--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It always seems to someone outside the…" description: "\"It always seems to someone outside the business that it is very difficult to write for a comedy show because it must be done quickly. Actually, it is m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/robert-orben-3864_audience_it-always-seems-to-someone-outside-the-b_434506.jpg" --- # It always seems to someone outside the business that it is… ![“It always seems to someone outside the business that it is very difficult to write for a comedy show because it must be done quickly. Actually, it is much easier to write this humor than to do a joke or a show from scratch, because the audience knows the plot. Just mention what is going on and…” quote by Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/robert-orben-3864_audience_it-always-seems-to-someone-outside-the-b_434506.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/robert-orben-3864_audience_it-always-seems-to-someone-outside-the-b_434506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/robert-orben-3864_audience_it-always-seems-to-someone-outside-the-b_434506.jpg) > “It always seems to someone outside the business that it is very difficult to write for a comedy show because it must be done quickly. Actually, it is much easier to write this humor than to do a joke or a show from scratch, because the audience knows the plot. Just mention what is going on and then deliver the punch line.” [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing humor for an established show is easier because the audience already knows the premise, allowing the writer to focus on punchlines rather than building a story. **In simple terms:** Easier humor when audience knows the plot. Key Takeaway Leverage known context for quick jokes. Themes comedy writing audience knowledge efficiency Mood playful insightful Type practical advice When to use this quote - TV sitcoms - stand‑up routines - online sketches - improv games Key Concepts scriptwriting setup and payoff contextual humor Questions to Reflect On - How can you quickly establish context for new audiences? - What techniques keep jokes fresh despite familiar plots? A Different Perspective If the audience isn’t familiar, jokes may fall flat. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Comedy shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy-shows/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Punch line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punch-line/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It's very hard to write humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/it-s-very-hard-to-write-humor/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [I've come to realize that you're going to get criticized no matter what. Somebody will always hate what you write, especially if you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-ve-come-to-realize-that-you-re-going-to-get-criticized-no-matter/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I love to write humor. If I could make a living doing it that is all I would write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-griffin/i-love-to-write-humor-if-i-could-make-a-living-doing-it-that-is-all-i-2/) [W. E. B. Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-griffin/) > [I never write anything without humor, just because I like humor, but at the same time, it is a way for anything fantastical to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-never-write-anything-without-humor-just-because-i-like-humor-but-at/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [I think if you write humor, then people don't - you know - they don't give you that much credit. They tend to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-think-if-you-write-humor-then-people-don-t-you-know-they-don-t-give/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I am much more likely to care about someone trying to be funny and give them some credit for whatever he or she did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-am-much-more-likely-to-care-about-someone-trying-to-be-funny-and/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I love to write humor. If I could make a living doing it that is all I would write. The happiest period of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-griffin/i-love-to-write-humor-if-i-could-make-a-living-doing-it-that-is-all-i/) [W. E. B. Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-griffin/) > [I write humor the way a surgeon operates, because it is a livelihood, because I have a great urge to do it, because many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-write-humor-the-way-a-surgeon-operates-because-it-is-a-livelihood/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [It's very slow for me to create humor. It takes me a long time to write a humor piece. It takes days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/it-s-very-slow-for-me-to-create-humor-it-takes-me-a-long-time-to/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [With humor you have so many options with topics and length, I mean I can write humor essays in books now and they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/with-humor-you-have-so-many-options-with-topics-and-length-i-mean-i/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Noise pollution is a relative thing. In a city, it's a jet plane taking off. In a monastery, it's a pen that scratches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/noise-pollution-is-a-relative-thing-in-a-city-it-s-a-jet-plane-taking/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Anyone can write. But comedy, you've got to do some writing. You get one comedy script to every 20 dramas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/anyone-can-write-but-comedy-you-ve-got-to-do-some-writing-you-get-one/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I can only develop a stand-up show by being on stage. I can't write it. Whenever I see comedy written down, it very rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bishop/i-can-only-develop-a-stand-up-show-by-being-on-stage-i-can-t-write-it/) [John Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bishop/) > [I think I write my comedy to - a lot of it is to make my parents laugh. I want them to be proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-bargatze/i-think-i-write-my-comedy-to-a-lot-of-it-is-to-make-my-parents-laugh/) [Nate Bargatze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-bargatze/) > [It's hard to write a comedy sketch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/it-s-hard-to-write-a-comedy-sketch/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) ## More by Robert Orben > [Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/do-you-ever-get-the-feeling-that-the-only-reason-we-have-elections-is/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [I always wondered why babies spend so much time sucking their thumbs. Then I tasted baby food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-always-wondered-why-babies-spend-so-much-time-sucking-their-thumbs/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [I may be forty, but every morning when I get up, I feel like a twenty-year-old. Unfortunately, there's never one around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-may-be-forty-but-every-morning-when-i-get-up-i-feel-like-a-twenty/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Do you realize that in the past sixty years, the only foreigners the French have been able to drive out are American tourists?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/do-you-realize-that-in-the-past-sixty-years-the-only-foreigners-the/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [What bothers me about TV is that it tends to take our minds off our minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/what-bothers-me-about-tv-is-that-it-tends-to-take-our-minds-off-our/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [For Father's Day, my kids always give me a bottle of cologne called English Leather. It's appropriate! To them I always smell like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/for-father-s-day-my-kids-always-give-me-a-bottle-of-cologne-called/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Never raise your hand to your children - it leaves your midsection unprotected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/never-raise-your-hand-to-your-children-it-leaves-your-midsection/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [President Ford used humor a great deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/president-ford-used-humor-a-great-deal/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Nowadays, you cannot be a very Effective political figure without Having a demonstrable sense of humor. People take to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/nowadays-you-cannot-be-a-very-effective-political-figure-without/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [What if the meek inherited the Earth and we had to defend ourselves from Martians?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/what-if-the-meek-inherited-the-earth-and-we-had-to-defend-ourselves/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [I'd like to say a few words about one of the most popular concepts in the modern education--show and tell. Show and Tell is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-d-like-to-say-a-few-words-about-one-of-the-most-popular-concepts-in/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [My wife never lies about her age. She just tells everyone she's as old as I am. Then she lies about my age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/my-wife-never-lies-about-her-age-she-just-tells-everyone-she-s-as-old/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/illegal-aliens-have-always-been-a-problem-in-the-united-states-ask/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [These detective series on TV always end at precisely the right moment-after the criminal is arrested and before the court turns him loose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/these-detective-series-on-tv-always-end-at-precisely-the-right-moment/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [The Playboy Calendar this year has some tiptop models. Any more top and they'd tip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/the-playboy-calendar-this-year-has-some-tiptop-models-any-more-top/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) [Explore all 120 Robert Orben quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It always seems to someone outside the business that it is very difficult to write for a comedy show because it must be done quickly. Actually, it is much easier to write this humor than to do a joke or a show from scratch, because the audience knows the plot. 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