Laate reply, but very interesting comments that do make a lot of sense to me, particularly about the different mechanisms used in the ZAZ and Mel Brooks’ movies.
Judging from more recent movies clearly built on the models above, I feel like in general, modern directors & producers try to broadcast more to the audience as to how and when to react. That is-- in this post-MTV age, it seems like they’re more scared of potential dead air time, and want to avoid indulging too much in the deadpan, pregnant moments common in ZAZ films. Ones that made them so delicious, of course, tending to appeal to the thoughtful person.
By comparison, King of the Hill is maybe a rare case of a cartoon comedy that wasn’t entirely concerned with whether the audience understood the full humor of the situations. Just popped in to my head anyway, so I thought I’d mention it.