My Pitch to Television 2011, Part 1

Welcome, folks.  For those of you waiting for this week's episode of "The Life of Oddley", I offer a diversion.  In today's posting, the first of three this week, I will examine the shows I would pitch to a major network if given the change.  It's not uncommon to pitch more than one show to a network to see what takes, so listen up.

Today's offering is something in the sitcom genre.  I thought I would start with comedy, then drama, then finish with something that's both.  My sitcom entry is something I've been working on for a while.  It's my take on the traditional sitcom with traditional elements thrown in.  Sitcoms tend to my natural mode of thinking, so why not lead off with this?

It's called "A New Kind of Family", and it takes place in New York City.  The family is called for now the Martins.  They're your average American clan except that both Mom and Dad are both female.  Yes, a homosexual couple is the center of this sitcom.  For those already not up on this concept, it's the 21st century.  It's time to think forward.  I am.

The two female leads share the responibilities of family, raising their two kids, a boy and girl, in a normal environment.  The boy is the older of the two siblings and is very intelligent while the young girl is typical of those her age, surrounded by pink thinks and dolls.  The parents are married, having done so recently after the state legalized such marriages.

The traditional element I enjoy most is the wacky but lovable neighbor.  Once living next door to sitcom families everywhere, now almost gone.  This wacky but lovable neighbor is named Alan Lloyd, and he's very tolerant of his neighbors and their lifestyle.  In exchange, the Martins get used to his lifestyle, that of a television comedy writer, working for Jimmy Fallon (a plus if sold to NBC)

The adventures that the Martins have are typical sitcom fare, updated to the 21st century and given a twist because of the nature of the family itself.  After all, theirs is a marriage only in six (should be seven) states.  Alan comes from a family who don't take kindly of his choice of neighbors and when they visit, they tried to suggest Alan move back home.

The pilot episode contains an scene I've had stored in my mind for years.  The pilot opens with Alan breaking the fourth wall as they introduces the Martins to the viewing audience.  He then shows us a morning in the Martins' apartment to the tune of Tanya Tucker's version of "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA".  Again, it's an idea I've had for years and let me tell you, it just doesn't die.

A feature of the show will be Alan's talks with the audience as he tries to explain things to us.  Alan's appearences within an episode shouldn't remove time from the star family.  He is merely a means of introducing the antics of the Martins to a world a bit less than forgiving about homosexuals.  Alan's upbringing should have made him intolerant but he saw pass all that.

At times, Alan will star in his own episodes, with the potential of a guest starring role from his boss.  Alan's adventures will show that things haven't changed since the days of Rob Petrie, just more nerds write comedy.  It also opens the door to major guest stars to stop by the Martins' thru any interaction with Alan.  All in all, a wonderful series that takes the traditional family sitcom and makes it a 21st century show.

In tomorrow's posting, I will detail my plans for bringing one of the best television shows of all time back to television.  Althought some people have their own ideas, this is my take on a classic show, which foreces us to take a look at ourselves.