Sure, We Laughed, But We Squirmed with Embarrassment, Too

A laughing moment of embarrassment is a tough one to pull off, mainly because there is a psychological component to watching TV.

Yes, there is more than just a serial relationship with your favorite programs. There is vicarious embarrassment or second-hand embarrassment — call it what you will, but it definitely exists.

You know you’re experiencing it when you just want to bury your face in your hands or walk out of the room as some mortifying scene or another plays out on screen, even when you’re laughing.

The reason you’re embarrassed? Because the scene is intrinsic to you in some form or fashion. What embarrasses you about a moment in time on the small screen might not feel the same way to other observers.

With that being said, you can feel extra special the next time it happens to you, as the moment tickles your funny bone and speaks to you in a way nothing else can.

The Art of Cringe Comedy

Laughing while feeling a sense of embarrassment is not a mistake on the part of the showrunners. At least, not most of the time.

It’s all about seeing yourself in the moment. Those who don’t feel any shame simply aren’t connecting the actors’ experiences with themselves.

It’s a simple formula, and it’s also one of the biggest genres on the small or the big screen. That’s not to say there are those who make an effort to stay well away from cringe comedy at all costs.

They either fail to understand it or loathe the feeling of shame and embarrassment these episodes intentionally create.

Unfortunately, we are highly sensitive to emotions, empathy, and the social etiquette of the day. The best cringe comedy attacks those sympathies while making us laugh at our own stupidity and, of course, that of others.

If you want to experience the unique combination of laughing through bouts of embarrassment, Ricky Gervais is the king of this particular branch of comedy.

Classic Examples

The Office is the quintessential voice of laughing embarrassment.

The funny thing about The Office is Steve Carrell’s relationship with Ricky Gervais, something Ricky brings up every chance he gets.

A quiet few, with the exception of Ricky Gervais, know that The Office is a rip-off of the original British sitcom of the same name. Without the first, there is no second.

Ricky ensures that Steve Carrell is aware of this every chance he gets. Of course, this elicits its own form of laughing embarrassment because Ricky is funny even when he’s dead serious.

Even when he’s dead serious, you’re never really sure if it’s an act or the real deal.

Either way, some of the most cringeworthy moments in sitcom history come from The Office (the American version), especially The Office Season 6 Episode 12, the infamous “Scott’s Tots.”

However, some unique competitors are out there for the most cringeworthy, laugh-out-loud scenes. Like that time when Liz Lemon thought Peter Dinklage was a child on an episode of 30 Rock. She even mussed his hair after discovering her mistake.

While everyone points to the scene in Friends where Ross tries to kiss his cousin, his awkward relationship with Monica is even worse, amplified in scenes where sex talk comes into play.

Sheldon’s pantless-on-stage moment (Big Bang Theory) is still pretty cringe-worthy.

Those who are prone to feeling embarrassment for other people will have a hell of a time trying to get through any episode of Arrested Development and many episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Modern Takes

Fleabag is the first one that comes to mind.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is not always my cup of tea, but she’s brilliant here. Only a sex addict falling for a preacher can extort the kind of laughing, cringing embarrassment out of us that makes Fleabag a fascinating, if tentative, watch.

If Millennials are your thing, Max’s Girls is hilarious at times, instructive, and satirical. When narcissism runs rampant in a humorous environment, embarrassment is soon to follow.

The Curse may sound like a horror movie, but it’s actually a ten-episode cringe comedy on Showtime. Though it’s essentially about a cursed married couple filming a reality show for HGTV, we learn an awful lot about sexual anatomy, tomatoes grown in urine, and outlandish ideas to bolster their show.

Back to Max, Getting On is more than worthy of the laughing-embarrassment moniker. What better way to seek out cringe comedy than dealing with old people in the hospital?

PEN15 is all about the cringe-inducing outfits of the turn of the millennia, forced social justice, female puberty, and first loves. It’s the kind of thing people watch who want to sink into the crease between their couch cushions, disappearing from life altogether … while laughing.

Why We Love It

Despite the awkwardness of laughing while wishing for an asteroid to strike your backyard, the embarrassing nature of these shows is clearly an attractive model.

These shows are huge draws because people enjoy the exploitative nature of them.

We see ourselves in these instances of sheer embarrassment, and, in some ways, it serves as a relief valve for our own awkward scenarios.

These shows also bolster our own resolve when dealing with real-life embarrassments. Believe it or not, as cringe and uninspiring as comedy can be, everything has its purpose.

Koalas are, bar none, the dumbest animals on the entire planet, yet their extinction would likely devastate eucalyptus forests.

They have the smallest brain-to-body ratios, have to excessively eat because they choose the least nutritious plant, and will literally starve to death with food right in front of them.

Yet, they serve a purpose. As it turns out, so does cringe comedy.

Human beings have thousands of years of adaptations to lean on. We learn from what we do. In the modern age, that’s watching cringe comedy and adapting it into our own lives.

Sure, that’s a bit philosophical for a simple article on laughing and embarrassment while watching comedy shows. But it’s why we come back to these hilariously discombobulating programs.

Is there a moment in your history with TV that had you squirming and uncomfortable? Let us know (if you’re not too embarrassed) in the comments!