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[Hawkfrost]

oO

You need comedy in every genre to regulate tension. Look at Deep Space Nine, it used light hearted episodes, to fight viewing fatigue of the audience and to rebuild tension after dramatic episodes.

The weaker elements of the Dark Knight Returns is that it doesnt have enough comedy to help break up its tension and regulate the drama.

Demanding a Drama without comedy or reclassifying a Drama as comedy because it has comedy in it, is just dumb.

Nine, that was a movie that didnt know how to use comedy to regulate tension.

I don't know, sometimes I find that frustrating when they add comedic elements to a story that should not have them. Take Darker Than Black for instance. The worst part about the show and the only thing about it that is not great is the two comic relief characters randomly thrown in that break the serious tone.

It's a weird divide in Western media. There are so many live action drama shows - it's pretty clear we have a huge audience for drama. Why aren't any ever animated?

Because most North Americans consider cartoons for children and would mark it off without ever actually watching it on that basis.

[Neonivek]

Because most North Americans consider cartoons for children and would mark it off without ever actually watching it on that basis

Ohh it is far worse. Anything with a "G" or "E" or whatever rating you use, is generally hated.

Mind you they TRIED to make adult cartoons but the only things that have ever succeeded were comedies (The Simpsons and Family guy).

Children are generally treated as both money machines and Garbage dumps. Everyone I hear "its for kids" and it isn't for REALLY young children I want to smack them. All my favorite movies and shows as a kid were generally stuff that is still considered good and great now with quite a few exceptions.

Believe it or not one of the major deciding factors for whether a cartoon gets made, well a cartoon movie, is if you can make toys out of it.

Mind you I find cartoons usually have much better pacing then adult shows. Adult shows tend to meander a lot often to build atmosphere, but that atmosphere is usually "office setting".

[penguinofhonor]

There are a lot of good comedies that are clearly targeted at adults. Archer and stuff. Would it really be a huge stretch to go for something similar in a different genre?

[Neonivek]

There are a lot of good comedies that are clearly targeted at adults. Archer and stuff. Would it really be a huge stretch to go for something similar in a different genre?

ALL cartoons that are successfully marketed towards adults are Comedies... it is ONLY comedies. Period.

[penguinofhonor]

I know. And I was asking if it was really that hard to make a cartoon in a similar genre. I guess my wording was vague.

I'm just surprised nobody big has really seemed to want to.

[Neonivek]

I know. And I was asking if it was really that hard to make a cartoon in a similar genre. I guess my wording was vague.

I'm just surprised nobody big has really seemed to want to.

They have, it failed badly.

[Leafsnail]

Because most North Americans consider cartoons for children and would mark it off without ever actually watching it on that basis.

The thing is though that there are drama series for children.  So this wouldn't fully explain it.

[Neonivek]

Because most North Americans consider cartoons for children and would mark it off without ever actually watching it on that basis.

The thing is though that there are drama series for children.  So this wouldn't fully explain it.

I think what it is, is that Comedy is just easier to get a success when produced for children.

In all my life I have only seen one child cartoon that was almost entirely a Drama and it still had plenty of comedy, which was almost exclusively contained in the comic relief characters who would show up at least once per episode. The rest were Sitcoms (Like 6Teen) or where the comedy saturation was THICK (MLP for example even if it is a drama... it is at least sub-comedy).

Now it also lacked Action as well. In fact one character "Knew martial arts" but did not use it once through the entire series (and unfortunately yes... she was "The Asian"... and even the fans groan at it)

and better yet it WAS popular. In fact the only reason it was eventually cancelled was because the toyline failed and not the show.

But that was the 80s, the 80s had everything that we desperately don't have now. Including female oriented action shows and Adventure shows (Goodness was the original MLP crazy! Even more so then the one we got now. I'd LOVE to see them even TRY to have the Skeleton horses of death now adays). It also had some really really bad shows too (I will be the first to admit... Biker Mice from Mars was pretty cheesy and bad).

I hate that I keep mentioning Jem and the Holograms (The non-comedy drama childrens cartoon that did have comedy but not a saturation), but ever since it astounded me by not being a terrible show, like I expected it to, I've been enthralled by how it can even exist. Actually the most hillarious parts of the show IMO were not even intentional and made to get a laugh, ohh the death traps in that show.

MIND you it had plenty of other things that were steriotypical and dreadful. You know those children shows that try to teach you a lesson? Yeah... Jem did that with all the tact of a sledge hammer. Lets just say they sing TWO SONGS about reading (the same one), Three songs about charity works and being helpful, and of all these the only good "learn a lesson" song was on comming onto strong.

The thing is though that there are drama series for children

Of the ones that exist NOW and arn't action or Comedy the only ones are for REALLY young children age 1-6.

---

Also anyone remember the Magic Schoolbus? Honestly that was an amazing show and I think it should be institutionalised as a pernament part of television.

[Jervill]

Ah yes, the Magic School Bus.  Ms. Frizzle was the best teacher ever.

[Sirus]

I prefer Bill Nye the Science Guy...but this is the animation thread

[Neonivek]

Ah yes, the Magic School Bus.  Ms. Frizzle was the best teacher ever.

She was a bit too manipulative for my taste.

In fact one episode I remember best of all was the episode where she brings the children's parents on one of her fieldtrips in order to discredit the children's stories or explain it in someway.

That was... kinda iffy even for Ms. Frizzle.

[Leafsnail]

Of the ones that exist NOW and arn't action or Comedy the only ones are for REALLY young children age 1-6.

I've watched a few BBC ones.  I guess they're in decline though really.

[Vattic]

Trust me when I say there were some really weird episodes as well as episodes where the ending was pretty much a punch line.

Fair enough when you say weird for Daria, the musical one for a start, but having an episode end on a punch line can be fine given your criteria. I also can't see a King of the Hill episode ending with a out of character punch line. I'd like an example if you can?

[Neonivek]

Trust me when I say there were some really weird episodes as well as episodes where the ending was pretty much a punch line.

Fair enough when you say weird for Daria, the musical one for a start, but having an episode end on a punch line can be fine given your criteria. I also can't see a King of the Hill episode ending with a out of character punch line. I'd like an example if you can?

It is really hard to say given that pretty much anything can happen in King of the Hill. Hank breaking his stingy persona to do something really stupid in public? Yep that certainly happened.

[Vattic]

Trust me when I say there were some really weird episodes as well as episodes where the ending was pretty much a punch line.

Fair enough when you say weird for Daria, the musical one for a start, but having an episode end on a punch line can be fine given your criteria. I also can't see a King of the Hill episode ending with a out of character punch line. I'd like an example if you can?

It is really hard to say given that pretty much anything can happen in King of the Hill. Hank breaking his stingy persona to do something really stupid in public? Yep that certainly happened.

Not really sure what you mean by stingy, must be you have a different definition. Hank does frequently feel pressured by his family to do things that are out of character but I'm not so sure that is what you mean?

Edit: You are correct when you say KotH is comedy but it is one of the closest western cartoon series I know of to drama. They dealt with mature topics and situations and, against the studios wishes, had decent character progression across episodes. I would say it was not comedy in the same vein as the Simpsons. Much drama has comedy after all.