Canned laughter

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

How necessary are laugh tracks in television? Do you need them to find a sitcom funny? Is it inconceivable that laugh tracks could disappear from non-rerun television comedy, or does raw, unprocessed audience laughter just feel too damned weird in a sitcom? (And if the latter, how can SNL get away with it? Assuming it does, of course.) Additionally, why are so many sitcoms still made with the presence of a live audience in mind -- is it possible it's an economic thing just as much as a genre-expectations thing?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 30 March 2006 03:32 (twenty years ago)

A Wikipedia list of non-animated TV comedies without laugh tracks.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 30 March 2006 03:38 (twenty years ago)

The painful unfunniness of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" is only underscored by the massively intrusive and obnoxious laugh track.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 30 March 2006 03:41 (twenty years ago)

i always loved how old episodes of "the flintstones" had laugh tracks, there was something so surreal and loopy about that - like we were supposed to think it was really happening on a stage.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Thursday, 30 March 2006 04:51 (twenty years ago)

Hey that wiki list doesnt have Ripping Yarns on it! I bought Ripping Yarns on DVD recently and to my horror, it had a laugh track.. a kind of mild one, a la early Python shows. I was really upset, as the show as I'd remembered it on TV never had a laugh track... til I discovered they'd re-done it with the laugh track later on for some places (maybe the US?) and so there was a DVD audio option to turn the laugh track OFF. Praise the skies!

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 30 March 2006 05:04 (twenty years ago)

Music & Madness, together! Stop, you're killing me!!

http://www.christinelavin.com/images/ltvol2a.jpeg

― timmy tannin (pompous), Thursday, 30 March 2006 05:15 (twenty years ago)

"i always loved how old episodes of "the flintstones" had laugh tracks, there was something so surreal and loopy about that - like we were supposed to think it was really happening on a stage. "

I used to think that, after making the cartoon, they showed it to a cinema full of people and recorded them tittering at Fred's antics.

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Thursday, 30 March 2006 10:42 (twenty years ago)

I had been wondering what the first British sitcom was to not feature recorded audience/laughtrack. Surely it can't be Coogan's Run or I'm Alan Partridge?

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 10:44 (twenty years ago)

I suppose the TV adaptation of Hitchhikers Guide... could count...

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 10:45 (twenty years ago)

M*A*S*H with a laugh track is SO. WRONG.

― Robocock (noodle vague), Thursday, 30 March 2006 11:24 (twenty years ago)

I'm Alan Partridge did have a laugh track.

― chap who would dare to be a stone cold thug (chap), Thursday, 30 March 2006 11:41 (twenty years ago)

The Day Today?

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 30 March 2006 11:45 (twenty years ago)

Not a sitcom. But I'm sure there'll be surprisingly early examples.

― Robocock (noodle vague), Thursday, 30 March 2006 11:47 (twenty years ago)

I'm Alan Partridge did have a laugh track.

of course, i don't know why i thought otherwise. must come from the IAP thread were there was discussion about whether it would've worked just as well without it.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 11:56 (twenty years ago)

Royle family may not ACTUALLY be the first, but it is the one that made it acceptable now.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:05 (twenty years ago)

(in the UK)

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:06 (twenty years ago)

I wonder how that first series of Operation Good Guys holds up.

It's quite shocking how there seems to be this massive gap between something like Hitchhikers Guide... adaptation (considered relatively successful on TV no?) and unconventional sitcoms like The Royle Family and first series of OGG.

Mind you in the 80s there were a few kids shows which were effectively sitcoms, but these never featured laugh tracks (did they think it would confuse kids? or is it just because the humour would be considered not 'sophisticated' enough to make a live audience laugh?). The only example that springs readily to my mind is Jossy's Giants (I remember laughing at stuff in this show). But there must be more.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:10 (twenty years ago)

Dunno if I said it before but would love to see someone dub a laugh track onto shows that are funny but don't already have it. Just to see if/how/where it works and where it doesn't.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:13 (twenty years ago)

There's also the precursor to People Like Us, from the late 80s, Channel 4's This Is David Lander (Lander originally played by Stephen Fry). Don't recall it having a laugh track.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:15 (twenty years ago)

"why are so many sitcoms still made with the presence of a live audience in mind"

a lot of comedy is about the audience reaction. i think comedy telly has been performed in front of an audience when the recorded laffs AREN't then used, but when (for the viewers) that "proxy" audience is included it makes the performance complete. compare watching comedy (say in a club or on telly even) on your own with watching it in a crowd (or group of friends) - it IS different

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:20 (twenty years ago)

laughing out loud on your own - C/D?!

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:22 (twenty years ago)

my first wikipedia edit! i just added Man Stroke Woman to that list under 'sketch shows'.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:26 (twenty years ago)

and don't you feel proud. has man stroke woman ever raised a laff?

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:27 (twenty years ago)

certainly. alix and i enjoy imitating Nick Frost's "you caaaan't do daaaaaht" when he was playing Shag Marry Kill in the car with Nathan Barley bloke. there were a couple of other minor lols too.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:31 (twenty years ago)

"i don't beLIEVE you"

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:34 (twenty years ago)

you'll be saying Hyperdrive is best telly ever, next

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:34 (twenty years ago)

says the TPOLAAPOCP sympathiser!!

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:37 (twenty years ago)

Man Stroke Woman isn't all bad. It's just mostly bad.

― chap who would dare to be a stone cold thug (chap), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:39 (twenty years ago)

Does anyone else quite fancy the blonde woman with the big teeth off MSW?

― chap who would dare to be a stone cold thug (chap), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:45 (twenty years ago)

Does Press Gang count? Funnier than Steven Mofatt's laugh track shows (i.e. Coupling and that terrible old one with Robert Bathurst), anyway.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:51 (twenty years ago)

not me. also crush on Ashley Jensen has plummeted beyond retrieval after catching her gushing over Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' in latest issue of The Word. (xpost)

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:52 (twenty years ago)

I was going to mention Press Gang along with Jossy's Giants, but it seemed more like light-hearted youth-orientated drama than anything else. See also Adrian Mole TV series perhaps, and it's limp 90s spawn Teenage Health Freak.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:54 (twenty years ago)

Rentaghost had a laugh track, iirc. Eek.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:55 (twenty years ago)

Police Squad! dispensed with a laugh track because there are so many sight gags: they realised it made no sense to have an audience laughing at things that weren't immediately obvious. I reckon Larry Sanders is probably the biggest single influence on modern laughtrackless comedy, though.

― Robocock (noodle vague), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:56 (twenty years ago)

Rentaghost had a laugh track, iirc. Eek.

not iirc!

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:57 (twenty years ago)

someone should add married with children to that list and see how long it takes it to be disputed.

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:59 (twenty years ago)

I think some series of Rentaghost may have done, some not. It underwent a lot of changes during its time.

I'm supposed to be taking the boy to see Joe Pasquale's stage version of Rentaghost soon. I may palm the job off on Mrs Vague.

― Robocock (noodle vague), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:59 (twenty years ago)

noodles otm wrt larry sanders - i'm pretty sure caroline aherne would have been a fan of that

first series of rentaghost no laffs

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:01 (twenty years ago)

Oddly enough, one of my girlfriend's birthday presents yesterday was Bosworth's life of Johnson, signed by Scott Thompson.

(x-post)

Oh, maybe I'm wrong about Rentaghost. Although mentally adding a laugh track to something is an odd after-effect of getting old.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:01 (twenty years ago)

does chucklevision have a chuckle track?

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:01 (twenty years ago)

What, like jokes you told down the pub?

xpost

― chap who would dare to be a stone cold thug (chap), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:02 (twenty years ago)

xpost

It might not, but then I've never fucking laughed at it either.

― Robocock (noodle vague), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:03 (twenty years ago)

(x-post)
er, that would be Boswell's Life of Johnson as opposed to Kate Bosworth's

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:04 (twenty years ago)

The first couple of series of Rentaghost I remember being quite dark and strange, compared to the broad farce it became later on.

― Robocock (noodle vague), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

Does anyone else quite fancy the blonde woman with the big teeth off MSW?

No, but the Canadian one is rather nice.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:09 (twenty years ago)

An interesting defense of canned laughter from the heady days of Suck.com. If you can get past the atrocious formatting.

― phil d. (Phil D.), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:16 (twenty years ago)

It's just another stylistic device, innit? I'm probably less offended by unfunny stuff with a laugh track than I am by the current rash of shitty "dark" "edgy" BBC3 shows that think dispensing with the laugh track means they can pretend they're meant to be that unfunny. Occasionally though I think there's a genuine error of judgement. Like I said above, M*A*S*H is ruined when it has the track added.

― Robocock (noodle vague), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:21 (twenty years ago)

An interesting case study would be League of Gentlemen, which dispensed with its laugh track for the third series, in which I recall there being a few awkward pauses in the performances.

― chap who would dare to be a stone cold thug (chap), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:24 (twenty years ago)

I don't mind if it's there provided the material suits it. I've been working my way through the first series of Fraiser on HomeChoice over the last few months. I probably laugh out loud every fourth or fifth audience laugh. This is quite a decent ratio really.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:25 (twenty years ago)

I should point out though that I never really watched Frasier bar the odd random episode so doubtless that's a factor in how much I laugh at things in it a lot of the time.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:26 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, the audience laughter is definitely part of the tempo of the programme too, and most comics/actors will pace themselves in similar terms.

Still, there are gags in later series of Seinfeld that are rendered almost inaudible by bad mixing of the audience.

― Robocock (noodle vague), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:28 (twenty years ago)

Scrubs (which probably has the highest hit-gag-rate for a TV show) would probably be unbearable with a laugh track.

Also, "Lazarus & Dingwall", the feeble-but-amusing UK Police Squad rip-off, didn't have a laugh track I think.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:31 (twenty years ago)

Comic Strip Presents never had a laugh track, did it?

― chap who would dare to be a stone cold thug (chap), Thursday, 30 March 2006 13:43 (twenty years ago)

Notice how many Canadian series don't have laugh tracks. This is what passes for being edgy in Canada. Run of the mill sitcom BUT WITH NO LAUGH TRACK! THANK YOu MCLUHAN!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 30 March 2006 14:13 (twenty years ago)

Man, the Newsroom was terrible.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 30 March 2006 14:25 (twenty years ago)

Excluding psuedo-documentaries it's Coogan's Run in the UK isn't it? Royle Family is the first one that revelled in it though. Notice how in five years the laugh track on Partridge went from being a part of the show that no one thought about to a big discussion point.

The main reason that some people don't remember the laugh track in the 1st season of I'm Alan Partridge is because they only become intrusive when you aren't laughing as well. Not the case in the first two episodes of the second series

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Thursday, 30 March 2006 21:58 (twenty years ago)

Scrubs (which probably has the highest hit-gag-rate for a TV show) would probably be unbearable with a laugh track.

Yeah it would. I was thinking about it and Malclcm in the Middle and I suppose it is the voiceover narration that prevents laugh tracks being feasible - they'd totally get in the way.

Oh god, can you imagine Gilmore Girls with a laugh track!?

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 30 March 2006 23:51 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

http://blog.theparisreview.org/2010/07/20/canned-laughter-ben-glenn-ii-television-historian/

fuckin awesome

― les yeux sans aerosmith (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Thursday, 22 July 2010 14:43 (fifteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.