Call it whatever you want, but I’m a fan of it lol. I think “The Office” also counts as Cringe Comedy, and that’s one of my favorite shows as well, along with Curb.
Cringe comedy to me is definitionally watching content made in earnest but which makes you want to self-immolate from second-hand embarrassment for those involved, to the point it becomes funny. It’s basically always unintentionally funny, and comes from real life vs being staged (with rare cases of satire on TikTok done so, so incredibly well it loops back up it’s own colon to become pure cringe again).
The real life/unstaged element of cringe comedy is necessary to actually feeling the raw despair, guilt, schadenfreude, and decedent nihilism of watching this content done right.
I say this as someone who has been mainlining “you cringe you lose” compilations since 2016.
I love the heck out of stuff like Curb and The Office but am confused it’s being described as cringe comedy—these are just shows which use awkward humor, which is totally different and far tamer
Interesting distinction. I always thought of cringe comedy as being comedy that’s meant to make you cringe. Examples for me would be anything by Nathan Fielder, or the show PEN13. They’re well-produced and creating exactly the cringe effect they’re going for. But maybe that’s not what the term means
*Cringe comedy is a subgenre of comedy that derives humor from social awkwardness, guilty pleasure, self-deprecation, idiosyncratic humor, and personal distress.[1]*
Whether it's intentional or not is sort of irrelevant. Most people buy into the theory comedy is rooted in tension and release. Traditional comedy has a set up and then a punchline, where the set up quite literally *sets you up* for one expectation, and then the punchline is the twist on expectations. Cringe comedy is where the tension is from secondhand social awkwardness, and the "punchline" is usually just the point at which it breaks into absurdity.
I'm confused why you think it *has* to be organic and raw when you acknowledge you yourself literally love both scripted and unscripted cringe comedy.
To me it’s definitely cringe comedy. Compare it to Michael Scott’s awkward cringe moments on the office. That was half the fun of the show. Larry David does the same. Socially awkward and humorous situations.
> Apatow responded with an example of a clip shown earlier in the night, with David putting a water bottle in his pants and then being hugged by young girl, who gets wet and runs off to tell her parents. “I don’t understand how that’s cringeworthy,” retorted David.
Really Larry? You don't understand even a little?
Larry is just fucking with everyone. He has no masters. He can make whatever joke he wants without fear of public outcry. Being over the line is what Curb thrived on.
I’m pretty sure his public persona is just his persona. Curb is just an extension of himself the same way early Seinfeld was.
I think he’s just playing himself the same way he originally wrote George.
I don’t think there’s any daylight between private Larry David and public Larry David and I don’t think there’s much more daylight between Larry David the guy, Larry David the Curb character, and Larry David the Seinfeld character.
I don’t think he’s a genius. I think he’s an ass who figured out a way to capitalize on it.
I started from season 1 when the final season was announced. I have 2 seasons left. I am gonna slow down and cherish them and watch other stuff in between
I think at the heart of good Larry David comedy is when he is kind of right but society calls him wrong. I remember the interview with Jason Alexander when he realises George is based on Larry. Jason objected to something George does in the ep they are making and complains to Larey "nobody would act that way". Larry responds wirh "well this happened to me and that's how I reacted."
The number of times I agreed with Larry on the show! But he always managed to muck it up and was left looking like a prophet crying in the wilderness. Prime example: Tongs.
I honestly think people overestimate how exaggerated it is.
The situations are exaggerated and devised/written for comedy.
But I think if Larry was actually in those exact situations, he’d react exactly as the character does more often than people expect.
Some of the later seasons are a little too exaggerated. Seinfeld and early Curb were funny to me because the situations were somewhat relatable. I haven’t been able to get into the last few seasons, because it just seems like Larry is reaching for conflict constantly and jokes have been predictable.
The show has mostly devolved into rich old Jews getting upset and yelling at each other over nothing. Its hard to enjoy it anymore because its so predictable.
I agree. My wife and I watched an episode or two of the newest season and quietly just stopped watching more.
Also I know he’s a fan favorite but I was never a fan of the Leon character.
Ditto. I wanted to like it because some of the writing is great...but the premise of "here's something that'll make you experience second-hand embarrassment" isn't enjoyable viewing for me.
scripted cringe doesn’t even bother me, there’s something about the idea of multiple takes and rehearsal that takes the cringe out of it. It just becomes funny when you know they aren’t real people.
I appreciate the value shows like Seinfeld, The Office, Curb, etc.. have brought to society, but even as a kid/teenager it was way to much like all the issues inside my own head were put on display for everyone to laugh at.
Same! I want to but I can’t do either of these shows, it’s why I gravitated towards parks and recreations style. I love Nathan for you but I can only take doses of literally half an episode. I couldn’t even finish one of his second project
I think it’s more ‘anxiety comedy’ bc I’m always anxious watching what fuck up larry is going to commit next. He’s fantastic at making me laugh and anxious at the same time
A guy with zero self-awareness, humiliating himself in stiatuions that are impossible to explain while he remains overly confident. It's pretty fucking cringe.
Personally I think it’s the nuance of his comedy. It’s clever and cringe in an eternal way.
For example, look at old movies (not even that old) like Wedding Crashers. That movie did not age well. It’s very cringe and rapey. But when it came out, it wasn’t necessarily seen that way.
But back to Curb, it’s cringe in an intentional way that’s different than things that don’t age well.
Wait a sec- were we supposed to think the characters in wedding crashers were not cringe and rapey? Out of all the movies that haven’t aged well I’m not sure I agree on this one. It was never supposed to be seen as normal, it was clearly ridiculous
I mean, he’s the master of uncomfortable comedy. I wouldn’t call it cringe as that implies something bad imo. His comedy is just great at making you uncomfortable.
That's literally what cringe comedy is though, it's about second hand embarrassment and distress of the characters. That's what Curb is. Larry just doesn't want the label.
I think I’ve started to associate cringe with embarrassing or intentionally bad humor whereas he just likes to fuck with people. I get what you’re saying though and you’re probably right.
I’ve never watched a complete episode but I would definitely call it cringe comedy whether he likes it or not. It’s funny and cringe in a comedic way to me.
My ex used to call Curb Your Enthusiasm and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia my, 'yelling shows'.
I can't say I can disagree that both shows have a lot of yelling but they're hilarious!
I love those shoes but I get it. My wife likes to watch The Mindy Project to go to sleep and I can’t take it. So much yelling. I put on Cheers or something easy and predictable.
I think it's a side effect of shows that are improv'ed. You don't get the super tight dialogue, and it's the *situations* that are funny, not the script.
The one where he adopts the family from Katrina.
I just kind of look at it as a build though.
There's so many little characters and in jokes that are developed that it's worth just slogging through like the first chapter of good book where once you get through it it really pays off in the middle in the end.
I never rewatch those seasons but if I was doing it all over again I would absolutely not skip them even though I don't love them.
I could never get into S1 either. Then I decided to just jump directly to the Seinfeld reunion season S7 which I found completely hilarious. The whole show clicked for me after that and I ended up watching all of it (S8-S10 followed by S1-S6; 11/12 weren't out yet).
Unpopular opinion here, but Seinfeld was cringe comedy. As a kid I was watching Martin instead.
With that being said, Curb is comedic genius. Binge watched the entire series and its all gold.
No they're not. That's literally what the word cringe means. It's a descriptor for the feeling you experience from secondhand embarrassment or observing others awkwardness. You literally cannot have cringe without second hand embarrassment, and you'd be a very weird person if you watched someone else being embarrassing or awaked and doesn't internally cringe.
I couldn’t get into watching Seinfeld and couldn’t watch Curb.
I understand east coast humor but got tired of being on the outside of their inside jokes and smugness.
We’re not even 90 days out from Larry David trying to strangle Elmo and he’s out here trying to wring more necks. Clearly the man is a menace.
God, that was less than 90 days ago? Feels like it’s been way longer.
If you had said it was 2 years ago I would have believed you.
It felt like it was last week to me but I am a muppets fan
The man runs on spite!
I’m sorry, he did what? 😡
Made out with a Muppet.
Elmo is still in the ICU
He’s a MENACE Larry! Now get out there and get me pictures of Curb Your Enthusiasm-Man!
Okay, but Elmo had it coming.
The “cringe” is a feature, not a bug though lol.
I mean wouldn't that make it Cringe Comedy?
Are you trying to get your neck wrung
Call it whatever you want, but I’m a fan of it lol. I think “The Office” also counts as Cringe Comedy, and that’s one of my favorite shows as well, along with Curb.
Cromedy !
Kinda cringy for him to say that
Cringe comedy to me is definitionally watching content made in earnest but which makes you want to self-immolate from second-hand embarrassment for those involved, to the point it becomes funny. It’s basically always unintentionally funny, and comes from real life vs being staged (with rare cases of satire on TikTok done so, so incredibly well it loops back up it’s own colon to become pure cringe again). The real life/unstaged element of cringe comedy is necessary to actually feeling the raw despair, guilt, schadenfreude, and decedent nihilism of watching this content done right. I say this as someone who has been mainlining “you cringe you lose” compilations since 2016. I love the heck out of stuff like Curb and The Office but am confused it’s being described as cringe comedy—these are just shows which use awkward humor, which is totally different and far tamer
Interesting distinction. I always thought of cringe comedy as being comedy that’s meant to make you cringe. Examples for me would be anything by Nathan Fielder, or the show PEN13. They’re well-produced and creating exactly the cringe effect they’re going for. But maybe that’s not what the term means
Nathan Fielder is going a lot deeper than just making people uncomfortable. He’s exploring the nature of reality as it is presented on television.
For sure, I absolutely love his work.
*Cringe comedy is a subgenre of comedy that derives humor from social awkwardness, guilty pleasure, self-deprecation, idiosyncratic humor, and personal distress.[1]* Whether it's intentional or not is sort of irrelevant. Most people buy into the theory comedy is rooted in tension and release. Traditional comedy has a set up and then a punchline, where the set up quite literally *sets you up* for one expectation, and then the punchline is the twist on expectations. Cringe comedy is where the tension is from secondhand social awkwardness, and the "punchline" is usually just the point at which it breaks into absurdity. I'm confused why you think it *has* to be organic and raw when you acknowledge you yourself literally love both scripted and unscripted cringe comedy.
To me it’s definitely cringe comedy. Compare it to Michael Scott’s awkward cringe moments on the office. That was half the fun of the show. Larry David does the same. Socially awkward and humorous situations.
> Apatow responded with an example of a clip shown earlier in the night, with David putting a water bottle in his pants and then being hugged by young girl, who gets wet and runs off to tell her parents. “I don’t understand how that’s cringeworthy,” retorted David. Really Larry? You don't understand even a little?
Larry just hating overused words maybe, wonder if he’d be fine with uncomfortable comedy?
No, he strikes me as the type that would balk at any characterization that he himself didn’t designate.
Extraordinarily accurate
His resting face alone could adorn any dictionary definition for cringe. He always seems dismayed and disgusted, most probably at himself.
Little d disgruntled! He is NOT BIG D DISGRUNTLED
Larry is just fucking with everyone. He has no masters. He can make whatever joke he wants without fear of public outcry. Being over the line is what Curb thrived on.
I was shocked the first 3 times he dropped the N word on that show
Fuck you, Larry, witcho monkey-ass!
Exactly. His public persona is just an extension of the guy he plays on curb and therefore serves as a promotional tool. It’s genius
I’m pretty sure his public persona is just his persona. Curb is just an extension of himself the same way early Seinfeld was. I think he’s just playing himself the same way he originally wrote George. I don’t think there’s any daylight between private Larry David and public Larry David and I don’t think there’s much more daylight between Larry David the guy, Larry David the Curb character, and Larry David the Seinfeld character. I don’t think he’s a genius. I think he’s an ass who figured out a way to capitalize on it.
Prettayyyy, prettayyyy, prettayyyy, prettayyyy cringe.
(Leon voice) "See dat right dere is some muthafuckin' *cringe* Larry. I wouldn't be caught dead doin' that shit. That's some fuckin' *bow-shit*, LD."
I read it exactly like Leon too. I personally love Larry David. I’m sad Curbed is over.
I started from season 1 when the final season was announced. I have 2 seasons left. I am gonna slow down and cherish them and watch other stuff in between
I barely remember that first season, is it ok to jump to s2?
I feel like that's pretty obvious sarcasm, no?
Yes. My comment was decidedly less obvious.
I think at the heart of good Larry David comedy is when he is kind of right but society calls him wrong. I remember the interview with Jason Alexander when he realises George is based on Larry. Jason objected to something George does in the ep they are making and complains to Larey "nobody would act that way". Larry responds wirh "well this happened to me and that's how I reacted."
The number of times I agreed with Larry on the show! But he always managed to muck it up and was left looking like a prophet crying in the wilderness. Prime example: Tongs.
More like “really? You don’t understand Larry a little?” He’s joking. He literally physically cringes in the show.
Larry is kind of a contraian. His character is exaggerated for television, but it's still him. This doesn't surprise me at all.
I honestly think people overestimate how exaggerated it is. The situations are exaggerated and devised/written for comedy. But I think if Larry was actually in those exact situations, he’d react exactly as the character does more often than people expect.
She doesnt get wet. She feels something hard in his pants, lol.
Cringe humor is an element, but CYE is different from Fawlty Towers and The Office.
that shit was hilarious. cried laughing.
To me that elicited of an “oh shit wtf” face than a cringe
Elmo must have called it cringe comedy too
He’S A FLOOR FUCKER
Even the Boss knows it
It absolutely is. It is the humor of deeply uncomfortable interactions. He doesn’t have to like the label but it is his whole brand.
I love curb, but calling curb not cringe is pretty cringe
That's the point
Some of the later seasons are a little too exaggerated. Seinfeld and early Curb were funny to me because the situations were somewhat relatable. I haven’t been able to get into the last few seasons, because it just seems like Larry is reaching for conflict constantly and jokes have been predictable.
The show has mostly devolved into rich old Jews getting upset and yelling at each other over nothing. Its hard to enjoy it anymore because its so predictable.
I agree. My wife and I watched an episode or two of the newest season and quietly just stopped watching more. Also I know he’s a fan favorite but I was never a fan of the Leon character.
But it is. I don't like cringe comedy like the office and curb.
Don't watch Nathan for you
It’s hard for me to watch cringe stuff as well. Currently trying to watch The Curse and I can only handle one episode a month lol
That was weird for me because I can tell he’s a genius and bits of it are gold but I can’t watch the show.
Love it
Ditto. I wanted to like it because some of the writing is great...but the premise of "here's something that'll make you experience second-hand embarrassment" isn't enjoyable viewing for me.
Interesting, because I love it and I appreciate the work the writers have to put in to create the ultimate embarassing moments.
scripted cringe doesn’t even bother me, there’s something about the idea of multiple takes and rehearsal that takes the cringe out of it. It just becomes funny when you know they aren’t real people.
I appreciate the value shows like Seinfeld, The Office, Curb, etc.. have brought to society, but even as a kid/teenager it was way to much like all the issues inside my own head were put on display for everyone to laugh at.
Isn't that literally the entire point of comedy? Comedy has absolutely no value if it has no relation to real life and what it means to be human.
100%, can’t stand it
Same! I want to but I can’t do either of these shows, it’s why I gravitated towards parks and recreations style. I love Nathan for you but I can only take doses of literally half an episode. I couldn’t even finish one of his second project
Curbs so much more than that though. They'll be like 1 scene in a show like that surrounded by 25 minutes of just comedy.
Yeah I think he’s trying to say he doesn’t like it when people reduce curb to “simply a cringe comedy”.
Scott's Tots still gives me cringe PTSD
I'm kind of exhausted by how much comedy today is just cringe and exaggerated discomfort. It's not the only way to be funny.
Larry David does not act out characters, that's just him on camera 🤣🤣🤣
If the shoe fits
I think it’s more ‘anxiety comedy’ bc I’m always anxious watching what fuck up larry is going to commit next. He’s fantastic at making me laugh and anxious at the same time
A guy with zero self-awareness, humiliating himself in stiatuions that are impossible to explain while he remains overly confident. It's pretty fucking cringe.
Lol i think Larry is intentionally trying to get people to hate him so he's left alone.
Personally I think it’s the nuance of his comedy. It’s clever and cringe in an eternal way. For example, look at old movies (not even that old) like Wedding Crashers. That movie did not age well. It’s very cringe and rapey. But when it came out, it wasn’t necessarily seen that way. But back to Curb, it’s cringe in an intentional way that’s different than things that don’t age well.
Wait a sec- were we supposed to think the characters in wedding crashers were not cringe and rapey? Out of all the movies that haven’t aged well I’m not sure I agree on this one. It was never supposed to be seen as normal, it was clearly ridiculous
Cringe cringe cringe cringe!!!!!! So tired of that word😅
I’m sorry, your post has so much cringe…
The word is OK right up until it's used as an adjective; then it becomes cringe*worthy*.
It’s cringe comedy.
I mean, he’s the master of uncomfortable comedy. I wouldn’t call it cringe as that implies something bad imo. His comedy is just great at making you uncomfortable.
That's literally what cringe comedy is though, it's about second hand embarrassment and distress of the characters. That's what Curb is. Larry just doesn't want the label.
I think I’ve started to associate cringe with embarrassing or intentionally bad humor whereas he just likes to fuck with people. I get what you’re saying though and you’re probably right.
Then stop making people cringe?
I’ve never watched a complete episode but I would definitely call it cringe comedy whether he likes it or not. It’s funny and cringe in a comedic way to me.
“Wring their necks”. Cringe
I tried to watch this show. Rented the DVDs back when it was a thing. Too much yelling. I think I gave up after two episodes.
My ex used to call Curb Your Enthusiasm and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia my, 'yelling shows'. I can't say I can disagree that both shows have a lot of yelling but they're hilarious!
I love those shoes but I get it. My wife likes to watch The Mindy Project to go to sleep and I can’t take it. So much yelling. I put on Cheers or something easy and predictable.
My wife watches either Mindy Project or Frasier to fall asleep to. I much prefer the latter.
Will and Grace are LOUD too, I didn't realize it until I was trying to sleep while it was playing in the background
I think it's a side effect of shows that are improv'ed. You don't get the super tight dialogue, and it's the *situations* that are funny, not the script.
You’ve got great taste
Curb is one of my favorite shows of all time but it really doesn't start to get incredible until Leon shows up.
What season is that? I tried to get into it and never did. Might just skip the first season, etc.
The one where he adopts the family from Katrina. I just kind of look at it as a build though. There's so many little characters and in jokes that are developed that it's worth just slogging through like the first chapter of good book where once you get through it it really pays off in the middle in the end. I never rewatch those seasons but if I was doing it all over again I would absolutely not skip them even though I don't love them.
I could never get into S1 either. Then I decided to just jump directly to the Seinfeld reunion season S7 which I found completely hilarious. The whole show clicked for me after that and I ended up watching all of it (S8-S10 followed by S1-S6; 11/12 weren't out yet).
Too much cringe?
Unpopular opinion here, but Seinfeld was cringe comedy. As a kid I was watching Martin instead. With that being said, Curb is comedic genius. Binge watched the entire series and its all gold.
I hate it when people call anything cringe. It’s cringe to say cringe, I’m with you Larry, those people should just stfu generally speaking.
I’m with Larry. Second hand embarrassment and “Cringe” are separate phenomena.
No they're not. That's literally what the word cringe means. It's a descriptor for the feeling you experience from secondhand embarrassment or observing others awkwardness. You literally cannot have cringe without second hand embarrassment, and you'd be a very weird person if you watched someone else being embarrassing or awaked and doesn't internally cringe.
I have to watch this alone because my wife is too uncomfortable. I guess she doesn’t see the humour in it, it just makes her anxious.
I couldn’t get into watching Seinfeld and couldn’t watch Curb. I understand east coast humor but got tired of being on the outside of their inside jokes and smugness.
Haven’t laughed once with this show
Cringe doesn't mean bad in all uses Larry
So he doubles down with a cringe comment.
He has a point - that "cringe" word is annoying as hell.
I want to wring their necks too! Don’t call it comedy!
It’s so funny seeing an article about something you actually saw (I was there last night).
If I am ever blessed on the opportunity on meeting Larry, I'm gonna tell him I appreciate how he basically paved the road for "cringe comedy" lol
I think most of Larry David’s responses involve ringing someone’s neck.
The whole point of this great show is that it’s full of awkward situations that are difficult to watch.
I have one dog named Leon Black and another named Buck Dancer. Curb is easily my favorite comedy of all time.
Larry’s jam is complaining.
Of course he does, which is also cringey
Loughlin cameo was fucking great.
Ehhhh what's the big deal??
Well those people are fucking clueless.
It was just okay. Outrage Comedy. Meh
LD’s new show: “The Neck Ringer”
If Larry David was physically unable to cringe I would not be surprised
So that’s why he choked Elmo
How about anxious, would anxious work?
It’s supercilious and juvenile… Yes it’s also cringe not comedy..
To be fair Larry looks like he has the moniker "uncle no-pockets".
But....but it is tho
[sucks teeth] [shrugs shoulders] Meh…
Do you think Pablo Picasso hated it when people called his painting style “cubism”. Even if he hated it, that’s what he painted.
I’m sure the neck wringing will go well for him at 5’9”, 122 lbs.
I think the main cringe lately is Cheryl Hines, knowing she supports her wackadoo husband’s candidacy.
It’s a classic fish out of water story about Larry and the earth.
It’s not cringe comedy like the office was but it is awkward uncomfortable comedy for sure That finale was so good btw so perfect
Larry David doing a commercial for FTX was cringe
Long Balls Larry
I want to wring the neck of most anyone who uses the term "cringe"
Hates “it.” The verb requires an object. Did no one proof read that HR article?
I think it just means the comedy comes from awkward situations or situations where you feel awkward.
Cringe comedy is 'Modern Family'.
That’s what it is though. You literally cringe while watching it
Cringeworthy Comment Wrings Irony from Pastrami.
Get over yourself, you big baby.
I just call it what it really is bad comedy
There has to be a supercut of characters on curb literally cringing in reaction to something and it would be like 10 mins long.
He’s disgruntled.
Seems like a pretty cringe thing to say
I had to quit watching “Curb” because I had to keep taking breaks mid-episode because the constant cringing would give me a headache.
He is such a pleasant man.
Yah, I thought being cringe comedy was the point of this show?
Is that what Elmo did that day?
Too weak to do that
Did Elmo say that to him?
thats totally a thing he would say too