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Comedy genres
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comedy may be divided into multiple genres based on the source of humour, the method of delivery, and the context in which it is delivered.
These classifications overlap, and most comedians can fit into multiple genres.
| Type | Description | Famous comedians |
|---|---|---|
| Black comedy or dark comedy | Black comedy deals with disturbing subjects such as death, drugs, terrorism, rape, and war. Some black comedy is similar to the horror movie genre. Television examples include Brass Eye. | Chris Morris, Bill Hicks, Denis Leary, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Penn & Teller, The League of Gentlemen |
| Character comedy | Character comedy derives humour from a persona invented by a performer. Much character comedy comes from stereotypes. | Paul Eddington, Andrew Dice Clay, Tim Allen, John Gordon Sinclair, Lenny Henry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Ryan, Steve Guttenberg, Bip,Jay London,Larry the Cable Guy, Kathy Greenwood |
| Improvisational comedy | Improvisational (sometimes shortened to improv) comics rarely plan out their routines. Prime examples of this kind of comic can be seen on the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. | Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters, Paula Poundstone, Paul Merton, Tony Slattery, Josie Lawrence, Jim Sweeney, Steve Steen, Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops, John Sessions, Neil Mullarkey, Kathy Greenwood. |
| Observational comedy | Observational comedy pokes fun at everyday life, often by inflating the importance of trivial things or by observing the silliness of something that society accepts as normal. | Ricky Gervais, Janeane Garofalo, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Chris Rock, Jeff Foxworthy, Jim Gaffigan, Kathy Greenwood, Ellen DeGeneres and Peter Kay, Russell Peters. |
| Physical comedy | Somewhat similar to slapstick, this form of comedy uses physical movement and gestures. Physical comedy is often influenced by clowning | Jim Carrey, Norman Wisdom, Jerry Lewis, Robin Williams, Lee Evans, Max Wall, Dane Cook, Kathy Greenwood, The Three Stooges |
| Prop comedy | Comedy that relies on ridiculous props, or everyday objects used in humorous ways. The comedian Gallagher is famous for the "Sledge-O-Matic", a sledgehammer, that he uses to smash things. | Carrot Top, Gallagher, Timmy Mallet |
| Surreal comedy | Surreal humour is a form of humour based on bizarre juxtapositions, absurd situations, and nonsense logic. | Eddie Izzard, Ross Noble, Bill Bailey, The Mighty Boosh, Steven Wright, Monty Python, Jack Handey |
| Topical comedy/Satire | Topical comedy relies on headlining/important news and current affairs. It dates quickly, but is a popular form of comedy for late night talk shows. | Dennis Miller, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Andy Hamilton, Bill Maher, Ian Hislop, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert |
| Wit/Word play | Wit and word play are more intellectual forms of comedy based on clever, often subtle manipulation of language (though puns can be crude and farcical). | Groucho Marx, William Shakespeare, The Simpsons |