Protocols for TV Comedy with Steve Hely

Steve Hely, a TV comedy writer and novelist, maps Hollywood's unwritten protocols onto the Summer of Protocols framework, walking through the pipeline from pitching (agents/managers, the five-part pitch structure, 'burglar ways' like South Park's demo tape) to the writer's room's 'yes and' norm, table reads as laughter-audits, and call-sheet production hierarchies. He argues comedy itself often arises from characters running mismatched protocols (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Big Bang Theory), and closes with skepticism that AI can yet replicate the emotional story-stakes that make scripted comedy work.