While some TV series are pure comedy or pure drama, some combine the two for an interesting mix of notes. No matter what specific genre these shows come from, they can often carve a unique niche for themselves by being dramedies as opposed to committing to one specific tone.
Whether it is criminal investigation shows like Bones or hilarious sci-fi gems like Eureka, there is a wide variety of shows that could be classified as a dramedy. Users on Ranker took to the site to upvote the shows that they considered to be their favorite dramedy series of all time.
Television history is crammed with a wealth of police series, but few were as original as Castle. The show follows a novelist who, to break his writer's block, teams up with a detective to solve a series of murders.
While the weekly cases were usually fascinating, dealing with many strange subcultures, the best part of Castle was the interaction between its two leads. Castle's rambunctious and childlike personality is the perfect foil for Beckett's no-nonsense approach, and that is where most of the humor was found. Castle perfectly juxtaposed the silliness of its hero with dark crimes presented in the stories, without ever really tipping the show too far in either direction.
While the science fiction genre has its fair share of funny spoofs, Eureka combined its science fiction premise with elements of comedy and drama. The show follows a U.S Marshall who is transporting a prisoner, his daughter, through the town of Eureka. When the sheriff of the town is incapacitated, the Marshall becomes the new sheriff.
The silliness of the show is perfectly balanced by the many heartfelt moments between Jack and his daughter, as well as between him and the townspeople. While the town may be filled with geniuses, few residents possess street smarts, and that clash often resulted in comedy as well as a fair amount of drama.
Superheroes may be all the rage in television in the present day, but The Greatest American Hero was an early example of the genre on TV. In the show, a mild-mannered substitute teacher encounters aliens and is gifted a costume that imbues hims with superpowers.
Much of the show's comedy came from Ralph's struggle to reign in his many different powers each week. Though his abilities are seemingly endless, he is never quite sure how to harness them and often gets into hijinks. Though the show is a funny parody of superheroes, it also featured many episodes that dealt with topical issues, and Ralph's adventures could often take him to dark places.
Police shows often feature a relatively simple premise, but Pushing Daisies took the genre to new heights of complexity with its twisted set-up. The show follows a man who has the ability to resurrect the dead, at the cost of an equivalent life. Soon the man is recruited to resurrect murder victims so that they can help to solve their own cases.
With a premise as dark as Pushing Daisies, it was clear that the show was never going to be purely comedic. Though the show is very funny, it is a dark form of comedy that puts a lot of emphasis on the balance that must be maintained by the main character's abilities. Also, the main character's relationship hinges on his ability and is a dark reminder of the duality of his powers.
With the rise of shows like The Walking Dead, the zombie had suddenly returned to the forefront of pop culture. iZombie follows a former medical student who is turned into a zombie and takes a job at the county morgue to satisfy her hunger for human brains. Soon she learns that she gains a person's memory when she eats their brains, and uses that knowledge to solve crimes.
Like other police procedurals, the show hinges on each week's case. Despite this limitation, the show still manages to find room for its humor and the show is a balanced mixture of drama and comedy. Naturally, because the show deals with difficult topics like murder, it never really becomes fully comedic.
Though Ed has a classic sitcom setup, the show also managed to be a touching character portrait as well. The series follows a lawyer who returns home to Ohio after losing his high paying job at a New York law firm. Once home, he buys a bowling alley and begins to build his own private practice.
While its premise is a funny joke in itself, it is Ed's relationship with his old friends that gives the show its flavor. While trying to rebuild his life, Ed also has to deal with his own feelings of superiority and inferiority simultaneously. As Ed tries to reintegrate into the old life he had, he must deeply humble himself.
Like many police procedurals, Bones hinged upon its interesting premise and the relationships between the lead characters. The show follows a forensic anthropologist who teams up with an FBI agent to use her knowledge of human remains to help solve potential murder cases.
By removing the immediacy of some crimes, Bones has a generally lighter feel than a lot of other police shows. Despite this, the show also has its fair share of dark villains throughout its lengthy run. Where a lot of the humor comes from though, is the hilarious tension between "Bones" and Booth who spend the entire series bickering about their fundamental differences regarding faith and belief.
The fish-out-of-water character is often one of the funniest additions to any TV show, and Chuck took that concept to the extreme. The show follows an average guy who accidentally receives a coded message that implants the U.S' most important spy secrets into his brain. Because of his knowledge, Chuck is dispatched on top-secret missions.
While audiences have seen plenty of James Bond style spies, Chuck offered them a hilarious opposite to the suave and debonair super spy. The show often featured missions that put its characters in mortal danger, but that never robbed it of any of its over-the-top humor.
While many cop shows feature unbeatable detectives who use their powers of observation to solve cases, Psych found a way to turn the cliche on its ear in hilarious fashion. The show follows a man who possesses an incredible ability to recall details, who convinces the police that he is actually a psychic who can solve cases.
Though the show changed quite a bit over the years, the same humorous core remained intact. The heart of Psych is the relationship between Shawn and Gus, and Gus' reservations about Shawn's supposed powers. Despite Psych tipping more towards comedy, it is still a show about crime which can get dark at times.
Many shows have attempted to meld together comedy and drama, but few shows have succeeded at establishing its own tone quite like Monk. The series follows a former homicide detective who is a consultant for the San Francisco Police Department. Monk suffers from OCD which makes things difficult for himself and the people around him as he attempts to solve cases.
Essentially, Monk is the journey of its main character attempting to solve the murder of his wife. However, along the way, viewers are treated to hilarious interactions between Monk and the exasperated cops who work with him. While his disorder makes him unbearable, it also makes him an excellent detective and the show finds a great balance between its comedy and its drama.
