Out of all the forms of media I consume, I am head over heels for the classic sitcom. I always say my favorite shows are “people getting into crazy hijinks together.” The “sitcom” is a classic form of television that is a comedy in a realistic setting. It has been perfect by shows like “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation”, so with my extensive knowledge of the genre, I thought I would take a crack at it. In this article I am living out my dreams of being a TV show writer and concocting my own episode of my favorite shows.
What We Do in the Shadows- SNL
What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary sitcom about medieval vampires who live in modern-day Staten Island. The show follows Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja as they navigate living in the new modern era and blending in with humankind. They live in a huge house together, with their roommate Colin Robinson, an energy vampire who is super boring, and Guillermo, Nandor’s familiar, who wants to become a vampire more than anything
The episode will start with the five sitting around watching TV, and SNL will come on. They all enjoy it, and Nandor asks how he can get on this show. Guillermo explains that you need to be a celebrity to host, and Nandor feels that he is worthy of being a host because he is “Nandor the Relentless.” He then becomes determined to be on SNL and gets Nadja and Laszlo on board to be the musical guests. They break into Studio 8H and hypnotize Lorne Michaels into getting them on the show. The week of preparation includes Nandor being a diva, Laszlo and Nadja singing highly inappropriate songs for television, Colin Robinson feeding off the writer’s block from the writer’s room, and Guillermo and Bowen Yang having a flirty relationship. The show is a complete disaster, with everyone using their powers, swearing on television, and the set collapsing. They end up hypnotizing the camera and everyone watching to forget this episode ever happened.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia- The Gang Goes to the Eras Tour
It’s Always Sunny follows a group of five morally questionable friends who own the bar “Paddy’s Pub” in South Philly. The group consists of Dennis, a self-centered psychopath; Mac, a closeted hardcore Christian; Charlie, an illiterate janitor; Dee, an angry failed actress; and Frank, a loose cannon/business owner with an endless supply of cash to fund the gang’s crazy ideas. The show has been on for 16 seasons and is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history. My idea for the show, “The Gang Goes to the Eras Tour,”
The bar is packed with people who are dressed up for the tour. Frank got tickets for the tour in some shady way through a business deal at the concert. They all reluctantly go because Dee likes her, so she convinces them. Charlie gets mistaken for the head of security and works closely with the team, finally becoming a tough boss. Dennis attempts to hit on hot moms but ends up getting kicked out by Charlie during his reign of power. Dee and Mac walk around together, but Dee gets mad because the fans seem to like Mac more than Dee because he is gay (no one will trade bracelets with Dee). They also get kicked out by Charlie. Frank is up in the box seating with famous people and celebrities going to see the concert, and he is just being gross, grossing them out. The episode ends with Charlie getting caught and Frank getting kicked out for making people uncomfortable. They are all outside, and they all agree the tour was magical.
PEN15- Maya and Anna Write Fanfiction
Pen15 is a show about two best friends, Maya and Anna, going through the hardships and trials of middle school. The show focuses on being an awkward tween, growing up, and true friendship. Set in the 00s, the actresses who play Maya and Anna, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, portray their middle school selves.
In modern-day, Maya and Anna would discover fanfiction on Wattpad. They would surf the web, reading and creating stories, but take it too far by writing about people in their class and themselves. They would both agree to keep it to themselves, but Maya would anonymously post it. The story would get passed around the school, and even though people seemed creeped out, online they would get the classic comments under every Wattpad fanfic: “Update please!” The two would become obsessed with the internet “fame,” but then get into a fight about how the story should go. Their friend, Sam, would find out and tell them it was a bad idea because it was hurting their friendship and was weird. They would do a final sign-off and make up.