Four-Man Band

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The Four Man Band is a primarily comedic group, designed for a sitcom or domcom. The four distinct personalities are specifically designed to play off each other so that whatever happens that day, Hilarity Ensues.

Please note that this trope does not include The Hero. The focus is evenly spread among them. The Protagonist can easily be any one of the Band, or the focus can just be switched between episodes to different characters. Even the four roles can be shuffled around a little.

Compare and contrast Four-Temperament Ensemble, Four-Philosophy Ensemble. The band most commonly includes:

• Only Sane Man - Or maybe just the guy who comes the ''closest'' to being sane most often. Every zany gang must have a Straight Man, and the other three leads have to share one. While his (or her, although the role is usually male) friends act out, the Only Sane Man's role is to Lampshade and be embarrassed by their behaviour. He will be more successful with the opposite sex than his friends, notably the Casanova Wannabe (though sometimes it's the other way around).
• The Smart Guy - More intelligent than his friends. This variant is primarily geared towards Lampshading the relative stupidity of the others and being humiliated for his arrogance. Alternatively he may be a Mad Scientist type, with insane inventions.
• Casanova Wannabe - This guy has a wayward mind. He usually takes one of two common forms - the Lovable Sex Maniac whose high sex drive is his most memorable trait (the wannabe part is surprisingly not a factor in his success with his sex conquests), or the Heroic Comedic Sociopath, who would be more likely to take the role of The Big Guy with bursts of comical violence. In lighter examples, certain concepts may be Played for Laughs, whereas in darker examples the character may draw on Black Comedy Rape.
• Butt-Monkey - A character who serves as a target for the others' jokes. There are a few tropes that could make the Band's Butt-Monkey; The Ditz, the Extreme Doormat or others, though it's possible to also make him a Casanova Wannabe (in which case the third slot is taken by the Comedic Sociopath). This member has remarkably less charisma than his friends or is a better target for jokes. The others will pick on him frequently and make him the target of practical jokes. Sometimes, however, this character may get one over on his bandmates, and this will thoroughly humiliate the others.

Compare Comic Trio (where The Casanova Wannabe leads, The Butt-Monkey goes along with him, and The Only Sane Man complains but is ignored). For the Distaff Counterpart, see Four-Girl Ensemble.

Examples: