History Main / CringeComedy

A trend in comedy 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.

* While ''Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses'' doesn't usually have this, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's first "Thanks for the Feedback" -- where she goes on a date with the Critic -- is horrifying in awkwardness.

%%* ''Manga/SchoolRumble''. Especially after [[SpotlightStealingSquad Harima became the main character]].
%%* Episodes 7 and 8 of ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation''.
%%* ''Literature/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'' can be this if you can relate to Yuuta [[spoiler:and Shinka]]'s OldShame.
* ''Manga/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular'' often uses this trope with many fans talking about how the comedy [[ThisLoserIsYou hits a little too close to home at times.]]
* ''Manga/ToLoveRu'' loves this, especially since Rito's an [[AccidentalPervert Accidental Pervert]].
* ''[[Literature/MyMentalChoicesAre 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.
* ''Manga/PrisonSchool'' makes sure the guys' shenanigans ''always'' end up in the most humiliating situations possible for them, usually for a completely trivial goal. With a generous help from the underground student council members guarding them in their prison. This goes for the Chairman of the school, whose attempts at hiding his love of asses from his daughter Mari inevitably fails.
* In ''Literature/{{Overlord|2012}}'', Ainz is repeatedly put in situations where a normal person would welcome spontaneous combustion, thanks to his inability to show shame. It's entirely possible to read the series as a comedy in which a bumbling moron accidentally takes over the world, slaughtering anyone in his path largely by accident.

* The plot of ''Manga/MyDadsTheQueenOfAllVTubers'' 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''.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'' briefly turns into cringe comedy during Joseph and Avdol's fight against Mariah. Her Stand can turn a person's body magnetic, causing all sorts of embarrassing problems for them as the magnetism pulls up womens' skirts, opens bathroom stall doors, and gets them stuck in embarrassingly suggestive positions.

* ''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 AnimatedShockComedy-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]].
%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfTim''
* Older ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episodes, and some newer ones rely on this heavily. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in "Funnybot", where the title character even uses "Awkward!" as his catchphrase. The boys have to stop him from telling the "Last Joke Ever," in which he destroys the entire human race because it's the most awkward thing possible. Appropriately enough, Funnybot was designed by the gallows-humor-obsessed Germans.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' utilizes this several times a season, mostly with the main character Rusty Venture though other characters are also occasionally guilty of this trope.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfTim'' somehow succeeds in making every second fit this trope.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' goes into this all the time. One of the most infamous examples is the CutawayGag "[[Literature/HortonHearsAWho Horton Hears Domestic Violence In The Next Apartment And Doesn't Call 911]]."
%%* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' in its later seasons.
* Most of Creator/DonHertzfeldt's works are [[BlackComedy dark comedies]], or [[SurrealHumor surreal]] {{dramed|y}}ies. One film, however, is "Lily and Jim", telling the story of a blind date from the perspective of both people. It is complete Cringe Comedy.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' often goes into this territory.

* The outrageously funny scene where Principal Skinner treats Superintendent Chalmers to dinner in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E2122ShortFilmsAboutSpringfield 22 Short Films About Springfield]]".
* In an infamous episode of ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'', Ginger confesses that she has a crush on her teacher, who is also her quiz team coach and the host of an upcoming school quiz competition that will be televised on public access. One of her best friends convinces her that the teacher loves her back and that she should ask him out. She agrees to do so, but has trouble finding the right moment. The temptation distracts her for the entire competition until she finally asks him out on a movie date during a question...on stage...in front of an entire audience...and on local TV. To add salt to the wound, the competing team answers the next and final question and wins the game by one point.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
** 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, just like what happened to Richard when he went to school wearing a superhero cape. 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).
** The entirety of "The Hug", in which Gumball hugs a complete stranger at school, Hot Dog Guy, just to be unpredictable. They keep meeting each other afterwards and neither of them have any idea how to react to each other. Special mention goes to the scene when Gumball tries to get away from the Hot Dog Guy during their sleepover in the tent.
** In the aptly-named SequelEpisode, "The Awkwardness", Gumball runs into Hot Dog Guy again when both of them are on the way to the store and their memories of "The Hug" come flooding right back.
** In "The Cringe", Gumball and Hot Dog Guy plot to get rid of their cringe around each other to only make things worse. One notable scene has them go on a parody of ''Series/BritainsGotTalent''; their audition is such a disaster that when they watch it, they cringe so hard that they end up in the hospital.
** A moment of startlingly dark comedy in the episode "The Job", wherein Gumball and Darwin deliver a pizza to a married couple of sentient pizza-people, who react as though it were a brand-new baby. Then Gumball drops the "baby" cheese-down on the porch steps. Then Darwin slips on it as they flee the scene.
* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': Hank once told his boss Mr. Strickland that he loves him...straight to his face...in front of a crowd.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn'': classic villain [[Characters/BatmanClayface Clayface]] is portrayed in this show as described exactly in the trope description above -- a character who can't act to save his life (or anyone else's) despite being able to physically become anyone, yet insists on being the team's "MasterOfDisguise". The show makes other frequent use of cringe comedy, including [[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Bruce Wayne's]] desperately clingy relationship with [[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]], and [[Characters/WonderWomanVillains Dr. Psycho's]] inability to stop using [[CountryMatters a word]] considered beyond the pale even by the cheerfully depraved psychotic murderers of Gotham.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' does this with Lorraine's crush on Marty. ''She'' doesn't know that he's her son from the future, but Marty and the audience ''do''.

* ''Series/QuantumLeap'', whenever Sam jumps into the middle of an inopportune situation. Cue "[[{{Catchphrase}} oooooh boy]]".

** In "The Cringe", Gumball and Hot Dog Guy plot to get rid of their cringe around each other to only make things worse.

%%* ''LightNovel/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'' can be this if you can relate to Yuuta [[spoiler:and Shinka]]'s OldShame.

* ''[[LightNovel/MyMentalChoicesAre 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.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Overlord|2012}}'', Ainz is repeatedly put in situations where a normal person would welcome spontaneous combustion, thanks to his inability to show shame. It's entirely possible to read the series as a comedy in which a bumbling moron accidentally takes over the world, slaughtering anyone in his path largely by accident.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12642602/1/Caught Caught]]'' revolves around one of Lincoln's sisters accidentally walking in on him "[[ADateWithRosiePalms handling his business]]". It then devolves into this as the older sisters find out that the younger sisters are listening in on the impromptu meeting.

Compare and contrast HumiliationConga, where it's still the goal to laugh at the expense of the character's embarrassment, but the cringe is mollified because they're an AssholeVictim getting a [[BreakTheHaughty well-deserved comeuppance]].

EmbarrassmentPlot is a closely related category where the story revolves around someone experiencing an embarrassing moment. (The main distinction is that such plots aren't always intended to be comical.)

EmbarrassmentPlot is a closely related category where the story revolves around someone experiencing an embarrassing moment; however, that trope isn't necessarily PlayedForLaughs.

See also CrossesTheLineTwice, where the same basic material is used, but more to make people laugh than to make them uncomfortable. If the show is partially or wholly unscripted (as in RealityTV or a TalkShow), it may be a PointAndLaughShow. Of course, if viewers end up saying the EightDeadlyWords, nobody cares anyway.

* ''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.

* ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' has a goodly amount of this. Some of the situations the characters find themselves in include: [[ImpossiblyTackyClothes showing up to school in a leisure suit]], [[NakedPeopleAreFunny streaking through the school]], getting egged on Halloween [[EtTuBrute by your own sister]], [[ImprobableInfantSurvival running over the shy Jesus freak's dog]], getting "drunk" and emotionally wrecked on [[FakeHigh non-alcoholic beer]] and [[BadNewsInAGoodWay getting dumped by proxy by your girlfriend's mom]]. And [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender nobody is spared.]]

** A moment of startlingly dark comedy in the episode "The Job", wherein Gumball and Darwin deliver a pizza to a married couple of sentient pizza-people, who react as though it were a brand-new baby... and then Gumball drops the "baby" cheese-down on the stairs... and Darwin slips on it as they flee the scene.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn'': classic villain [[Characters/BatmanClayface Clayface]] is portrayed in this show as described exactly in the trope description above -- a character who can't act to save his life (or anyone else's) despite being able to physically become anyone, yet insists on being the team's "MasterOfDisguise". The show makes other frequent use of cringe comedy, including [[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Bruce Wayne's]] desperately clingy relationship with [[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]] and [[Characters/WonderWomanVillains Dr. Psycho's]] inability to stop using [[CountryMatters a word]] considered beyond the pale even by the cheerfully depraved psychotic murderers of Gotham.

* ''Manga/SchoolRumble''. Especially after [[SpotlightStealingSquad Harima became the main character]].
* Episodes 7 and 8 of ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation''.
* ''LightNovel/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'' can be this if you can relate to Yuuta [[spoiler:and Shinka]]'s OldShame.

* In ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'', Ainz is repeatedly put in situations where a normal person would welcome spontaneous combustion, thanks to his inability to show shame. It's entirely possible to read the series as a comedy in which a bumbling moron accidentally takes over the world, slaughtering anyone in his path largely by accident.

--> (After Kaguya insists that she's not lovesick) "I use this hospital too, but I'll never be able to show my face here again."
--> (After Kaguya is hooked up to a heart scanner) "Stop it! Stop using the latest technology to expose my mistress' emotions!"
--> (After Kaguya loudly protesting that her AlmostKiss with Shirogane has nothing to do with her hospitalization) "It has everything to do with it!"
--> (After Kaguya insists on visiting another hospital for a second opinion) "Please, don't humiliate me anymore."
--> '''Narrator:''' Today's battle result... Hayasaka loses.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12642602/1/Caught Caught]]'' revolves around one of Lincoln's sisters accidentally walking in on him "[[ADateWithRosiePalms handling his business]]". It then devolves into this as the older sisters find out that the younger sisters are listening in on the impromptu meeting.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'': The movie begins with [=SpongeBob=] exuberantly thanking Mr. Krabs in front of an enormous crowd for making him the manager of the new Krusty Krab, entirely oblivious to the fact that Mr. Krabs named "Squidward" and there's a giant poster of Squidward's face unrolling behind them.

[[folder:Podcast]]
* ''{{Podcast/Frootch}}'': Most of the humor is related to Sarah's unsuccessful jokes and some of her remarks which could leave quite a {{Beat}} during a party. Other times, it's about how she gets herself in ridiculous situations.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* While ''Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses'' doesn't usually have this, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's first "Thanks For The Feedback" -- where she goes on a date with the Critic -- is horrifying in awkwardness.

* ''Webvideo/TheSwagLifeOfJustinYargenschmargol'' full stop. It's the whole point of its creation.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' in its later seasons.

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

%%* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' has always done a lot of this, but season four ramps it UpToEleven.

** UpToEleven in the sequel to that "The Cringe", where Gumball and Hot Dog Guy plot to get rid of their cringe around each other to only make things worse.

* ''{{Podcast/Frootch}}'': Most of the humor is related to Sarah's unsuccessful humor and some of her remarks which could leave quite a {{Beat}} during a party. Other times, it's about how she gets herself in ridiculous situations.

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''[[Radio/OpieAndAnthony The Opie & Anthony Show]]'': Everything from stomping on a homeless man's cake to playing laugh tracks behind a caller mentioning the death of a relative. They even embraced the term "Cringe Radio" for their type of show.

See also CrossesTheLineTwice, where the same basic material is used, but more to make people laugh than to make them uncomfortable. If the show is partially or wholly unscripted (as in RealityTV or a TalkShow), it may be a PointAndLaughShow. Of course, if EightDeadlyWords applies, nobody cares anyway.

* ''Film/MeetTheParents''; the entire movie and most of the sequels.

* God help you if your name is [[Film/SpiderMan2 Spider-Man]] and a failure to produce web sends you into an elevator ''[[UncomfortableElevatorMoment in full costume]]''.

* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' has a few examples for the audience (such as Iron Man accidentally teaching his daughter how to swear) and one that is mostly for the characters: as Captain America, Ant-Man, Iron Man and the Hulk return to the events of ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', they look estupefied once they see how the "Savage Hulk" of 2012 is a stark contrast to the controlled "Smart Hulk" that time travelled, as the Hulk violently jumps up-and-down on a car like a broken trampoline screaming like a five-year-old after using it to smash a Chitauri to death, leading the future Banner [[IHatePastMe to do a humiliated]] FacePalm.

* Some episodes of the UK version of ''Series/TheApprentice'' are full of this.
* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' has always done a lot of this, but season four ramps it UpToEleven.
* A fair share of the humour in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' is this.

* ''Series/MrBean'', both the series and the movies. Creator/RowanAtkinson often uses this trope.
* ''Series/NewGirl'' uses this trope a few times in the PilotEpisode.* 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.

* 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]].

[[folder:Print Media]]
* The main point of all those "Tell Your Most Embarrassing Moment" sections in ''every'' teenage girl's magazine ever.
* [[InvokedTrope Referenced]] in relation to UsefulNotes/SarahPalin 's Katie Couric interview in the book ''Going Rogue''.
[[/folder]]

-->'''Amanda:''' I’ll choose to believe that.
* The protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' once finds Henry working enthusiastically with Dennis to create a site where the protagonist and Henry will do “boy-boy stuff” together. To make matters worse, Amy and Ms. Walsh both buy memberships.
* In ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'', the protagonist and title character make a series of accidental double entendres at Amy’s birthday dinner. It is particularly awkward if Arnold is there, not least when he storms off to the bar in a huff.

* ''[[http://www.patheticgeekstories.com/ Pathetic Geek Stories]]'' runs on it, as it's based on real life embarrassing stories sent in by readers.
* [[http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.ca/2010/09/party.html This story]] from ''Webcomic/HyperboleAndAHalf'' becomes this trope the closer to the end you get, until it becomes full-blown embarrassing.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' often goes here- most notably in Too Young, with Finn and Princess Bubblegum's more painful (literally causing physical pain) ways of pranking Lemongrab. Two of the pranks weren't pranks so much as they were humorous physical assaults. One involved punching LG in the belly and pushing him onto the floor. The other involved lacing his food with burning-hot chemicals and causing him to fall out of a window. It's hilarious.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'': A lot of the show's humor comes from the embarassingly idiotic things the titular duo say and do. Of course, Beavis and Butthead themselves lack any self-awareness and are shameless perverts who will do anything in order to score.