Punch-up your Simpsons spec script with terminology straight from the writers' room
Ever wanted to write for The Simpsons? Shut up, yes you have. Well, now you can get one step closer to that coveted dream job with this list of terminology the real Simpsons writers use when discussing their scripts in the room. So, pull out that dusty old spec script from your bottom drawer and make sure it’s not an upper decker somebody else will have to clean up later.
Executive producer and long-time writer Matt Selman shared the list on Twitter last night, gifting the world such wonderful portmanteaus as “confuse-ilarious” and “revealize.” Other terms, like “Cranberry” or “triple check,” might be a little too inside baseball for most viewers to care about, but most could point to one episode of every show that falls into the “Burns is Scrooge” trap.
Of course, the Simpsons writers aren’t the only ones with their own secret language. In response to Selman’s post, President Show head writer Christine Nangle shared an example of a term used in their writer’s room that any writer staying up past their bedtime will understand.
Now that you’ve got the jargon down pat, it’s time to go digging for “ratings joke gold” and a few gobs of “emotion lotion.”
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