Script-of-the-Week: Dharma & Greg

by Dottie Dartland and Chuck Lorre (55 pages)

Awards: Nominated for a Writer’s Guild of America award for episodic comedy.

Points of Interest:

• Pacing: Quick without any dialogue for the first 5 pages.

• Screen Visibility: Some props are described by name brand or manufacturer (e.g. Ericson yacht or S.O.M.A. loft)

• Formatting: Standard formatting. Sound Effects (SFX) used for various scenes.

• Dialogue: Quite sparse in the beginning with likely more physical humor than written jokes. As more characters are introduced more jokes are set up.

• Action: All in CAPS with characters underlined when first appearing in the episode.

• Act Structure: Cold Opening, Scene A. Cold Opening, Scene B.

Act One: Scene A, Scene B, Scene C, Scene D, Scene E, (No F or G), Scene H, (No I), Scene J, Scene K, Scene L, Scene M, (No N or O), Scene P.

Act Two: Scene Q, Scene R, Scene S, Scene T, Scene U, Scene V, Scene W.

Note: This script did not have a title for the episode on the title page but presumably from the Cold Opening, it is the pilot for the series.

Script-of-the-Week: Just Shoot Me “Old Boyfriends”

by Steve Levitan (50 pages)

Awards: None that I could find.

Points of Interest:

• Pacing: Average in the beginning with relatively short scenes. Strong one-liners keep it fresh. Act One ends without a strong finish.

• Screen Visibility: Minimal.

• Formatting: Character’s present in each scene are listed in parentheses at the top of the scene. Action lines are CAPITALIZED and character’s first appearances are UNDERLINED. Day numbers are represented on the slug line of each new day.

• Dialogue: David Spade’s jokes are biting and hilarious. Exchange between Nina and Elliot regarding a window washer falling from his station is very funny. Some jokes have become dated, like the the “Seagram’s joke. Some jokes didn’t make sense and seemed to pertain to some visuals that had not been described in the script like the last joke referring to dirty windows needing to be cleaned.

• Action: Described action is quite minimal. Basically a simple set up at the beginning of each scene.

• Act Structure: TEASER, ACT ONE, A, B, C, D, ACT TWO, E, (F & G omitted) H, (I omitted), J, K, L, M.

Script-of-the-Week: Married With Children “For Whom The Bell Tolls”

by Richard Gurman and Katherine Green (45 pages)

Awards: None that I could find.

Points of Interest:

• Pacing: Quick. Jokes in the first lines of dialogue get right to the “Bundy sensibility”. The story in the middle of the script slows down but the gags are continuous. Ending is abrupt.

• Screen Visibility: Besides minimal character actions the visibility of the set absent.

• Formatting: Lines are double spaced. Action is capitalized in parenthesis. Characters’ names and entries/exits are underlined.

• Dialogue: Sharp, biting and relatively short.

• Action: Moderate descriptions directing some of the character’s movements and physical humor.

• Act Structure: Act One, Scene One. Act One, Scene Two. Act One, Scene Three. Act Two, Scene One. Act Two, Scene Two. Act Two, Scene Three. Act Two, Scene Four. Act Two, Scene Five. Act Two, Scene Six. Act Two, Scene Seven. (10 Scenes).