Comedic genres

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. For example, deadpan comics often fall into observational boom comedy, or into black comedy or blue comedy to contrast the morbidity or offensiveness of the joke with a lack of emotion.

Type	Description	Famous comedians/comedy shows
Black comedy or dark comedy	Black comedy deals with disturbing subjects such as death, drugs, terrorism, rape, and war. Some dark comedy is similar to the horror movie genre. Television examples include Brass Eye.	Chris Morris, Brian Graden, Jim Norton, Bill Hicks, Frankie Boyle, Jimmy Carr, Denis Leary, Mike Scully, Richard Pryor, Ricky Gervais, George Carlin, Chris Rush, Mike Ward, Penn & Teller, Matt Stone, Patrice O'Neal, Rich Vos, The League of Gentlemen, Seth MacFarlane, Christopher Titus, Sacha Baron Cohen, Doug Stanhope, Eminem, Brother Theodore, Tom Lehrer, Shel Silverstein, Trey Parker, Quentin Tarantino, The Chaser's War On Everything, Monkey Dust
Blue comedy	Comedy based on sexism, racism and homophobic views, often using sexual jokes and profane language words.	Eddie Murphy, Jim Davidson, Frankie Boyle, Andrew Dice Clay, Bernard Manning, Eminem, Martin Lawrence, Roy 'Chubby' Brown, George Lopez, Doug Stanhope, Seth MacFarlane, Tommy Tiernan, Jerry Sadowitz, Redd Foxx, Bob Saget, Ron White, Dave Attell, Chris Rock, Derek and Clive, Sarah Silverman, Mike Ward, Chappelle's Show
Character comedy	Character comedy derives humor from a persona invented by a performer. Much character comedy comes from stereotypes.	Andy Kaufman, Catherine Tate, Paul Eddington, Andrew Dice Clay, Rich Hall, Tim Allen, John Gordon Sinclair, Craig Ferguson, Lenny Henry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Ryan, Steve Guttenberg, Jerry Sadowitz, Steve Coogan, Bip, Jay London, Larry the Cable Guy, Sarah Silverman, Rob Brydon, Rowan Atkinson, Peter Helliar, Harry Enfield, Margaret Cho, Little Britain, Stephen Colbert, Al Murray
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 shows Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Thank God You're Here.	Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters, Paula Poundstone, Paul Merton, Tony Slattery, Josie Lawrence, Jim Sweeney, Steve Steen, Wayne Brady, Ryan Stiles, Craig Ferguson, Colin Mochrie, Drew Carey, Greg Proops, John Sessions, Neil Mullarkey, Kathy Greenwood, Brad Sherwood, Chip Esten, Jeff Davis, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jonathan Mangum, Mark Meer.
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.	George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Brent Butt, Craig Ferguson, Larry David, Bill Cosby, Mitch Hedberg, Billy Connolly, Russell Howard, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey, W. Kamau Bell, Ray Romano, Chris Rush, Dane Cook, Dave Hughes, Ricky Gervais, Janeane Garofalo, Chris Rock, Matt Groening, Jeff Foxworthy, Jim Gaffigan, Kathy Greenwood, Ellen DeGeneres, Jeremy Hotz, Peter Kay, Daniel Tosh, Russell Peters, Demetri Martin, Tommy Tiernan, Carl Barron, Lee Evans, Michael Mcintyre, Kevin Bridges, Brian Regan
Alternative comedy	Differing from traditional punchline jokes which features many other forms of comedy such as Observation, Satire, Surrealism, Slapstick and Improvisation	Alexei Sayle, Mark Steel, Dave Gorman, Linda Smith, Jeremy Hardy, Ron Sparks, Alan Davies, Craig Ferguson, Ben Elton, Jo Brand, Stewart Lee, Sean Hughes, Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmonson, Malcolm Hardee, Kristen Schaal
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, Chevy Chase, Craig Ferguson, John Ritter, Conan O'Brien, Kunal Nayyar, Mr. Bean, Michael Mcintyre, Lee Evans, Max Wall, Matthew Perry, Brent Butt, Kathy Greenwood, The Three Stooges, Lano & Woodley, Lucille Ball, Dane Cook, Chris Farley, Zach Galifianakis
Prop comedy	Comedy that relies on ridiculous props, casual jackets or everyday objects used in humorous ways.	Carrot Top, Jeff Dunham, Gallagher, Craig Ferguson, Timmy Mallett, The Amazing Johnathan, Jerry Sadowitz
Surreal comedy	Surreal humour is a form of humor based on bizarre juxtapositions, absurd situations, and nonsense logic.	Spike Milligan, Jay Kogen, Eddie Izzard, J. Stewart Burns, Ross Noble, Bill Bailey, Brent Butt, The Mighty Boosh, Steven Wright, Trey Parker, Monty Python, Seth MacFarlane, David X. Cohen, Vic and Bob, Brian Graden, The Goodies, Jack Handey, Derek Drymon, Wallace Wolodarsky, Harry Hill, The Kids in the Hall, Conan O'Brien, Tim and Eric, Paul Merton, Mitch Hedberg, Firesign Theatre, Shaun Micallef.
Deadpan comedy	Not strictly a style of comedy. Telling jokes without a change in face expression or change in emotion	Milton Jones, Jack Dee, Jimmy Carr, Steven Wright, Peter Cook, Jim Parsons, Dylan Moran, W. Kamau Bell, Buster Keaton, Bill Murray, Jim Gaffigan, Les Dawson, Mike Birbiglia, Mitch Hedberg, Bruce McCulloch, Demetri Martin, Elliott Goblet, Aubrey Plaza, Zooey Deschanel.
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.	George Carlin, Bill Hicks, Chris Morris, Dennis Miller, Conan O'Brien, Russell Howard, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Andy Hamilton, Bill Maher, Ian Hislop, Brent Butt, Paul Merton, Eminem, Kathy Griffin, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Stewart Lee, Matt Groening, Rory Bremner, W. Kamau Bell, Ben Elton, David Cross, Lewis Black, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, The Chaser, The Late Show, Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week, Punt and Dennis, Jon Holmes, The Simpsons, The News Quiz, South Park.
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, Bo Burnham, Harry Hill, Craig Ferguson, Jay Jason, Oscar Wilde, Rodney Marks, Eminem, Woody Allen, George Carlin, Tim Vine, Stephen Fry, Demetri Martin, Firesign Theatre, Myq Kaplan.
Insult Comedy	Insult comedy is a form of comedy which consists mainly of offensive insults directed at the performer's audience and/or other performers.	Don Rickles, Andrew Dice Clay, Craig Ferguson, Ricky Gervais, Bob Saget, Frankie Boyle, Jimmy Carr, Jerry Sadowitz, Sam Kinison, Seth MacFarlane, Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, Roy 'Chubby' Brown, Eminem, Marcus Valerius Martialis, Jeffrey Ross, Lisa Lampanelli, D.L. Hughley, Greg Giraldo.
Mockumentary	A fiction film that parodies the conventions of documentary style.	Borat, This is Spinal Tap, The Monkees, The Rutles, Summer Heights High, Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo, The Office, Brüno, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, Come Fly with Me, Angry Boys, The Compleat Al
Cringe comedy	A comedy of embarrassment, in which the humour comes from inappropriate actions or words. Usually popular in television shows and film, but occasionally in stand-up as well.	Ricky Gervais, Craig Ferguson, Richard Herring, Rufus Hound, Larry David, The Office, Alan Partridge, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Peep Show, The Proposal, Bob Saget, Family Guy, The Inbetweeners
Sketch	A small episode of comedy practised and recorded.	Jennifer Saunders, Lorne Michaels, Dawn French, Craig Ferguson, Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, Chappelle's Show, Firesign Theatre, In Living Color, Catherine Tate, A Bit of Fry & Laurie
Sitcom	A comedy drama creating a comic situation which develops over a longer period of time than a sketch; commonly found as television series	Seinfeld, Fawlty Towers, Black Books, Porridge, Dad's Army, Blackadder, Gavin and Stacey, My Wife and Kids, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Big Bang Theory, Corner Gas, That '70s Show, The Office, The Simpsons, Open All Hours, Only Fools and Horses, Dinner Ladies, Modern Family, Melissa & Joey
Musical Comedy	A form of alternative comedy where humor is mostly derived from music and/or lyrics.	Bill Bailey, Denis Leary, Tim Minchin, The Lonely Island, Flight Of The Conchords, Les Luthiers, Craig Ferguson, Mitch Benn, Tenacious D, Spinal Tap, Stephen Lynch, Eminem, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Bob Rivers, Bo Burnham, Wayne Brady, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Spoof	The recreating of a book, film or play for humour, it can be used to make fun of or ridicule a certain production	French and Saunders, Mitchell and Webb, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Hot Shots, Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights, Shriek, Peter Serafinowicz, Look Around You, Weird Al Yankovic
Technical Comedy	Humor involving technical persons, and for example use of products, software and so on. Often the base of the comedy are work situations.	Don McMillan