Line #118 Main/ComedicWorkSeriousScene


1	Everyone loves drama, but when a work is dramatic in nature, a serious scene is par for the course. When a work is generally comedic, it makes the serious moments hit that much harder. This can sometimes result in MoodWhiplash.
2
3	The inverse of SeriousWorkComedicScene.
4
5	Often overlaps with DownerBeginning, DownerEnding, or DramaBombFinale. Compare VerySpecialEpisode, BlackComedyBurst, UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode, and ActionFilmQuietDramaScene. Might lead to CerebusSyndrome if it causes the work to get darker in tone. Might also fall under a TearDryer if it's followed by something happy and/or sweet. Failed attempts may overlap with {{Narm}}. Before the scene occurs, the opportunity may be used to ShooOutTheClowns.
6	----
7	!!Examples:
8
9	[[foldercontrol]]
10
11	[[folder:Animation]]
12	* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' is a light-hearted superhero story with a comedic twist, but will occasionally pull out some legitimately down-to-earth scenes, perhaps the most famous being in Season 7 where everyone mourns the loss of one of the characters after they do a HeroicSacrifice.
13	[[/folder]]
14
15	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
16	* ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'' is as ridiculous as its name implies, but there are some chapters that are dead serious:
17	** The plot of Volume 3 starts with Hakari's mother issuing a BreakUpDemand for her daughter, forcing Rentarou and the other girls to try and rescue her.
18	** Chapters 134 and 135 involve Shizuka's mother confiscating her daughter's phone, which she was using for communication via a text-to-speech app, prompting Rentarou to confront her about it.
19	* ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu'': A light-hearted high-school romantic comedy, ''Fumoffu'' plays up Sōsuke's FishOutOfWater tendencies and Kaname's exasperation with them. Then there's the episode "The Patient of Darkness". After a series of scary stories fail to impress Sōsuke, he, Kaname, and Mitsuki go to an abandoned hospital as part of a ScareDare. Mitsuki bails almost immediately after seeing a woman in a 4th floor window. Kaname becomes futher agitated when Sōsuke confirms that the woman ''was'' there. The two go through the hospital, seeing a series of strange, unnatural things, which freak Kaname out, but do not phase the SeenItAll veteran, Sōsuke, culminating in them coming across a blood-soaked young girl holding a hammer saying "Go home or drop dead." Utterly infuriated by Sōsuke's lack of reaction, Kaname advances on the girl... only for the floor to give way under her. Cut to her lying in a pool of red and Sōsuke worriedly finding a way down to check on her. Fortunately, it turns out the red liquid was a spilled can of paint, and Kaname is unharmed, if a bit dazed. It was the only time we see Sōsuke truly scared, which even he himself admits.
20	* ''Manga/LuckyStar'' is largely a comedic SliceOfLife series, but it does have a few moments of seriousness (though most of these are [[AdaptationExpansion exclusive to the anime]]).
21	** The group attends an Creator/AyaHirano concert, but Konata can't see anything due to her already short stature plus the tall man in front of her blocking her view. Kagami switches places with Konata to let her see the stage, and Konata is in awe of Hirano's performance. Walking home, Konata is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness uncharacteristically quiet]], which Kagami is quick to notice. The scene ends with Konata asking herself what the feeling she's having is.
22	** During a class trip to Kyoto, Kagami gets a note from a boy in her class. She goes down to speak to him, thinking that he's going to confess his love to her, and is unsure how she'll respond. [[BaitAndSwitch It turns out he just wants a keychain she bought]], as he was too embarrassed to buy it himself in front of his friends. Kagami hands it over, but it's clear that she's upset by the whole thing.
23	** Kagami and Tsukasa return home to find that they'd missed a message from their sister, Matsuri, asking them to buy ingredients so she could make paella. Eldest sister Inori tries to play reasonable peacemaker, suggesting they could make the dish the next night. Matsuri complains that she wanted to make the dish tonight and chastises Kagami and Tsukasa for forgetting, making Kagami storm out in a huff while declaring that she'll buy the ingredients. Inori chastises Matsuri, saying she could have handled it better. [[JerkassRealization Matsuri quietly agrees]].
24	* ''Manga/MyLoveStory'' is a romantic comedy about a HugeGuyTinyGirl pairing, but it has its serious moments.
25	** Episode 4, Takeo and Yamato overhear the latter's friends badmouthing the former. Yamato runs off in tears. Later, a fire breaks out, and Takeo heroically saves the girls who had insulted him.
26	** Suna's father has to have surgery. Takeo tells Yamato, leaving her alone on her birthday so he can sit with his friend. They find Yamato in the lobby, making origami cranes as part of an old superstition about granting a wish, which Suna graciously accepts.
27	* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': There are a few serious moments in the series billed as a "martial arts sex comedy".
28	** In one of the OVA, Ryōga was teaching Akane to help her defeat a pair of girls claiming to be Sōun Tendō's illegitimate daughters, he realizes that he would sabotage her if he remained, so he walks off sadly, but with the knowledge that at least he got to be the hero.
29	** Ranma being cursed with the "Full Body Cat Tongue", which kept him from being able to resume his male form. Ranma is near tears when he realizes that unless he can beat Cologne, he may be forever stuck in girl form.
30	* ''Anime/SchoolRumble'' is a zany slice-of-life high-school romantic comedy. That being said:
31	** In one episode, Eri is planning to make dinner for her Father, and has bought all of the ingredients. Just as she's about to head home, her Father's limo pulls up alongside her, and he tells her that he's very sorry, but he's being called out of the country on business. He offers her a ride home, but she states she's fine walking. The limo drives off. Cue GrayRainOfDepression. Harima happens by and offers to share his umbrella with her, if she's not going far.
32	** Yakumo is menaced by a ghost in one episode (actually her own subconscious manifesting through her psychic powers), that asks her if she hates men, or actually likes them. It's not played at all for laughs.
33	** Mikoto finds out that the tutor she was crushing on went and got himself a girlfriend when he went off to college, and she [[StepfordSmiler has to pretend to be happy about it, even as her heart breaks]].
34	** Mikoto comes across Harima, locked out of his cousin's apartment for the Christmas holiday, and pulls a BatmanGambit to get past his pride and get him to stay in her family's dojo for the holidays. This is at the same time that she's also hiding Eri from an ArrangedMarriage.
35	* ''Manga/SquidGirl'': While the show is mostly funny with Squid Girl's [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain ineffectual attempts at world domination]], there are some serious moments:
36	** The very first episode is comedic when Squid Girl arrives at the beach and tries to be threatening, but the second-to-last segment ends on a rather serious note. Takeru [[PaperThinDisguise wears a squid hat]] so he can become Squid Girl's partner, but then a fan blows the hat off his head and Squid Girl believes this means the "squid" she met is dead, so she puts the hat out to rest in the ocean and mourns for it.
37	** Most of the segments in Episode 5 are comical, and the final segment is also silly and cute with Eiko and Mini Squid Girl bonding together. Then an elderly Eiko dies [[DeathWail as Mini Squid Girl screams in anguish]]. Then [[MoodWhiplash it goes right back to being funny]] when Sanae reveals that [[AllJustADream the events were a dream she had]] and [[MadAtADream she's annoyed and jealous that Eiko was the one to spend time with Squid Girl instead of her]].
38	** Episode 8 has a segment about Squid Girl's [[CompanionCube shenanigans with an umbrella]], but then a car runs it over and destroys it. Devastated, Squid Girl clings to the umbrella and [[MourningAnObject openly weeps over it.]]
39	* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'': Largely a comedic series, Tenchi has its moments of seriousness.
40	** Sasami is prone to eerie prophetic dreams that often have her waking in tears. This is not played for laughs at all.
41	** In one episode, Sasami has to reveal to her sister Ayeka that "the real Sasami" died, and she was an artificial creation of Tsunami. After she falls asleep from exhaustion, Tsunami clarifies that Sasami was actually still alive, albeit gravely injured, and Tsunami was able to save her by binding herself to the girl, but that Sasami is too young to fully understand what happened.
42	* ''Manga/UzakiChanWantsToHangOut'': One of the chapters reveals that Hana's younger brother Kiri, known for his tsukkomi tendencies (especially compared to the rest of his family), developed his interest in older women because when he was in middle school he had a female friend he was very close to, but due to his own immaturity he loudly declared he didn't like her all that much upon being teased by his friends. Naturally, she was standing behind him and their previously close friendship disintegrated, with the narration noting he'd never seen such sorrow on someone's face before. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone His own self-loathing and disgust at his actions]] caused him to want to be a mature adult as soon as possible, which eventually became a desire to ''be'' with someone he saw as an adult. Alas, he [[LoveAtFirstSight happens to meet]] [[CovertPervert Ami]] when visiting the cafe where his older sister Hana works...
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:Fan Works]]
46	* ''Fanfic/BurningSecret'': While it’s mostly a DarkFic about Lincoln processing his guilt for accidentally starting a school fire, there is the odd joke:
47	** At the beginning, Lincoln tries to put his mind off the fire, only to find games and comics about fire or crime.
48	** Lucy buys a lot of garlic knots, since VampiresHateGarlic, and she plans on becoming one, so she decides to eat as much garlic as she can before becoming a vampire.
49	** When Lincoln’s sleep deprivation starts getting to him, he begins hallucinating goofy things, like his sisters dressed in crazy outfits and his classmates as ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' characters.
50	* ''Fanfic/DuranAndKiyohimesOmakeTheater'': Mostly a series of light-hearted vignettes involving the antics of the titular Duran and Kiyohime, or the romantic hijinks of Natsuki and Shizuru, there are a few serious moments as well.
51	** In Chapter 10, Natsuki has just finished all of her make-up work, and Shizuru is treating her to a romantic evening on the beach, when Natsui begins to feel like she's become a case of AllTakeAndNoGive, leading to a BigDamnKiss as she fully commits herself to being Shizuru's girlfriend.
52	** Chapter 50. Shizuru made a serious mistake involving her classwork at the University, and so was snappish and short with everyone for about a week. She would quickly reassure Natsuki when asked that she was not the cause of her foul mood. She comes home one night, fully set on apologizing for her bad mood, to find that Natsuki had set up a nice romantic meal for the two of them over which she wanted to gently ask ''why'' Shizuru had been snappish lately.
53	** Chapter 91. Shizuru teases Natsuki a little too much, and Natsuki blows up at her, then storms out before Shizuru can reply. She's in the Student Council Room, avoiding going home out of a sense of both guilt and lingering anger. [[ThirdPartyPeacekeeper Nao points out that there's no reward for holding out, and that one of them should be the grown-up and initiate an apology]].
54	** Chapter 92, which is [[AnachronicOrder set during events closer to the beginning of the story]] has Shizuru come home to find Natsuki nervously trying to usher her out the door. Shizuru knows Natsuki well enough to know she's not cheating on her, but is concerned about her evasiveness. It turns out she was still in her fear of being AllTakeAndNoGive, and had been working on a poem about how she loved Shizuru, and the living room was strewn with balled up early attempts. Shizuru holds back tears of joy to comfort and reasssure Natsuki that the effort alone pleases her.
55	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fanfiction ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12210515/1/It-s-Not-a-Date It's Not a Date]]'' is mainly a comedic story about the Loud sisters doing wacky ShipperOnDeck instances. However, it does feature one scene of Lincoln being extremely mad at his sisters, even wondering if he hates them.
56	* ''Fanfic/PeekingThroughTheFourthWall'' is generally an {{MST}} style comedy, but Episode 5 has a scene where EverybodyCries while reacting to a sad scene in the story, and it's played completely seriously.
57	* ''Fanfic/PoundAndPumpkinCakesAdventuresAndMisadventuresInPottyTraining'' is generally a comedy fanfic, but the end of the chapter "Diaper Shortage?" reveals that [[spoiler:Apple Bloom has been stealing Pound's diapers and [[GooGooGetup putting them on]] as a desperate attempt to remember her parents, who died when she was a toddler.]]
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
61	* Most of ''WesternAnimation/{{Frankenweenie}}'' is [[LightmareFuel horror elements played comedically]], but what kickstarts the plot is when a dog named Sparky is hit by a car and dies. This causes a lot of sadness for the Frankensteins, especially Victor, which is what causes him to reanimate him.
62	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Home\|2015}}'' is a comedic film about a girl and an alien going on a trip across the world, but it has several poignant moments, such as Tip breaking down in tears after her failed attempts to find her mother, and Tip sobbing when Oh [[DisneyDeath appears to have been crushed by the Gorg's ship]].
63	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouseMovie'' is largely a comedy, with a bit of [[BigDamnMovie action]] thrown in. However, towards the beginning, Lincoln sings [[MelancholyMusicalNumber a slow, sad song]] about how [[IJustWantToBeSpecial he hates how "ordinary" he is]].
64	* ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar1'': This is a comedic flick about four zoo animals getting stranded on an island and getting into all kinds of shenanigans, but after Alex [[SanitySlippage loses it from starvation]] and scares everyone off, he runs off in shame, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone horrified that he nearly hurt his friends]]. This leads to a SadTimesMontage of Alex getting injured and later gloomily sitting on a rock alone and it's shown that his friends miss him.
65	* ''VideoGame/MoshiMonsters the Movie'' is mostly a comedy, but the scene just before "We Can Do It" is pretty bleak -- Poppet, Katsuma, and the pets are trapped in an ice cave, both of the pets are hypothermic and Poppet notes that there's danger of them "not making it", and Katsuma, who's normally very enthusiastic and cocky, is reduced to tears.
66	* ''WesternAnimation/TheNutJob'': This is a mainly lighthearted and somewhat action-y movie about a squirrel named Surly planning a raid to collect nuts from a store, but after the climax, [[DisneyDeath Surly appears to have died after falling over a waterfall]] and [[SuddenlySpeaking Buddy breaks his silence to whisper, "Best...friend..."]] as Precious lets out a HowlOfSorrow. Then Surly wakes up, much to everyone's relief.
67	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' is mostly a farce about Homer's stupid, impulsive decisions pushing Springfield to the brink of ecological ruin... up until the family learns that because of Homer's stupidity, the US government plans to bomb Springfield off of the map, while the Simpsons hide out in Alaska. Appalled by Homer's selfishness and unwillingness to take responsibility for his actions, Marge takes Bart, Lisa, and Maggie and abandons him, leaving behind a gut-wrenching videotaped message in which she confesses that she doesn't know why she keeps putting up with his behavior. Taped over their wedding video, no less.
68	-->'''Marge:''' Lately, what's keeping us together is my ability to overlook everything you do. And I overlook these things because... well, that's the thing, I... I just don't know how to finish that sentence anymore.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
72	* [[spoiler: Julian getting taken away]] in ''Film/BigDaddy''. The film is an Creator/AdamSandler comedy through and through, but the relationship between Julian and Sonny is fairly heartwarming, and the scene in question is PlayedForDrama.
73	* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' has several examples:
74	** Harley bringing her roller derby friends margaritas, only to overhear them talking about how she's inevitably going to run back to Joker because she (presumably) can't stand being on her own. She runs off in drunken tears.
75	** The life of Mr. Keo's daughter is not spared by Black Mask after the latter had a sudden change of mind. His reason for doing it (he got grossed out by a snot bubble she had when she was crying in utter terror), and his method of killing her (cutting her face off), made it all the more [[PlayedForHorror horrible]].
76	** Harley confides in Dinah about her and Joker's split with what starts as an amusing drunken ramble but turns into a teary, bittersweet confession, talking about the role of a harlequin, reflecting how lost both women are feeling. Rather than being PlayedForLaughs, the scene is very serious in tone, showing how sad Harley is inside.
77	--->'''Harley:''' Do you know what a harlequin is? A harlequin's role is to serve. It's nothing without a master. No one gives two shits who we are, beyond that.
78	** Helena Bertinelli saw her whole family being gunned down when she was still a child.
79	** Roman [[ShamefulStrip cruelly]] [[KickTheDog humiliating]] a woman in his club for thinking she was laughing at him. It even makes Dinah shed tears.
80	* The Best/Worst day scene from ''Film/CitySlickers'' certainly qualifies. The film is very much a comedy, but the characters' conversations about the best and worst days of their lives is very heartfelt and earnest.
81	* ''Film/{{Deadpool\|2016}}'' is a superhero comedy whose [[ProtagonistTitle titular]] AntiHero is a master of BreakingTheFourthWall. The scene in which [[BigBad Ajax]] tortures Wade to unlock his mutation is PlayedForDrama.
82	* ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' is a pretty typical Creator/MelBrooks parody, but Lucy's funeral is appropriately somber and serious. The discovery of Lucy's first victim as a vampire is also played for horror, but her attempt to seduce [[BritishStuffiness Harker]] and subsequent [[BloodyHilarious staking]] go back into comedy.
83	* ''Film/EdWood'' is less of a straight biopic and more of a comedy about making a B-movie. After learning his friend Bela Lugosi has died, Ed mourns him by watching and rewatching the last few minutes Ed filmed of him outside his house for ''Film/PlanNineFromOuterSpace''. It's a very poignant moment, especially when Ed asks the projectionist to run the film again.
84	* ''Film/Emergency2022'' is a BlackComedy throughout, but it turns deadly serious in the climax, when Kunle and Sebastian finally succeed in getting Emma to a hospital. Though they're genuinely just trying to do the right thing (and could've abandoned Emma at numerous points with nobody but them knowing, as Sean points out), they're held at gunpoint by the cops. The experience leads Kunle to a HeroicBSOD.
85	* ''Film/EncinoMan'' is a goofy comedy about a caveman who gets thawed out in 1990s America, but the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPgrnH4eudM&ab_channel=n0morew0rds scene]] where Link visits the museum and [[HeroicBSOD realises]] that everyone he knew from his time is [[spoiler: seemingly]] dead is a genuine {{Tearjerker}}.
86	* ''Film/FiveHundredDaysOfSummer'': The climax sees Tom's expectations of getting back together with Summer [[spoiler: shattered as he realizes he's at her engagement party.]]
87	* ''Film/GalaxyQuest'': A fun romp that is an AffectionateParody of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', which Creator/GeorgeTakei once called "a frighteningly realistic documentary." There are, however, a few somber scenes.
88	** When the cast finish rescuing Jason from the planet, they find that Sarris has taken over the ship. He forces them to watch as he tortures Mathezar, then, to really twist the knife, forces them to reveal that they are actors.
89	--->'''Sarris:''' He doesn't understand. Explain to him as you would a child.\
90	'''Jason:''' ''[looking pained]'' We pretended. [[ILied We lied.]]
91	** As the cast start to actually rise to the occasion and turn the tables on Sarris, it looks like it's going to be laughs again. Then...
92	--->'''Quellek:''' I--[[DullSurprise I am shot...]]
93	* [[Creator/HappyMadisonProductions Happy Madison]] comedies often attempt to have at least once scene that's not PlayedForLaughs.
94	** In ''Film/BuckyLarsonBornToBeAStar'', Kathy's fear of trays is PlayedForDrama.
95	** The climax of ''Film/JackAndJill'' sees the titular twins reconciling, and the scene is PlayedForDrama.
96	* Ray's [[spoiler: attempted suicide]] in ''Film/InBruges'' is an absolutely heartwrenching scene in an otherwise darkly comedic film.
97	* ''Film/KaamelottPremierVolet'':
98	** Arthur Pendragon [[RightfulKingReturns coming back]] to reclaim {{Excalibur}} from its stone.
99	** Arthur's memories from when he was training in the Roman legion in North Africa and had a big crush on a local woman (who ended up having a tragic fate).
100	** After defeating Lancelot in the climax, Arthur just lies down on a table as if he wanted to let himself die in the collapsing of the castle.
101	* ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'': While the movie is very comedic, the scene where [[spoiler: [[BigBad Valentine]] shoots Harry Hart with Arthur and Eggsy both watching]] is PlayedForDrama.
102	* Dwayne [[spoiler: breaking his silence upon learning he is colorblind and therefore can't become an Air Force test pilot]] in ''Film/LittleMissSunshine'' is as heartbreaking as the rest of the movie is funny.
103	* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse makes frequent use of this trope.
104	** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' remains one of the more comedic entires in the MCU, but the aftermath of Hulk's rampage shows a scared and regretful Bruce horrified by what he has done. Later, [[spoiler: Pietro's death]] is also PlayedForDrama.
105	** The opening scene of ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' is absolutely heartbreaking, especially compared to [[MoodWhiplash the scene right after it.]] [[DownerBeginning The opening scene]] has [[AMinorKidroduction young Peter Quill (later known as Star-Lord)]] visiting his mother in the hospital, who is severely ill with cancer. She gives him a walkman and mixtape before dying, and in his heartbreak, Quill runs out of the hospital before a spaceship abducts him. The next scene shows an adult Star-Lord dancing to music and even using an alien rat-like creature as a microphone.
106	** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' is just as dense and wacky as its predecessor, but the scene where [[spoiler: Gamora and Nebula find the corpses of Ego's other children]] is PlayedForHorror, and [[spoiler: Yondu's [[HeroicSacrifice death]] and subsequent funeral]] are PlayedForDrama.
107	** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': The film is quite a bit DenserAndWackier overall than the previous two Thor movies (''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''), but there are several serious and emotional scenes as well. Some of the most dramatic scenes include [[spoiler:Thor and Loki meeting their father Odin for the first time in years, only for him to die of old age]], [[spoiler:The Hulk's]] reaction to being told that Earth hates him, and the flashback to Valkyrie's backstory in which we find that [[spoiler:she's the only Valkyrie left due to an attack that killed the rest of them, including her lover]].
108	** ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'':
109	*** Gorr confronting a restrained Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie is played completely straight.
110	*** In fact, the entire black and white sequence is mostly serious and contains few comedic bits.
111	*** Jane having cancer is consistently treated seriously, and no jokes are made regarding it.
112	*** The deaths of [[spoiler: Jane and Gorr]] are very much PlayedForDrama.
113	* ''Film/MysteryMen'' is an AffectionateParody of superhero movies. The scene where Roy/Mr. Furious walks Monica home and has a heart-to-heart conversation with her is genuinely heartwarming.
114	* ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles'': For a comedy-of-errors film about the misadventures of two strangers working together to make it home for Thanksgiving, the reveal toward the end that Del [[spoiler: is a widower]] is a real downer, especially when flashing back to his, "My wife likes me" during his earlier rebuttal of a TheReasonYouSuck speech from Neal.
115	-->'''Del:''' You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I'm an easy target. Yeah, you're right, I talk too much. I also listen too much. I could be a cold-hearted cynic like you... but I don't like to hurt people's feelings. Well, you think what you want about me; I'm not changing. I like... I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. 'Cause I'm the real article. What you see is what you get.
116	* ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'' is an Creator/EdgarWright comedy, but it tugs at the heartstrings [[spoiler: when Shaun is forced to kill his zombified mother]].
117	* ''Film/Shazam2019'' is a mostly lighthearted and comedic superhero flick, but the scene in which [[spoiler:Billy finds out that his mother abandoned him and she is implied to be living with an abusive boyfriend]] is PlayedForDrama.
118	* ''Film/SpaceJam'' opens with a very young Michael Jordan practicing in his family's backyard court. When his father asks why he's up so late, Michael spells out his aspirations: to play at North Carolina University, then in the [=NBA=], then play pro baseball, just like his father. All these aspirations come true, as shown during the opening credits, up to the point that Jordan has completed the Three-peat with the Chicago Bulls, and is announcing his switch to baseball at a press conference. Then the scene pans into the sky, into space, and thence to Moron Mountain, where the lunacy begins.
119	* For all the darkly hilarious moments in ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'', the fight between [[spoiler: Peacemaker and Rick Flagg]] is PlayedForDrama, and the former [[spoiler: threatening to kill Cleo]] is PlayedForHorror.
120	* Seth and Evan's PlatonicDeclarationOfLove in ''Film/{{Superbad}}'' is PlayedForDrama, and it's one of the more heartwarming examples of this trope.
121	* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990'': After an overnight stay at April's apartment (during which we see Michelangelo doing a few impressions and April managing to crack an ActuallyPrettyFunny one involving Splinter), the turtles return home, only to find their den ransacked and Splinter missing. Raphael ends up taking it the hardest, realizing that his earlier rescue of April is what lead Splinter's abductors to their home.
122	** ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIII": While this film is the most light-hearted of the live-action trilogy, the scene where Leonardo gives [[CPRCleanPrettyReliable CPR]] to an unconscious Yoshi has some rather dramatic tension.
123	* Tommy's dad's death in ''Film/TommyBoy'' is a genuinely sad moment in an otherwise comedic film.
124	* ''Film/TuckerAndDaleVsEvil'' is a dark comedy in which AccidentalSuicide is frequently PlayedForLaughs, but it has a few scenes that are PlayedForDrama, including when Allison tries to negotiate peace between her friends and the titular duo.
125	* Unlike most of the movie, the scene in ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'' where it's revealed that [[spoiler: Garry attempted suicide]] is '''not''' played for laughs.
126	* ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'' is a horror/comedy with an emphasis on the comedy, but the scene where Tallahassee reveals the truth about Buck, [[spoiler:who was not his dog, but his [[OutlivingOnesOffspring son,]]]] definitely qualifies.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Literature]]
130	* ''Literature/DirtyBertie'': For the most part, "Toothy" is a funny story about Bertie thinking Mr. Filling is a DepravedDentist because he [[OutOfContextEavesdropping overheard]] him mention putting someone who's both male and seven years old (like Bertie) "to sleep". However, the conflict is solved by a reveal that he was actually talking about Rex, his sick dog.
131	* ''Literature/DaisyHeadMayzie'' is mostly a silly story about a girl with a daisy growing out of her head, and even things like [[FaintInShock her mother passing out]] and her almost dying when the flower wilts are played for BlackComedy. However, towards the end, she suddenly believes that [[LonelyAtTheTop her friends don't love her anymore now that she's famous]] and she sits on a hill crying and saying, "Nobody loves me". This scene is played completely seriously.
132	* ''Literature/TheDragonSeries'': ''A Friend for Dragon'' is about [[CompanionFood Dragon's friendship with an apple that he thinks is alive]]. It's mainly comical because of Dragon's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} tendencies, but then a walrus eats the apple and [[MourningAnObject the heartbroken Dragon holds a funeral for the apple]] and has a HeroicBSOD for what is implied to be months. Things do brighten up at the end when Dragon finds an apple tree, though.
133	* ''Literature/GangstaGranny'' is mostly a wacky comedy, but there are two serious scenes. The first is when Granny reveals that [[spoiler:she has [[TheTopicOfCancer advanced cancer]]]], and the second is when [[spoiler:Ben watches her die from said advanced cancer.]]
134	* ''Literature/{{Mog}}'': "Mog the Forgetful Cat" is, for the most part, a funny story about a cat who gets herself into trouble because she [[ForgetfulJones has a terrible memory]]. There is one serious scene though, which takes place at night and she is thinking "dark thoughts" because (due to having forgotten that she's been fed and has a cat door and because they'd been scolding her and [[HeyYou calling her "that cat"]]) she believes her owners dislike her.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
138	* ''Series/{{Barry}}'' is a comedy at heart, but it still has plenty of examples, such as the end of Season 1, in which [[spoiler: Barry kills Moss to stop her from exposing his secret.]]
139	* ''Series/BirdsOfAFeather'' is usually a comedic series that focuses on two sisters living together after the arrest of their husbands. However, "[[Recap/BirdsOfAFeatherS1E4WomensTroubles Women's Troubles]]", which concerns Sharon falling pregnant, ends with a scene PlayedForDrama in which she breaks down whilst admitting to Tracey that she has just had an abortion.
140	* Season 2 Episode 2 of ''Series/{{Bizaardvark}}'' is about Frankie not getting much time in with her father, who is a doctor. She actually breaks down crying in the end, and her and her dad have to talk things out. And on Episode 1 of the same season, her friend Paige easily integrates into the high school scene, but she doesn't. Paige didn't even realize that Frankie was the odd one out. Frankie had to tell her. She got her hair stuck in her locker twice and struggled to open it back. No one helped her. People stared blankly at her jokes but cracked up at Paige's, and when she spilled her lunch in the cafeteria, again, no one offered to help her. She recieved blank stares again. This episode was mimicing the Real Life abandonment that someone can feel when going to a new school with old friends. (Her other friends were not present to help her either.)
141	* The series finale of ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' may be the ultimate example of this trope, where, after a whole series of Blackadder launching wacky schemes to get himself out of the trenches before the Final Push, the order finally comes down for him and his men to go over the top. [[spoiler: It wouldn't [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome have ended any better]] even for a unit that does not include the dimwitted Baldrick and naïve George.]]
142	* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'' is usually a WorkCom which treats subject matter as grim as death and suicide as BlackComedy. However, "[[Recap/TheBrittasEmpireS5E8TheLastDay The Last Day]]" features Brittas [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] to save Carole from a falling water tank. Although lightened by some jokes (such as the reveal that Julie has a DartboardOfHate for Brittas and Brittas being eventually KickedOutOfHeaven for being too annoying), the staff's reactions to his death and Brittas' funeral are played dead seriously otherwise.
143	* ''Series/{{Cheers}}:'' The season 2 finale "I'll Be Seeing You" has some jokes, but the final moments of the second part are Sam and Diane's relationship going into meltdown. While there are a few gags in there, much of the scene is completely serious.
144	* Despite being primarily a comedy, ''Series/{{Community}}'' isn't afraid to get serious when it has to, and episodes like "[[Recap/CommunityS2E11AbedsUncontrollableChristmas Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas]]" often tackle serious subjects in interesting and often unique ways.
145	* ''Series/DerryGirls'' is usually a comedy focused on the exploits of four Northern Irish teenagers during the 1990s which treats the events of UsefulNotes/TheTroubles as BlackComedy, but it does have its serious moments:
146	** The final episode of Series 1 ends with a scene of the Quinns watching a report about a violent bombing that killed twelve people that isn't PlayedForLaughs at all, a scene emphasized by it being intercut with a happier scene of all five friends dancing to "Like A Prayer" at the school talent show.
147	** The final scene of Series 3 has Claire's father dying of an aneurysm, right after Claire has her first kiss with another girl, something which is clearly devastating to Claire.
148	* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', despite being a sitcom with a studio audience, would - especially early on - often have completely serious scenes with no jokes, including the first episode having a vitriolic argument and mostly humorless argument between Frasier and Martin. This [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness got pretty heavily downplayed]] after the first season, and the show generally made more of an effort to blend the show's comedy with the dramatic beats. Did still show up from time to time, such as the Season 10 arc where [[spoiler: Niles goes in for heart surgery]].
149	* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' is a very comedic show that even [[BreakingTheFourthWall breaks the Fourth Wall]] at times. In the episode "[[Recap/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAirS4E24PapasGotABrandNewExcuse Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse]]", Will's father returns after 14 years, and Will is '''heartbroken''' when he leaves again.
150	* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' is a BlackComedy centered around five UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist "friends" who are horrible people. However, the episode "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS13E10MacFindsHisPride Mac Finds His Pride]]" deals with Mac trying to find himself as a gay person and it's played very seriously. The episode ends with him finally coming out to his dad and performing an interpretive dance to express himself but is rejected. But it also has Frank, seen as the most depraved member of the group and who in the entire episode has been uncaring in Mac's plight, [[PetTheDog showing legit empathy for Mac and applauding his performance]].
151	* ''Series/NightCourt'' is a comedic look at a New York City arraignment court (which, ironically enough, was once called the most realistic court show on T.V. at the time). Harry's frequent pronouncement of "Fifty Dollars and time served" was almost his catchphrase. One case even featured Wile E. Coyote put on trial for harrassing the Road Runner (it was that kind of show). However, lest anyone think it was all laughs:
152	** One early episode had Harry reveal that he'd once stolen a car and taken it for a joyride. He'd intended to take it back, but he lost control and crashed into a liquor store. His (we would later learn) adoptive father never lived long enough to see that Harry matured and became a judge, instead of a hoodlum.
153	** Harry is left with no choice by existing law but to evict a mother and son from their apartment. The son is subsequently shot trying to rob a liquor store. Harry [[DespairEventHorizon is nearly driven to quit]]. It's ultimately Dan who convinces Harry not to quit with a rather moving speech about Harry was a good, impartial, and fair judge.
154	** HookerWithAHeartOfGold Carla B thinks [[MistakenForFlirting Harry is interested in her]] because he's nice to her, and waits for him in his chambers in a state of undress. When she thinks she's been made a fool of, she threatens [[DrivenToSuicide to jump from the window]]. It takes a sincere and heartfelt talk from Harry to bring her back down again.
155	* ''Series/RedDwarf'' is generally a goofy FantasticComedy about a group of mismatched misfits in deep space, but "[[Recap/RedDwarfThePromisedLand The Promised Land]]" involves a scene where Rimmer is DrivenToSuicide after the Cat points out that, as [[VirtualGhost he is a holographic creation of the real Rimmer]], he's merely a computer simulation. What follows is a scene played almost dead seriously as Rimmer admits that he feels unloved in ''Red Dwarf'' and Lister tries to stop him from shutting himself down, eventually succeeding in doing so by using moonlight as a metaphor.
156	* The generally lighthearted nature of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' gives serious episodes like "[[Recap/ScrubsS5E20MyLunch My Lunch]]" [[spoiler:-- in which the doctors discover that the donor whose organs they just gave to several patients died not from a drug overdose, but from '''rabies''', and they had no idea because [[TruthInTelevision checking for rabies is not a standard test]] --]] a much bigger impact.
157	* ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' is usually a humourous SketchShow, but the final sketch is a shockingly bleak look at the future life of Literature/SherlockHolmes, who is suffering from dementia and is well aware of the mental degradation that he's going through.
158	* ''Series/TheThinBlueLine'': The episode "Kids Today" from the first series has two serious moments, when Fowler is very grave indeed, and nobody else is laughing: when Fowler speaks to Goody about punching a handcuffed teenager, and later when Fowler addresses the teenagers on the camping trip about abandoning a baby.
159	* ''Series/{{Titus}}'' is a BlackComedy about the titular comedian's HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood, but occasionally, it does have its more serious moments.
160	** "The Pit" has Titus, desperate to restore his shop's reputation, try and drag race Creator/JayLeno as a publicity stunt... and then at the end, his car explodes, badly injuring him and putting him in a coma.
161	** In "Life Forward", Erin badgers Chris into attending a seminar with a motivational speaker to deal with his unaddressed trauma from his accident. When the speaker finally breaks through to Titus, he remembers just how close he came to dying in the accident, and ends up more traumatized than before.
162	--->"BRRRRRREAKTHROUGH!"
163	** In "Tommy's Not Gay", the RunningGag of Tommy's incredible effeminacy is given a lampshade; his dad Perry is a closeted gay man and Tommy unknowingly picked up a lot of his mannerisms. When the old man finally comes out, Tommy severs all ties with him, blaming Perry for his growing up to be a ButtMonkey.
164	* ''Series/TwoPointFourChildren'' is usually a DomCom about the bizarre occurrences which happen to the Porter family but there are some moments that aren't PlayedForLaughs:
165	** "Birds on a Wire" and "Thank Your Lucky Stars" feature David being at death's door from Tetanus. Although the state of the NHS is used for BlackComedy, David's condition isn't, especially when he reveals to Bill's motorcyclist friend (now a ghost since the beginning of Series 2) that he's thinking of succumbing to DeathByDespair because of the belief that his family doesn't love him, although he rebounds after his father tells him that he loves him.
166	** "You Only Live Twice" features the destruction of the Porter family house in a HouseFire. Although most of the family's reaction is played for laughs, mainly involving them hoping to take advantage of the insurance to get more stuff, Bill's isn't, and it's genuinely heartbreaking seeing her faced with the destruction of her home.
167	* ''Series/UpstartCrow'' is a comedy about Creator/WilliamShakespeare. Will's rants about travelling home from London are a regular feature. Then, in one episode, he stomps in as usual and his exasperated rant is met by stony silence. It takes him a minute to register the change in tone. And then he finds out that his young son Hamnet died while he was away. It's not PlayedForLaughs.
168	* ''Series/WorzelGummidge'':
169	** The majority of "The Scarecrow Wedding" is just as comedic as most of the series, but when Aunt Sally changes her mind about marrying Worzel, he cries. He then has a philosophical discussion with the Crow Man about how he's able to be sad despite wearing his "happy head", even wanting a "miserable head".
170	** "The Scarecrow Hop" is mostly a funny episode, and even Aunt Sally being sad at the beginning was somewhat played for laughs, but towards the end, there is a serious, poetic moment where the Crow Man says that Worzel and Aunt Sally should not get married, since they're better off dreaming their dreams.
171	[[/folder]]
172
173	[[folder:Video Games]]
174	* The ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]] games are [[WarHasNeverBeenSoMuchFun typically lighthearted affairs]], but each game has a few moments of seriousness.
175	** The first game has Grit and Nell reminiscing about their past in "History Lesson", and Kanbei's reunion with Sonja in the ending.
176	** The second has Olaf's hometown's destruction by the Black Hole Army in "Toy Box", which is played entirely seriously, civilians thanking Kanbei after he willingly walked into a trap to save them in "Duty and Honor", and Jess' decision to meet Black Hole's attack near an active volcano in "Rain of Fire". (The latter being one of the few missions to play loss dialogue seriously instead of using it for [[PlayerNudge gameplay advice]])
177	* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'': The game is loaded with sexual humor and swearing, but at the end, Don Weaso shoots Berri to death, and Conker forgets to bring her back to life when [[DeusExMachina the programmer suddenly causes time to stand still]]. Conker is crowned king, but he's still miserable without Berri, the one he truly loved. He notes that, sometimes, you might take what you have for granted until it's gone as [[DownerEnding the screen fades to black and the credits roll]].
178	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
179	** ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' is generally the most lighthearted and comedic 3D game in the series, but the scene where Sonic and Tails discover the machine that Eggman uses to convert what looks like thousands of aliens into energy is one of the game's more dramatic and upsetting moments, especially when Tails comments when he hasn't seen their alien friend in a while.
180	** The tone of ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' is all over the place, but often keeps things on the comedic side. There's also plenty of dramatic or downright dark moments, including Eggman threatening the Deadly Six, Tails accusing Sonic of trusting Eggman more than him, Tails [[spoiler:getting captured by the Deadly Six]] and [[spoiler:Knuckles and Amy getting their life force sucked out of them.]]
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Web Comics]]
184	* ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'' in between all the ComedicSociopathy, InsaneTrollLogic and surrealism, has a few moments like this. Just a few.
185	** The page where [[spoiler: Black Belt]] dies is played completely straight, being an internal monologue where he laments his missed potential.
186	** The sequence where [[spoiler: Black Mage gains evil superpowered magic and the rest of the Light Warriors fight off against him in a LastStand]] is largely played very straight. Though this is mostly just to make the AntiClimax sting that much more.
187	* ''Webcomic/FlowerKnightFourKomaTheater'' is a DenserAndWackier form of the [[VideoGame/FlowerKnightGirl series it's based on]], but it even has its own melancholic moment with Pot Marigold, a Flower Knight with a tragic past who dearly misses her sister. Whereas most comics feature silly moments with its characters, "Silent feelings" merely includes the girl helping out Rough Potato to find their companion familiar, with them making this remark after the fact with a [[StepfordSmiler sad smile.]]
188	-->'''Marigold:''' If a pair can't be together, it gets pretty lonely.
189	[[/folder]]
190
191	[[folder:Web Original]]
192	* ''WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum'' is usually a silly comedy, but the mission covering "Little Miss Mary" has a DownerEnding. Rina and Zeb kill the [[Literature/HarryPotter Harry and Snape]] impostors, but then the Harry impostor attacks Zeb, causing Rina to think he's dead. She [[FaintInShock passes out]], cries hysterically, and decides to go rogue and rename herself The Aviator.
193	[[/folder]]
194
195	[[folder:Web Videos]]
196	* ''WebVideo/KidTimeStorytime'':
197	** The scenes before and after the readings are usually jokes involving Eileen (a.k.a. Storyteller) and her puppets/toys having silly conversations. However, after the reading of "The Jester Who Lost His Jingle", Eileen turns dead serious and tells the audience about how the book's author died of cancer.
198	** The video reading "Dodos Are Not Extinct, They're Just in Disguise" is mostly just as comical as the other videos, but at the end, Eileen turns serious and notes that some extinct animals died out due to human intervention. She then adds that while some humans don't care about animals, [[AnimalLover she does]], and she hopes her viewers do too.
199	* ''WebVideo/{{VivaLaDirtLeague}}'' did a mini-series about mental health that was played far more for pathos and understanding than it was for comedy.
200	[[/folder]]
201
202	[[folder:Western Animation]]
203	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' is an AffectionateParody of spy media, but it's not afraid to get serious from time to time.
204	** "[[Recap/ArcherS2E8StageTwo Stage Two]]" ends with the reveal that [[spoiler: Archer still has Cancer.]]
205	** "[[Recap/ArcherS3E10CrossingOver Crossing Over]]" ends with Archer realizing that his actions have consequences when [[spoiler:his absence from Nikolai Jakov's safehouse allows [[{{Cyborg}} Barry]] to kill Jakov unopposed, preventing Archer from ever knowing for sure whether or not Jakov was his biological father.]] Unlike the rest of episode, this realization is PlayedForDrama.
206	** "[[Recap/ArcherS5E13ArrivalDeparture Arrival/Departure]]" ends with Lana telling Archer that [[spoiler: he is the father of her newborn child]], and it's PlayedForDrama.
207	** "[[Recap/ArcherS7E10DeadlyVelvetPartII Deadly Velvet Part II]]" [[DownerEnding ends]] with the reveal that [[spoiler: the body floating the pool is not Archer's [[RobotMe cyborg copy]], but Archer himself.]]
208	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'':
209	** "Copycat" starts off comical when [[StopCopyingMe Bluey annoys Bandit by copying everything he does]], but then it becomes serious when they come across a badly-injured budgie. They take it to a vet, but it doesn't survive, and Bluey is saddened by this. The episode becomes somewhat more lighthearted afterwards when Bluey tries to reenact the entire day, including the budgie's death, with Bingo playing as the budgie. However, Bingo didn't get the memo that she's supposed to pretend to be dead, and so she continues flapping about. Bluey accepts that there's nothing she can do about the miscommunication, much like there's nothing she can do about the budgie having died.
210	** "Rug Island" is about Bluey, Bingo and Bandit's antics when they pretend to live on a desert island, but then it becomes sad when Chilli gives Bandit his bag and he says he has to leave the island. [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Bingo and Bluey decide to let him go back to his old "home".]] It may be just a game, but it's still portrayed as poignant.
211	** "Yoga Ball" is about the sisters and Bandit playing rough, goofy games, but there's one serious moment when Bingo lies down under the tree's porch and silently weeps when she feels like Bandit's been too rough towards her.
212	** "Daddy Robot" is a silly episode about Bandit pretending to be a robot, but at one point, he "powers down" while sad music plays. It's quickly followed by the MoodWhiplash of Bandit [[{{Gasshole}} farting loudly]].
213	** “Onesies” is about Chili’s sister Brandy visiting and buying the girls onesies to wear and Bingo attacking everyone pretending to be a cheetah, then comes the reveal why Brandy was so reluctant to visit, because she can’t have children of her own and seeing her sister’s daughters reminds her of that, especially since Bingo looks just like her when she was a pup.
214	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' is mainly a wacky, satirical sci-fi comedy, but it's not afraid to pull at the heartstrings on occasion.
215	** "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E2LeelasHomeworld Leela's Homeworld]]" introduces Leela's parents, who [[spoiler:turn out to be mutants who gave her up and passed her off as an alien so she could have a normal life. When Leela discovers them, she assumes that they killed her real parents; her parents [[SureLetsGoWithThat don't contradict her]], and are willing to have their own daughter kill them rather than burden her with the terrible truth. Fortunately, Fry comes just in time to straighten things out, and Leela is just happy that she finally met her parents, no matter what they are.]]
216	** "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E7JurassicBark Jurassic Bark]]" might be the best known example. Fry discovers the fossilized remains of his beloved dog Seymour, and wants him revived. Just as he's about to, Prof. Farnsworth analyzes the fossil and determines that Seymour lived a long life. Fry assumes that meant he went on with his life and forgot about him. [[spoiler:The ending reveals that the opposite was true: Seymour never forgot Fry and spent his entire life just sitting outside his home, waiting for him to return.]]
217	** "[[Recap/FuturamaS7E23GameOfTones Game of Tones]]" revolves around Fry having to go into his memories of December 31st 1999 to remember a tone he heard which would be needed for saving the world. At the end of the episode, as a gift from Nibbler for doing so, he's given an opportunity to see his mother again (which he had wanted to spend time with all episode) in her dreams. The end of the episode ends with a heartwarming moment of them having a final moment together.
218	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleRascals'': Early in "Cap'n Spanky's Showboat", Captain Smokey tells Darla and the boys the sad story of how declining tourism led him to retire from steamboat piloting. Cue Pete's HowlOfSorrow.
219	* Many ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' shorts make use of this.
220	** ''WesternAnimation/FeedTheKitty'' is all about Marc Anthony's attempts to keep Pussyfoot hidden so that his owner won't kick him out. There's some BlackComedy when [[DramaticIrony Marc Anthony mistakenly thinks Pussyfoot was baked into cookies]], but then it becomes tragic when his owner [[InnocentlyInsensitive offers him a cat-shaped cookie]] and he puts it on his back to mimic when the kitten used to sleep before [[InelegantBlubbering breaking down in tears]].
221	** ''WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc'' is mostly comedic with Elmer Fudd singing opera and chasing Bugs, but then it becomes serious when Bugs [[DisneyDeath appears to be dead]] after Elmer fires lightning bolts at him. [[AntagonistInMourning Elmer]] breaks down in TearsOfRemorse, and [[BreakingTheFourthWall then Bugs looks up at the audience]] and asks them if they even expected a happy ending from an opera.
222	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'':
223	** "A Grave Mistake" is mainly a BlackComedy episode, dealing with [[BlackComedyPetDeath the death of a chicken]] and his botched funeral. However, when his funeral is redone, it's played seriously, complete with sad song by Luna.
224	** "Insta-Gran" is mainly a funny episode focusing on Pop-Pop (the Loud children's grandfather) getting an overly-nurturing girlfriend. However, one scene towards the end reveals that the reason she's overly-nurturing is because she has never had friends or children all her life despite wanting them desperately.
225	* ''WesternAnimation/DragonsTheNineRealms'': Despite its generally light-hearted tone, depictions of characters, especially Tom, ''[[NearDeathExperience nearly dying]]'' do happen from time to time.
226	* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' is usually goofy and light-hearted, but "Beep Has the Blues" is rather sad and one scene in particular stands out as being quite serious. The kids find that their rover pal Beep doesn't feel like playing. Via video call, they find out that she has a sister on Mars named Boop, who is really sick, and the two of them are unsure about their future. This is the reason for Beep's sadness. Everyone is properly worried about the situation, even the happy-go-lucky Jet. This scene adds depth to the show because it demonstrates that robots have feelings too; it makes you feel sorry for a pair of rovers.
227	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
228	** In the early days of the show, Bart was noted for being "an underachiever and proud of it." This actually bites him in the butt in "Bart Gets an 'F'". He is in serious danger of failing and being held back. For the first time in the series, we see real fear and frustration from Bart, who actually puts in the effort. And when that doesn't pay off, and he gets an "F" on his test, there probably isn't a dry eye in the audience, and Bart is crying, to the point where even his archnemesis teacher, Mrs. Krabappel is sad for him. Fortunately, he shows applied knowledge, and it earns him a couple of extra points, allowing him to pass. You can see it [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zavkzfqoEow here]].
229	** The two-parter "A Serious Flanders" is a parody of quirky "prestige" crime dramas like ''Series/{{Fargo}}''. While it has its fair share of laughs, the overall tone is more serious and dramatic than the typical Simpsons episode, with several regular characters getting killed in gruesome ways.
230	** "Pixelated and Afraid" has Homer and Marge getting lost in the woods and having to survive in the wilderness. While there are a few jokes, the situation is largely PlayedForDrama.
231	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': This is a show that is well-known for its raunchy, over-the-top sense of humor, but it's not afraid to be serious sometimes.
232	** "[[Recap/SouthParkS8E14WoodlandCritterChristmas Woodland Critter Christmas]]" is a parody of a typical Christmas special, but there's a sad moment when [[UnwittingPawn Stan]] is tricked into killing a mountain lion who keeps foiling the birth of the Antichrist. Then [[MonsterIsAMommy her cubs show up]] and mourn over her, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone much to Stan's horror]].
233	** "[[Recap/SouthParkS10E14StanleysCup Stanley's Cup]]" has some dark humor because of the fact that the fate of Nelson the LittlestCancerPatient depends on whether or not his hockey team will lose, but [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown the Detroit Red Wings win and beat the shit out of the team]]. Nelson then mutters, "No...hope..." as he [[DeathByDespair passes away right then and there]].
234	** "[[Recap/SouthParkS15E11BroadwayBroDown Broadway Bro Down]]" is mostly comical with the plot about musicals that convince women to give their partners blowjobs, but there's a short, somber scene with Shelly weeping in her room after her boyfriend Larry has drowned in the theater thanks to a flood that Randy accidentally caused.
235	** "[[Recap/SouthParkS18E3TheCissy The Cissy]]" is mostly a silly episode, dealing with Cartman pretending to be transgender to get a private bathroom, and Randy pretending to be Music/{{Lorde}} without anyone knowing who he really is. However, it takes a turn to being more serious when Stan finds himself confused over where he belongs due to the new bathrooms and Randy's double life. Sharon talks to Randy and says that people should be allowed to express themselves in a way they feel comfortable with -- which ([[BittersweetEnding somewhat]]) fixes Stan's problems.
236	** "[[Recap/SouthParkS21E2PutItDown Put It Down]]" deals with Tweek's anxiety and Cartman [[AttentionWhore constantly threatening that he will commit suicide, while never actually doing it]]. The first half of the episode is relatively comedic, but then a young boy is graphically run over by a distracted driver and dies. The next day, everyone mourns his death at school. Later on, the scene where Craig talks Tweek through his anxiety, and he finally processes his emotions, is played completely straight.
237	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': "The Pizza Delivery" is a mostly humorous episode, but when [=SpongeBob=] finally delivers the pizza to the customer, the customer is a JerkAss to him and complains he didn't bring his drink and rejects the pizza. This causes [=SpongeBob=] to burst into tears, so [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Squidward]] gets revenge on the customer by throwing the pizza in his face.
238	* ''[[WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021 What If...?]]'':
239	** The episode "What If... T'Challa Became Star-Lord?" is a generally humorous episode, like [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 one of the movies it's based on]]. However, the scene in which [[spoiler:T'Challa finds out that his home world was never actually destroyed and that his crew had been lying to him all this time so he'd stay with them]] is a rather emotional moment.
240	** The episode "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" is [[DenserAndWackier the most comical episode of season 1]], which is about Thor throwing massive parties across the galaxy. However, [[DownerEnding the ending]] takes on a surprising turn when [[spoiler:Infinity Ultron and several of his robot minions come crashing through a portal, causing even Uatu the Watcher himself to react with shock.]]
241	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ComedicWorkSeriousScene