There isn't a more rigidly formulaic television genre than the sitcom. Over a tightly telescoped span of 22 minutes, writers must introduce, escalate and resolve a situation, all while giving audiences the belly laughs that have hopefully made the show appointment viewing. They typically only have a week from table read to filming, which leaves the production some room for adjustments, but little in the way of experimentation. It's all got to be on the page.

Even for a show like "Seinfeld," where the cast maintained a high degree of spontaneity throughout each episode? Where Kramer's (Michael Richards) abrupt entrances seem to throw off the entire gravity of Jerry's (Jerry Seinfeld) apartment? Where Elaine's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) signature shoves feel like they come out of nowhere? Where the banter takes so many unpredictable twists and turns that the actors appear to be consistently off-guard?

If you're not familiar with how sitcom production works,...