As some of you may have noticed, some of the categories to the left have changed. There's a new one there: Dramedy Shows. We put this in place because there really are shows that don't fit in just the drama or comedy categories alone. There are some shows, however, where we are in a bit of a dispute over classifying them as dramedies.In particular, House is a show that has definite, purposefully comedic elements, yet the drama portions of the show are quite heavy-handed and serious. But are Hugh Laurie's House antics enough to slide the category meter over to make this show a dramedy?
In fact, we've got a few shows where we're just on the fence. So, we're going to leave it up to you, the readers, to decide for us. Below are a few polls for the shows we're considering changing categories for. Are they better fit as a drama or a dramedy? Let's forget at what the Emmys categorize these shows and realize that sometimes a show can be classified as both.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-30-2007 @ 1:01PM
fred said...
The Closer: I don't watch it
Desperate Housewives: Dramedy, definitely
House: Drama. Sure they go for comedy at times, but the overall tone of the show is drama
Bones: Drama I voted, although this one could feel a tough choice, as they do like comedy a lot. But it's like House in a way, and definitely drama because, people might joke, who doesn't in life, but their overall tone and main plots (murder solving) are never just a reason for comedy, but dealt with as drama. So yeah, drama.
Grey's Anatomy: Drama, I guess. Soap would fit more, but not dramedy for sure
Rescue Me: Drama
NCIS: not watching
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7-30-2007 @ 1:03PM
Vito The TiVo said...
You can't start calling something a dramedy just because it has some moments of laughter. Was "Buffy" a dramedy? Going the other way, was "MASH" because it had moments of drama? Was "Roseanne"? A dramedy is a one hour comedy. Before this there were dramas and sitcoms. If its primary purpose is still more than just comedy, then its not a dramedy.
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7-30-2007 @ 1:11PM
David said...
House is not a dramedy, imho. It's highest relevance is as a medical drama, and as a previous commenter writes, just because they inject humor into a character doesn't make it a cross-over show. I commend TVSquad for putting this to a vote.
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7-30-2007 @ 2:15PM
Danny Edwards said...
Actually, M*A*S*H was one of the first shows to be labeled a dramedy.
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7-30-2007 @ 2:26PM
Sean said...
Rescue Me, to me, is the epitome of a dramedy. I laugh at that more than any other show on the list, but it can flip the switch and turn on the real gripping and heart-wrenching tragedy, usually at the end of a really comical episode.
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7-30-2007 @ 4:37PM
Televinita said...
I would never classify Desperate Housewives as a drama...in fact, it was well into the second season before I realized it WASN'T a half-hour comedy. But any procedural, I think, automatically earns itself a "drama" label unless, Boston Legal, it works hard to incorporate the kind of humor that could almost be accompanied by a laugh track.
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7-30-2007 @ 4:44PM
Joey Geraci said...
I vote for more differentiation! Specifically, comedic drama and dramatic comedy. Psych would be a dramatic comedy, primarily because it is an hour long show and its setup really doesn't fit the typical comedy on any other show. Rescue Me would be a comedic drama, as the drama is the main crux of the episode, but the jokes and comedic moments are carefully crafted and integral to the show's appeal as well. Desperate Housewives would be a dramatic comedy as well. Ugly Betty would probably be the only hour long show that I would classify as a straight comedy, as the dramatic elements are simply far too weak and haphazard, and the comedy is far too silly and nonsensical. House is definitely a comedic drama. The Closer is hard to place, as while it's comedy is certainly spot-on and effective, there isn't as much of it, and the drama is so much more central to the shows appeal than the comedic moments. Somebody mentioned Buffy, and that really is a show that crosses all boundaries. They will have a whole streak of episodes that are dark, foreboding, and decidedly unfunny, and than they'll have an episode like Once More,
With Feeling. Can't be classified. Boston Legal is definitely a dramatic comedy. NCIS is a light-hearted procedural. Just because a show has moments where the audience laughs (in NCIS' case, mostly because the acting is so bad or the joke they are trying to pull off is so stupid), doesn't make it a comedic drama.
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7-30-2007 @ 5:22PM
Erin said...
I was shocked with the outcome of Rescue Me. I agree with #5 Sean. I think that show is a perfect example of a Dramady. Two words. Spank Bank.
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7-30-2007 @ 5:45PM
Evan said...
I would actually add "Scrubs" to the list of dramedies. Though the show is quite goofy and cartoonish at times (particularly in the recent seasons), its dramatic moments can be quite emotional and poignant. Let's just say it's certainly in a different tier than pure comedies like a "Two and a Half Men" or a "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
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7-30-2007 @ 6:52PM
Vito The TiVo said...
MASH may have been a dramedy, but my point stands. The only other show I agree with is Psych. Its more comedic than dramatic. If Rescue Me is dramedy, then Scrubs definitely is and Roseanne and the special "friends death" episode of Family Ties and a very special episode of Different Strokes and the category is so wide it ceases to have any value.
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7-30-2007 @ 7:34PM
David said...
If we go by that Evan than Will and Grace would have to be a dramedy because the last few episodes (sucked0 and were "dramic".
I agree with Vito, has to be an hour long comedy. Boston Legal, Gilmore Girls, those are.
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7-31-2007 @ 12:54AM
Bill said...
I'm with Brian the half hour vs hour designation making the most sense. Some of these shows are tough to define (though I personally would only count Rescue Me and Desperate Housewives as dramedys on that list... from what I've seen of the fall it might get trickier with stuff like Pushing Daisies), so you'll get people confused if they think something belongs in one category and can't find it. Of course, then the Office will go and have a bunch of hour long episodes, and make even the 30/60 minute designation confusing.
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7-31-2007 @ 8:46AM
David said...
Oy vey!261 to 258 drama/dramedy for House as of this comment's writing. That's not helping the TVSquad staff any, I think *laugh*
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7-31-2007 @ 9:58AM
Sam said...
I'd differentiate by Jane Espsenson's test: If characters tell jokes to make the audience laugh: comedy. If they tell jokes to make each other laugh: drama.
By this estimation House is safely in the drama category, Scrubs clearly a comedy, etc.
Honestly I love the closer but I don't think of it as being that funny.
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7-31-2007 @ 6:02PM
Barbara said...
I'm surprised that half the people think "House" is a dramedy. The show is called "House" because it focuses on the main character, who is a uniquely complex individual played by a uniquely talented actor. It's not called "Princeton-Plainsboro TH" with all the actors taking turns at their schtick. It WORKS as a unique DRAMA because of Hugh Laurie's exquisite portrayal of a man with many powerful sides to his personality, some of which are quite funny. If this show were to be classified as a dramedy, we'd have to put up with lesser talents having to "be funny" more often than they do. I LOVE all the actors in this show, but Hugh Laurie is the shining star, and his great dramatic complexity is what makes the humorous touches so wonderful!
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8-01-2007 @ 10:49AM
dfasgiles said...
With regard to Bones, the issues dealt with on this show are entirely too serious for it to be considered a comedy, and since the comedic elements in each episode are merely the dramatic device known as comic relief (that is, "occasional humor inserted into an otherwise serious work to relieve tension in the audience due to sadness, suspense, horror, etc."), they are not nearly enough to change the show's category to comedy, either.
I recall there was actually one episode where my cheeks and fingers ached at the end because I had been clenching my jaws and clutching the chair's arm rests the entire final segment. Bones is no more a comedy than ER is.
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8-02-2007 @ 4:28AM
Michael Moncur said...
Please get rid of the preposterous "dramedy" category. It's a meaningless distinction that just makes your navigation system more confusing.
All of those shows are "Drama". Just because they're funny sometimes doesn't put them into a unique category. "Lost" is funny sometimes. "Criminal Minds" is funny quite often. Just like real life, all believable drama has a bit of humor in it.
"Monk" is the closest thing to a real "Dramedy", and yet you have it in the "Drama" category. "Psych" is another, and it's in the "Comedy" category for some reason. What, does a dead body on "Monk" count as drama but on "Psych" it's humor?
We could argue all day, or you could just do the sensible thing and get rid of the category. Before, if I wanted to find "Monk", I'd have to check two of your categories. Now I have to check three. Where's the improvement?
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