The Strange, New and Progressive in American Comedy

In previous posts, I talked mostly about the bare bones of American humor. I discussed American stereotypes and how they influence comedy... I looked at characters that are popular in both stand-up comedy and television shows: the misinformed patriot, the offensive, straight-forward "Yankee" comedian who goes for the cheap laughs. 

It is important to take into consideration that historically, there has been a counter-culture present in American comedy (and all comedy, for that matter.) All comedy in America is not like Family Guy (or The Big Bang Theory...or Friends...) and in fact there is a lot of alternative comedy on the rise, and it is increasing in popularity among Americans. The humor is still "alternative" in nature. It is more likely that the average American sitting at home on a weeknight will turn on Fox to watch Family Guy or New Girl. But the comedies I am referring to are not completely obscure either, especially among people from the ages of 16-30. 

Sketch shows reminiscent of Saturday Night Live have taken off in a new direction; shows such as Key & Peele, Inside Amy Schumer and Portlandia (all of which are sketch shows, but aimed at a specific audience that will "get" the humor, and not nearly as mainstream as SNL) are increasing in popularity among Americans. The humor in these shows does not necessarily follow the American "formula" for comedy, yet it still works among many audiences. 

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, from the Comedy Central show Key & Peele

The narrative seems to be changing to a more progressive one. Comedians like Amy Schumer address controversial issues and makes them more accessible. For example, in the clip above from her show Inside Amy Schumer, she is faced with the dilemma of having to describe a black person's appearance without coming off as offensive, yet she struggles with trying to be politically correct so much that she can't handle the situation. This is an effective way to get people talking and feeling more comfortable with the issues that surround us as a nation.

This new type of comedy comes in many different forms. Clearly sketch comedy seems to be growing in popularity among American audiences, but there are also different varieties of alternative comedy that are becoming increasingly popular. 

"Bizarre" humor is something that a large population of American people find funny (similar, in a way to what the Brits find funny, for example, The Mighty Boosh.) Bizarre shows can likely be found late at night (or early in the morning) on Adult Swim, a network which shares its air time with Cartoon Network (it occupies the time at night.) 

The shows on Adult Swim are targeted at audiences who are up late, which is a defining part of their demographic. The shows that are aired on the Adult Swim network are known for being risque and unorthodox.

One of the trademarks of this station is that the shows on Adult Swim become increasingly stranger the later it gets. In fact "early on" in the night, around 10 or 11 PM, the network airs Family Guy and American Dad! ...after which they broadcast shows such as Robot Chicken- which may seem weird, but it is still popular among a large percentage of people. When the wee hours of the morning come along, the shows become increasingly odd. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is probably one of the more well known "obscure" comedy shows that is aired on the network. 

Another Adult Swim show, Squidbillies

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, another example

These are somewhat extreme examples of "strange" American television, and a big point of these shows are to be bizarre and obscure. Some of the humor just comes from how little sense the show makes. Yet, there is a large audience for these shows and this specific type of humor. 

Workaholics is a TV show on Comedy Central which is popular among certain American audiences. It is known in part for its silliness, it's not humor that has gone viral across the United States, in the same way that shows like New Girl have. The type of comedy is accessible enough that a large minority of people are fans of the show, but it is not (necessarily) stereotypically "American" humor either, which contributes to its appeal. 

Workaholics is a good balance of strange and mainstream. It is one of the shows that toes the line in terms of alternative comedies, so it is more likely that a larger portion of Americans will be into it. It is a show that could act as a gateway to more obscure comedies. 

Workaholics 

"Obscure" comedy could also be inclusive of groups of people who are not often included in comedy (or not as much.) One group, for example is women. Throughout the history of comedy, women have been in the backseat to men. Not because they are less funny, but because men were the dominant group (and they control a larger percentage of the media.) 

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are the trademark for a generation of funny American women (and funny women from all around the world.) Before their entrance into the comedic world, women comedians were sparse, and often not taken seriously. It is still hard for women to find success in this particular field.

However, recently in the United States, women comedians have been given almost the same respect as men, while appealing to both genders in terms of content and delivery. There is a new age coming about in America where women can be recognized as being as funny as men.

Amy Poehler recently produced a show which first aired this year called Broad City; a show which has received a lot of success among counter-culture audiences. The humor in the show appeals to both men and women. It is a spin off of a web series created by the show's two stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. The Wall Street Journal referred to Broad City as "Sneak attack feminism," and Abbi Jacobson was quoted saying "If you watch one of our episodes, there’s not a big message, but if you watch all of them, I think, they’re empowering to women.” (Jacobson, 2014.) 

Broad City is an example of an especially "progressive" American  television show. It contains two women as the protagonists, and some of the themes are not entirely accessible for mainstream audiences. Women are, however, becoming more incorporated into American humor on a larger scale. 

 Amy Schumer opened a door for female comedians in recent American media. Her stand-up could contend with any male comedian's, and she still talks about things that are related to women. A lot of the time, women comedians do not get the same recognition as their male counterparts, one of the criticisms being that their jokes do not relate to the viewer in the same way as male comedians. 

Women comedians are getting a lot more attention in recent years. With shows like MTV's Girl Code (a direct response to the show Guy Code...yet with a much higher rating), women are able to talk about things related to being a woman. 

In Girl Code, a group of female comedians are given a topic to talk about, and each one of them gives their opinion and remarks. It follows the same style as Guy Code, which was a show that was popular for a long time without an equivalent for women. The first episode of Girl Code was released in April 2013, and it has been a hit among mainstream American audiences.

American shows and media that the rest of the world can access quite easily, are not completely representative of the whole nation in terms of humor. In fact, there are a lot of counter-culture television shows (and comedians, and movies...) which do not get much, if any, recognition across borders. Individuals in America vary a lot between one another, so it is almost impossible to brand one type of comedy as "American" without taking into consideration the different types of comedy the country produces.