Typically, the protagonists are
egotists who overstep the boundaries of
political correctness and break
social norms. The comedy will attack the protagonist by not letting them become aware of their self-centered view, or by making them oblivious to the ego-deflation that the comedy deals them. Sometimes an unlikable protagonist may not suffer any consequences, which violates people's moral expectations, and also makes the audience cringe.[3]
Imagine the cutlery laid out for a
formal dinner. Suppose that the salad fork is in the wrong place. If you are the sort of person who is disturbed by such deviations from the norm, you will not be capable of finding this amusing. On the other hand, if you are more easy-going about such matters and also aware of the incongruity, it may elicit a chuckle. That is, you may find the error amusing or not. But if you find it genuinely amusing, you cannot find it annoying.[4]
Examples
Notable examples of television programs in the genre of cringe comedy include:
^Press, Joy (21 January 2003).
"The Comedy of Cringe". Village Voice. Archived from
the original on 2018-09-15. I'm not sure why this Comedy of Cringe is so pleasurable to watch