Chuck Lorre Traces Sitcom Career in Memoir 'Sitcom'
Chuck Lorre is telling his television career in his own words with 'Sitcom', a memoir about creating and executive-producing hit comedies.
The writer-producer discussed the book in an exclusive Q&A with Deadline published on 15 October. The conversation was framed around publication, with questions on process and archive. Deadline
His credits span 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'Two and a Half Men,' 'Young Sheldon,' 'Bookie,' 'Dharma & Greg,' 'Mike & Molly' and 'Mom'. Creating and executive-producing means developing the idea and leading writers, cast and production. It is the top creative job on an American sitcom, a half-hour comedy built around a regular cast and returning sets.
The book is organised around material from his own files. It reprints his vanity cards, short written messages that appeared on screen for a few seconds after the closing credits. It also carries marked-up pilot scripts, working drafts of a first episode used to test a series, from 'Two and a Half Men,' 'The Kominsky Method' and 'The Big Bang Theory'.
'Sitcom' is to be published by Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. An imprint works as a publishing label inside a larger house. Publishers often reveal a cover months before release to start pre-orders. The publisher detail was reported by People after an exclusive cover reveal in May. People
Lorre also spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the book in an interview published on 28 September. That conversation included his comments on the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Press runs often move from monthly magazines to weeklies to daily sites as publication nears. The interview forms part of a longer press run for the memoir ahead of publication. The Hollywood Reporter
Reporting by Variety on 13 October said the memoir covers his 10 years in Scientology. The same report said the book addresses clashes with stars including Roseanne and Brett Butler. Those passages have drawn separate attention from the craft detail in the Deadline Q&A. Variety
'Mom', co-created by Lorre with Gemma Baker and Eddie Gorodetsky, ended after eight seasons with a finale in May 2021. The closing episode capped a long broadcast run. Deadline
What makes this stand out is the paperwork. Scripts with crossings out. Cards once readable only if viewers stayed late. For fans, this means a chance to see how a comedy moves from draft to slot, and how many hands touch it on the way. A crew of hundreds. A room of writers. A story that either gets finished or does not.
