What is a High Concept Comedy? Crafting a Unique Comedic Premise

The comedy genre has boundless opportunities. It has an evergreen appeal to audiences, especially in dark times. We all need the tonic of humor and a light-hearted premise at some point. And a ‘high concept’ comedy channels this appeal in one of the most striking ways possible.

What is a High Concept Comedy?

A high concept comedy is one of the many different sub-genres of comedy. And in an ever-competitive industry, a comedy with a unique premise driving both the story and the humor is a shortcut to standing out from the crowd.

Executives, producers and script readers will all tell how you how much a clear premise will make your screenplay stand out from the piles they read every day. And this is particularly true of comedy.

A high concept premise creates a clear motivation and ground for comedy.

It can be described as a type of story that is easily pitched, has a brief and clear premise and is often characterized by a ‘what if…’ scenario that stimulates the plot. There might also be a fantastical element to this premise.

There are similarities between a high concept comedy and a fish out of water comedy. Indeed, many overlap with each other and the rules don’t have to be strict in this regard.

• However, what a high concept comedy uniquely does is bring the fish out of water scenario to the protagonist.
• Where a clear fish out of water comedy will take the protagonist somewhere new, a high concept comedy might instead change the circumstances around the protagonist.
• This is what often leads to fantasy situations, as the rules of reality have to shift in order to put the protagonist in a new situation.

Examples of High Concept Comedies

One of the distinct characteristics of a high concept comedy is the typical description of the entire premise in the title. 

This is just a hint towards what a high concept comedy is. It’s a comedy that has its premise front and centre. This is what will drive the comedy and this will be the film’s standout feature.

You can see how the following high concept comedy movie examples have a premise that is strikingly and compellingly clear in only one or two sentences.

• Liar Liar: A successful lawyer’s entire career is built on the basis of lies. This is thrown into difficulty when his son wishes for him to not lie for a day and his wish comes true.
• Bruce Almighty: A down on his luck TV reporter demands an explanation from God for the injustice done to him. To teach him humility, the Almighty gives the reporter the power to run the world for a while.
• Big: A teenager wishes to become an adult and is granted his wish.
• Groundhog Day: A man is trapped in a time-loop of the same day, forced to be a better person in order to break the loop.