Gag Series

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

"Dearest Mother: We're thinking of portraying various dramas from everyday life from now on."
Beat
"Just kidding. This episode was a one time thing."

—Kamiyama Cromartie High School

A comedic show specifically concentrating on being humorous before any concern of plot, drama, or even comprehensibility. Noted for a complete lack of tact or pomposity on the part of the writers, and frequent postmodern commentary. Can have occasional Fan Service which the series will openly acknowledge. The Rule of Funny will be observed.

Because they don't take themselves seriously, gag series tend to experiment across the board with parody, lewd humor, random cutaways, and short-lived drama. In a win-win situation, these can be very successful experiments when they succeed, or mocked by the series itself when they fail as a protective tactic. Ironically, they can be praised for presenting such topics without being Anvilicious. However, doing this at the end of a series can cause accusations of being pretentious.

Anime gag series often use a Puni Plush design. Many are also Widget Series. Shows that depend a lot on puns and parody are typically considered too difficult for commercial releases, and are fansubbed only erratically. A few even get a Gag Dub.

Anime and Manga are particularly notorious in this genre. Series will regularly go over the top in their nonsense and hilarity even within the context of the show itself. Characters will time-travel, change species or gender, die, destroy buildings, cities, or planets, anything that will push the ridiculousness even higher; also note that these effects are rarely, if ever, permanent. There are times when "normality" is broken and restored in the space of a few minutes.

Occasionally the Gag Series is an adaptation of some 'canonical' source, except now the writers pretty much do whatever they like.

Examples of Gag Series include:

Anime and Manga

Comic Books

Fan Works

Live-Action TV

Radio

  • Hello Cheeky was a series based almost entirely on quick jokes, with quite a bit of subtle strangeness and cartoon logic holding it together.

Video Games

  • Katamari Damacy: Any attempt at a sane description of the plot is an exercise in futility.
  • God Hand : Near the end of the game you're treated to a mountain of plot....then you fight midget power rangers and a man in a monkey suit who happens to be a luchador so take that as you will.
  • Wario Ware
  • Saints Row has slowly drifted into this.

Web Animation

  • Homestar Runner
  • The Demented Cartoon Movie features barely any plot, no continuity between scenes, and features more than half of the 30-minute running time consisting of explosions. Suffice to say, the title is accurate.
  • Rejected. Not a series, but it fits. Seriously, try to create a plot from it. Your brain WILL explode.
  • Siblings

Web Comics

  • A complete list would probably make the internet asplode.

Western Animation

  • It would be easier to list examples that AREN'T gag series!
    • Please do...
      • Archer: whilst employing running gags and callbacks, as well as visual and verbal joke-telling, Archer focuses heavily on plot and drama, even when they wre being subverted for comedic effect.
      • South Park: jokes exist to further the plot, to which great attention is paid.
        • Season 10 Episodes 3 and 4, Cartoon Wars 1 and 2 demonstrates the difference between South Park and Family Guy, with Family Guy mocked mercilessly in the process.[1]

Other Media

References

  1. ↑ Matt Stone and Trey Parker Hate Family Guy
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