[PopAlongKid]

I agree, but as I read the article, I thought more about slapstick and physical humor ("The Superiority Theory of Humor" as labeled in the article). When I think, for example, of The Three Stooges[0], the pratfalls never seemed surprising, rather you knew Curly was eventually going to get banged up. I never found that part of their routine as funny as the verbal/visual puns and comebacks.

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Stooges

[GnarfGnarf]

There is a strange paradox where sometimes you see a bit coming and it's hysterical, other times it's predictable and falls flat.

Ex (first case): In Ruthless People, they walk into a store to play a VHS tape on a VCR. They don't know (but we do) that the tape contains embarrassing scenes, which are about to be displayed to the whole store.

Another example of first case: In Asterix, whenever the Pirate Ship appears. We know (and they know) they're about to get trounced.

With the Three Stooges, we know he's going to smack him upside the head, the question is just how's he going to do it this time?