Transparency
How We Score
Every number on this site is derived from the same pipeline. Here's exactly how it works.
The Formula
Three Pillars
The Humor Index is a weighted composite of three independently scored dimensions. Each episode is analyzed at the joke level, then aggregated to season and show level.
Raw comedic density. We count every distinct joke that lands — setups with identifiable punchlines, physical gags, callbacks, and running gags — then divide by the episode's net comedy runtime (total runtime minus cold opens, credits, and drama-only scenes). Higher JPM reflects a tighter, more consistently funny script.
Quality over quantity. Each joke is scored across five sub-dimensions (see below). Craft rewards structural sophistication: misdirection, subverted expectations, perfect character fit, and timing precision. A show can have low JPM and high Craft (slow-burn prestige comedy) or vice versa.
Resonance and staying power. Quotability (does this line get repeated?), rewatch value (is it funnier the second time?), cultural footprint, and callback payoff. Impact captures what pure craft analysis misses — a technically average joke that becomes a catchphrase scores higher here.
Craft Breakdown
The Craft Rubric
Craft is scored 1–10 across five sub-dimensions, equally weighted. Each is assessed per joke, then averaged across the episode.
Setup Quality
How efficiently and elegantly the premise is established. A great setup is invisible — it plants the seed without telegraphing the punchline.
Example: "George is a marine biologist now." (Seinfeld S5E14)
Misdirection
The degree to which the joke leads the audience toward a false expectation before subverting it. True misdirection is earned, not cheap.
Example: "I am not superstitious... but I am a little stitious." (The Office)
Subversion / Surprise
Does the punchline go somewhere unexpected? Subversion is the delta between what the audience anticipated and what actually happened.
Example: The Soup Nazi's final line in the episode finale.
Character Fit
Could only this character have delivered this joke? High character fit means the joke reveals or reinforces something true about who the character is.
Example: Every Dwight exit from a room.
Timing Precision
Beat length, pause placement, delivery speed. Timing is harder to score but we proxy it through editing rhythm, reaction shot positioning, and line overlap.
Example: Jim's camera looks. George's pauses before responding.
Format Adjustment
The Laugh Track Correction
Multi-camera shows with sweetened laugh tracks structurally inflate joke density — the laugh track signals joke boundaries that a single-camera show leaves implicit. To compare across formats fairly, we apply a format coefficient to the raw Humor Index.
| Format | Coefficient | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Single Camera | 1.00× | Baseline |
| Hybrid | 0.90× | −10% |
| Multi-Camera (Live) | 0.85× | −15% |
| Multi-Camera (Sweetened) | 0.75× | −25% |
The coefficients were calibrated against a blind human-rated set of 500 jokes across formats. Single-camera is the baseline because it makes no structural accommodation for the audience.
Honesty
Known Limitations
Visual gags are underweighted
AI works from transcripts and scene descriptions. Physical comedy — a pratfall, a facial expression, Kramer's entrances — is harder to capture and likely underscored.
Sarcasm and irony are hard
Tone doesn't exist in a transcript. Ironic deadpan (e.g. Jim's camera looks) is identifiable through context, but subtle sarcasm likely gets miscategorized at the edges.
Cultural context decays
Jokes referencing specific 90s or 00s cultural moments may score lower on "cultural footprint" than they should, since the model's resonance signals are present-weighted.
No audience data
We don't use ratings, streaming numbers, or social media sentiment. The scores are entirely analytical — which is a feature, not a bug, but it means popular ≠ high-scoring.
Only scripted comedy
Stand-up specials, improv, and sketch comedy require a different methodology. This pipeline is calibrated for scripted, episodic television only.