COMIC TYPES
1. OBSERVATIONAL COMIC
Jerry Seinfeld , Jay Leno, David Letterman, Ellen Degeneres, Bill Cosby
The observational comic picks up on all the quirks and minute details of everyday life.
This is probably the most common and popular form of stand-up comedy, and for good reason. It is the
easiest for the audience to connect with — but that doesn't mean it's easy to perform. This style is much
more than just making things that everyone notices funny. It's all about making the audiences see these
commonplace things from a fresh perspective — yours.
Observational comedians communicate the inconsistencies of everyday life to the audience. When they
ask, “Did you ever notice …?”, the audience answers “Yes!” with their laughter. It's as if the comic is
inside the audience members' heads, commenting on some of the basic truths of life — and hey, the truth
is funny.
With observational comedy it's hard to feel that you're bringing something new to the table, because so
much ground has already been covered. You know the topics — dating, airline travel, dogs and cats, the
differences between men and women — but don't despair. You can breathe life into even the most
common topics with your unique perspective. You'll see something no one has ever seen before, a fresh
take on an old subject. There's a reason this type of comedy is so successful — it works.
2. TOPICAL COMIC
Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Letterman ,Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Tosh
Topical comedy relies on headlining/important news and current affairs. It dates quickly, but is a
popular form of comedy for late night talk shows.
3. CHARACTER COMIC
Tim Allen (mocho man), Andy Kaufman (immigrant), Larry the Cable Guy (white collar worker),
Sarah Silverman (feminist), Margaret Cho (Aisan), Gabriel Iglesias (Mexican/overweight)
Character comedy derives humor from a persona invented by a performer. Much character comedy
comes from stereotypes
STEP 1: STUDY THE PROS
Study professional comic at work… on stage, TV, or videotape. Study their techniques and get a feel for
how they construct their jokes Most importantly, study what type of comic they are (see below)
IS THIS COPING? True, the biggest sin in comedy is to steal another comic's jokes. However, for
learning purposes only, it's OK to take the jokes of a comic you really like and try to rewrite them in a
different way. Never perform any of the variations you came up with, because that would still be
considered stealing.