Types of Comedy — Major Styles & Subgenres Explained

Defining Comedy

Defining Comedy

For something so subjective, it’s not that hard to define what comedy is, at least in broad strokes. We’ll be doing just that, while providing room for all the other things comedy means to people and society. 

From here, we will be covering the most common types of comedy that exist. Some of these types will include styles and techniques that are found in all sorts of comedy, such as improvisation or deadpan delivery. For the sake of keeping things concise, you can think of this as ten of the most common types of comedy that exist, since there are any number of sub-subgenres or ways of describing comedic films and television programs.

Styles of Comedy

Anti-Comedy

Like the name might imply, anti-comedy (aka anti-humor) derives its humor from the fact that it is not traditionally funny. Falling under the greater alternative comedy umbrella, anti-comedy can be cringe inducing and intentionally uncomfortable. Being offputting is often the point, and it can be used to comment on topics in very strange ways, which sometimes can go over the head of some viewers.

Some of the biggest names in anti-humor include Tim and Eric, who are arguably the subgenre’s biggest stars in the 21st century. From television to even stand up, their style of anti-comedy has a strong cult following.

Comedy Subgenres

Black Comedy

What better way to deal with something depressing than to make fun of it? Black comedy (aka dark comedy) takes aim at topics that are often sad or dark, such as death (in all its forms). Death manages to cover a lot of ground in black comedies, but really any unfortunate and usually not funny topic is fair game, such as drug addiction, childhood trauma, and general misfortune.

The Coen Brothers come to mind when it comes to dark comedy. Over several decades, they have crafted phenomenal black comedies, from Fargo (1996) to Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). Even some of their most serious films, like No Country for Old Men (2007), contain elements of dark comedy throughout. One could even say having consistent comedy in a film like No Country makes it a black comedy by default. It’s part of the Coen’s craft that so many of their films can straddle the line between serious and funny.

Kinds of Comedy

Dramedy

One of the broadest comedy subgenres, a dramedy (aka drama-comedy or drama-comedy) combines elements of drama and comedy in equal measure. Plenty of movies qualify, to the point where we could spend this whole article providing examples. Some directors are well known for making dramedies, such as Wes Anderson, who often combines genuine drama with comedy (usually deadpan and dialogue reliant).

Other well known dramedies include The Farewell (2019) and The Big Sick (2017), two films that cover cancer seriously but also make room to balance it out with comedy.

An unconventional choice for a dramedy would be the film Argo (2012), which could even be called a comedic thriller (yes, those exist). While not primarily sold as comedic, Argo is (in this author’s opinion) a dramatic thriller that balances things out with genuine comedy. It should also be said that the late great Roger Ebert called the film “surprisingly funny”.

And to add extra fuel to this fire: The Sopranos is a dramedy, full stop.

Different Types of Comedy

Mockumentary

A portmanteau of “mockery” and “documentary”, a mockumentary is a fictional film that is presented as a documentary. Early examples would include Woody Allen’s Take the Money and Run (1969), focusing on a seriously inept bank robber, which features interviews and recreations of his life.

Many mockumentaries make fun of something specific, like how This Is Spinal Tap (1984) is making fun of heavy metal bands of the era. In fact, This Is Spinal Tap is often seen as a major milestone in the genre, effectively launching it to success, permitting other films like it to be made.

But television gets in on the fun too, with mockumentary style shows hitting the scene in a big way in the 21st century. The most obvious example is the US version of The Office, which then led to Parks and Recreation, along with Modern Family–all shows that employ a documentary aesthetic in a fictional comedic setting.

Types of Comedy Genres

Satire

Sometimes hard to define, satire is something that makes fun of a current topic of the day, though it can also be more broad. Politics is a popular theme for satire, as is society and culture, but just about any topic can be covered under satire. A number of satirical books and films exist, and the genre seems to be highlighted in television with shows like The Simpsons and South Park, both of which satirize American culture.

Types of Comedy Movies

Spoof/Parody

When you’re watching something that is very obviously making fun of something else, that’s probably a spoof or parody. While the two words are not quite interchangeable, they do often mean something very similar; parody directly makes fun of something, while spoof is a bit more broad with what it’s making fun of.

One way to look at it is: Spaceballs (1987) is a parody of the Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983) and Scary Movie (2000) is a spoof of horror films.

Forms of Comedy

Situational Comedy

Situational comedy (aka sitcom) is a subgenre in television that revolves around situations and characters often set in specific and repeated locations. There is no shortage of examples, but popular ones include Seinfeld, Friends, Fawlty Towers, Married with Children, Cheers, Frasier, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and many, many more.

Comedy Types

Sketch Comedy

Sketch comedy is popular in television, as it can be seen in a number of programs from Saturday Night Live to I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. Since a sketch is a short scene, sketch comedy is often a longer program made up of several sketches of varying length.

At the same time, with the rise of sites like YouTube, sketches can be even more stand alone than ever before. Where in the past you might catch a sketch as part of a greater lineup of sketches, the Internet allows creators to produce and publish sketches independently.

Weird Comedy

Surreal/Absurdist Comedy

Surreal/absurdist comedy is when the funny stuff doesn’t make a lot of sense, which itself is part of the joke. The definition itself can be tricky, as surrealism was an art movement, and there is such a thing as a theater of the absurd. But in a modern comedy context, surreal/absurdist comedy can be exemplified in the works of Monty Python, The Mighty Boosh, The Kids in the Hall, Tim and Eric, and Eric Andre.

Comedian Types

Slapstick Comedy

Is there anything funnier than someone getting whacked with a baseball bat? Probably, but that’s what slapstick comedy is: a genre that emphasizes physicality.

The Three Stooges are the kings of this subgenre, but really anyone that uses their physical body for comedy counts, like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Bugs Bunny, and even Jackie Chan.

Up Next

Best Comedy Movies

Now that you know a thing or two (or ten) about types of comedy, look into our list of some of the best comedy movies of all-time, which covers all sorts of comedic films, both old and new.

Up Next: Best Comedy Movies →