I have always wondered why some sitcoms, either before the show (like Happy Days or Cheers) or after the show (All In The Family) aired a disclaimer claiming the were "filmed before a live audience."
I have also noticed that most of the shows that did this were done by Garry Marshall (Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne And Shirley).
As far as I can remember, Cheers was the last one to do this. And if so, why don't more current shows make the "filmed before a live audience" claim?
Anyone with any thoughts?
Sean Snow
05-11-2002, 11:49 AM
Maybe today's producers/director's don't want the fourth wall to be broken by an actor saying this. These same producers don't want the shows to be rerun in daytime like they have in the past, so maybe it's just how today's producers/directors feel about it lol.
RainMan
05-11-2002, 11:52 AM
What about Coach?
It said that before the start of every episode.
Cordially,
Nathan Bush
"The Rain Man"
________________________________________________________
LONG LIVE LILLITH STERLING CRANE!
TV Guy
05-11-2002, 12:31 PM
The "live before a studio audience" was used to differentiate the three camera sitcoms from the one-cameras with a laugh track. Essentially, the producers were telling the audience, "that's not a laugh track -- it's a real audience." These days, one-camera shows without an audience, like "Scrubs" and "Andy Richter" generally don't have laugh tracks, so it's not really necessary for shows which do have a live audience, like "Frasier", to announce it.
Yet, there are some three camera sitcoms that do not tape in front of a live audience.
A recent example would be "Baby Bob."
Some shows had the words "This show was filmed before a live studio audience" printed into the closing credits.I know the MTM Productions shows did this.
Superbatboy
05-12-2002, 02:09 PM
"The Cosby Show is taped before a studio audience"
TV Guy
05-13-2002, 09:05 PM
Originally posted by TJL
Yet, there are some three camera sitcoms that do not tape in front of a live audience.
A recent example would be "Baby Bob."
Yes, but the vast majority of three-cameras do tape in front of an audience, which is why the "taped in front of a studio audience" identifier is no longer considered necessary.