Editing a sketch tonight in Final Draft, I found “Thanks Jeff” lands faster, while “Thanks, Jeff” reads like a mild scold… The vocative comma is technically correct, but would you waive it for timing in dialogue, or keep it and chase consistency across page 3 and beyond? I’m aiming for clean grammar that doesn’t flatten the laugh — how are you handling this in table-read scripts?
I’d drop the comma when it’s a true quick thank-you and keep it when you want that hint of “mild scold” — commas are speed bumps; only use one if you want the car to slow. Do a quick A/B at the table (one pass with, one without) and lock the choice for that bit or character so you’re consistent past page 3. For backup, John August has a good note on punctuation-for-performance: https://johnaugust.com/2005/punctuation-in-screenplays.