This was a pivotal time for the genre. As censorship relaxed, filmmakers began to explore darker themes more openly. Mike Nichols’ The Graduate (1967) is often cited as a landmark comedy-drama, using satire to explore profound alienation and anxiety.
The film follows the structure of a comedy (often a "coming-of-age" or "redemption" arc) but is grounded in such realistic pain and consequence that the stakes feel genuinely dramatic. (Example: Little Miss Sunshine, The Florida Project) comedy-drama film