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“The English Patient” was the second “Seinfeld” episode Koren wrote after “The Abstinence.” According to Koren, “Seinfeld” writers didn’t just need a basic idea for their episode pitches. No, they needed to be sure that they could fill a half-hour-long, two-act story. Koren recalled:
“Unless you could come up with a story in that two-act structure they had, you just didn’t proceed. On that show, forget the jokes, each subsequent story beat had to be funny, that was a rule.”
Therein lies one reason why “Seinfeld” was so consistently funny, both on a moment-to-moment and episode-by-episode basis. The writers crafted funny stories, not just jokes strung together by a narrative. Many “Seinfeld” episodes flow like parades, the comedy piling up as the characters sink themselves further into embarrassing situations.
Speaking to Vulture, writer/producer Peter Mehlman revealed another wrinkle: “Seinfeld” pitches needed more than one story.
“You really [needed] to come up with four ideas, or three, because you have to have all of the characters engaged. Coming up with story ideas was absolutely the most important part of your job, which is not true of 90 percent of sitcoms where you’re doing it as a group.”
The three stories woven in “The English Patient” were enough to meet that standard. Still, getting a pitch approved is only where the writing begins.
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