Is There a Written Equivalent to a Will Ferrell-Style Movie?

Speaking of humiliating moments, the comedy genre of movies and television seems to have more than its share. Sitcoms always had some, and occasionally romantic comedies do little except go from embarrassing moment to embarrassing moment.

But there’s a type of comedy that goes beyond that. I haven’t been able to find a specific name for the type, so the best I can do is say that it’s a type of comedy you think of with Will Ferrel movies. Or Adam Sandler. Or Steve Carrell. Although there’s plenty of slapstick and physical humor, there’s also a big emphasis on situational comedy. Only it’s situational comedy run wild. The situations, characters, and behavior are so extreme that I’m not even sure the word “caricature” does them justice.

That made me wonder – is there an equivalent genre for writing?

Most movie genres have some sort of parallel in written pieces, but I can’t think of one in this case. Beyond the physical comedy aspects, I can’t think of a single type of book or short story that uses such extreme characters or situations.

Can you?