennis will often team up with each other to solve a common goal/obstacle while Charlie and Frank collaborate on a separate goal/obstacle leaving Dee to play a minor character with her own subplot. In another episode Frank, Dee and Mac might solve a common problem (though they each have their own reasons for doing so) while Charlie and Dee team up to collaborate on a separate problem. You can cut the cake anyway you want."

It was a perfect guide and something i will utilise in the future heavily.