History Main / FirstLawOfTragicomedies

* ''Anime/DeathParade'' balances its [[AdultFear dark themes]] and [[AfterlifeTropes inherently somber setting]] with moments of levity, some romance, and plenty of BlackComedy. Episodes that feature the main cast during their time off are nice and breezy, and usually only serve to develop interpersonal relationships without advancing the overall plot. Since the series is somewhat episodic however, the tone of certain episodes relies on the nature of their respective [[OneShotCharacter one shot characters]]. Most of these episodes are some shade of dark, but episodes 3 and 6 are notably LighterAndSofter. The latter especially stands out for its [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender slapstick shenanigans]], [[RefugeInAudacity outrageous setup]], and [[GleefulAndGrumpyPairing ''extremely'' contrasting characters]]. These episodes do very little to advance the plot and develop the main cast, however, and the episodes that are devoted to doing so are generally DarkerAndEdgier. The latter half of the series ramps up the tension as the MythArc unfolds.

* The term "tragicomedy" was originally coined to describe plays that started out like tragedies but ended with redemption and reconciliation instead of KillEmAll. John Fletcher and Philip Massinger were particularly well known for their tragicomedies, and for a time the form was so popular that some of Shakespeare's darker tragedies were given LighterAndSofter revisions with happier endings.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' more often that not. During [[Machinima/RedVsBlueTheBloodGulchChronicles the earlier seasons]], it tries to keep the zany comedy on top by splitting more serious stuff onto miniseries. But then CerebusSyndrome kicks in, making a deeper plot take precedence - though that means a world and characters that try to take themselves seriously have to welcome the previously established cast of bickering/weird/clueless idiots, a contrast that makes them even funnier.

* ''Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'' starts out fairly comedic with the rebellious antics of [=McMurphy=] and the other patients, but culminates in the tragic suicide of Billy Bibbit and the lobotomization (and subsequent MercyKill) of [=McMurphy=].

* ''Manga/ElfenLied'' is one of the darker tragicomedies. It does have its silly moments, such as when Nyu is awake early on in the manga, but then becomes ''even darker'' after the point where the anime cuts off, where [[spoiler:Kakuzawa initiates the final part of his plan to take over the world by [[AdultFear infecting the population with the Diclonius virus]].]] Appropriately enough, the comedy portion of the manga is left in the omakes, which is not canon.

* ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'' also plays this trope straight. The first few chapters showed a superhero treating crime-fighting like a regular 9-to-5 job, and his super-powered daughter trying to be a normal high school student. Then we get a flashback into Jane's past, and all of a sudden her boss is pure evil and her best friend gets StuffedIntoTheFridge. More recent chapters have lightened up and brought back the comedy.

A tragicomedy (also known as a {{dramedy}}) is a mix of lighter and darker material that uses humor to lighten the tension and drama as a way to show the audience that something serious is going on. This is a difficult balancing act to carry out, and only a few shows have ever done it successfully.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' does a good job with this once the CerebusSyndrome kicks in, with the heavily dramatic moments more or less balanced out by comedic moments.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* The 1994 Scottish 6-Part miniseries, TakinOverTheAsylum follows this trope. The first 3 episodes are a quirky {{Dramedy}} whereas the last 3 episodes are much darker, starting with the [[WhamEpisode death]] of a major character at the end of Episode 4.

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' plays this pretty straight, with the funnier moments and musical numbers concentrated more in the first half while the harder drama comes into play more in the second half. Ironically, PluckyComicRelief character Olaf doesn't show up until the halfway point, which explains why his comedy is more limited than the [[NeverTrustATrailer trailers]] would have you believe. He does help counteract the increased seriousness of the main characters at that point, however. Even some of his comedy is actually BlackComedy.

* The theatrical version of Disney's ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' becomes one of these. Most of the play follows the movie's plot with comedy sprinkled around (although the comedic gargoyles are removed.) Then, unlike the movie, [[spoiler:Esmeralda dies.]] Then [[spoiler:Quasimodo throws Frollo to his death.]] Then (depending on the production), [[spoiler:Quasimodo takes Esmeralda's body into Notre Dame's crypt to die alone with her.]] So its a tad bit more depressing to say the least.

* Defied on ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend''. Petty or comedic situations happen along side the dire ones. Managing the two in tandem ties into the show's themes about mental health and personal boundaries.

[[folder:Cross-Genre]]
* Titles that have undergone CerebusSyndrome fall under this trope, CerebusRollercoaster even more so.
[[/folder]]

* While ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' is mostly a very funny game there are some grim moments breaking through the facade. While before this is mostly cruelty against minor characters, this falls back on Conker himself in the ending. [[spoiler:After all the time Conker was searching for his girlfriend, he finally finds her only to lose her, perhaps even twice: Not only does she seem quite aloof and not very happy to see him, she also dies at the end. Afterwards, he gets a chance to wish her back to life, but just momentarily forgets about her. In the end he is "King of all the lands", but ultimately without any of the happiness that his wealth could otherwise afford him. He gives an epic monologue on materialism ending with "The grass is always greener, and you don't really know what it is you have until it's gone...gone...gone...". At the end we see him in the Tavern again, alone and drinking, afterwards waggling off in an uncertain future]].

'''Gonzo:''' When you're right, you're right. [[NoFourthWall (Turning to face the audience:)]] You're on your own, folks. We'll meet you at the finale!\\

* The musical ''[[SeventeenSeventySix 1776]]'' follows a similar arc. It begins comedically, then darkens; and while it has a happy ending, it has to travel through some very dark territory to get there.

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] by [[TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples William Shakespeare's]] ''Theatre/TheWintersTale'', one of the earliest tragicomedies. The first half is a gloomy, melodramatic, and heartbreaking tragedy of a king who wrongfully suspects his wife of infidelity. Then a guy gets [[BearsAreBadNews eaten by a bear]], and it becomes a pastoral romantic comedy.

* ''Film/TheRoom'' actually follows this pretty rigidly. The first half is mostly baffling moments of comedy and meandering subplots, while the second half cuts away all the subplots in favour of the main infidelity storyline, before the protagonist is DrivenToSuicide.

* ''Webvideo/RedVsBlue'' more often that not. During [[Webvideo/RedVsBlueTheBloodGulchChronicles the earlier seasons]], it tried to keep the zany comedy on top by splitting more serious stuff onto miniseries. But then CerebusSyndrome kicked in, making a deeper plot take precedence - though that meant a world and characters that tries to take itself seriously had to welcome the previously estabilished cast of bickering\weird\clueless idiots, a contrast that made them even funnier.