Cringe comedy

Cringe comedy is a specific genre of comedy that derives humor from social awkwardness. Often a cringe comedy will have an air of mockumentary and revolve around a serious setting, such as a workplace, to lend the comedy a sense of reality. It could be argued, therefore, that the film This Is Spinal Tap (1984) was a forerunner of cringe comedy.

The protagonists are typically egotists who overstep the boundaries of political correctness and break social norms. Then the comedy will attack the protagonist by not letting them become aware of their self-centered view, or by making them oblivious to the ego-deflation that the comedy deals them. Sometimes however an unlikeable protagonist may not suffer any consequences, which violates our moral expectations, and also make the audience cringe.

Theory

Humor theorist Noël Carroll explains humour in relation to incongruity theory and annoyance:

This mutual exclusivity with annoyance can explain the divisiveness of cringe comedy.

Examples