"Dramedy" is a neologism formed from a combination of the words "Drama" and "Comedy" to describe a genre in which the line between comedic elements and dramatic elements is blurred in a consistent fashion. Although the neologism is of recent date, as is the fiction the term was invented for, these two genres have been combined for centuries, known as "Tragicomedy", making this Older Than They Think.
Dramedies sometimes make use of Magic Realism. Due to its nature, the genre is especially vulnerable to Mood Whiplash.
Note that a dramedy is not just "drama with some comedic elements" or "a comedy with some serious moments". It must contain about equal parts drama and comedy. Elements of comic relief can appear in all but the very darkest dramas, and most stories have at least some serious elements. Because of this, expect to see them get lumped in with the sitcoms come award season (this can actually serve as a litmus test for if a show is dramedy or straight drama—can you imagine it being nominated in the same award category as a sitcom?)
While many stories contain both comedy and drama, a true Dramedy must belong to the genre of Drama — defined by stories focusing on Character Development, intense emotions and inner conflict as the primary source of plot. Just because it's dark doesn't mean it's a drama. Science Fiction, Action/Adventure stories, Superhero stories and Shōnen Demographic adventures rarely qualify as Drama. Even if the comedy and drama are equally balanced with each other, if both are clearly subservient to the adventure story, it is not a dramedy.
Dramedy has been suggested to play 7 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.
