Drama films selected to compete at the Sundance Film Festival are typically known for their ability to explore human nature and existence in serious and profound ways, but the event’s organizers shocked critics Wednesday when they revealed that several of next year’s participating dramas will be led by comedians.

Among the comedians highlighted in next year’s Sundance dramas are The Big Bang Theory actress Melissa Rauch, who co-wrote and stars in The Bronze, and Flight of the Concords’ Jemaine Clement, who stars in People, Places, Things. Sarah Silverman, who has always been known for her raunchy and harsh sense of humor, stars in I Smile Back, which festival director John Cooper described as “an intense dark portrait of a suburban mother dealing with pretty dark demons.”

Sundance, the premiere gathering of the U.S. independent film industry ever since Robert Redford founded the event in 1978, typically only selects films that end up becoming critical successes. While critics are already quick to doubt Silverman and Clement will be able to adequately replace their edgy humor for more emotional performances, the event’s organizers proved they still know good drama when Whiplash won the audience and grand jury awards at this year’s festival, months before the film was considered a contender in the Hollywood awards race and J.K. Simmons became an early front-runner for the best supporting actor Oscar.

“Comedians have an inherent ability to observe human nature,” explained Cooper. “They make it into jokes most of the time, but now they’re actually stepping into it as a performance, and it really comes from understanding it.”

Next year’s Sundance Film Festival will run from Jan. 22 through Feb. 1.