How Judd Apatow's form of comedy lost its appeal

Comedy films were a fun genre, weren't they? For the life of me, I can't remember the last time I saw two comedy movies released in the same summer. I'm not talking about dramedies, either. I mean full-fledged comedy movies that aren't a sequel to a beloved franchise from the 90s or 2000s. Comedy movies are essentially a dead genre right now, and, as a life-long fan of funny pictures, it's a crying shame. 

Before the genre collapsed, one man ran the entire scene. Once Judd Apatow broke through with 40-Year-Old Virgin, his brand of dialogue-heavy raunchy comedies with a heart became the most emulated style in Hollywood. Kevin Smith claims that the Apatow fad prompted him to create Zack and Miri Make a Porno to remain hip. When the audience soured on the Apatow wave, the comedy genre basically faded away. In the video linked above, the YouTube channel Nerdstalgic explains why Judd Apatow's films lost their appeal.