14 Comedy Bits That Have Been Beaten Past the Point of Recognition

OMG, you’re still doing that joke? Awkward! Because, like using the word “awkward” in lieu of an actual punchline… It’s been done! We don’t really know how punchline placeholders like this (and a few others on this list) ever caught on, because if anything, they’re anti-comedy. All set-up, no punch. Yes, a really awkward scenario can actually be quite engaging (because they’re building a legitimate pent-up cringe), but you know what would be the satisfying exhale? A  punchline! When the button is just someone saying, “Awkward,” we’re still just in the awkwardness. It’s comedy blue balls.

Okay, thank you for indulging our little rant. Awkwardness is not the only perpetrator here, but it got so popular in the late 2000’s that it crept its way into all kinds of other tropes. Sub-tropes, if you will. We just refuse to believe that “everything’s been done.” There are so many groundbreaking comedies and comedians who continue to give us such creative and thought-provoking funnies. So before you go buttoning your scene with that awkward handshake, just think about it for a few more minutes. It’ll help save us from one of these 14 comedy bits that have beaten past the point of no return.