The name Mitch Hurwitz should ring a bell. He’s the brilliant mind behind the short-lived FOX series Arrested Development. Most recently he mistakingly teamed with FOX again to create Running Wilde, the Will Arnett-starer which couldn’t manage to air its initial 13-episode run before FOX canned it. Enough background. Hurwitz wrote this comically relevant Guide to Getting A Sitcom Canceled for the British newspaper The Guardian. As you’re reading it you’ll quickly pick up on Hurwitz’s intention behind writing such a guide; in essence he’s listing the reasons why Development likely got the axe. I won’t spoil it for you–start reading it here, then jump after the break to see the rest.

Have a confusing title

Come up with an unwieldy title that perhaps comes from the realm of psychology, so that the title of your show is almost instantly forgettable. For example, if you were to call the show Welcome Matt, an audience could immediately understand the concept: this must be a character named Matt and he must either be a welcoming person or stepped on. If you call a show Arrested Development it’s confusing and sufficiently disorientating to guarantee that a wide audience never discovers the fruits of your labor.

Continue reading Mitch Hurwitz’s guide to getting a sitcom cancelled →