It's pretty much standard operating procedure to over-write a script. That's because if the show runs long you can always cut stuff, but if the show runs short you're in deep doo-doo.When I wrote for You Can't Do That On Television I would always turn in a 50-sketch script, even though there would be only 35 to 45 sketches in the final version of the episode. You always want to have some padding.
And it isn't always the "bad" stuff that gets cut, either. The funniest thing I saw during my tenure on the YCDTOTV set was a piece of "padding" that never made it onto the air. You cut where the story structure demands that you cut, which isn't always the same thing as cutting out the bits that don't work well.
[This message has been edited by BBOvenGuy (edited February 08, 2001).]