The Eight Characters of Comedy: Guide to Sitcom Acting &Writing Paperback – February 1, 2014

I am lucky to live in Los Angeles because I get to take classes at Scott Sedita Acting Studios. Scott and Tony teach you the techniques to find what makes a character funny. And then you get to practice each of the eight character types. Wherever you live, buy this book if you want to be a comedy actor or writer. It will show you what makes characters funny and how to be them onstage or create them on paper. Plus, this is a fun and funny read! Scott will make you laugh as he opens your mind to what makes the great characters of TV sitcoms our favorite characters.

Although a book about comedy may have the potential to be hilarious, there's the fear that the humor will be subsumed by the analysis, and it'll be more like a textbook than a jokebook. But, in this case, fear not, 'cuz this is - well, both. The book provides an interesting analysis of how jokes are executed, both in writing and delivery, then provides entertaining examples.And the book also (as the title indicates) goes into the basic archetypes of sitcom characters, providing interesting insight on how they're used, and played off of one another, and then providing examples of each type from famous sitcoms through history.Even beyond this, one observation that I found especially interesting (upon my second reading) is the concept of one type of archetypal character playing in a different archetype's storyline - say, a "logical smart one" playing in a "lovable loser" storyline, for an episode, or even a story arc that may last several episodes.So, yeah - big fan. And, again, useful for not only comedy actors, but, also, comedy writers.

If you're navigating your place in the entertainment industry, this book is an absolute gem. It has brought a newfound clarity to my understanding of my casting in comedy and, more importantly a perfect text book to go along with Scott Sedita Classes!

This Second Edition to THE EIGHT CHARACTERS OF COMEDY breaks down the evolution of the SITCOM through the early 2010s and is full of helpful information for actors auditioning for sitcoms and writers developing them. But you don't have to be in the biz to enjoy this book. Scott does an excellent job of articulating the nuances of each character and helping us understand what it is about them that makes us love them so much.

This book is brilliant! A must read for all comedy writers and actors...

As a budding screenwriter of comedy, I need all the help I can get. This book explains how each specific sitcom character type functions within the series development, episode by episode, always bringing about the comedic storyline, the procedural resolution, and creating a dynamic that becomes the series’ status quo. Each episode is a continuation, which requires each character’s action and reaction. Truly amazing. It’s not the only book I’d recommend, but it’s in a class by itself. If you want to write episode tv-style comedy, this is amazing.

It was so fun to look at my favorite characters from television from the lens of a comedic writer. I felt like as an actor, it helped me get inside the brain of these characters and feel closer to them when breaking down scripts!

Scott Sedita's book is a must if you're interested in working smarter not harder in understanding the nuts and bolts to sitcom comedy acting! Scott breaks down the nuts and bolts of comedy from understanding sitcom script analysis/ writing, character breakdowns (and character references) to make it easier to identify what works in a sitcom scene as a character! Definitely a core tool to have in any actors toolkit!