The lights are on
You might have seen this a while ago, but it's just been brought to my attention, and I'm wondering what everyone thinks about this. Have you seen the clip of the Big Bang Theory, TV's #1 show about nerdy Americans, without its laugh track? Check it out:
That was less funny and more awkward. So I ask you guys are these shows actually funny? Or is the audience just led like a flock of sheep to laugh when the laugh track chimes in? And for that matter, is no-laugh track comedy shows the wave of the future??
...in the shower.
To be fair, Big Bang Theory isn't funny even with a laugh track.
Honestly, I laughed more than I would've with the laugh track, just because it was so incredibly awkward.
A lot of these types of shows were originally all taped in front of live audiences, which would laugh during the taping. the canned laughter concept was drawn up possibly in an effort to cut costs, avoid liability suits or something.
Despite that, the taped shows are still screened in front of audiences so that they know when to start and stop the laughter on television. In my opinion, laugh tracks are an homage to the golden days of television where live audiences were prevalent. It isn't a necessary part of television, but you have to admit, it's laughable in its own right.
Laugh tracks are a vestige that should be discarded. Curb Your Enthusiasm, the best show on television, has been laugh-track free since it began 9 years ago. 30 Rock, The Office, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, etc... don't need laugh tracks to be funny. I find laugh tracks to be intrusive at best and immersion-breaking when they want to stress something as being funny but I disagree with it. They're only funny anymore when used in a parodical fashion to make fun of them.
Honestly, I can't think of a single show that I watch regularly with a laugh track. Pretty much any time I see a show with one it's usually some sitcom that plays the same old jokes I've heard all my life.
The only show I watch, probably ever watched, with a laugh track is How I Met Your Mother. It's actually funny, but the laugh track not only gets annoying at times, it doesn't even play at a few of the funnier moments. That's the only show I can watch where the laugh track doesn't make me want to turn the channel.
There's plenty of shows I loved that had live audiences and/or laugh tracks, and I didn't feel that they detracted from the experience. Then again, I'm like 300 years old and get lonely easily without hearing human laughter every 15 seconds, so I'm a bad example of modern thinking. Stupid "talkies"...
Got it, bro?
Seinfeld was the only show that ever seemed to get the laughter right in my mind.
As for Big Bang Thoery, I've never found it funny.
That 70's Show also seemed to have a real good auidence.
"You're annoying and you cry about everything, like sending a message to someone on game informer whining about it."
<3
that's what we call awkward humor, something rampant in "the office" that was great though, lately kids networks have been using the laugh track as a kind of excuse for not being funny, if a kid hears people laughing at the joke the kid'll think it's good, it's Nick and Disney's way of brainwashing our children (or younger brothers)
"If you really loved me you'd all kill yourselves right now" -Spider Jerusalem
Vigrid: Laugh tracks are a vestige that should be discarded. Curb Your Enthusiasm, the best show on television, has been laugh-track free since it began 9 years ago. 30 Rock, The Office, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, etc... don't need laugh tracks to be funny. I find laugh tracks to be intrusive at best and immersion-breaking when they want to stress something as being funny but I disagree with it. They're only funny anymore when used in a parodical fashion to make fun of them.
you forgot arrested development
Seinfeld and That 70's Show are my favorite laugh track shows, and Two and a Half Men is 'okay', but this is actually very interesting. Maybe laugh tracks are just used to make people think something's funny when it really isn't, because let's face it, The Big Bang Theory isn't all that funny to begin with.
Also, I second the "The Office, 30 Rock, Sunny in Philadelphia, and Arrested Development are funny even without laugh tracks" thing. You know what, maybe laugh tracks are the only reason why Disney Channel is able to spawn so many s***ty sitcoms.
Enigma's Blog
I'd also like to add Modern Family to that list of good shows without the audience.
But another thing I noticed was watching a similar clip from Friends without the laugh track. We all know that that show is actually filmed in front of a studio audience, but some guy found it necessary to take out the audience laughter. But the clip he used, it seemed fine even without the audience. I'm thinking that was because in Friends (I watched it when I was younger, EVERYONE DID!) the characters don't have such long pauses. They flow better.
Just food for thought.
The Big Bang Theroy sucks really bad. I don't know how it stays on TV.
it's at least chuckle, if not giggle worthy, wouldn't you say? I don't watch it but bits and pieces I've seen have been alright, after all few shows can claim to have a scene in which a character threatens Wil Wheaton in Klingon (I don't watch it, that was just the clip in the link they had on penny arcade, because wil was wearing a fruit ****er shirt, if you're not a fan of PA you won't understand any of this)