Combining comedy and drama isn’t new in television, with some classic sitcoms managing to combine the two worlds to great effect. MASH is a beloved comedy that explores heavy themes like war, trauma, and the ethics of the draft while consistently delivering genuine laughs. However, with its laugh track and wacky characters it utilized the aesthetics of traditional TV comedies even if it pushed the genre in a new direction. 

The modern dramedy, the specific type of show leading to sitcoms dying, took form in the 1980s. The word dramedy emerged in 1987 to describe the show Hooperman, a half-hour police procedural with comedic elements starring John Ritter. The term then spread to describe the late 80s trend of similar shows that meshed drama sub-genres with comedy, with The Wonder Years and Doogie Howser, M.D. being the most notable examples.