My Favorite Dramedies
My favorite movies and television series that fall into the comedy/drama genre. Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau dramedy, is a genre of works that combines elements of comedy and drama. "Dramedy" is a neologism formed from a combination of the words Drama and Comedy to describe a genre of film and television, such as M*A*S*H, blurring genre lines to combine comedy and drama elements in a consistent fashion. Though this has become popular in recent times, these two genres have actually been combined for centuries, known as "Tragicomedy", making the genre older than most think.
A key note to remember is that dramedy is not just "drama with some comedic elements" or "a comedy with some serious moments". It must contain about equal parts drama and comedy. Elements of comic relief can appear in all but the very darkest dramas, and most stories have at least some serious elements. While many stories contain both comedy and drama, a true Dramedy must belong to the genre of Drama - defined by stories focusing on Character Development, intense emotions and inner conflict as the primary source of plot. Just because it’s dark, doesn’t mean it’s a drama. Sci-fi, action-adventure stories, superhero stories and Shōnen adventures rarely qualify as Drama. Even if the comedy and drama are equally balanced with each other, if both are clearly subservient to the adventure story, it is not a dramedy.
A key note to remember is that dramedy is not just "drama with some comedic elements" or "a comedy with some serious moments". It must contain about equal parts drama and comedy. Elements of comic relief can appear in all but the very darkest dramas, and most stories have at least some serious elements. While many stories contain both comedy and drama, a true Dramedy must belong to the genre of Drama - defined by stories focusing on Character Development, intense emotions and inner conflict as the primary source of plot. Just because it’s dark, doesn’t mean it’s a drama. Sci-fi, action-adventure stories, superhero stories and Shōnen adventures rarely qualify as Drama. Even if the comedy and drama are equally balanced with each other, if both are clearly subservient to the adventure story, it is not a dramedy.
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- DirectorKenny LeonStarsQueen LatifahAlfre WoodardPhylicia RashadSix Louisiana women (Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, Adepero Oduye, Condola Rashad, Jill Scott, Alfre Woodard) gather at a beauty salon for their daily dose of female bonding.
- DirectorNigel ColeStarsChristopher WalkenAlessandro NivolaSharon StoneThe son of a thrifty conman begrudgingly joins his father on the road.
- CreatorBrenda HamptonStarsStephen CollinsCatherine HicksJessica BielEric Camden, a minister, and his wife Annie deal with the drama of having seven children, ranging from toddlers to adults with families of their own.
- CreatorStephen LevinsonStarsDwayne JohnsonJohn David WashingtonDonovan W. CarterA series centered around a group of football players and their families, friends and handlers.
- CreatorMichael JacobsApril KellyStarsBen SavageRider StrongWilliam DanielsAn adolescent with two siblings tests his various theories about life as he endures the trials of growing up alongside a good friend.
- CreatorZander LehmannStarsMichaela WatkinsTommy DeweyTara Lynne BarrA comedy series about a bachelor brother and his newly divorced sister living under one roof again. Together, they coach each other through the crazy world of dating while raising her teenage daughter.
- CreatorGarry TrudeauStarsJohn GoodmanClark JohnsonMatt MalloyFour Republican senators share the same D.C. house rental, and face re-election battles, looming indictments, and parties -- all with a sense of humor.
- CreatorWilliam BickleyRobert L. BoyettThomas L. MillerStarsReginald VelJohnsonJaleel WhiteDarius McCraryThe Winslow family deals with various misadventures, many of them caused by their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsBing CrosbyDanny KayeRosemary ClooneyA successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.
- CreatorTom KapinosStarsDavid DuchovnyNatascha McElhoneEvan HandlerA writer tries to juggle his career, his relationship with his daughter and his ex-girlfriend, as well as his appetite for beautiful women.
- DirectorFrank CoraciStarsAdam SandlerDrew BarrymoreChristine TaylorRobbie, a singer, and Julia, a waitress, are both engaged, but to the wrong people. Fortune intervenes to help them discover each other.
- CreatorFrancesca DelbancoNicholas StollerStarsKeegan-Michael KeyCobie SmuldersAnnie ParisseTwenty years after graduation, a tight-knit group of college friends reconnects and discovers that love hasn't gotten easier with age.
- CreatorJeff FranklinStarsBob SagetJohn StamosDave CoulierA widowed sportscaster raises his three daughters with assistance from his rock and roll brother-in-law and madcap best friend.
- CreatorLiz FlahiveCarly MenschStarsAlison BrieMarc MaronBetty GilpinA look at the personal and professional lives of a group of women who perform for a wrestling organization in Los Angeles during the 1980s.
- CreatorAmy Sherman-PalladinoStarsLauren GrahamAlexis BledelScott PattersonSet nearly a decade after the finale of the original series, this revival follows Lorelai, Rory and Emily Gilmore through four seasons of change.
- DirectorDon BluthStarsDom DeLuiseChristopher PlummerErica YohnWhile emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets separated from his family and must locate them while trying to survive in a new country.
- DirectorRyan MoserStarsSwen TemmelManuel DomenechAshton BinghamA coming-of-age tale of three friends and the high school road trip that will forever influence their lives.
- DirectorAndrey KonchalovskiyAlbert MagnoliStarsSylvester StalloneKurt RussellTeri HatcherFramed by their ruthless arch-nemesis, a pair of mismatched LAPD officers must put their differences aside to get even with the brutal crime baron who sent them to rot in a maximum-security prison.
- CreatorDan FogelmanStarsMilo VentimigliaMandy MooreSterling K. BrownA heartwarming and emotional story about a unique set of triplets, their struggles, and their wonderful parents.
- DirectorC. Jay CoxStarsWes RamseySteve SandvossMary Kay PlaceA promiscuous gay party animal falls for a young Mormon missionary, leading to crisis, cliché, and catastrophe.
- CreatorDavid HoldenStarsEmily OsmentJonathan SadowskiAimee CarreroA well-off young tech entrepreneur hires a feisty young food blogger to be his personal chef.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsDustin HoffmanAnne BancroftKatharine RossA disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.
- CreatorSusan HarrisStarsBea ArthurBetty WhiteRue McClanahanFour previously married women live together in Miami, sharing their various experiences together and enjoying themselves despite hard times.
- DirectorKevin PollakStarsCharlotte McKinneyJohnny SimmonsBlake CooperThe story of an adult male who, after the successful removal of a benign tumor resting against his pituitary gland, experiences all the changes and effects of puberty over a three-week period.
- CreatorStephen FalkStarsChris GeereAya CashDesmin BorgesCenters on two toxic, self-destructive people who fall in love and attempt a relationship.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsBradley CooperJennifer LawrenceRobert De NiroAfter a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
- CreatorCasey JohnsonJoshua SterninJennifer VentimiliaStarsMartha PlimptonJay R. FergusonNoah GalvinA family's bond is strengthened when the youngest son tells his parents that he's gay.
- DirectorJake KasdanStarsDwayne JohnsonKaren GillanKevin HartFour teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game.
- CreatorLarry GelbartStarsAlan AldaWayne RogersLoretta SwitThe staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
- CreatorAlan BallStarsPeter KrauseMichael C. HallFrances ConroyA chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.
- DirectorDean DeBloisChris SandersStarsDaveigh ChaseChris SandersTia CarrereA young and parentless girl adopts a 'dog' from the local pound, completely unaware that it's supposedly a dangerous scientific experiment that's taken refuge on Earth and is now hiding from its creator and those who see it as a menace.
- DirectorLeszek BurzynskiStarsPeter FondaKris KristoffersonJoseph MazzelloA sheep rancher's visit to the big city triggers a mischevious adventure with his teenage computer-whiz grandson.
- CreatorJames BurrowsGlen CharlesLes CharlesStarsTed DansonRhea PerlmanJohn RatzenbergerThe regulars of the Boston bar "Cheers" share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.
- CreatorGemma BakerEddie GorodetskyChuck LorreStarsAllison JanneyAnna FarisMimi KennedyA newly sober single mom tries to pull her life together in Napa Valley while dealing with her wayward mother.
- CreatorDonald P. BellisarioGlen A. LarsonStarsTom SelleckJohn HillermanRoger E. MosleyThe adventures of a Hawaii-based private investigator.
- CreatorDonald P. BellisarioDon McGillStarsDavid McCallumSean MurrayMark HarmonFollows the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), as they get to the bottom of criminal cases connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
- CreatorDJ NashStarsDavid GiuntoliRomany MalcoAllison MillerA group of friends becomes motivated to live fuller lives after the unexpected death of a close friend.
- DirectorMark SandrichRobert AllenStarsBing CrosbyFred AstaireMarjorie ReynoldsAt an inn which is open only on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
- CreatorBridget DobsonJerome DobsonStarsA MartinezMarcy WalkerNancy Lee GrahnIn Santa Barbara, California, the fascinating lives of the wealthy Capwells revolve around the Lockridge, the rival family, and other more modest families such as the Andrades and the Perkins, whose fates know the same torments.
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsTom CruiseCuba Gooding Jr.Renée ZellwegerWhen a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.
- DirectorJim McBrideStarsDennis QuaidEllen BarkinNed BeattyA corrupt lieutenant in the homicide division is threatened by the righteous DA while trying to solve a string of mysterious murders.
- DirectorDel ShoresStarsDelta BurkeBonnie BedeliaOlivia Newton-JohnAs three generations of a family in a small Texas town gather for a funeral, we learn the hilarious, sad, trashy truth of their "Sordid Lives."
- CreatorNorman LearStarsCarroll O'ConnorJean StapletonRob ReinerA working class man constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.
- CreatorAgnes NixonStarsSusan LucciDavid CanaryMichael E. KnightSet in the fictional East Coast suburb Pine Valley, this show is the decades-old, risk-taking soap that centers around Erica Kane and her long line of husbands.
- DirectorPaul BrickmanStarsTom CruiseRebecca De MornayJoe PantolianoA Chicago teenager is looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand.
- CreatorDiablo CodyStarsToni ColletteJohn CorbettRosemarie DeWittA woman struggles to find a balance between her dissociative identity disorder and raising a dysfunctional family.
- DirectorEdward BurnsStarsJack MulcahyMichael McGloneEdward BurnsThree Irish Catholic brothers from Long Island struggle to deal with love, marriage, and infidelity.
- DirectorJon TurteltaubStarsJohn CandyLeonDoug E. DougWhen a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.
- CreatorRobert A. CinaderHarold Jack BloomStarsRandolph MantoothKevin TigheJulie LondonThe crew of Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 51, particularly the paramedic team, and Rampart Hospital respond to emergencies in their operating area.
- DirectorGreta GerwigStarsSaoirse RonanLaurie MetcalfTracy LettsIn 2002, an artistically inclined 17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsJosh BrolinElizabeth BanksIoan GruffuddA chronicle of the life and Presidency of George W. Bush.
- DirectorMichael CiminoStarsClint EastwoodJeff BridgesGeorge KennedyWith the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organize a daring new heist.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsNick NolteCharles DurningMac DavisA satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team family are bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsKathleen TurnerNicolas CageBarry MillerPeggy Sue faints at a high school reunion. When she wakes up, she finds herself in her own past, just before she finished school.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsDavid NaughtonJenny AgutterJoe BelcherTwo American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.
- DirectorRoger AvaryStarsJames Van Der BeekIan SomerhalderShannyn SossamonThe incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate.
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsBen AffleckLiv TylerRaquel CastroA widower must look after his precocious daughter and rebuild his life and career after he's sidelined by an unexpected tragedy and a personal blowup.
- DirectorMike GabrielEric GoldbergStarsMel GibsonLinda HuntChristian BaleAn English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsRob LoweDemi MooreJim BelushiA man and woman meet and try to have a romantic affair, despite their personal problems and the interference of their disapproving friends.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsGeorge ClooneyVera FarmigaAnna KendrickRyan's job is to travel around the country firing off people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.
- DirectorSharon MaguireStarsRenée ZellwegerColin FirthHugh GrantBridget Jones is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which she keeps a personal diary.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsMichael DouglasDiane KeatonSterling JerinsA self-absorbed realtor enlists the help of his neighbor when he's suddenly left in charge of the granddaughter he never knew existed until his estranged son drops her off at his home.
- DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsJack NicholsonHelen HuntGreg KinnearA single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.
- DirectorHal AshbyStarsRuth GordonBud CortVivian PicklesYoung, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
- DirectorPeter SohnStarsJeffrey WrightFrances McDormandMaleah Nipay-PadillaIn a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.
- DirectorStan DragotiStarsMichael KeatonTeri GarrFrederick KoehlerAfter he's suddenly laid off, a husband switches roles with his wife. She returns to the workforce, and he becomes a stay-at-home dad, and he has to take care of three young children, a job he has no clue how to do.
- DirectorDonald PetrieStarsJack LemmonWalter MatthauAnn-MargretA lifelong feud between two neighbors since childhood only gets worse when a new female neighbor moves across the street.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsJohn SavageTreat WilliamsBeverly D'AngeloClaude Bukowski leaves the family ranch in Oklahoma for New York where he is rapidly embraced into the hippie group of youngsters led by Berger, yet he's already been drafted. He soon falls in love with Sheila Franklin, a rich girl but still a rebel inside.
- DirectorBrian RobbinsStarsJames Van Der BeekJon VoightPaul WalkerA back-up quarterback is chosen to lead a Texas football team to victory after the star quarterback is injured.
- DirectorDon BluthGary GoldmanDan KuensterStarsDom DeLuiseBurt ReynoldsLoni AndersonA canine angel, Charlie, sneaks back to earth from heaven but ends up befriending an orphan girl who can speak to animals. In the process, Charlie learns that friendship is the most heavenly gift of all.
- DirectorPeter ChelsomStarsRichard GereJennifer LopezSusan SarandonA romantic comedy where a bored, overworked Estate Lawyer, upon first sight of a beautiful instructor, signs up for ballroom dancing lessons.
- DirectorAnne FletcherStarsDanielle MacdonaldJennifer AnistonOdeya RushWillowdean ("Dumplin'"), the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, signs up for her mom's Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.
- DirectorRon SheltonStarsKevin CostnerRene RussoDon JohnsonA washed-up golf pro working at a driving range tries to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to win the heart of his successful rival's girlfriend.
- DirectorRoger AllersRob MinkoffStarsMatthew BroderickJeremy IronsJames Earl JonesLion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
- DirectorNancy MeyersStarsJack NicholsonDiane KeatonKeanu ReevesA swinger on the cusp of being a senior citizen with a taste for young women falls in love with an accomplished woman closer to his age.
- DirectorWayne WangStarsAnnaSophia RobbJeff DanielsEva Marie SaintA mischievous dog befriends a lonely young girl in a new town and helps her make new friends.
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsBilly CrudupPatrick FugitKate HudsonA high-school boy in the early 1970s is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.
- DirectorHoward ZieffStarsAnna ChlumskyMacaulay CulkinDan AykroydVada is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her father runs a funeral parlor. When Vada's father hires Shelly, a makeup expert, and begins to fall in love, Vada is outraged and does everything in her power to split them up.
- DirectorRobert BentonStarsPaul NewmanBruce WillisJessica TandyA stubborn man past his prime reflects on his life of strict independence and seeks more from himself.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsWill SmithBill PullmanJeff GoldblumThe aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.
- DirectorMary HarronStarsChristian BaleJustin TherouxJosh LucasA wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.
- DirectorCharlie PetersStarsJude LawJennifer TillyGretchen MolA man's search for his one true love whose birth he assisted in as a five-year-old.
- DirectorRichard PearceStarsRobert DuvallJames Earl JonesMichael BeachWhen an old woman dies, she leaves a note for her apparent son (Robert Duvall) which tells him that his biological mother died giving birth to him. She begs him to make peace with his half-brother (James Earl Jones) living in Chicago.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsTom HanksElizabeth PerkinsRobert LoggiaAfter wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsBilly CrystalMeg RyanCarrie FisherHarry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsDonald SutherlandElliott GouldTom SkerrittThe staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and high jinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.
- DirectorSharon MaguireStarsRenée ZellwegerGemma JonesJim BroadbentForty-something and single again, Bridget decides to focus on her job and surround herself with friends. Then she discovers that she is pregnant--but she is only 50% sure of the baby's father's identity.
- DirectorP.J. HoganStarsJulia RobertsDermot MulroneyCameron DiazWhen a woman's long-time friend reveals he's engaged, she realizes she loves him herself and sets out to get him, with only days before the wedding.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsGary CooperBarbara StanwyckEdward ArnoldA penniless drifter is recruited by an ambitious columnist to impersonate a non-existent person who said he'd be committing suicide as a protest, and a social movement begins.
- DirectorLewis TeagueStarsMichael DouglasKathleen TurnerDanny DeVitoWhen Joan Wilder is abducted while on a trip along the Nile, her boyfriend, Jack Colton, and pal Ralph rush to rescue her and retrieve a fabled jewel.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael DouglasKathleen TurnerDanny DeVitoA mousy romance novelist sets off for Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure hunting for treasure with a mercenary rogue.
- DirectorPeter CattaneoStarsRobert CarlyleTom WilkinsonMark AddySix unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for "the full monty" - total nudity.
- DirectorGeorge Tillman Jr.StarsVanessa WilliamsVivica A. FoxNia LongOne person can keep a family together and, when that one person is gone, a family can be torn apart.
- CreatorIan BrennanBrad FalchukRyan MurphyStarsLea MicheleJane LynchMatthew MorrisonA group of ambitious misfits try to escape the harsh realities of high school by joining a glee club headed by a passionate Spanish teacher.
- CreatorIsaac AptakerElizabeth BergerStarsMichael CiminoRachel HilsonAnthony TurpelVictor is a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation.
- CreatorTony McNamaraStarsElle FanningPhoebe FoxGwilym LeeA royal woman living in rural Russia during the 18th century is forced to choose between her own personal happiness and the future of Russia, when she marries an Emperor.
- CreatorTed GriffinStarsDonal LogueMichael Raymond-JamesLaura AllenEx-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth partners with his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack, in an unlicensed private investigation business.
- DirectorJustin ZackhamStarsRobert De NiroDiane KeatonKatherine HeiglA long-divorced couple fakes being married as their family unites for a wedding.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsMichael DouglasAnnette BeningMartin SheenA widowed U.S. President running for reelection and an environmental lobbyist fall in love. It's all above-board, but "politics is perception," and sparks fly anyway.