The Laugh-track needs to die...

[DrNewGod]

The number one thing that puts me off sit-coms is the Laugh-track. I forgive vintage TV, they were experimenting, but when we're still doing this in 2018? That's just sad.

[The Great Usagi]

Tv sitcoms use it like mental conditioning.

Big Bang Theory without the laugh track makes it look very different.

[DrNewGod]

M*A*S*H's creators didn't want one, but the studio insisted. If you watch it season to season, you'll notice the Laugh-track gets quieter as the series goes.

[williamtheday]

I'd like better in a drama.

[Powerboy]

The number one thing that puts me off sit-coms is the Laugh-track. I forgive vintage TV, they were experimenting, but when we're still doing this in 2018? That's just sad.

The problem is they found out decades ago if not further that laughter tends to invoke laughter. Unless something is filmed before a studio audience, they used the laugh track. They actually experimented with not using it as far back as the 1960's. "Get Smart" did some episodes without the laugh track and the silence was deafening. Sometimes, the laugh track, also known as "canned laughter" does work.

[Carabas]

Tv sitcoms use it like mental conditioning.

Big Bang Theory without the laugh track makes it look very different.

It's a big improvement, but still terrible.

[SpiderClops]

Tv sitcoms use it like mental conditioning.

Big Bang Theory without the laugh track makes it look very different.

I don't really see the difference. It's as funny with the laugh track as it is without it. As in, not much, but I get some genuine chuckles.

[AJBopp]

M*A*S*H's creators didn't want one, but the studio insisted. If you watch it season to season, you'll notice the Laugh-track gets quieter as the series goes.

When they released a DVD set they removed the laugh track, which is what I have. I understand the creators' motivations, but they were very much in the wrong side about the laugh track.

[AJBopp]

I don't really see the difference. It's as funny with the laugh track as it is without it. As in, not much, but I get some genuine chuckles.

The difference is paving, for one thing. There are unnatural pauses in delivery the make it difficult to watch without laughter after the punch lines. I've been watching TV in six different debates notes, and neither the laugh track or the feelings against it have ever changed. The fact is, it's there because it's proven to make the audience bigger. Some don't like it. There will always be some who don't like it. But they will always be a small minority.

[SpiderClops]

The difference is paving, for one thing. There are unnatural pauses in delivery the make it difficult to watch without laughter after the punch lines. I've been watching TV in six different debates notes, and neither the laugh track or the feelings against it have ever changed. The fact is, it's there because it's proven to make the audience bigger. Some don't like it. There will always be some who don't like it. But they will always be a small minority.

That's obvious, isn't it? I was only thinking on the merits that if the laugh track makes the joke seem funnier or not.

[AJBopp]

That's obvious, isn't it? I was only thinking on the merits that if the laugh track makes the joke seem funnier or not.

I'm not certain the intent is to make the jokes seem funnier, just that the intent is to elevate the experience. having some experience in live theater, I have seen shows done before both a packed house and with only a few people. It was the same show, performed exactly the same way, but the reactions from a full house are bigger, not just more. In comedies, the laughs are louder and more sustained. In thrillers, the tension and suspense is more palpable. There is something about a shared experience that elevates the emotional response to the experience.

Movies can take advantage of this, which is why a laugh track is self-defeating in that experience. TV cannot take advantage of this, but has found that it is possible to "manufacture" the experience in comedies with a laugh track. It's not 100% successful, and no one would argue that it could be. But I think it does elevate the comedic experience for most people, which is different than making the jokes seem funnier.

[SpiderClops]

I'm not certain the intent is to make the jokes seem funnier, just that the intent is to elevate the experience. having some experience in live theater, I have seen shows done before both a packed house and with only a few people. It was the same show, performed exactly the same way, but the reactions from a full house are bigger, not just more. In comedies, the laughs are louder and more sustained. In thrillers, the tension and suspense is more palpable. There is something about a shared experience that elevates the emotional response to the experience.

Movies can take advantage of this, which is why a laugh track is self-defeating in that experience. TV cannot take advantage of this, but has found that it is possible to "manufacture" the experience in comedies with a laugh track. It's not 100% successful, and no one would argue that it could be. But I think it does elevate the comedic experience for most people, which is different than making the jokes seem funnier.

I see what you mean.

[Tarantino]

I was about to say Friends and The Cosby show are funny without the laughing tracks until I heard the news Bill Cosby has been found guilty of sexual assault and could likely spend the rest of his life jailed. Just a sad ending to a talented comedian.

[Carabas]

I was about to say Friends and The Cosby show are funny without the laughing tracks until I heard the news Bill Cosby has been found guilty of sexual assault and could likely spend the rest of his life jailed. Just a sad ending to a talented comedian.

But it is a happy ending for a remorseless serial rapist scumbag.