My Little Comedy Can't Be This Serious! - Nerd Age

Lately I have been hearing a lot about people are disappointed that something they thought was funny and lighthearted suddenly turned serious. A lot of times I am surprised that people do not see it coming. Here is the number one tip to tell if your favorite comedy is going to get serious.

Make sure that your show is actually a comedy!

If the show is trying to achieve drama, but has bad writing that does not make it a comedy. People may watch the show and laugh at it when the writers are not trying to be funny. Look for the signs that the show is trying to be serious like people dying or bad things happening gradually over time. If those things are happening then maybe your show is not really a comedy.

Those should be signs that even worse things will happen in the future. For instance the recent rape scene in Kakumeiki Valvrave was a big surprise to some people that thought the show got serious all of the sudden. While the writing was bad to the point of being funny the content was serious with people dying, being held hostage, and various other bad things happening. Kakumeiki Valvrave is not a pure comedy show and has never tried to be one. For people that looked there were signs that things would get more serious.

The writers are just doing it for shock value!

Many people use that excuse for why they are so upset about the change in atmosphere, but if they really thought about it all major dramatic scenes are trying to shock you. If they are not out to shock you they are trying to elicit some kind of strong feeling from the viewer. Unless the show is portraying a  true story then someone had to make up the story to try to get some kind of feeling from the viewer. If you feel nothing when you are watching a show then it probably is not very good and is likely a slice of life show about teenage girls or boys. People do not complain that a comedy is trying to make them laugh, so why is shock so much worse?

It ruins the whole show for me!

Comedies need stories too and as long as the serious areas go along with the story it should not be such a big deal. The majority of people expect most comedies to have more going on that just skits. The writers have to write for the majority most of the time, so there has to be a story. It can be done well even with serious aspects like in Great Teacher Onizuka. It handled bullying, kidnapping, and many other topics while still remaining a comedy. It was better for it too. Give the show a chance to prove that the seriousness was necessary before you write it off.

If you still think that comedies should be pure laughter then maybe you would be better off watching shows that have already been reviewed, so that you know what to expect going in.