Laugh Tracks, Distilled
Laugh Tracks, Distilled
why the beloved laugh track disappeared from modern TV
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 34 seconds
What we’re pouring (poring) over: Laugh tracks
Why did the classic laugh track disappear from modern comedy shows?
Why is this a cool topic? Laugh tracks are such a recognizable part of TV history that we’re used to hearing a recorded audience laughing along with us when we watch classic sitcoms like Seinfeld. But watch modern comedy like The Office and you’ll notice most shows don’t actually use them anymore.
The Office, Parks and Rec, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Silicon Valley and Schitt’s Creek all ditched the laugh track, and all of these shows are deeply funny and smart on a level that laugh-tracked shows like Friends just never got to. It’s not a coincidence. I blame the laugh track!
What to know about laugh tracks: Laugh tracks started with good intentions: to help home viewers feel like they’re in a theater laughing along with a crowd.
Before radio and TV, people were used to experiencing comedy at a live show. Early TV shows recreated this setting using a live studio audience, and then recorded the audience reactions to help viewers at home feel like they’re part of the audience.
The first laugh track started with Bing Crosby’s radio show, which ran from 1949–1952. The first TV show to use a laugh track was the sitcom The Hank McCune Show in 1950. It worked so well that producers felt like they couldn’t do a comedy show without laugh tracks, and it became part of the post-production process to edit in audience reactions. For a while, this was the standard and it made sense.
The problem: Network executives started forcing the laugh track even when writers were ready to move on, and it took years for shows to finally leave laugh tracks behind. The issue is that laugh tracks aren’t just helpful background noise: they actually impact the structure and quality of comedy show writing in real ways.
A few reasons why:
1) Laugh tracks force bad jokes. When a live studio audience isn’t engaged or doesn’t find a joke funny, producers could just add a laugh track to make it seem like it was hilarious instead of rewriting the scene — a practice called “sweetening.”
That’s why you hear the “audience” laughing way too often at things that really aren’t that LOL-funny. Character opens door. Hahahahahaha. Character says one line. Hahahahaha. Character puts object on table. Hahahahahahaha.
Laugh tracks also create “dead space” between lines, as writers started building in time for the laugh track. So shows with laugh tracks have fewer jokes.
Big Bang Theory is one of the last modern shows to use a laugh track. But even then, the showrunner insists he never adds fake laughs for jokes that don’t get laughs from the live audience.
2) Laugh tracks ruin the vibe. Sitcoms used to be primarily set in people’s living rooms, so it made sense to make the audience feel like we’re part of the action from our couches.
But today it’s not enough to be on our couch. We want to be more immersed in the show’s setting. Comedy shows have evolved to take place in more sophisticated settings, with more dramatic undertones. This is especially true of darker settings like Shameless, Orange Is the New Black and White Lotus — laugh tracks would have jolted us right out of the atmosphere.
3) Laugh tracks emphasize one-off punch lines instead of storytelling. After ditching the laugh track, show writers got away from the one-off punch lines and gags, and developed more of the character-based, slow-burn comedy that we know and love today.
We love The Office because it relies on our knowledge of the character’s personality instead of cheap jokes. Dwight’s antics are funny because it’s Dwight. We love Modern Family and The Middle because we’ve gotten to know each of the family members and their quirks.
What to do now with this information: We’ve come a long way from the TV of the 50s, and we don’t enjoy cheesy laugh-out-loud punch lines the way we used to. We’re in a new age of comedy, and it’s better off without the canned laughter.
To bask in the absence of a fake audience, watch any of the shows I’ve mentioned thus far in this newsletter. And send me your recommendations! I hear Hacks on HBO is good.
I’ll leave you with a scene from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (a great show that does not use laugh tracks):
Go to the source:
Why Sitcoms Stopped Using Laugh Tracks - Cheddar Explains (Cheddar; video)
Where does canned laughter come from – and where did it go? (BBC)
‘Friends’ With No Laugh Track Is Incredibly Creepy (HuffPost)
Hop take
This week’s recommended beverage pairing
Mr. Sandman, River North Brewery
A few weeks ago I went to a Rotating Tap comedy show, which is a stand-up show that tours new breweries each week. The show I saw was at River North Brewery (the Blake Street taproom) and the beers were as fun as the stand-up! I tried the Mr. Sandman, an American Imperial Stout with coffee, chocolate, vanilla and caramel. It was strong but exactly what I needed to be a good audience.
Open Tabs
Other random things I have on my reading list this week
Lego says it will work to rid its toys of harmful gender bias (NPR): Did I mention how much I love LEGO? This week the company announced the results of a survey that found “76% of parents said they’d encourage their sons to play with Legos, but just 24% would recommend Legos to their daughters.” This sounds like a parenting problem and not necessarily Lego’s, but props to the company for continuing to push for creative play for everyone.
True Crime Is Rotting Our Brains (Gawker): “We look for a way to live without fear of dying, a way to outwit danger, but all we’ve done is make ourselves more paranoid and allowed the Investigation Discovery channel to run more than 70 shows with titles like Murder is Forever.”
How I hacked ALL displays in my high school district to play Rick Astley (The Next Web): An enterprising hacker used his talents for good and rickrolled the entire school district. I love it.
Closing Out
Happy Monday! I’m on coffee #3. Will regret this around 2pm.
Cheers,
Alex
On tap for next week: I have about ten different things drafted for my next Distilled edition so I have no idea yet. The next edition will be a surprise!