Sitcoms are known for having laugh tracks, but to my understanding most of them used a real audience. Are there any known to use it exclusively?

Any sitcom shot movie-style with a single camera would have a laugh track as opposed to an audience. Well-known sitcoms with a laugh track would be Andy Griffith and Bewitched but there are many others.

The 70s trended away from single camera comedies. All in the Family ushered in the era of sitcoms taped before a live audience (but there were others that were filmed before a live audience, like the MTM sitcoms). But way back in the 50s the multi-camera filmed sitcoms came in. A couple of the first ones were I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners classic 39.

Some more current sitcoms are filmed with a single camera, and don't have a laugh track. One example of this was The Middle.

Sometimes a sitcom shot with an audience will "sweeten" the audience responses with a laugh track.

Also in rare cases a single camera sitcom will be played to an audience for live responses. Early examples of this were The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (filmed episodes).

Didn't Green Acres use a laugh track?

Apparently they don't use the technique now. http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160926-where-does-canned-laughter-come-from-and-where-did-it-go

All the Filmways sitcoms were single camera, and therefore had laugh tracks.

Same thing with Fedderson: My Three Sons and Family Affair.

I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, M*A*S*H* ( except in the operating room), Gilligans' Island as well as of the country sitcoms from the 60s.

I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, M*A*S*H* ( except in the operating room), Gilligans' Island as well as of the country sitcoms from the 60s.

If your speaking of the 1960's it would be easier to list the sitcoms that didn't have a laugh track. In some series the laugh track was less prevalent than others, Gilligan's Island and the Beverly Hillbillies used it frequently, Farmer's Daughter and the Ghost and Mrs. Muir less so.


I never understood the prejudice against the laugh track, frankly I like it. Dramas have background music to build suspense, in driving and emotional sequences, why is that OK but the laugh track isn't?

The Brady Bunch

Leave it to Beaver

The Partridge Family

Eight is Enough

I never understood the prejudice against the laugh track, frankly I like it. Dramas have background music to build suspense, in driving and emotional sequences, why is that OK but the laugh track isn't?

And sometimes an audience is a problem. When MeTV showed Rhoda's wedding episodes last Sunday, I heard that loud guy who goes haw haw (VERY loudly) again. I'd forgotten about him, but I think he was known. Related to the show in some way.

Alf, The Young Ones, Married.. With Children(some later eps, when the cast isn't "shouting" dialogue like the first few years-- you can just tell), Sanford and Son (same thing, some eps are all canned, like The Hawaiian Connection), the 1980's Sanford was all canned, Get a Life!, The Jeffersons.. and many more!

Funny thing is when you hear some of the film-based laugh tracks used on shows like The Jeffersons-- Suddenly, you hear that same "Hoo-hoo-ha" laugh from M*A*S*H mixed in. Crazy, man, crazehhh!

Eight is Enough

I always found this weird. Never thought of it as a sitcom.

I always found this weird. Never thought of it as a sitcom.

I agree. It was weird.

CBS / Hillbillies, Green Acres and all the related have a laugh track that can be heard common to ALL - specifically there is a men's voice that sounds like Arrrrrrr as the other voices come into the laugh portion - once you recognize it you'll hear it over & over in all the Paul Henning shows ...

And sometimes an audience is a problem. When MeTV showed Rhoda's wedding episodes last Sunday, I heard that loud guy who goes haw haw (VERY loudly) again. I'd forgotten about him, but I think he was known. Related to the show in some way.
Pretty sure that was James L. Brooks. That became a staple of 70s/80s sitcoms produced by him and Ed Weinberger.

Barney Miller at one point and HIMYM used laugh tracks because of the unconventional shooting schedules. BM sometimes went until the middle of the night, while HIMYM kept a marathon pace, shooting an entire episode in just a couple of days.