History Main / CringeComedy

* ''Colin's Sandwich'' is an earlier example, where the embarrassment came partly from Colin's horrible bad luck and partly from his reactions to it which invariably made things worse.

A big trend in modern TV and film comedy: shows where the humour mostly comes from placing characters in the most embarrassing situations possible, or having them say the most awkward or offensive thing possible at all times. Often uses documentary feel to heighten the naturalism and increase the cringe, or has actors in character interacting with an unsuspecting public. Comedy that gives you second-hand shame. Comedy you have to watch through the gaps between your fingers.

* ''Film/{{Birdman}}'' has a real gem: Rigg Thompson (Creator/MichaelKeaton) having to walk around an entire city block in nothing but his white underpants because [[NakedPeopleTrappedOutside he got locked out of the theater's back door and his bathrobe got stuck in the doorway]]. And that block happens to back right up to Times Square at its busiest hour. [[FromBadToWorse And somebody records the Times Square part on a videophone.]] [[OhCrap And posts it.]] ''And'' [[InstantHumiliationJustAddYoutube it trends immediately]].

%%* The ''Literature/BridgetJones'' newspaper columns and subsequent book compilations. Taken UpToEleven in tha film adaptations.

* ''Series/PeepShow'' is this when it's not being a BlackComedy.
%%* ''Series/{{Extras}}''

* Charlie Runkle's role on ''Series/{{Californication}}''. Examples include his masturbation at work habit becoming known through a viral video and was taken to a new low (or high perhaps) with his season 6 plot about pretending to be gay to sign a client.
* ''Colin's Sandwich'' is an earlier example, where the embarrassment came partly from Colin's horrible bad luck and partly from his reactions to it which invariably made things worse.

* ''Series/MrBean'', both the series and the movies. Creator/RowanAtkinson often uses this trope.

%%* ''Series/TheInbetweeners'' is this for a new generation, with the added bonus that, since it's set in the Sixth Form, a LOT of the viewers have been there and can relate.

* ''Series/TheITCrowd'': One episode has Roy go underneath a woman's desk to plug in her computer. She comes back to sit at her desk and he ends up trapped since he couldn't possibly get out without looking like a pervert.

* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle''. One famous example is Malcolm flipping out in front of a bunch of his friends and the girl he likes at his mother who was the 'chaperone' for them at a bowling alley, because he sucks at the game. He walks down the lane to the pins, throws it and still misses.

%%* ''Series/TheIncreasinglyPoorDecisionsOfToddMargaret''
* The ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' episode "Duet" has Rodney [=McKay=] on a dinner date. Doesn't sound so bad, except: a) Rodney is naturally awkward in social situations, especially when there is a woman involved; and b) Rodney has a female consciousness in his head at this point, giving him dating advice in a voice only he can hear.
* ''Series/{{Succession}}'' does this a lot, mainly when one of the Roys (particularly Connor or Roman) says something completely inappropriate to the situation apropos of nothing whatsoever.
* Much of the humor of ''Series/TheComeback'', Lisa Kudrow's short-lived Creator/{{HBO}} SitCom, is this. It's used to show Valerie as so desperate to get herself back in the spotlight that she'll do anything for fame.
* The Ted and Ralph sketches from ''Series/TheFastShow''. [[TheWoobie Ralph]] is the socially awkward upper-class proprietor of an English estate, while [[WorkingClassHero Ted]] is an elderly Irish man who tends to the estate's gardens. [[HoYay Ralph is in love with Ted]]. HilarityEnsues.
-->"I'll get me coat."
* While not necessarily a comedy, ''Series/TwinPeaks'' sometimes dives into this during the show's more awkward moments.
* An episode of ''Series/{{Community}}'' when Creator/JackBlack tries to join the study group. His usual antics lend this to his scenes.
* ''Series/NewGirl'' uses this trope a few times in the PilotEpisode.
* ''Series/{{Trollied}}'' has a bit of this, most notably Julie's job interview.
* An iron stomach is required to get through an episode of ''Series/TimAndEricAwesomeShowGreatJob'' without looking away in embarrassment.
* ''Series/TheTomGreenShow''; Blending BlackComedy and SurrealHumor, Tom would go out of his way to create the most embarrassing, and often disturbing, situations possible for his sidekick Glenn Humplik, random people on the street, audience members, and even his own parents. Examples including airbrushing two very NotSafeForWork lesbians on the hood of his dad's car, and hiding an elaborate contraption under his lab coat while claiming that he was converting grape juice to pee...on a public bench.
* A fair share of the humour in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' is this.
* ''Series/QuantumLeap'', whenever Sam jumps into the middle of an inopportune situation. Cue "[[{{Catchphrase}} oooooh boy]]".
* ''Series/ModernFamily'' definitely has its cringe-inducing moments, although it's not built around that type of humor exclusively.
* ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' dabbled in this from time to time, like in the episode where Ray sat with his daughter on the school bus, and in another where Marie faxed a letter to someone interviewing Robert for a job. The crowning example though, is the episode "The Faux Pas," where Ray accidentally embarrasses a young boy, by unintentionally insulting his father's occupation. The family's attempts to fix the problem, only result in the situation only get worse and more humiliating.
* A lot of the humor in ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' comes from seeing the gang's plans fall flat, notably in "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops"
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', especially from the 1990s to now (the '70s and '80s episodes often drift in and out of cringe comedy). Some examples include: the "Canteen Boy Gets Molested" sketch, a lot of the sketches based on real world awkward situations, and, of course, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t3OAHuVasI this]].

* For a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks supposedly]] serious show, ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' indulges in this. For whatever reason, about half of them are Clark's painfully awkward interactions with women, and half of those are with [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend Chloe]].
* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' has always done a lot of this, but season four ramps it UpToEleven.
* Some episodes of the UK version of ''Series/TheApprentice'' are full of this.
* Sometimes happened on ''Series/FatherTed'', most notably in Season 1.
* Most iterations of ''The Office'' feature this type of humor, as the show is meant to portray an otherwise-mundane office environment where the inhabitants attempt to liven things up (usually for the camera) only for it to go very poorly. Examples from the most famous versions of the series include:
** ''Series/TheOfficeUK'': David Brent's so-called [[http://www.downvids.net/david-brent-motivational-speech-159089.html motivational speech]] is so utterly uncomfortable that it must be seen to believed.
** ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Ten years prior to the series, Michael Scott promised a group of inner-city youths that he would pay for their college educations if they would make the necessary grades. Ten years later, Michael must go to these inner-city youths and tell them he's not able to pay for their educations. But before he can do that, they [[http://video.vulture.com/video/The-Office-Scotts-Tots;TV-Clips#c=ZZG2DD1B0XBVT2N1&t=The%20Office:%20Scott%27s%20Tots sing a song about how he will make their dreams come true.]]
* ''Series/TheMichaelJFoxShow'', though possibly unintentionally. One notable example is Mike's neighbor saying that he "doesn't know what it's like to struggle" as Mike is in the background, struggling to open a jar that his 10 year old opens with ease.
* ''Series/{{Girls}}'' has never been a series to shy away from cringe humor, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mSrfztaNM0 Marnie's cover of Kanye West's "Stronger"]] is one of the most uncomfortable points of comedy in the series. All the more so due to the fact that she's completely unaware of what a complete ass she's made of herself.
* Most episodes of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' run on this trope, often due to the SnowballLie or MistakenForIndex exploding out of proportion, and the characters continuously digging themselves deeper. Hell, one episode even had Frasier obliviously dating [[LikeParentLikeSpouse a woman who looks like his mother]] and they milked the Oedipal humor for all it's awkwardness.

* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' is usually upbeat, but the moment where Leslie (along with several members of her team) walks out onto an ice skating rink, only to find her red carpet isn't long enough is this. It also involves a three legged dog that starts to pee on Ron, everyone slipping and falling, and then when she gets to the stage, it has no stairs. As this happens, the song "Get on your feet" by Gloria Estefan starts and repeats several times.
* ''Series/{{Extras}}'' is particularly brutal with this. When one woman on the set brings her sister (who has Cerebal Palsy) to the set, Andy makes a joke that she looks drunk and "mental", right in front of her sister. He manages to save this one, though. There are other scenes that are much, much worse.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' dabbled in this from time to time, usually at Ross's expense.

* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'' can be like this at times, especially when Rebecca is trying to get Josh (or other people) to like her. The worst was during "I'm Going to the Beach With Josh and His Friends!" when she did an ''entire'' strip dance on a party bus.

* ''Series/TheIncreasinglyPoorDecisionsOfToddMargaret'' relies on how [[ButtMonkey Todd]] tries to bluff his way through the world when transferred to London, and his attempts to dig himself out of trouble.
* Several episodes of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' tend to fall on this kind of comedy. It usually happens to Barney due to his attempt to make his pick-up techniques work or when Ted or Robin go on a date.

* In ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'', [[Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger Sosuke Esumi's]] speech about heroism to Machalcon in an attempt to guilt-trip him into helping the Gokaigers in #36 very neatly falls into this after it becomes obvious [[BlatantLies what it's hinging on]], followed by everyone in the Gokai Galleon's crow's nest latching onto Sosuke and audibly protesting over him [[DiggingYourselfDeeper as Sosuke's speech only infuriates Machalcon even more.]]

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' is all about this trope. Given how the main characters are a group of [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonists]] who more or less ruin everything they touch, it's not hard to see why. The best examples are episodes like ''The Nightman Cometh'' and ''Frank Reynolds' Little Beauties''.
* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': A fair amount of the humour of the show is watching the disastrous consequences that come from Gordon Brittas' poor social and management skills. A stand-out example comes from "Mums and Dads", which ends with Brittas playing a hilariously disastrous rendition of "Knock Three Times" that cringes out the audience watching.

* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': A fair amount of the humour of the show is watching disastrous consequences that come from Gordon Brittas' poor social and management skills. A stand-out example comes from "Mums and Dads", which ends with Brittas playing a hilariously disastrous rendition of "Knock Three Times" that cringes out the audience watching.

* ''ComicBook/{{Rat-Man}}'' often makes use of it. The most notable example is in the "Il Grande Magazzi" story arc (a ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' parody), where the key to defeating [[SorcerousOverlord Carlo Pelagatti (AKA Valdifass)]] is finding and unleashing a "Philosopher's Woman"... That is, a woman whose combination of horrible personality and low IQ can drive people to suicide and [[ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful gets away with it by being gorgeous]]. Our heroes find the exact one who once dated Carlo... And she flat-out tells him she told all her friends that he has a small penis (and that they laughed), among other things. And ''then'' she starts reading a love poem to his best friend (that got her pregnant) that humiliates Carlo so much he starts spontaneously ''electrocuting himself''.

* ''WesternAnimation/Regularshow'': Skips' cousin Quips is a walking example of this, with his dialogue consisting primarily of horrible jokes that only he finds funny.

** Episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E7MakeNewFriendsButKeepDiscord Make New Friends but Keep Discord]]" has Discord trying to do stand-up comedy. It fails. Maud's comment doesn't help.

%%[[folder:Literature]]

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[[folder:Literature]]
''Literature/TheManyHorrorsOfBeingATokyoWaitress'' is almost entirely this, from Jonas getting a job as a transvestite hostess at a gay bar, to his interactions with his girlfriend's roommate. While drunk, he tries to show a [[TheChikan chikan]] how to properly molest train-passengers. Peak cringe is reached in the Ms. Hibiki scenes.
[[/folder]]

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' is all about this trope. Given how the main characters are a group of [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonists]] who mroe or less ruin everythign they touch, it's not hard to see why. The best examples are episodes like ''The Nightman Cometh'' and ''Frank Reynolds' Little Beauties'' are prime examples.

* In ''VideoGame/Persona5Royal'', while at a summer festival, Ryuji makes rather cringey comments to a news team on-camera in the hopes that they won't use the footage. Yusuke's response to Ryuji after this, where he says that his behavior was "truly cringeworthy". A later text from Mishima shows that Ryuji's plan failed.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' does a lot of this as GettingCrapPastTheRadar. One incident involves Wilma being pregnant with Pebbles and Fred has to be certain he can get her to the hospital in time, so he enlists Barney to help him. She has contractions so they rush her to the hospital, more-or-less in a panic. They arrive at the hospital, Barney rushes Wilma through the revolving door so fast it spins Fred out of the building, and across the street through the revolving door of another building, which Fred does not realize isn't the hospital, but a hotel. HilarityEnsues when Fred, wanting to know where in the hospital Wilma is, innocently says to the desk clerk, "I'm looking for my wife. She just came in here with my best friend."

* ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether''. You can count the amount of jokes that aren't RefugeInAudacity, based on racial stereotypes, or [[NauseaFuel related to bodily functions]] on one hand. The entire show is incredibly divisive because depending on who you ask it is either hilarious or an AllAdultAnimationIsSouthPark-style adult comedy that relies way too much on trying to be offensive on purpose and [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot is disinterested in exploring its premise for anything deeper]]. [[TakeAThirdOption Or you might find people who find it hilarious precisely because it doesn't try to be much more than over-the-top offensive]].

--> '''Narrator:''' Todays battle result... Hayasaka loses.

* The plot of ''Manga/MyFatherBecameACuteVtuberGirl'' kicks off when Takashi finds out that the nation's #1 [=VTuber=] who he's been fawning over is actually a middle-aged man.... and ''his own father''.

** In "The Gi", Gumball and Darwin wear their karate uniforms to school and get soundly mocked by their peers (the duo's nickname is the "Karate Weiners") when they start doing low-grade karate in front of everyone, much to their obliviousness. Nicole is the "cringe-ee" here, as she keeps trying to discourage them without outright saying they're making fools of themselves. At the end Gumball gets a hard dose of reality when he realizes what's really going on, which is a little sad (although the episode ends on a heartwarming moment right afterwards).

* ''[[LightNovel/OreNoNounaiSentakushiGaGakuenLoveComeOZenryokuDeJamaShiteiru My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering with My School Romantic Comedy]]'' has the protagonist cursed with the "Absolute Choice" and he must abide by this and no, he cannot TakeAThirdOption. Most of these choices are going to end up embarrassing him so much that he became part of the "Rejected Five" because of his bizarre actions.