Black Comedy
Black comedy is a style of Comedy that takes heavy, sensitive, disturbing, or controversial subjects and treats them with bitter amusement. The term humour noir, French for "black humor," was coined in 1935 by André Breton, an important name of the Surrealist Movement, and detailed in his 1940 book Antologie de l'humour noir. In this book, Breton analyzes the literature of Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift and 45 other writers' excerpts that he considered to be black comedy.
Unlike the more light and accessible comedies, black comedy tends to be more shocking and aimed at adult audiences, often featuring themes such as death, suffering, Crime, poverty, War, violence, terrorism, discrimination, disease, racism, sexism, sexuality and politics. It also frequently appears within Satire films, such as Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and A Clockwork Orange.
Unlike the more light and accessible comedies, black comedy tends to be more shocking and aimed at adult audiences, often featuring themes such as death, suffering, Crime, poverty, War, violence, terrorism, discrimination, disease, racism, sexism, sexuality and politics. It also frequently appears within Satire films, such as Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and A Clockwork Orange.
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- StarsWilfrid BrambellHarry H. CorbettFrank ThorntonBritish sitcom about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in London. The intergenerational divide between the miserly Steptoe and his ambitious son results in comedy, drama, and tragedy.
- CreatorRoberto Gómez BolañosStarsRamón ValdésRoberto Gómez BolañosCarlos VillagránThe misadventures of a poor, homeless, fumbling boy and his friends in their humble neighborhood.
- StarsLeonard RossiterDon WarringtonFrances de la TourPopular sitcom set in a seedy bedsit lorded over by the mean, vain, boastful, cowardly, racist landlord Rigsby. In each episode, his conceits are debunked by his long-suffering tenants.
- StarsRoald DahlAndrew RayForbes CollinsShort dramas each with a twist of some kind; across the first four seasons most of these are from short stories by Roald Dahl.
- StarsRik MayallAdrian EdmondsonNigel PlanerThe crazy and sometimes surreal comedic adventures of four very different students in Thatcher's Britain.
- CreatorMaurice GranLaurence MarksStarsRik MayallMichael TroughtonMarsha FitzalanThe ultra right-wing Alan B'Stard, the most selfish, greedy, dishonest, sadistic and sociopathic Conservative MP of them all, plots to achieve his meglomaniacal ambitions.
- CreatorFranc RoddamStarsTimothy SpallJimmy NailTim HealySeven British construction workers escape Britain's ever-growing dole queues and travel to Germany to work on a site in Düsseldorf. Follow their trials and tribulations of working away from home and away from the women they left behind.
- StarsAdrian EdmondsonRik MayallNigel PlanerA satire about three losers: a failed actor, his sleazy agent, and a permanently drunk bodyguard.
- StarsBarry MorseJohn BarronEd BishopDuring an election week, the U.S. president deals with the Russians, a deposed Shah and a stolen quark bomb while a terrorist plots an attack.
- StarsJennifer SaundersJoanna LumleyJulia SawalhaThe wild misadventures of Edina "Eddy" Monsoon and her best friend Patsy Stone, who live in a nearly constant haze of drugged, drunken selfishness.
- StarsMark GatissSteve PembertonReece ShearsmithAn interweaving narrative chronicling the antics of such diverse characters as: a transgender taxi driver, a family obsessed with hygiene and toads, a fiery reverend, a carnival owner who kidnaps women into marriage, and a xenophobic couple who run a local shop for local people.
- CreatorChris ElliottDavid MirkinAdam ResnickStarsChris ElliottBob ElliottRobin RikerA 30-something guy still lives with his parents and works as a paperboy and tries to avoid growing up and being responsible at all costs.
- StarsMaria KavoyianniKostas KoklasKetty KonstadinouAlekos falls in love with a married woman, Flora, and therefore his wife is tempted to kill him. Meanwhile, many other figures are entering the plot, who is totally unsuspected or maybe not.
- CreatorDon ReoStarsJohn LarroquetteLiz TorresDaryl MitchellA recovering alcoholic who becomes the manager of a big city bus station.
- StarsMick O'HaraCiaran MorrisonRichard MortonCautionary Tales With A Dark Twist.
- CreatorAlan BallStarsPeter KrauseMichael C. HallFrances ConroyA chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.
- CreatorBryan FullerStarsEllen MuthCallum BlueJasmine GuyAfter being hit on the head by a toilet seat that fell from Mir space station, a young temp clerk becomes a grim reaper in death.
- CreatorVictor FrescoStarsJay HarringtonPortia de RossiAndrea AndersIn an amoral science-based company, a manager tries to keep control of his scientists while being pressured by his shrewd boss.
- StarsReece ShearsmithSteve PembertonDaniel KaluuyaA group of seemingly unrelated strangers all receive a mysterious note stating "I know what you did", which sends their lives into a downward spiral.
- CreatorBrian HargroveJack KennyChristopher TitusStarsChristopher TitusCynthia WatrosZack WardA mechanic, Christopher Titus, along with his brother and his friends, try to deal with his father, a lewd, crude, drinking multiple divorcee.
- CreatorCasper ChristensenFrank HvamStarsFrank HvamCasper ChristensenMia LyhneThe socially awkward misadventures of Frank Hvam, his girlfriend Mia and his best friend Casper.
- StarsMatt BerryRich FulcherTerry WadeTwo hangmen (Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher) compete for women, money and happiness, venturing deeper in the ocean of depravity than any friends should in a whisky-fuelled, cross-cultural friendship.
- StarsChristopher MorrisAmelia BullmoreDavid CannA surreal, ambient mix of bleak comedy sketches.
- StarsReinhilde DecleirSien EggersLucas Van den EyndeA tragicomedy about the everyday life of a butchers family Vangenechten.
- CreatorCasper ChristensenFrank HvamStarsCasper ChristensenFrank HvamKlaus BondamUnpredictable comedian Casper, pitiful sports-commentator Kenny, and eccentric boss Buckingham are just some of the loving characters in this series about money, sex, and career--all revolving around the politically-incorrect TV production 'JumpStart.'
- StarsJo BrandVicki PepperdineJoanna ScanlanDarkly comic drama series about life on an NHS geriatric ward.
- StarsAnne DudekBonnie EngstromMichelle GomezThe Book Group" is a dark comedy that follows an American and the dysfunctional book group she forms in Glasgow as a way to make friends.
- CreatorHenry TrotterChris WaittStarsSimon GreenallPhil NicholHenry TrotterThree puppets from different countries: Lapeno Enriquez a brazilian green puppet gigoló and DJ, Fat Ed "Tubbs" an american heavy metal fan and pizza feaster blue puppet and Mervin J. Minky a weird and porn addict orange puppet, live together on "Fur Avenue" in the UK sharing their lives and having different issues involving money, sex or drug abuse.
- CreatorRoger BeckettLaurence BowenGary James MartinStarsAnna ChancellorFelicity MontaguAmelia BullmoreLittle Stempington is a small suburb that should be calm, cozy and quiet. But it is not lucky with its inhabitants. Instead of quietly killing time knitting, they kill each other. Vegetable cutters and large-caliber weapons go into action. Under the guise of a women's charitable society, classes of yoga and a circle of amateur runners, secret super-agents hide themselves, ready to eliminate a couple of competitors for the sake of another injection of Botox. Feeding their husbands an industrial dose of Viagra for breakfast and turning a quiet British suburb into a kind of slum where policemen do not go.
- StarsRob BrydonJulia DavisJoanna ScanlanThis is a series of documentary type comedy it shows a different couple each episode, we see the occasional friend or neighbour.
- CreatorJohn PattisonStarsDan RedicanJames RankinGord RobertsonThe series takes place in a halfway house for very bad puppets and features four felonious puppet inmates who are doing time with their human caseworker as they wait until that glorious day.
- StarsRachael CoopesSimon Van Der StapAlison BarnesSpoof lifestyle program taking a satirical, sometimes dark look at Australian society.
- StarsBenz AntoineNigel BennettMatthew EdisonA writer arrives at the Chateau Rousseau, an illustrious Montreal hotel known for its favourable treatment of struggling artists. He has been hired by Lucy Knowlton, the alcoholic owner of the hotel, to research and write a book about its history. She will comp his room and board until the book is written. At the same time, Jenny arrives at the hotel and is hired as a chambermaid. Shenanigans ensue.
- StarsWilliam ThomasAlex LoweRhys ThomasBizarre comedy series about a father and his three sons who run a funeral parlour in Wales.
- StarsJessica BardenAlex LawtherSteve OramJames is 17 and is pretty sure he is a psychopath. Alyssa, also 17, is the cool and moody new girl at school. The pair make a connection and she persuades him to embark on a road trip in search of her real father.
- CreatorAlec BergBill HaderStarsBill HaderStephen RootSarah GoldbergA hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.
- CreatorCary Joji FukunagaPatrick SomervilleStarsEmma StoneJonah HillSonoya MizunoTwo strangers are drawn to a mysterious pharmaceutical trial for a drug that they're assured will, with no complications or side-effects whatsoever, permanently solve all of their problems. Things do not go as planned.
- CreatorLouis C.K.StarsLouis C.K.Hadley DelanyUrsula ParkerThe life of Louie C.K., a divorced comedian living in New York with two kids.
- StarsNeil Patrick HarrisPatrick WarburtonMalina Pauli WeissmanAfter the loss of their parents in a mysterious fire, the three Baudelaire children face trials and tribulations attempting to uncover dark family secrets.
- CreatorIan BrennanBrad FalchukRyan MurphyStarsEmma RobertsLea MicheleAbigail BreslinA semi-anthology series that centers on characters being terrorized by a serial killer in different locations, including a university and a hospital.
- CreatorJason GannDavid ZuckermanAdam ZwarStarsElijah WoodJason GannFiona GubelmannThe story of a depressed man who inexplicably is the only one who can see his neighbor's dog as a full-grown man in a dog suit.
- CreatorRussell T. DaviesStarsAnne ReidRory KinnearJessica HynesAs Britain slowly turns into a dictatorship throughout the years, the lives of a typical busy family from Manchester converge on one crucial night in 2019.
- CreatorJody HillDanny McBrideStarsDanny McBrideWalton GogginsSheaun McKinneyAn overprotective father is obsessed with becoming a principal and competes against the popular vice principal. However, something happens that makes them work together to save the day.
- CreatorMarc CherryStarsJack DavenportLucy LiuAllison TolmanAn anthology series that follows three women in different decades all living in the same house, as they deal with infidelity and betrayals in their marriages.
- CreatorScott RyanStarsScott RyanChika YasumuraJustin RosniakRay Shoesmith is a father, ex-husband, boyfriend, brother and best friend, tough roles to juggle in the modern age. Especially when you're also a criminal for hire.
- CreatorDave CherninJohn CherninStarsKaitlin OlsonSofia Black-D'EliaThomas BarbuscaA hard-living aunt is forced to take care of her wealthy sister's spoiled kids after the mom flees the country to avoid criminal charges.
- CreatorSteve PembertonReece ShearsmithStarsReece ShearsmithSteve PembertonDerek JacobiGenre-mixing anthology series, inviting viewers into some very different and enigmatic No. 9s.
- CreatorRightor DoyleStarsZoe LevinBrendan ScannellMicah StockA New York City grad student moonlighting as a dominatrix enlists her gay BFF from high school to be her assistant.
- CreatorNat SaundersJames SerafinowiczStarsRupert GrintNick FrostPippa Bennett-WarnerWhen Daniel Glass is misdiagnosed with a fatal disease he begins to notice how everyone around him treats him better, so he decides to keep pretending that he really is sick. This leads to more lies, and, eventually, crimes.
- CreatorManolo CaroStarsCecilia SuárezClaudette MailléDario Yazbek BernalA wealthy matriarch tries to maintain her family's facade of perfection after her husband's mistress exposes their dirty secrets.
- CreatorRobert FunkeMatt LutskyStarsKirsten DunstThéodore PellerinMel RodriguezIn 1992 Central Florida, a minimum-wage water park employee lies, schemes, and cons her way up the ranks of the cultish, multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that drove her family to ruin.
- CreatorWill SharpeStarsSophia Di MartinoOlivia ColmanJulian BarrattDark comedy about the eccentric members of the Flowers family. Maurice and Deborah are barely together but yet to divorce. They live with Maurice's batty mother and their maladjusted twin children.
- StarsAtle AntonsenTuva NovotnyAnders Baasmo'Dag' is a Norwegian comedy series about a marriage counselor who thinks people should live in solitude.
- CreatorJulie KlausnerStarsJulie KlausnerBilly EichnerJames UrbaniakJulie and Billy, two jaded aspiring comedians who live together in New York City, navigate through their thirties while dealing with their individual careers and personal relationships.
- CreatorCharles PiccoCraig WallaceAnthony LeoStarsAlex HouseMaggie CastleBill TurnbullA stoner metalhead named Todd Smith, his crushee Jenny, his best friend Curtis, and the geeky Hannah, search their high school for a mayhem-causing Satanic spell book, while being opposed by Atticus, the evil guidance councillor.
- CreatorShalom AuslanderStarsSteve CooganKathryn HahnSawyer ShipmanOn his birthday, Thom Payne gets the gift of insignificance, and also a new boss. He suspects that his ED pills are interfering with his anti-depressants, leaving him with neither happiness nor... happiness. In a culture that reveres youth--a culture he helped create--Thom needs to figure out what his purpose is now that he's halfway to death and nobody cares what he thinks. Because in a world where any Kardashian is trending up, perhaps the wise among us would heartily embrace trending down.
- CreatorJason MicallefStarsGrace Victoria CoxMelanie FieldJames ScullyTV version of the 1988 black comedy "Heathers," in which an outcast student plots to kill the cool kids.
- StarsMelanie ScrofanoDave FoleyBruce McCullochAfter Shuckton, Ontario's bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics is rejected, Mayor Larry Bowman is murdered in his home, and almost everybody in town becomes a suspect.
- StarsJosef HaderOliver BaierUrsula StraussAbout a pathologist with a complicated life. His problems with himself, his colleagues and patients who come down to him, dead or alive.
- StarsMatteo SimoniRik VerheyeStef AertsThe 7 part black dramedy follows the comical exploits of four gigolos, the Callboys, while testosterone-driven management, petty arguments and deaf-mute ambition make their short-lived business crash and burn.
- CreatorAdam MillerStarsDan TetsellRufus JonesKaty BrandNelson 'the urbane fox' and his anthropomorphic animal friends navigate the urban jungle from their home in London's East End in a puppet sitcom for adults.
- CreatorVernon ChatmanJohn LeeAlyson LevyStarsHeather LawlessJonathan HadaryKevin BreznahanWhen "Boss" Hoss Heartshe dies, he bequeaths his town to his long-hidden and dim-witted son Hurlan, who has just been introduced to human society. Thus begins the bizarre and horrifying saga of Heartshe Holler.
- StarsJulia DavisAlexandra RoachAlex MacqueenSet in the 1830s, this black comedy centers on a woman who is washed ashore after her ship is wrecked off the English coast.
- StarsFrankie BoyleJim MuirTom StadeFrankie Boyle delivers a mix of stand-up and sketches in an uncompromisingly controversial fashion.
- StarsJan Josef LiefersMartina GedeckCristina do RegoArthur is a total loser. He lost his right hand in an accident, he lost his job and his marriage is on the rocks. He plans to do away with his wife so he can collect her life insurance and make a new start with his lover. However, nothing goes to plan and Arthur's life descends ever further into chaos.
- CreatorChris AddisonSimon BlackwellMartin FreemanStarsMartin FreemanDaisy HaggardAlun ArmstrongA comedic look at the trials and tribulations of parenthood.
- StarsMohd. Zeeshan AyyubPriya AnandAmit SialA failed entrepreneur has a lot going on in life when he finds himself involved in a case of mistaken identity and ends up getting a contract to kill a young girl. The target is the daughter of an influential politician.
- StarsGulshan DevaiahAnjali PatilHeeba ShahA suicidal man and a deadly assassin encounter the world of immortality in this black-comedy suspense thriller.
- CreatorVirginie BracStarsVeerle BaetensCharlotte Le BonPatrick d'AssumçaoA murder ties the fate of two women with an adverse background. They get dragged into a threatening game of fraud and betrayal.
- CreatorGeorgia PritchettStarsWill FerrellPaul RuddKathryn HahnThe story of Marty and the therapist who turned his life around - then took it over. When he meets Dr. Ike, Marty just wants to get better at boundaries. Over 30 years, he'll learn all about them - and what happens when they get crossed.
- CreatorElgin JamesStephen MerchantStarsRhianne BarretoDarren BoydGamba ColeSeven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol.
- StarsNakul Roshan SahdevTaniya KalrraTrupti KhamkarWhat happens when your love becomes an obsession, your lover turns into a stalker and a marriage leads to murder? You get a sassy, wickedly funny, thriller obsession like no other - GIRGIT
- CreatorRoseanne LiangJJ FongPerlina LauStarsAlly XueJJ FongPerlina LauIn the not-too-distant future, a viral plague has swept the earth. In a matter of weeks, it eradicated 99% of men. The remaining 1% were sent to The Facility in New Zealand but didn't survive. Or did they?
- CreatorRebecca AddelmanStarsKate BeckinsaleJules LatimerTiya SircarA discredited journalist, desperate to salvage her career, latches onto the story of a young mother sentenced to life in prison for maiming and murdering her husband -- crimes she claims she didn't commit.
- StarsKim Sung-ryungBae Hae-sunBaek Hyeon-jinA black comedy political sitcom about an Olympic gold medalist who was appointed as minister of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and is facing a kidnapping incident of her husband who is a political critic.
- 20228 epsTV-MA6.4 (54K)TV Mini SeriesCreatorHugh DavidsonLarry DorfRachel RamrasStarsKristen BellTom RileyMary HollandWhen a handsome neighbor moves in across the street, Anna, a heartbroken woman for whom every day is the same, starts to see a light at the end of the tunnel; that is, until she witnesses a gruesome murder. Or did she?
- CreatorBrett BaerDave FinkelSharon HorganStarsSharon HorganEve HewsonSarah GreeneThe Garvey sisters are bound together by their parents' deaths and a promise to always protect one another.
- CreatorAdam KayStarsBen WhishawAmbika ModRory Fleck ByrneSet on Labour Ward with all its hilarity and heart-lifting highs but also its gut-wrenching lows, the show delivers a brutally honest depiction of life as a junior doctor on the wards, and the toll the job can take back home.
- CreatorAndy SiaraStarsCristin MiliotiWilliam Jackson HarperLuis Gerardo MéndezExploring love and the weird things people do in the name of it, encased in an elaborate true-crime conspiracy.
- CreatorMatt HubbardAlan YangStarsMaya RudolphMichaela Jaé (MJ) RodriguezJoel Kim BoosterAfter divorcing her husband of 20 years, Molly Novak must figure out what to do with her $87 billion settlement. She decides to reengage with her charitable foundation and reconnect with the real world--and finds herself along the way.
- StarsTahir Raj BhasinShweta TripathiAnchal SinghAggressively pursued by a politician's daughter who will do anything to marry him, a small-town man takes drastic measures to reclaim his life.
- CreatorJoseph PellingBecky SloanBaker TerryStarsBecky SloanJoseph PellingBaker TerryFollow Red Guy, Yellow Guy, and Green Duck as they learn about family, electricity, and death. Beware the strange and dangerous twists that come their way as their seemingly-safe house reveals that they live in an actual nightmare.
- CreatorJames RichardsonStarsJames CordenMelia KreilingColin MorganThe story of a Michelin-starred chef whose world implodes when he discovers shocking secrets about his pregnant wife.
- CreatorLucy GaymerSian Robins-GraceStarsAlbie HillsArthur HillsMichelle de Swarte38-year-old Natasha is furious that her closest friends are all having babies. When she suddenly finds herself with a baby of her own, her life dramatically implodes and twists itself into a bizarre horror show.
- CreatorLee Sung JinStarsSteven YeunAli WongJoseph LeeTwo people let a road rage incident burrow into their minds and slowly consume their every thought and action.
- CreatorSeth RogenEvan GoldbergEric KripkeStarsJaz SinclairLizze BroadwayMaddie PhillipsFrom the world of "The Boys" comes "Gen V," which explores the first generation of superheroes to know that their super powers are from Compound V. These heroes put their physical and moral boundaries to the test competing for the school's top ranking.
- CreatorDonald GloverJanine NabersStarsDominique FishbackChloe BaileyNirine S. BrownA young woman's obsession with a pop star takes a dark turn.
- StarsChristoph WaltzNat WolffBrittany O'GradyFollows a relationship between employee and boss, asking how far we will go to get ahead, and to survive.
- CreatorKate McCartneyKate McLennanStarsKate BoxMadeleine SamiAlicia GardinerA feminist noir comedy set against a bucolic backdrop with a rising body count.
- StarsJustina MachadoAlejandro HernandezK. Todd FreemanWhen Dolores Roach is released after an unjust prison sentence, she reunites with an old friend who lets her work as a masseuse. When the promise of her newfound stability is threatened, Dolores is driven to shocking extremes to survive.
- CreatorEric KripkeStarsKarl UrbanJack QuaidAntony StarrA group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.
- CreatorEilif SkodvinAnne BjørnstadStarsSteven Van ZandtTrond FausaSteinar SagenA New York mobster goes into hiding in rural Lillehammer in Norway after testifying against his former associates.