Series are different. Historical, detective, fantastic ... There are still comedic ones. And for fans of non-banal humor, there are black comedies. There are the most popular series with black humor, which include Clinic, Louis, Monsters of the Corporation, Black Bookstore, Family Guy, Shameless, Garbage.
1. "Clinic": the plot
The series "Clinic" began on October 2, 2001 as another medical sitcom, but after a couple of seasons turned into a cult show. The protagonists of the series are three young doctors who have just graduated from university and started to practice in the hospital. JD, Elliot and Turk became for the viewers not just characters in a funny series, but practically best friends. Complicated medical cases are generously seasoned with crude near-medical, or even simply cynical, jokes.
TV show success
"Clinic" was the first comedy show from which offscreen laughter was removed, but the show does not need it - it becomes funny quite often. At the same time, the black humor in the series is thoroughly diluted with dramatic situations and tragic cases. By the ninth season, the film project had exhausted itself, and the Clinic was closed. The show stayed on the first lines of the ratings for 9 years, showing 9 seasons respectively. The film was nominated many times for various awards, including Emmy and Golden Globe, only Zach Braff, who played the main role of Jay Dee, was nominated three times for Golden Globe as the best actor in a comedy show.
2. "Louis"
The screenwriter, director, producer and leading actor in the television show “Louis” was an American stand-up comedian Louis X. Kay. The plot of the film is quite ordinary, but the outstanding talent of Louis X Kay made him one of the best series with black humor. The witty story about the divorced father of two daughters lasted five seasons, and all five seasons Louis X. Kay delighted the audience with dirty jokes and sad details of the personal life of an elderly hero. As in his stand-ups, Louis allows himself to joke about inappropriate things. The biography and personality of the protagonist reflects the life of the comedian, naturally, diluted with fiction and a sense of humor of the creator. The main topic for jokes in the show was the midlife crisis, the difficulty of raising children and relationships with his ex-wife, which turned out to be close to the target audience of the series. Despite the low budget of the project and the fact that Louis independently mounts the episodes on a personal laptop, the show was nominated fourteen times for various television and film awards. Of the six awards, the most significant are Emmys for Best Screenplay for the Comedy Television Series and the AFI Awards in the Television Program of the Year category, with Louis receiving this award for two consecutive years.
3. "Monsters of the corporation"
In 2018, the comedy series Monsters of the Corporation was directed by Pat Bishop. This new project tells the story of the dull office workers of a multinational corporation. The authorities are depicted in stereotyped stamps. The main difference from the similar show "Office" is that the scriptwriters of "Monsters" allow themselves to cross the line of adequacy and decency, the picture has a lot of black humor. In the series, the creators make fun of modern trends and make fun of corporate rules. The whole action of the picture takes place against the backdrop of a gloomy and depressing atmosphere of meaningless office work, where workers dream at least to sleep, and at the very least to die. Jokes in the show are born on the basis of catastrophic situations in which the main characters meet, and attempts to save the situation. The main roles in the television series were played by Matt Ingbretson and Jake Wiseman. At the moment, only one season of the hilarious farce “Monsters of the Corporation” has been shot, and the rating of the show is not very high so far. However, the film definitely found its viewer.
4. "Black Bookstore"
The Irishman Dylan Moran is known primarily as a stand-up comedian, performing on stage in the image of a typical Irish guy. The role of Bernard Black in the British comedy series revealed the artist from a new perspective, although he remained within his own role. Disheveled, with a constant cigarette in his mouth, always drunk to one degree or another - this is how the owner of the seedy Black Bookstore appears. Two of his faithful associates, with whom the hero has a peculiar relationship, suffer his antics and rudeness. First of all, on the unbearable character of Bernard, both the typically British and typically mocking black humor of the series is built at the same time. The roles of Black's friends are played by the beautiful actress Tamsin Greg and comedian Bill Bailey. Since 2000, three seasons of the project have been filmed, which forever fell in love with the audience in the absurd humor of British comedy television series. The hero of Dylan Moran was included in the list of the hundred best British sitcoms according to the BBC channel, and in the list of "The Greatest Comedic Heroes of the World" according to the Channel 4 poll, Bernard Black took 19th place.
5. "Family Guy"
It is impossible to imagine a more defiant animated series than the cult creation of Seth MacFarlane's "Family Guy," or Family Guy. The cartoon screensaver does not portend anything reprehensible, the painted family sings about how television was flooded with violence and sex, and the only place where moral principles are preserved is the family. However, the plots of the episodes quickly dispel the illusion. Impressive viewers can be unpleasantly shocked by the topics for jokes, because with each season the scriptwriters allow themselves to cross the next boundaries of what is permitted. Family Guides joke about Jews, about cancer, about AIDS, about people with disabilities and babies, about blacks and Asians, and even about the Holocaust. It was with his black humor that the series conquered the viewers. The cartoon has its own gags, always funny as the first time. Despite the complete immorality of what is happening, the project has survived 17 seasons and will survive again. The cartoon was nominated five times for prestigious film awards in the nominations "Best animated series", "Best comedy series" and others. In 2008, "Family Guy" were awarded the Saturn Award in the nomination "Best Television Show."
6. “Shameless”
The American project Shameless is a remake of the British show and is in the top 10 series with black humor. It tells about the Gallagher family and the father of the family - the alcoholic Frank. The plot is generously flavored with vulgarities, obscene language and frank scenes, but, in fact, brings family values to the world. However, despite the unpleasant characters and the abundance of black humor and obscenities, the series came to taste and fell in love with the audience even in seemingly negative heroes. In the show “Shameless” 9 seasons, and the main role of Frank played William Macy, who for the work in the project three times received the award of the Guild of Actors in the nomination “Best Actor in a Comedy Series”. The creators of the picture are joking on topics such as homosexuality, racism, drug addiction, illness and promiscuous sex.
7. "Garbage"
As soon as the name of the Misfits series was translated: “Scum”, “Bad”, “Losers”, “Fucking” ... And each of these names reflects the essence of the multi-part fantastic tragicomedy. Five difficult teenagers are serving their sentences for their offenses - they are doing community service. Everything goes its dull course until a thunderstorm breaks out over the city. After it, the guys get superpowers and start to get into trouble. The film is filled to the brim with curses, murders, promiscuous sex and drugs. However, he won the love of many viewers and entered the top series with black humor. However, by the fifth season, the cast changed and the project began to lose popularity.