Situation Comedy

HAYES AND MILLINER

STARRING Will & Grace's Sean Hayes

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Think Project Greenlight with sitcoms: Two writers are chosen (out of 10,000 submissions) to shoot their pilots, and viewers vote for their favorite. Winners get $50,000 and an agent...but not necessarily a slot on parent company NBC's 2005-06 schedule. ''NBC says they don't want to guarantee that one's going to go to a series, in case it likes the other one,'' sighs cocreator Hayes. ''They're saying, 'What if the audience is wrong?''' Welcome to network TV, newbies!

WHAT TO EXPECT You'll see every step of the pilot process — from rewriting to casting to network notes — but no Chris Moore-esque tantrums. ''We didn't want to make this about causing roadblocks for the writers,'' says Hayes' producing partner, Todd Milliner. ''We wanted to make two really good sitcoms, not your typical reality show.''

WHY WE'RE OPTIMISTIC It could either result in the reinvigoration of the sitcom...or provide an eye-opening demonstration as to why so many of them stink.