Dark comedy, also known as black comedy, is a genre that blends humor with the macabre, taboo, or serious subjects, creating laughter from uncomfortable truths and societal anxieties. Its history is as old as comedy itself, and its roots can be traced to the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, who satirized war and politics through caustic wit.
The term “dark humor” (humour noir) was formally introduced in 1935 by Surrealist theorist André Breton, who described the satirical writings of Jonathan Swift, especially his infamous “A Modest Proposal” (1729), as exemplars of the genre. In the centuries that followed, dark comedy matured, appearing in literature, theater, and eventually, film and television. The 1960s witnessed a surge in dark comedy movies, particularly during tense times like the Cold War—Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” (1964) is often hailed as a landmark for the genre, using absurdity to critique nuclear paranoia and political folly.
American writers such as Nathanael West, Vladimir Nabokov, and Joseph Heller pushed boundaries with novels like “Catch-22,” poking fun at war, bureaucracy, and existential dread. Since the late twentieth century, dark comedy has thrived in TV, with sitcoms and series like “MAS*H,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and “BoJack Horseman” blending serious social themes with razor-sharp satire. On screen, directors like Martin McDonagh and the Coen Brothers have gained renown for films such as “In Bruges” and “Fargo,” while today’s hits—“Barry,” “The Bear,” and “Beef”—continue probing life’s darkest corners through comedic lenses.
Dark comedy remains popular because it lets audiences confront life’s harsh realities with laughter, offering both catharsis and commentary—a tradition as relevant now as in antiquity.