# Action comedy

The action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. Films in this genre feature "fast and furious" action that is mostly lighthearted, with humor often derived from the characters rather than intense action sequences. Early examples include The General (1926) and swashbuckler films of the 1930s, while the genre became more common in the 1980s with buddy cop films and works featuring actors like Jackie Chan. In the 1990s, the genre incorporated more violent humor, and it continued to evolve in the 21st century with numerous notable films.
Action comedy has also been a recurring theme in television, with series such as The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985) and Peacemaker (2022).

## Film

AllMovie describes action comedy films as those with "fast and furious" action yet being "mostly lighthearted", rarely having death or serious injury. The Script Lab wrote, "[The genre] relies on the characters to bring out the humor, while the action scenes tend to be less intense than in the traditional action movie."
Action comedies often have "fish out of water" themes; for example, using a starring actor's celebrity to contrast the setting, such as how comedian and actor Eddie Murphy's "streetwise, sarcastic persona clashes with conventional police procedures in the Beverly Hills Cop films" in the late twentieth century.
The 1926 film The General starring Buster Keaton may be the first action comedy film. Other early forms of action comedy films were swashbuckler films from the 1930s. Allmovie wrote that its "stars combined wit and one-liners with a thrilling plot and daring stunts". In the 1980s, the genre became commonplace, and buddy cop films emerged as an extension of action comedy films such as Midnight Run (1988) and the Lethal Weapon film series. Other action comedies from the decade included The Blues Brothers (1980) and the films of actor and martial artist Jackie Chan.
In the 1990s, action comedy films "became more violent, with fiery deaths and emphatic shootings increasingly used as punchlines". Rotten Tomatoes wrote that Rush Hour (1998) revitalized the genre's formula and that Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) was a highlight from the decade. In the first two decades of the 21st century, the films Kung Fu Hustle (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), Tropic Thunder (2008), 21 Jump Street (2012), and Bad Boys for Life (2020) were among numerous instances of the genre.
List of action comedy films :
| Film | Year |
| 21 Jump Street | 2012 |
| 22 Jump Street | 2014 |
| 48 Hrs. | 1982 |
| American Made | 2017 |
| Ant-Man | 2015 |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | 2018 |
| Attack the Block | 2011 |
| Bad Boys | 1995 |
| Bad Boys for Life | 2020 |
| Big Trouble in Little China | 1986 |
| Big Momma's House | 2000 |
| Beverly Hills Cop | 1984 |
| Birds of Prey | 2020 |
| Black Dynamite | 2009 |
| The Blues Brothers | 1980 |
| The Cabin in the Woods | 2011 |
| D.E.B.S. | 2004 |
| Deadpool | 2016 |
| Deadpool 2 | 2018 |
| Deadpool & Wolverine | 2024 |
| Drive-Away Dolls | 2024 |
| Drunken Master II | 1994 |
| Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | 2023 |
| Everything Everywhere All at Once | 2022 |
| The Fall Guy | 2024 |
| Free Guy | 2021 |
| Galaxy Quest | 1999 |
| Game Night | 2018 |
| Get Smart | 2008 |
| The General | 1926 |
| The Gentlemen | 2019 |
| Ghostbusters | 1984 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | 2017 |
| The Heat | 2013 |
| Hit Man | 2023 |
| Hot Fuzz | 2007 |
| If Looks Could Kill | 1991 |
| The Interview | 2014 |
| Johnny English | 2003 |
| Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | 2017 |
| Keanu | 2016 |
| Kick-Ass | 2010 |
| Kingsman: The Secret Service | 2014 |
| Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | 2005 |
| Kung Fu Hustle | 2004 |
| Lethal Weapon | 1987 |
| Lethal Weapon 2 | 1989 |
| Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | 1998 |
| Logan Lucky | 2007 |
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | 2015 |
| The Mask | 1994 |
| Men in Black | 1997 |
| Midnight Run | 1988 |
| Miss Congeniality | 2000 |
| Mr. & Mrs. Smith | 2005 |
| The Nice Guys | 2016 |
| Now You See Me 2 | 2016 |
| The Other Guys | 2010 |
| The Paper Tigers | 2020 |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | 2003 |
| Polite Society | 2023 |
| The Princess Bride | 1987 |
| Red | 2010 |
| Ride Along | 2014 |
| Romancing the Stone | 1984 |
| Rumble in the Bronx | 1995 |
| Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | 2010 |
| Shanghai Noon | 2000 |
| Shaolin Soccer | 2001 |
| Shaun of the Dead | 2004 |
| Shazam! | 2019 |
| Sherlock Holmes | 2009 |
| Shotgun Wedding | 2022 |
| Something Wild | 1986 |
| Spy | 2015 |
| Spy Kids | 2001 |
| The Suicide Squad | 2021 |
| Supercop | 1992 |
| Tag | 2018 |
| Team America: World Police | 2004 |
| Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 |
| Three Kings | 1999 |
| Tropic Thunder | 2008 |

## TV series

List of action comedy TV series :
| TV series | Year(s) |
| The A-Team | 1983–1987 |
| Burn Notice | 2007–2013 |
| Chuck | 2007–2012 |
| Doom Patrol | 2020–2022 |
| The Dukes of Hazzard | 1979–1985 |
| Future Man | 2017–2020 |
| Kidd Video | 1984–1985 |
| Lethal Weapon | 2016–2019 |
| Our Flag Means Death | 2022-2023 |
| Peacemaker | 2022 |
| Remington Steele | 1982–1987 |
| Rush Hour | 2016 |
| Teenage Bounty Hunters | 2020 |