Laugh tracks

watching some 90s shows i used to watch sparingly, i can't even enjoy them because the laugh track is too distracting. i was watching newsradio and i chuckled at some of the bits (phil hartman <3) but the laugh tracks just kill any humor when i hear a room full of idiots guffawing like every joke deserves it.

there's a few others i used to watch as a bored kid after school (can't think of now); wings, frasier - not like they were all funny, but the laugh tracks are just...

i remember watching some sitcoms where there'd be like one dude in the laugh track who is louder than all the rest and you'd keep hearing his laugh throughout the entire freakin show, if not the series..

instead of laughing they should have a room full of people screaming pretending to get murdered.

and they get murdered really hard when it's a funny joke

  On 6/21/2010 at 7:51 PM, TwiddleBot said:

i remember watching some sitcoms where there'd be like one dude in the laugh track

this would be great.

Two and a Half men is the worst for laugh tracks. They actually never stop.

the DVDs for M*A*S*H have the option to turn the laugh track off. it's a much funnier show that way. the laugh tracks just laugh over half the jokes so you don't even notice them.

    Quote

Two and a Half men is the worst for laugh tracks. They actually never stop.

doubly bad because there is nothing to laugh at

i was actually in bed think about this the other night and i don't remember if seinfeld had a laugh track, which makes me think that the show was good enough that i don't really notice notice.

did you notice that you said notice twice?

it would appear you thought that was an accident

  On 6/21/2010 at 8:18 PM, disparaissant said:

the DVDs for M*A*S*H have the option to turn the laugh track off. it's a much funnier show that way. the laugh tracks just laugh over half the jokes so you don't even notice them.

i've been dreaming of that option for seinfeld and newsradio (unless it already is?)

Some shows used an audience well, like The Larry Sanders Show did a great job of justifying the use of an audience (feeding a talk show host) and then ditching it for the other side of the show. Seems like most other shows have them just to make sure people know there was a joke. And other shows would even be broken without their laugh tracks now, Married With Children would be surreal, with all the long pauses and entrances, I would actually like to see that

  On 6/21/2010 at 9:22 PM, Adjective said:

And other shows would even be broken without their laugh tracks now, Married With Children would be surreal, with all the long pauses and entrances, I would actually like to see that

have you seen the lynch series that vamos linked to?

  On 6/21/2010 at 9:26 PM, ms-dos said:

  On 6/21/2010 at 9:22 PM, Adjective said:

And other shows would even be broken without their laugh tracks now, Married With Children would be surreal, with all the long pauses and entrances, I would actually like to see that

 

have you seen the lynch series that vamos linked to?

the excerpt in inland empire, but not beyond that. i would like to watch them all one day, if i can ever find the right mood for them

  On 6/21/2010 at 9:22 PM, Adjective said:

  On 6/21/2010 at 8:18 PM, disparaissant said:

the DVDs for M*A*S*H have the option to turn the laugh track off. it's a much funnier show that way. the laugh tracks just laugh over half the jokes so you don't even notice them.

i've been dreaming of that option for seinfeld and newsradio (unless it already is?)

Some shows used an audience well, like The Larry Sanders Show did a great job of justifying the use of an audience (feeding a talk show host) and then ditching it for the other side of the show. Seems like most other shows have them just to make sure people know there was a joke. And other shows would even be broken without their laugh tracks now, Married With Children would be surreal, with all the long pauses and entrances, I would actually like to see that

i dont mind the MWC laffs because its actually an audience and they actually react to what's going on, it's not just canned. that show would be even worse without that.

after watching lots of shows without laugh tracks, it's hard to go back. I watch Seinfeld now, and it takes me awhile to get back into it, cause it's so distracting.

It can fuck things up, if you haven't decided whether something is funny but everyone else is laughing it just alienates you. I think Father Ted has a laugh track? It does work for some things.

when i was just a kiddie i used to think the laugh tracks were real, which was really weird because some of the episodes of the Flintstones had a laugh track.

then i saw this episode of star trek at like age 5 or so and it set me straight on canned audiences. who says sci fi can't teach one about the world.

(fun starts at 1 min 30 secs)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAWQJ8ZxCYk&feature=related

  On 6/21/2010 at 7:51 PM, TwiddleBot said:

i remember watching some sitcoms where there'd be like one dude in the laugh track who is louder than all the rest and you'd keep hearing his laugh throughout the entire freakin show, if not the series..

I remember the Brady Bunch was like this. The guy's laugh was very distinct. I want to know about his life now.

  On 6/21/2010 at 7:51 PM, TwiddleBot said:

i remember watching some sitcoms where there'd be like one dude in the laugh track who is louder than all the rest and you'd keep hearing his laugh throughout the entire freakin show, if not the series..

I remember the Brady Bunch was like this. The guy's laugh was very distinct. I want to know about his life now.

  On 6/21/2010 at 7:51 PM, TwiddleBot said:

i remember watching some sitcoms where there'd be like one dude in the laugh track who is louder than all the rest and you'd keep hearing his laugh throughout the entire freakin show, if not the series..

I remember the Brady Bunch was like this. The guy's laugh was very distinct. I want to know about his life now.

  On 6/21/2010 at 10:06 PM, scones to die for said:

I remember the Brady Bunch was like this. The guy's laugh was very distinct. I want to know about his life now.

i remember watching some sitcoms where there'd be like one dude in the laugh track who is louder than all the rest and you'd keep hearing his laugh throughout the entire freakin show, if not the series..

  On 6/21/2010 at 8:18 PM, disparaissant said:

the DVDs for M*A*S*H have the option to turn the laugh track off. it's a much funnier show that way. the laugh tracks just laugh over half the jokes so you don't even notice them.

That is a great option.

I hate laugh tracks, but live studio audiences aren't quite as bad, at least in the case of Mr. Show or Kids in the Hall.

  On 6/21/2010 at 10:01 PM, TwiddleBot said:

when i was just a kiddie i used to think the laugh tracks were real

well, on a few shows, it's not a laugh track, but an actual audience. "cheers", for example.