Straight man

[1] When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure.

The direct contribution to the comedy a straight man provides typically comes in the form of a deadpan.

Examples of noteworthy straight women include Margaret Dumont, who often performed with the Marx Brothers in their films, Bernardine Flynn up against Art van Harvey on Vic and Sade, Marian Jordan against her husband Jim on Smackout and Fibber McGee and Molly, and Pam Dawber, who performed with Robin Williams on the television series Mork & Mindy.

Prominent sitcom characters illustrating this role include Jim Halpert from The Office, Michael Bluth from Arrested Development, and Ben Wyatt from Parks and Recreation.

Some notable tsukkomi characters include Shinpachi Shimura and Toshiro Hijikata from Gintama, Himeko from Sket Dance, Saiki Kusuo from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., Mio Naganohara from Nichijou, and Tadakuni from Daily Lives of High School Boys.