How Comedy Took Over the 2000s... And Why It Died

The comedy genre took over the 2000s, but why? Why were there so many great comedies coming out during the 2000s and why do some consider 2008 to be the greatest year for comedy? And where have the good ones gone?

In this video we talk about the events that resulted in comedy being so prevalent during the 2000s, the people that pushed it further than before, and the reason for it's rapid downfall.

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:28 - Why Did They Become So Popular?
03:48 - The Biggest Names
07:04 - Comedy on TV
08:05 - Where Did The Genre Go?
10:35 - What's Next for Comedy?

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2000s Comedies . What Happened to Comedy . Why Were There So Many Good Comedies? . Seth Rogen . Jonah Hill . James Franco . Superbad . Pineapple Express . Ben Stiller . Adam McKay . Judd Apatow . 40 Year Old Virgin . Knocked Up . Tropic Thunder . Mid Budget Films . Box Office Flops . Napolean Dynamite . Step Brothers . Jack Black . John C Reilly

#comedymovies #filmindustry #tvindustry

[silesiaball]

"Zoolander" and "Tropic thunder" are definitely two of my favourite comedies

[DarcyWalker]

Ben Stiller owned the 2000s comedy scene and now he’s killing it with his current focus on directing

[Steeldragon]

I would much rather return to movies like this that are dedicated to being comedies, instead of every big blockbuster movie having to be an action/comedy/drama mishmash that doesn't excel at any of those things

[isaacs]

2004 was the arguably the greatest year for comedy movies of all time with Anchorman, Dodgeball, Team America, Harold and Kumar, Napoleon Dynamite, Mean Girls and Shaun of the Dead

[rooney]

Another big one that you didn't mention was Anchorman (2004). Endlessly quotable and still funny today. Will Ferrell was really on fire that decade.

[priztucker]

At the turn of the century Ben Stiller’s “There’s Something About Mary” is what kicked it off. I think it was doing huge numbers and showed what romantic comedies could do. Also Heartbreak Kid by Ben Stiller is mad funny.

[jleigh]

"Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" will always be my favorite comedy film.

[ARCtrooperblueleader]

Being born in 1998, I loved growing up in this era.

[nigel-Rollercam-channel]

Thank You for Smoking (2005) is one of my favorite comedies from the early 2000's and is often overlooked

[jay-]

I actually think the 2000’s comedy boom lasted up until around 2015.
There were still great comedy movies coming out in the early 2010’s.

[TonyKhanBurnerAccount]

I can’t think of one single comedy movie that’s come out in the past 5 years that I remember let alone watched more than once.

[CurtisAlfeld]

I really wish DVD and Blu-ray would regain popularity. I try to buy physical copies of movies I really like not only to support franchises and directors I like, but also because bonus features are non-existent on streaming and because it can sometimes be a pain in the ass to find some stuff. A lot of franchises are split up across multiple platforms, specific versions of films are sometimes only physical media, and some movies just aren't available to stream at all.

[JustinSantos]

The late 90s and 2000s comedy era was such a great time to be a smoker, all you had to do was round up the heathens, roll up a blunt or joint, throw on a comedy like 40 year old virgin, American Pie, Life, Step Brothers, Superbad, knocked up, and etc, then laugh until you're stomach hurts... What an amazing time.

[tommylakindasorta]

I really don't think movie studios are afraid of getting "canceled" or whatever. They simply look at what's been successful recently and try to copy it. Sometimes they copy a formula so many times that audiences start to lose interest, which is what happened to studio comedies in the 2010s. It's all about money.

[manibbygil]

We didn't even get into all of the parody movies that ruled the 2000s!... the Scary Movies, Not Another Teen Movie, Dance Flick, Epic Movie, etc.

[coreymcmanus]

It's such a crime that "the nice guys" didn't get the credit it deserved. Sure, it did from critics, but not many people saw it. That is easily the best comedy of the last decade.

[JAProductions]

I think the reason that comedy began to die in the 2000s was because this was the decade which featured some of the absolute WORST comedies ever made (such as with all of the terrible spoof movies). Therefore, audiences were probably more hesitant to check out a new comedy in case it turned out to be utter garbage

[Oliviux]

I just wanna say that it wasn’t just the 2000s that had the most horrific tragedies. Every single decade has had some very devastating catastrophes.

[Tomaso-qb]

Correction: the 2000s was the last great decade, PERIOD.

[reflectsonlife]

When I think of a decade when comedies dominated, I think of the '80s. Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, Back to the Future, and Home Alone (1990) hold the top ticket sales of all time among live action Hollywood comedies globally. Literally the entire planet saw these films, either in theaters or VHS rentals (no DVDs yet). Also, "hyphenated comedies" were big in the 80s - especially action-comedies, buddy-cop comedies, and rom-coms.
Since then, the animated films have dominated the comedy genre - your Shreks, Incredibles, Toy Stories, etc swept the floor with your Superbads etc. Only your Hangovers and Meet the <name> movies rank among 21st century top earners. In the 2010s and 20s, Barbie is the top grossing comedy (of all time, actually, not adjusted for inflation), followed by at least 15 animated films (like your Mario Brothers, Legos, Despicable Mes) before you hit your Deadpools, Men in Blacks, and Hangovers.

TLDR Comedy had its hey day in the 1980s, and since then it's moved into animated films and away from live action. It's not about "woke", it's about economics, global reach, and pent up demand (i.e. Barbie).