What has happened to the laugh track? - Page 2 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Wawwie · 04-02-2015, 02:47 AM

^^^ Fake laughter doesn't make me laugh at all. I hate laugh tracks. They are lame and somewhat insulting to the viewer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Quite simply, the funny & good shows don't need them. Shows should be able to draw natural laughter from an audience and not manufactured by a machine telling you what's funny. I've noticed that more and more sitcoms are even doing away with a live audience like Wonder Years, Malcolm in the Middle and Scrubs. Laugh Tracks are Evil!!!

LOL As far as cartoons go, I think a laugh track would ruin a show like The Simpsons. That's just my opinion.

I agree with this completely.

TV_on_the_Porch · 04-02-2015, 07:03 PM

I learned from an industry insider of another couple reasons why a live audience's reaction might need to be augmented ("sweetened") by a laugh track: the audience quickly gets bored from too many retakes. If the take when the audience first heard the joke can't be used, then the retake will need a canned laugh because it's never as funny the second (third or fourth) time. That can directly lead to the other reason, particularly in the case of pilots: the audience starts getting bored either from too many retakes or too much lame and people get up and leave. After a while there aren't enough left in the seats to audibly appreciate even a good joke.

JustaViewer · 04-03-2015, 05:27 PM

In an interview once Jackie Gleason said he preferred preforming in front of an audience (like the Honeymooners) as opposed to one camera (like the Smokey and the Bandit movies) because the audience produces an energy that is simply not duplicated on a sound stage.
Curiously, until recently, Britcoms have never had this problem. The indoor and outdoor scenes of a series like Last of the Summer Wine were always shown to an audience. Which is why sometimes the laughter overlaps the dialogue.
I always wondered what MASH would have looked like in front of an audience. And I have wondered if All in the Family would be nearly as funny if it were on a sound stage with one camera.

04-02-2015, 07:03 PM	#17
TV_on_the_Porch anything good on? Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 18, 2005 Posts: 879	I learned from an industry insider of another couple reasons why a live audience's reaction might need to be augmented ("sweetened") by a laugh track: the audience quickly gets bored from too many retakes. If the take when the audience first heard the joke can't be used, then the retake will need a canned laugh because it's never as funny the second (third or fourth) time. That can directly lead to the other reason, particularly in the case of pilots: the audience starts getting bored either from too many retakes or too much lame and people get up and leave. After a while there aren't enough left in the seats to audibly appreciate even a good joke.

04-03-2015, 05:27 PM	#18
JustaViewer Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 14, 2015 Posts: 64	In an interview once Jackie Gleason said he preferred preforming in front of an audience (like the Honeymooners) as opposed to one camera (like the Smokey and the Bandit movies) because the audience produces an energy that is simply not duplicated on a sound stage. Curiously, until recently, Britcoms have never had this problem. The indoor and outdoor scenes of a series like Last of the Summer Wine were always shown to an audience. Which is why sometimes the laughter overlaps the dialogue. I always wondered what MASH would have looked like in front of an audience. And I have wondered if All in the Family would be nearly as funny if it were on a sound stage with one camera.