Explainer: Understand cringe comedy through 'The Office,' 'Arrested Development'
"Oh my god. I got second-hand embarrassment just looking at that!" How many times have we uttered these words aloud while viewing a particularly embarrassing scene where a character does something stupid or just plain cringe? That's not a gaffe and very much intentional, and there's a whole genre dedicated to it: cringe comedy, a sub-genre of comedies/sitcoms. Let's learn more about them.
What qualifies as cringe comedy?
In a cringe comedy, everything is almost always self-explanatory. Characters turn themselves into bumbling fools, talk irreverently and in tones that generate subdued laughter, speak to someone who has a frustrated and deadpan expression, and most importantly—they do not realize that they're being cringy. Their dialogues are tailored in a way that it seems as if they're self-aware, but, they never are.
Understand it better in academic language
Humor theorist Noel Carroll explains it in congruence to the theory of discomfort, "Imagine cutlery laid out for a dinner. Suppose your salad fork is in the wrong place. If you're the type of person who doesn't like deviations from the norm, you won't find this interesting. If you're comfortable with such things and are aware of the discomfort, you may find yourself laughing."
'The Office' is an excellent example of cringe comedy
There is an intense amount of cringe that oozes out of Michael Scott (Steve Carell) from The Office, particularly in the first season. He saunters around the workplace trying to make a conversation, but most people avoid him, and resultantly, he tries to latch himself onto them, leading to several uncomfortable situations for everyone involved. Our tip? Watch Season 1, Episode 2.
'Arrested Development' also features several such scenes
Arrested Development, which is headlined by Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, and Michael Cera, among others, also offers instances of cringe humor. Take, for instance, when Tobias Fünke (David Cross) hilariously tries to debut into acting and gives auditions but to no avail, or when Gob (Will Arnett) drives around on his moped without a care in the world. Stream it on Disney+ Hotstar.
Other sitcoms that thrive on cringe comedy
Apart from these shows, there are several others that thrive on the same kind of humor, though cringe comedy might only be a sub-genre in them and not their focal theme. Some examples include Fleabag (Amazon Prime Video), Superbro (Netflix), American Vandal (Netflix), Parks and Recreation (JioCinema), The Mindy Project (JioCinema), and Curb Your Enthusiasm (JioCinema), among a few others.
