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-> ''"Everybody knows that comedy is the lowest form of entertainment, next to animation."''
--> -- '''Trixie Tang''', ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' ([[SelfDeprecation an animated comedy]])

There's an insidious school of thought circulating among the world's pop-culture enthusiasts and critics. It states that comedy is not and indeed ''cannot'' be TrueArt. Since TrueArtIsAngsty and offensive (if not downright [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible incomprehensible]]), it logically follows that something lighthearted, created to inspire joy and laughter amongst the public, must not be true art, right? Sadly, many people seem to think so. For instance, [[AwardSnub can you remember the last time a comedy film won the Academy Award for Best Picture]]? Exactly. And the numbers predict that it's pretty unlikely.[[note]]To be fair, if you include {{dramedy}} films, then the genre has averaged a win once every five years, though there have been longer gaps such as the nine years between 2002's ''{{Film/Chicago}}'' and 2011's ''Film/TheArtist''. Exclude them though, and one could argue that no comedy film has gotten the award since 1963's ''Film/TomJones''.[[/note]] Perhaps for this reason, the Golden Globe Awards have separate categories for comedies and dramas.

This rule tends not to apply to minor technical awards: For instance, at the 1988 Oscars, the Disney/Amblin [[RogerRabbitEffect partly-animated]] [[FantasticComedy fantasy-comedy]] film ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' won three competitive Academy Awards, but these were for film editing, visual effects and sound effects. (A special award was given for the film's animation.)

Compare AnimationAgeGhetto and ScifiGhetto for similarly flawed ideas. For the fandom version, see MaturityIsSeriousBusiness. For comedies that managed to avoid this stigma, see OutOfTheGhetto. Particularly good {{satire}} and BlackComedy ''may'' be exempt such as with ''Film/LifeIsBeautiful'', an ostensible comedy set during the Holocaust which got director/star Roberto Benigni the Best Foreign Language and Best Actor Oscars in 1998. But a movie that simply wants to be funny without an obvious message? Low-brow trash.

Note that this rule applies primarily to film. Television is normally exempt as the Emmy Awards have separate categories for comedy. In theater, comedies often do well at the Tonys, such as when ''Theatre/TheBookOfMormon'' cleaned house in 2011, winning nine awards including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Actress (Nikki M. James).

A primary cause of TomHanksSyndrome, where a comedic actor who wants to be Taken Seriously will switch to drama.

----
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Films — Animation]]
* Because Creator/{{Pixar}} has become famous for their deep, mature, and emotional storytelling, their lighter films tend to be hit hard by this status, even if they become successful films in their own right.
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Luca}}'' is a far smaller and more lighthearted affair than the rest of Pixar's output, as besides the cartoonier art style and greater emphasis on comedy, it has no grand adventure or the deep emotional and philosophical moments found in other Pixar films, and it has a more grounded and low-stakes conflict than other Pixar films, with even the main villain being more of a mean bully than a true legitimate threat ([[spoiler:until the third act]]). While the film is still popular and beloved overall, its breezy SliceOfLife tone and small stakes has caused some critics and Pixar fans to dismiss and scoff at the film, with some viewing it as inferior to Pixar's past work, if not one of the studio's weakest or even worst films, simply because it lacks the emotional depth and pathos that Pixar is known for.
** Despite the fact ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' still has Pixar’s emotional storytelling, many people have been turned off from this movie due to having a bigger emphasis on comedy than the average film from the studio.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* While some films of Creator/LouisDeFunes did good with most critics (his Creator/GerardOury efforts in particular, ''Film/TheSucker'', ''Film/LaGrandeVadrouille'', ''Film/DelusionsOfGrandeur'' and ''Film/TheMadAdventuresOfRabbiJacob''), he generally wasn't a darling to them, due to him always playing slapstick comedy roles. Filmmakers and critics who became prominent with the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave generally despised him and his [[ItsPopularNowItSucks popular success]].
* Many critics lamented Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo's shift to action comedy roles (and action roles period) in the mid-1970s after he had been an icon of the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave with groundbreaking dramas such as ''Film/{{Breathless}}'' and ''Film/PierrotLeFou''.
* ''Entertainment'' magazine's {{review}} of ''Film/ObserveAndReport'' praises the film over the similarly-themed ''Film/PaulBlartMallCop'' for one main oft-repeated reason: the former is direct, sad, and "brutal" whereas the latter is funny, and its praise for the performers is secondary.
* Creator/RobertDeNiro was asked in an interview for ''Parade'' why he occasionally does "stupid" comedies such as ''Film/MeetTheParents''. De Niro explained that comedy films are just as difficult to make as serious dramas.
* Many film comedians have never or hardly won an Academy Award during the height of their careers: Creator/LaurelAndHardy received one Oscar for their short "The Music Box". Comedians like Creator/CharlieChaplin, Creator/BusterKeaton, [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] and [[Creator/TheMarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] all received one single Academy Award (for their entire career and achievements) when they had already retired from performing in films. And they were the lucky ones! Other greats like Creator/HaroldLloyd, Creator/WCFields, Film/TheThreeStooges, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Oliver Hardy, Fatty Arbuckle, Harry Langdon all died without ever receiving ''anything''.
** Creator/PeterSellers was nominated the Best Actor Oscar for his three-part role in ''Film/DrStrangelove'' (1964), but lost the award to Creator/RexHarrison in ''Film/MyFairLady''. Fifteen years later, he was nominated in the category again for ''Film/BeingThere'', another satire, but Creator/DustinHoffman won for his performance in ''Film/KramerVsKramer''.
** After the death of Creator/RobinWilliams, critic Kevin [=McFarland=] argued that Williams' Oscar win for ''Film/GoodWillHunting'' felt like a patronizing insult in retrospect; reminding the famously spontaneous and exuberant comedian that he would only make something of himself if he used restraint and made a "serious" comedy.
* None of Creator/MontyPython's films won a significant award, though ''Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife'' was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. (It ultimately received the Special Jury Prize instead.)
* Creator/BurtReynolds (who is usually a drama actor) was reportedly very disgusted that he lost an Oscar to Creator/RobinWilliams (known primarily for comedy) for his role in ''Film/GoodWillHunting''. (Reportedly, being in ''Film/BoogieNights'' hurt his chances more than Williams did.)
* Creator/ChevyChase once hosted the Oscars, and read out rules for it (You'd win "if you're old and haven't had one yet"), but added a TakeThat at the end, saying that this (put on a prosthetic nose) was simply not allowed. He was criticizing (along with others) Steve Martin's omission for Best Actor for ''Film/{{Roxanne}}''.
* Essayist Steve Almond is on record as saying that Creator/AlanRuck should've won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Cameron Frye in ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''.
* ''Film/ShowPeople'': InUniverse, aspiring actress Peggy Pepper believes comedy should be in a ghetto. She thinks only drama is true art, and she is mortified when by a trick of fate she winds up as a movie star in slapstick comedy.
* ''Film/FantasticFour2005'' was disliked for keeping a lighthearted tone while other comic book films at the time of release including ''Film/SinCity'' (also featuring Creator/JessicaAlba) and ''Film/BatmanBegins'' had gritty tones and were praised. There were other things that caused the movie to be panned.
* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse is sometimes hit with this by fans who dislike the light-hearted approach many of the movies take:
** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' is even more comedic than the others, and the trailers played up the comedy aspects. It was widely expected to bomb, though whether that was because of the comedy or the fact that its comic was pretty obscure is up for debate. Needless to say, the film is one of the highest-rated entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – effectively breaking out of the ghetto.
** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' especially was attacked by a few fans for the characters making "too many jokes." Whether they have a point is up for debate, though the movie ''does'' get serious and contains many situations that aren't PlayedForLaughs.
** ''Film/AntMan1'' broke out of the ghetto as well, despite many predicting it would become the MCU's first ever failure for being notably more comedic than the rest of the franchise. In fact, the comedy elements were praised, while the film's low points were the dramatic ones. It grossed $500 million worldwide and earned an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
** While the Spider-Man films ''[[Film/SpiderManHomecoming Homecoming]]'' and ''[[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome Far From Home]]'' have been well-received, they tended to get less praise than other films in the MCU, since they primarily served as [[BreatherEpisode Breather Episodes]] between more serious fare. By contrast, ''[[Film/SpiderManNoWayHome No Way Home]]'' was much DarkerAndEdgier, and not only made more money than any Spider-Man film prior, but managed to receive the most critical acclaim out of all the MCU Spider-Man films.
* Speaking of superhero cinematic franchises, the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse tends to invert this; one of the most frequent criticisms for several of the movies so far released in it have received is that they're too dark, humorless and introspective, and could probably stand to lighten up and take themselves a bit less seriously like the MCU does.
** ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' was much more comedic in tone, and generally seen by some as the worst film in the DCEU so far. One common sticking point is that the film was an [[FollowTheLeader obvious attempt]] to ape the success of both the aforementioned ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' and ''Film/Deadpool2016'' after it was clear the tone of both ''Film/ManOfSteel'' and ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' went too far in the [[TooBleakStoppedCaring opposite direction]], so the comedy felt forced.
** Averted when both ''Film/Aquaman2018'' and ''Film/Shazam2019'' took a lighthearted comedic approach and were acclaimed for it (especially because unlike ''Suicide Squad'', they were planned that way to begin with instead of [[ExecutiveMeddling having the tone changed during production]] - the same can be said for the films with characters from ''Suicide Squad'', ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' and ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'', both of whom had dark and violent elements but still leaned heavily on the comedy).
** ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' -- to the surprise of many -- managed to turn this reputation for the [[Film/ManOfSteel first]] [[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice two]] Creator/ZackSnyder-directed DCEU films on its head. While the film is still serious and solemn with a darker color palette, it also has a decent amount of levity and humor that feels much more organic and balanced overall, especially when compared to the quips and awkward moments in [[Film/JusticeLeague2017 the theatrical cut]] from the Creator/JossWhedon rewrites and reshoots that were criticized for feeling like MoodWhiplash.
* Creator/JimCarrey once said that the Academy didn't give him a Best Actor nomination for ''Film/TheTrumanShow'' because of his [[Film/AceVentura "talking butt" routine]]; he would go on to be snubbed for his work in ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'' (in which he played AntiHumor pioneer Creator/AndyKaufman) and ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind'' as well. All three movies arguably qualify as {{Dramedy}}; Carrey actually won a Best Actor -- Drama Golden Globe for ''The Truman Show'' and the corresponding Musical/Comedy award for ''Man on the Moon'' (he saw the latter as a case of AwardCategoryFraud), and picked up a nomination for Musical/Comedy for ''Eternal Sunshine'' too. Notably, Kate Winslet got an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for ''Eternal Sunshine'' -- Carrey's role is of equal importance, but Winslet is primarily associated with dramas and thus REAL acting, whereas Carrey came to fame in LargeHam {{Slapstick}} roles and never gave them up entirely even as his range broadened.
* ''Film/HappyDeathDay'' is a clear HorrorComedy, but the filmmakers [[http://collider.com/happy-death-day-jason-blum-christopher-b-landon-interview/ rejected the label]], which is apparently deemed by producers as hard to sell to audiences, and instead the film was dubbed "horror fun" by them.
* [[https://www.calvertjournal.com/features/show/12178/miserable-russian-film-soviet-comedies-criterion-collection-tarkovsky-gaidai-ryazanov As film critic Redmond Bacon argues in his article for The Calvert Journal,]] the reception of Soviet films in the West suffers from this trope. The likes of Creator/AndreiTarkovsky and Alexei German, who made often grim and artsy films, is much more known to Western audiences than, say, the works of Leonid Gaidai, Eldar Ryazanov or Georgi Daneliya, who made themselves famous from more comedic films. In former Soviet Union, Elem Klimov's brilliant Young Pioneer camp-set comedy ''Welcome, or No Trespassing'' is a favorite of many, yet in the West, he's much more known for ''Film/ComeAndSee'', a very grim war film, often considered one of the best in the genre. Not only that, but the most watched Mosfilm movie on their official [=YouTube=] channel is ''Love and Pigeons'', a comedy Westerners barely know about. Bacon goes on to suggest that stereotypes about Russia come into play, since comedies are believed to be less political and thus less prone to censorship (despite some of the most popular Soviet comedies containing clever and well-hidden jabs that flew past Soviet censors for one reason or another — Leonid Gaidai in particular was a master of CensorDecoy).
* When the Academy averted this and awarded the Best Supporting Actress award to Creator/MarisaTomei for her performance as Mona Lisa Vito in ''Film/MyCousinVinny'', it was considered such an upset that there were persistent (and false) rumors that the wrong name was read out and the Academy just went with it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Almost any time a sitcom starts to make an attempt at major Emmy nominations, the episode for consideration is almost always a VerySpecialEpisode. The laughs come fewer and farther between, a much more serious issue is addressed, and it can often be a LowerDeckEpisode if a Supporting Actor award is being considered (the episodes of ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' when Jackie was a victim of domestic abuse stand out as this in syndication).
* This digs a chasm of mutual misunderstanding between the critical élite, and everybody else, in Great Britain. There is a tradition of the critics expressing a shuddering distaste, at best, and outright contempt, at worst, for popular sitcoms and comedy productions. [[note]]also applies to Literature; there appears to be an attitude among the cultural critics that if a work is popular, then by extension it is of no literary worth or value. Authors like Creator/TerryPratchett have been on the receiving end of this prejudice.[[/note]] At the same time, works despised by the critics also tend to be beloved by fans. This only serves to make the critics crankier. A TV sitcom that suffered from this in TheSeventies was ''Series/LoveThyNeighbour''; even in the 2010's, it is still sought out by fans. A more recent example of a comedy hated by critics but which draws in millions of viewers is ''Series/MrsBrownsBoys''.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' {{Fandom VIP}}s are known for automatically rating horror serials above comedy, which is part of the reason for the longstanding bad reputations of stories like "The Gunfighters" and "City of Death" (both of which, especially the latter, were VindicatedByHistory once they became widely available to view again), as well as being part of the reason why the LighterAndSofter Creator/GrahamWilliams era (which [[ReplacementScrappy replaced an era of the darkest horror and goriest thrillers the show ever achieved]]) is harshly received by some parts of fandom. "The Space Museum" suffers especially from this, as people tend to praise its creepy and atmospheric JustOneSecondOutOfSync first episode and attack the three comedy episodes that come after. Revival series episodes that tend to be criticised entirely for being comedy are the "Aliens of London" two-parter (which had ToiletHumor) and "Love and Monsters" (which had a {{Squick}}y sex joke and Creator/PeterKay in a ridiculous rubber suit). On the other hand, this trope ended up working in the show's favour in a big way - the writers during the Graham Williams era realised that if they were stuck writing a cheap ExecutiveMeddling-mandated children's comedy to appease MoralGuardians protesting about the horror, no-one would care if they stuffed it full of sophisticated ParentalBonus satire, brilliantly intelligent dialogue and some of the blackest of BlackComedy, and so they did - overtly political stories like "The Sunmakers" and "The Invasion of Time" being fan favourites.
** The reaction from the fandom around the time that comedienne Catherine Tate was being cast as the next companion was very negative, with some people insisting that she couldn't possibly act well enough to pull off the {{Angst}} bits. However, she really could - she's now considered to be one of the best performed companions in the show's history, as comic acting is just as difficult as serious acting and the skills aren't too dissimilar. This situation unconsciously echoed fan concerns about well-loved comic actor Jon Pertwee being cast as the Doctor in 1970, which confused a lot of people when he performed the Third Doctor as probably the most serious and dignified Doctor of them all.
** Averted with the casting choice of Creator/PeterCapaldi, whose announcement was very well received despite his best known performance being from [[Series/TheThickOfIt a comedy.]] Although it might have helped that the comedy he was best known for ''was'' a [[BlackComedy pitch-black]] satire of contemporary issues, which tends to be the type of comedy which is most likely to find its way out of the Ghetto and into critical acclaim; also, Capaldi was an avowed and longtime fan of the franchise. The Twelfth Doctor era (Series 8-10) was a DarkerAndEdgier stretch with very few {{Breather Episode}}s and a lot of horror content, but it incorporated humor into even the bleakest stories; in what is often seen as a response to complaints that Twelve was too cold and the tone too grim in Series 8, he and the show became lighter as it progressed. In addition, Series 8-9 companion Clara Oswald with her angsty character arc seems to be less popular than Series 10 companions Bill Potts and Nardole (the latter of whom originated, as Donna Noble had, as a one-off comedy character played by an established comic actor), wisecracking characters who may have been put through the wringer but [[EarnYourHappyEnding more than pulled through in the end]] (''especially'' Bill).
* Averted with ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. Comedic episodes like "[[RealWorldEpisode The French Mistake]]" and "[[GroundhogDayLoop Mystery Spot]]" tend to get ranked as high as dramatic episodes like "[[SeriesFauxnale Swan Song]]" and "[[WhatIf What Is and What Should Never Be]]".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5JAPkvnyso A Comedian at the Oscars]]" performed by Creator/WillFerrell, Creator/JackBlack, and Creator/JohnCReilly at the 79th Academy Awards is a biting satire of this idea. Ferrell bemoans how the Academy must hate joy and laughter, Black begins challenging the nominees to fistfights to assert comedians' dominance, and Reilly says that they can have it both ways by also doing absurdly tragic OscarBait roles too.
* During his life, Music/ErikSatie was seen as a musical lightweight who composed silly little tunes with often comedic titles and littered his scores with sarcastic remarks. His legacy as a historically important musical innovator only came decades later after his death.
* Despite the enormous technical complexities of his music, Music/SpikeJones was likewise never taken seriously by his contemporaries.
* Music/TheBonzoDogBand were mostly seen as a novelty act throughout their career because of their silly antics and StylisticSuck playing. They are often overlooked when discussing the great bands of TheSixties. Nevertheless, both Music/TheBeatles and Creator/MontyPython have named them as a huge inspiration.
* Music/FrankZappa also received more recognition as an innovative composer near the end of his life and mostly after death. The fact that he sabotaged the serious attention that any of his music could have received by injecting comedy into his compositions didn't help matters along. Nor the fact that his sense of humor [[SophisticatedAsHell did not discriminate between satirical wit and lowbrow bawdy jokes]].
* Averted by Music/{{Eminem}}, whose shock-comedy songs have won him ''more'' critical praise and esteem than most of his serious songs... although not necessarily outsold them, with his biggest commercial hits to date being "Lose Yourself", "Love The Way You Lie" and "Not Afraid", all of which are serious songs. However, this trope is responsible for a lot of the backlash he gets from non-listeners, who struggle to reconcile his position on the G.O.A.T. list with the humorous nature of his material, which can just seem like ''unintentionally funny'' bad lyrics if you aren't familiar with his body of work and only know the line from seeing it on a Genius lyric card.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* While nothing to do with films per se, this trope does come up with regards to wrestlers that have comedy gimmicks. A lot of wrestling purists absolutely despise wrestlers that have [[TheGimmick gimmicks]] designed to entertain the fans and make them laugh, [[KidAppealCharacter especially if their fans are primarily children]]. Some fans that value only the athleticism in wrestling seem to assume that more gimmick-centered wrestlers are somehow "cheating" and aren't real wrestlers when most successful wrestlers are successful because they can wrestle, with a gimmick just helping people identify and remember them more easily.
* Wrestlers with comedy gimmicks are more likely to become TheScrappy to internet fans, especially if they get cheered by the audience. Examples are Wrestling/SantinoMarella, Wrestling/BrodusClay, Scotty 2 Hotty, Wrestling/DoinkTheClown etc.
* Like a lot of things in pro wrestling people actually in the business see this differently than the fans do. In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jblC6s9RiTA this excerpt]] from his podcast Wrestling/JimCornette tries his best to explain the difference between "wrestler that's funny" (which doesn't fit this trope) and "comedy wrestler" (which does.)
* You'll almost never get a wrestler with a comedy gimmick as a world champion in any major promotion. If a wrestler wishes to become a main eventer in any shape or form then they're going to have to be taken seriously. Wrestling/JohnCena is probably the closest to a comedic main eventer WWE has had in the modern era, besides perhaps [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], who despite making people laugh supposedly did not count, though his comedy came more from insulting his opponents in clever ways; he also had the occasional silly spot and he had a tendency to [[TheatricsOfPain oversell]]. Wrestling/{{TNA}} came somewhat close with Wrestling/ChristianCage, and Eric Young.
* Wrestling/EddieGuerrero got away with it and is a notable aversion, possibly because his comedic cheating ways had become so endeared by fans, and unlike many "comedy wrestlers" that do comedy to cover up the fact that they're just not very good wrestlers Eddie was an excellent technical wrestler (and a pretty great in-ring worker in general) that always put on fantastic matches, so the smart fans were very forgiving.
* Wrestling/LayCool are female aversions. The two were essentially exaggerated versions of the AlphaBitch ValleyGirl and yet managed to dominate the women's division for over a year. Notably Michelle had been pushed as a serious ruthless heel before that, and fans were indifferent. When Michelle showed she had a knack for comedy, she was RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap for many. Likewise Layla's comedic antics caused her to become an EnsembleDarkhorse.
* Wrestling/{{CMLL}} exotico Maximo is an exception that proves the rule. Foreign viewers came under the assumption the promotion was more comedy based when they saw him as World Heavyweight Champion. It's not, the world heavyweight title simply isn't the end all be all of CMLL, where all weight classes are respected and of all the other world titles, none of them had contemporary titleholders to Maximo who were also comedy luchadores. In fact the only other champion you could call such was National Welterweight Champion Bárbaro Cavernario. Not to take away from their success, World anything is good and the Welterweight is the most prestigious of any level but it is more so the fact Mexican majors are just more open to giving pushes in general. Similarly, Los Psycho Circus were Wrestling/{{AAA}}'s most popular trio but [[CircusOfFear if they could be called a comedy group]] they still operated in what was otherwise one of AAA's most DarkerAndEdgier periods where they were the only 'comedy' champions.
* Even after becoming Wrestling/BulletClub's cleaner, there are fans that complain that Wrestling/KennyOmega is too much of a cartoon character for Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling. These same complainers loved his Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam work though and stand firm in their belief he is perfect for ''that'' promotion. To his credit, Omega [[BastardUnderstudy went on]] to usurp Wrestling/KarlAnderson's leadership position and deport the stable's centerpiece Wrestling/AJStyles.
* [[Wrestling/TenilleDashwood Emma]] avoided the ghetto on NXT. Her gimmick was that of a CuteClumsyGirl who thought she was a good dancer. Despite the comedy gimmick, she was still pushed as a (somewhat) serious title contender. On the main roster however, her character was Flanderised and she fell headlong into the ghetto – eventually finding herself back on NXT trying to restart her career with a FaceHeelTurn.
* On NXT Wrestling/SummerRae was treated as a serious competitor. There was a time when she had an undefeated streak. On the main roster as the dance partner to Fandango, she was instead presented as a bimbo who could only get fluke wins. Creative presumably realised she had a better affinity for playing a BrainlessBeauty rather than an AlphaBitch – but her {{Jobber}} status still raises eyebrows.
* Wrestling/JillianHall initially avoided this - as she was still presented as a competent threat with her HollywoodToneDeaf gimmick. But around 2008 she suddenly became the go-to Diva for losing a SquashMatch or getting a HumiliationConga. She eventually stopped winning altogether, though she was granted one Divas' Championship reign – which lasted about a minute.
* In general any heel with a comedy gimmick is likely to start out strong and undergo {{Flanderization}} into a {{Jobber}} before long.
* Wrestling/{{Chikara}}, Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla, and the Japanese promotion Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam. Many older fans and especially those that still have a high degree of respect for Main/{{Kayfabe}} are absolutely horrified by what they see with these promotions and others like them. The wider wrestling fanbase mostly just ignores them.
* Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling is a permanent resident to some fans[[note]]Just [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6C0m9i77W8&t=493s take a look]] at the [[FranchiseOriginalSin very first match]] they ever aired if you want to know ''why'' some fans think this[[/note]], often being described as "PWG with a TV deal", and considering that a lot of the same people hold high ranking positions in both companies it's not an unfair comparison. Subverted somewhat in that AEW CEO/booker Tony Khan really likes the comedic sort of wrestling (case in point, he's called Wrestling/OrangeCassidy his favorite wrestler, and [[CreatorsPet it shows]] by the way Cassidy is booked) and much of this is by design, and he doesn't consider this trope a bad thing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In the first half of the 20th century, theatre critics tended to regard Broadway musical comedies, whatever their merits, as not really suitable for sober dramatic criticism, a few stiff drinks being needed for their proper appreciation. The musical comedy ghetto started to break down with the critical acclaim for Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein's 1940s shows and had largely disappeared by the 1960s (though the critically praised musicals of the latter decade often weren't comedies). There was much controversy in 1931 when ''Theatre/OfTheeISing'' became the first musical to win the UsefulNotes/PulitzerPrize; falling under the exemption for satire seems to have helped it do so.
* ''Theatre/{{Thespis}}'', the first Creator/GilbertAndSullivan operetta, ends with a TakeThat at the notion that tragedy is the higher art, suggesting that it is unwanted by the public. The angry [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Jupiter]] sends the Thespians away with this punishment:
-->Away to earth, contemptible comedians,
-->And hear our {{curse}}, before we set you free;
-->You shall all be eminent tragedians,
-->Whom no one ever goes to see!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* There has been much discontent from fans of Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog (well, [[BrokenBase more so than usual]]) when Ken Pontac and Warren Graff started writing the cutscenes and dialogue for the games, as they yanked the narrative style from the rather bleak and serious tone of games like ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' to the heavily comedic ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''. And that's not even mentioning the actual ''quality'' of their writing, which according to most of the fanbase ranges from decent to pretty awful.
** Another issue is the fact that SEGA's mandates are so restrictive in some areas that there is little that even ''can'' be done when even those up-top see the games as [[ItsNotSupposedToWinOscars fluff for kids]].
** These same fans awaited ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' with dread as the list of names of the show's creative team came in and they are all comedy writers. Amusingly, this actually got subverted with time; while their fears were met for the first season, the constant shafting from both Cartoon Network and Boomerang gave the writers more confidence to do more surreal stuff in the second season; if no-one's ever going to see it, why not get creative?
* Inverted with ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. It is [[BloodyHilarious an extremely ridiculous game]], which carries over to its fandom making short vids about it with Source Filmmaker and VideoGame/GarrysMod. Thus the serious shorts, including those submitted to the Drama category during the Saxxy Awards, often get looked down upon, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3cEYSacVHI claimed to be full of cliches]]. This isn't always the case, though, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NCERdh_-j4 Story of a Sentry]]'' and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1dJvrqN_5Q Bad Medicine]]'' are usually regarded as fine dramatic videos.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Both fans and haters of any CausticCritic personality, such as Yahtzee of ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'', can be found using this to support their respective defense or distaste of said critic. The former claim that because these people are principally entertainers, the content of their reviews cannot be criticized because they're "joking". Meanwhile, the latter often claim that because the given review series is "only" a comedy, the viewpoints expressed within cannot be taken as actual critical analysis and thus they are not "real reviewers".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Very prominent throughout the history of animation. For example, with regards to ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'', Creator/TexAvery was only nominated twice for the Best Animated Short Oscar. He never won it. Creator/BobClampett was never even nominated at all (ironically, one of his unfinished shorts after he left the studio, ''WesternAnimation/TweetiePie'', won the studio their first Oscar after Friz Freleng finished it). Likewise, Creator/ChuckJones received nominations for his later "True Art" shorts, but not for "The Dover Boys", "One Froggy Evening", or "Duck Amuck". He did, however, win an Oscar for the WesternAnimation/PepeLePew short ''WesternAnimation/ForScentimentalReasons''.
** Averted at least once by Creator/FrizFreleng. His cartoon "Knighty Knight Bugs" was the only WesternAnimation/BugsBunny cartoon to win an Academy Award.
* There was a stretch in the 1940s where ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' dominated the Best Animated Short Oscar category by winning a staggering total of seven Oscars.
* The comedic tone of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' drew criticism throughout its run from fans of DarkerAndEdgier ''Batman'' incarnations, so much so that one episode [[BreakingTheFourthWall punched the fourth wall in the face]] to deliver an eloquent defense of LighterAndSofter adaptations.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' was, in its day, often dismissed by older audiences for its frequent comedic tone. Granted, the series was something of a CerebusRollercoaster, to the point that the show itself saw fit to regularly clue the audience into the tone of a given episode via the opening theme song: English lyrics meant the show's usual tone, which could occasionally veer to more serious, dramatic adventures; meanwhile, Japanese lyrics meant you were about to watch an unabashed BizarroEpisode.
** Its DenserAndWackier spinoff series ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' garnered high disdain from many fans of the original ''Teen Titans'' cartoon for being a pure comedy, which isn't helped by a number of such fans viewing the prior 2003 series through a NostalgiaFilter as being more "mature" and "serious" than it actually was. This is even referenced in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoVsTeenTitans'', where both incarnations meet and insult each other over this, before running into other alternate selves that are more serious (the WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies) and more childish (''ComicBook/TinyTitans'') than either of them.
* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''. The comedy and seriousness are better balanced here, but the comedy part is always more apparent, hence why the deeper themes are overlooked by most.
* Although [[VindicatedByHistory now regarded as a fun show in its own right]], ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa'' got hit with this hard when it first premiered. This was attributed to the fact that that series was airing at a time when cartoon shows saw a shift into more serious storytelling in an attempt to avert the AnimationAgeGhetto -- the most famous examples at the time being ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' and ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. [[note]]It is worth noting, however, that both shows leaned more towards being [[{{Dramedy}} dramedies]] rather than full-on dramas.[[/note]] ''Uncle Grandpa'' was consequently looked down upon for its episodic nature and emphasis on surrealist comedy, sometimes [[ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch just for that reason alone rather than anything related to the show itself]].
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