View source for Comedy-drama

{{Short description|Genre of theatre, film and television}}

'''Comedy-drama''', or '''dramedy''', is a [[genre]] of dramatic works that combines elements of [[comedy]] and [[drama]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Dramedy|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/dramedy|website=[[Cambridge Dictionary]]|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|accessdate=30 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dramedy|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/dramedy|website=[[Oxford Dictionaries]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|accessdate=30 May 2018}}</ref>

==History==  
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{{Original research section|date=August 2016}}
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The advent of [[radio drama]], [[film|cinema]] and in particular, television created greater pressure in [[marketing]] to clearly define a product as either comedy or drama. While in live theatre the difference became less and less significant, in mass media comedy and drama were clearly divided. Comedies were expected to keep a consistently light tone and not challenge the viewer by introducing more serious content.

By the early 1960s, television companies commonly presented half-hour-long "comedy" series or hour-long "dramas". Half-hour series were mostly restricted to situation comedy (sitcoms) or family comedy and were usually aired with either a live or [[overdubbing|overdubbed]] [[laugh track]]. One-hour dramas included such shows as police and detective series, westerns, science fiction and serialized prime time soap operas.

Comedy-drama series are often associated with the [[single-camera setup|single-camera]] production format.

===In the UK===
In the [[United Kingdom]], the format first appeared successfully in 1979 with the long-running series ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'',{{fact|date=November 2020}} along with other comedy-dramas such as ''[[Jeeves and Wooster]],'' ''[[Benidorm (TV series)|Benidorm]]'' and ''[[After Life (TV series)|After Life]].''

===In the US===

One of the first American television shows to successfully blend elements of comedy and drama together was [[Jackie Cooper]]'s military-themed series, ''[[Hennesey]]''. Although the show initially featured a laugh track, it also contains many elements of character drama that occurred amongst the re-occurring characters and the guest stars. The laugh track was not extensively used in each episode; by the third season, it was eliminated completely from the series.

Beginning around 1969, there was a brief spate of half-hour shows that purposely alternated between comedy and drama and aired without a laugh track, as well as some hour-long shows such as ''[[CHiPs]]'' in the late 1970s to early 1980s. These were known as "comedy-dramas".

An early (1969–1974) example of this genre was the award-winning ''[[Room 222]]'', one of the first fully racially integrated television series. The episodes blended comedy with weighty subjects such as race relations, integrity, student smoking and mortality as well as topical issues such as the Vietnam War and the plight of returning war veterans.

The [[sitcom]] formula pioneered by [[Norman Lear]] in the 1970s in which a half-hour [[multi-camera]] [[situation comedy]] addressed serious issues in a dramatic format on [[videotape]] before a live studio audience is considered another type of comedy-drama hybrid. Examples of this genre include ''[[All in the Family]]''{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} and ''[[One Day at a Time (1975 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=O'Dell|first1=Cary|title=One Day at a Time|url=http://www.museum.tv/eotv/onedayata.htm|website=Encyclopedia of Television|publisher=[[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]|date=October 25, 2013|accessdate=December 10, 2017}}</ref>

Another example was ''[[The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd]]'', which aired from 1987 to 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Brinkmoeller|first1=Tom|title=Classic "Molly Dodd" Series Remains Locked Up, Awaiting 'Bail'|url=http://www.tvworthwatching.com/post/Classic-Molly-Dodd-Series-Remains-Locked-Up-Awaiting-Bail.aspx|website=TV Worth Watching|date=September 3, 2010|accessdate=August 15, 2018}}</ref> The term "dramedy" was coined to describe the late 1980s wave of shows, including ''[[Hooperman]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kelley|first1=Bill|title=The Best And The Brightest Abc's Hooperman – The Hands-down Winner Of The Best New Show Of The Year – Introduces A New Format, ''dramedy,'' While Slap Maxwell Reintroduces Dabney Coleman|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-09-23/features/8703150300_1_hooperman-lewis-erlicht-brandon-stoddard|work=[[Sun Sentinel]]|date=September 23, 1987|accessdate=September 24, 2017}}</ref> ''[[Doogie Howser, M.D.]]'', and ''[[Frank's Place]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hill|first=Michael|title=Bochco gives dramedy another go with 'Doogie Howser, M.D.'|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1989-08-06/news/tv-7_1_doogie-howser|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=August 6, 1989|accessdate=August 15, 2018}}</ref>

These early shows influenced how general TV comedies and series (especially family themed sitcoms) were developed. They often included brief dramatic interludes and more serious subject matter. An example of a successful comedy-drama series that distinguished this genre in television was the series ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]''. It generated critical acclaim and was a highly rated series worldwide. Another example of a successful comedy-drama was the television series ''[[Eight Is Enough]]''. The show was distinct, because it was not a comedy-drama in the traditional sense. It was an hour-long series that used a laugh track, which was very unusual, but is considered a comedy-drama for the fact that it alternated between drama and comedy.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Eight is Enough|url=https://fiftiesweb.com/tv/eight-enough/|website=Fifties Web|accessdate=August 15, 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Film|Television}}
*[[List of comedy-drama television series]]
*[[Black comedy]]
*[[Dramatic structure]]
*[[Melodrama]]
*[[Seriousness]]
*[[Tragicomedy]]
*[[List of comedy-drama films]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Comedy footer}}
{{Film genres}}
{{Television genres}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Comedy drama}}
[[Category:Comedy-drama| ]]
[[Category:Comedy genres|Drama]]
[[Category:Drama genres]]
[[Category:Film genres]]
[[Category:Television genres]]
[[Category:Comedy]]