A "Laugh Track," Is No Longer Needed Or Wanted Says 'Modern Family's' Steve Levitan - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 01-10-2012, 11:59 PM

You know the sound that's made as a coyote is eating a cat?

That’s the noise that comes to mind when Modern Family creator Steve Levitan hears a multi-camera laugh track.

“I just can’t take it any more,” says the producer of a staple of multi-cam shows, a genre that he's thrilled to have moved away from with his latest comedy.

The outburst came Tuesday during a panel with ABC’s other single-camera showrunners, including Suburgatory’s Emily Kapneck, Happy Endings’ David Caspe and Jonathan Groff and The Middle’s Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline. And to hear him and his cohorts tell it, audiences no longer need – and for that matter, want — the prerecorded laughs as their cue.

“There was a time when the laugh track was reassuring and helped people understand when to laugh, and I almost feel the opposite now and it winds up feeling a little bit oppressive," says Kapneck, before adding: "I think people respond to that element of single cam now, the freedom to find the jokes that you respond to."

Their comments are not designed to be disparaging of the considerably less sexy -- if considerably more successful -- genre, since even Levitan will admit that multi-cam fare isn't easy to do -- and, for that matter, quite hard to do well. And when you're able to accomplish the latter, he notes, the laugh track often disappears.

Still, for each of these producers, the freedom that the single camera format allows is tremendous, they say. And it goes beyond the canned laughs, to be sure.

For the executive producers of The Middle, being able to move the cameras outside of a studio allows the midwest to be a character in their show. Plus, viewers have already seen so many family comedies in the multi camera form, where the setting is little more than a backdrop with a couch. says Heisler, "It would have turned into a more familiar --and not in a good way-- show if we had gone mutli-cam."

Kapneck, too, is thrilled to be able to take her show into the streets and have suburbia play a bigger part. "We wanted it to have a cinematic quality," she adds, "and to be able to move the camera and explore the environment in a way that's very visual."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...tan-tca-280277

AKA · 01-12-2012, 12:42 AM

I don't mind laughter from a live audience, but laugh tracks are atrocious. The one thing that has prevented me from buying The Flintstones on DVD is that you can't turn off the laugh track (laugh-free versions were made briefly available in the '90s on Cartoon Network) like you can with the M*A*S*H DVDs.

Mr. Television · 01-12-2012, 12:45 AM

Those 3 shows are all pretty good but the vast majority of the single cam sitcoms, I can take it or leave it.

AKA · 01-12-2012, 12:55 AM

What do you think of the new multi-camera sitcoms that have premiered this season, Sonny? They seem to be making a comeback.

retrofan05 · 01-12-2012, 01:02 AM

Has anyone heard the laugh tracks on Disney Channel lately? I was flipping thorugh the channels one day and not only is the laugh track ridiculously loud, but it cuts into the jokes so you don't even know what they're laughing at. LOL!

Mr. Television · 01-12-2012, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKA

What do you think of the new multi-camera sitcoms that have premiered this season, Sonny? They seem to be making a comeback.

2 Broke Girls is one of my new favorites. It premiered last year but Mike & Molly is also very good. I wish some of the other networks would try some of them more. ABC has with Last Man Standing which is another one I like. I don't understand why ABC didn't develop another family comedy to go with it though. It's all alone on Tuesdays. Hopefully some more will come on the air next year.

On Cable, Hot in Cleveland, Are We There Yet? and Melissa and Joey are all good too.

EmoJoe · 01-14-2012, 03:05 AM

Personally I think almost all of the multi cams that have premiered in the past 5 years or so are pretty bad, ratings hits or not. 2 Broke Girls has potential but I can't give too much praise to a show who has an asian character whose main quirk is that he pronounces his R's incorrectly.

However I don't think the format is dead or anything, there are advantages to it, although I personally think single cam allows for a little more creativity. Although to be honest I think Modern Family is one show that could work just as well as a multi cam.

01-10-2012, 11:59 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	A "Laugh Track," Is No Longer Needed Or Wanted Says 'Modern Family's' Steve Levitan You know the sound that's made as a coyote is eating a cat? That’s the noise that comes to mind when Modern Family creator Steve Levitan hears a multi-camera laugh track. “I just can’t take it any more,” says the producer of a staple of multi-cam shows, a genre that he's thrilled to have moved away from with his latest comedy. The outburst came Tuesday during a panel with ABC’s other single-camera showrunners, including Suburgatory’s Emily Kapneck, Happy Endings’ David Caspe and Jonathan Groff and The Middle’s Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline. And to hear him and his cohorts tell it, audiences no longer need – and for that matter, want — the prerecorded laughs as their cue. “There was a time when the laugh track was reassuring and helped people understand when to laugh, and I almost feel the opposite now and it winds up feeling a little bit oppressive," says Kapneck, before adding: "I think people respond to that element of single cam now, the freedom to find the jokes that you respond to." Their comments are not designed to be disparaging of the considerably less sexy -- if considerably more successful -- genre, since even Levitan will admit that multi-cam fare isn't easy to do -- and, for that matter, quite hard to do well. And when you're able to accomplish the latter, he notes, the laugh track often disappears. Still, for each of these producers, the freedom that the single camera format allows is tremendous, they say. And it goes beyond the canned laughs, to be sure. For the executive producers of The Middle, being able to move the cameras outside of a studio allows the midwest to be a character in their show. Plus, viewers have already seen so many family comedies in the multi camera form, where the setting is little more than a backdrop with a couch. says Heisler, "It would have turned into a more familiar --and not in a good way-- show if we had gone mutli-cam." Kapneck, too, is thrilled to be able to take her show into the streets and have suburbia play a bigger part. "We wanted it to have a cinematic quality," she adds, "and to be able to move the camera and explore the environment in a way that's very visual." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...tan-tca-280277
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01-12-2012, 12:45 AM	#3
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,133	Those 3 shows are all pretty good but the vast majority of the single cam sitcoms, I can take it or leave it.
	__________________ Sonny

01-14-2012, 03:05 AM	#7
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	Personally I think almost all of the multi cams that have premiered in the past 5 years or so are pretty bad, ratings hits or not. 2 Broke Girls has potential but I can't give too much praise to a show who has an asian character whose main quirk is that he pronounces his R's incorrectly. However I don't think the format is dead or anything, there are advantages to it, although I personally think single cam allows for a little more creativity. Although to be honest I think Modern Family is one show that could work just as well as a multi cam.
	__________________ "I know the difference between TV and reality, Jeff. TV has structure, it makes sense, there are likable leading men. In real life, we have this. We have you." - Abed Nadir, Community www.sitcomsarestupid.blogspot.com

01-12-2012, 12:42 AM	#2
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	I don't mind laughter from a live audience, but laugh tracks are atrocious. The one thing that has prevented me from buying The Flintstones on DVD is that you can't turn off the laugh track (laugh-free versions were made briefly available in the '90s on Cartoon Network) like you can with the MASH* DVDs.

01-12-2012, 12:55 AM	#4
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	What do you think of the new multi-camera sitcoms that have premiered this season, Sonny? They seem to be making a comeback.

01-12-2012, 01:02 AM	#5
retrofan05 Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 25, 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,111	Has anyone heard the laugh tracks on Disney Channel lately? I was flipping thorugh the channels one day and not only is the laugh track ridiculously loud, but it cuts into the jokes so you don't even know what they're laughing at. LOL!