Comments on: Boiling Point: Can Canned Laughter

By: Jkljlkjsf

Jkljlkjsf — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:44:13 +0000

the big bang theory has the shittiest usage of laugh tracks. so fucking annoying. its just like WE KNOW WHEN THE HELL TO LAUGH

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 19 May 2010 03:17:30 +0000

I hate it so much! Especially when they laugh at EVERYTHING, even when its not even close to funny! I think they use it mostly to distract people from how not funny the show is

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:45:00 +0000

The majority of laughter on Seinfeld was live studio audience. The only laugh tracks used were the “on location”/outside scenes.

By: thatguy

thatguy — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:30:46 +0000

the canned laughter used in "the big bang theory" is just horrible, every time someone opens their mouths or makes the slightest gesture, the extremely obtrusive track is played, i can hardly watch the shows because of it, it just pissed me off and really made me feel like hitting something.

person: Hello (looks at other person)
CANNED LAUGHTER HAHAHALOLOLOLOLROFLROFLOHGODHOWFUNNY
other person: why hello there (looks back)
OMFGTHATISSOHILARIOUSLOLOLOLOLOLMAOROFLROFLROFL
person: want some toast? (gestures to toaster)
HOLYSHITHESAIDTOASTWHATTHEHELLOLOLOLOL

that is basically how the show goes. Don't get me wrong, the show does have its funny moments, but the laughter gets so annoying that it actually drowns out some of the dialog and that annoys me.

how i met your mother gets away with it because the canned laughter is no where near as obtrusive, and the parts that it is used on are genuinely funny.

By: Donotuseeharmony

Donotuseeharmony — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:03:41 +0000

I personally detest any kind of laugh track. I don't need to be “told” when something is funny and more than 90% of the time those stupid fake laughs are used the very thing that they're supposedly laughing at wasn't funny at all! I've abandoned all shows that have producers whom are so insecure with their own abilities to make people laugh that the necessity is present to add in spots of laughter. Please!! I am an absolutely huge fan of Scrubs and I am so very glad
that Bill Lawrence didn't destroy that show with canned laughter. I really don't like many sitcoms anyway due to the extremely unrealistic plots, characters, and situations so if I get a bunch of fake laughter thrown at me I immediately change the channel or just turn off the TV completely. Laugh tracks ruin shows, not make them better and especially don't enhance the parts that are supposedly funny.

By: Anupam

Anupam — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:10:03 +0000

Was attempting to watch "Big Bang Theory" today.

Felt like breaking things after five minutes of unnecessary laugh track.

I find it bizzarre aswel how my only response to a laugh track is of an anger that I fail to represent anywhere else on a regular basis.

The thought of "Scrubs" with a laugh track makes me want to cry/die/kill.

By: Anupam

Anupam — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:10:00 +0000

Was attempting to watch "Big Bang Theory" today.

Felt like breaking things after five minutes of unnecessary laugh track.

I find it bizzarre aswel how my only response to a laugh track is of an anger that I fail to represent anywhere else on a regular basis.

The thought of "Scrubs" with a laugh track makes me want to cry/die/kill.

By: RobertFure

RobertFure — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:25:28 +0000

A few friends and I came to that conclusion just the other day – Seinfeld is overrated. I used to watch it, now I couldn't care less.

By: RobertFure

RobertFure — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:25:00 +0000

A few friends and I came to that conclusion just the other day – Seinfeld is overrated. I used to watch it, now I couldn't care less.

By: flameyheadgear

flameyheadgear — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:58:46 +0000

I know some decent shows that use them, but I detest being told what to find amusing. It was different when I was a kid, when TV was a lot more innocent and a laugh track either set the tone of what you were watching or settled into it .

But the best shows were still filmed in front of a live studio audience ('All in the Family', 'The Jeffersons', 'Sanford and Son', etc.). They were smart, the audience laughed in all the right places (studio cues aside), and they aren't in syndication to this very day for nothing. I miss 'The Carol Burnett Show'. I watched that when I was really little (4 or 5) and I love(d) Harvey Korman.

Aside: I watched 'Seinfeld' the odd time when it was on, but I don't find it funny now. At all. Anyone else try to watch it now and just find it doesn't hold up for you?

By: flameyheadgear

flameyheadgear — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:58:00 +0000

Aside: I watched 'Seinfeld' the odd time when it was on, but I don't find it funny now. At all. Anyone else try to watch it now and just find it doesn't hold up for you?

By: Joshi

Joshi — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:44:21 +0000

Very true. I still think How I Met your Mother and a couple of other shows that have canned laugh tracks are quality shows and I won't let the presence of canned laughter push me away from them. To be honest, I've grown up with them so I hardly notice them anymore. Yes, by and large, comedy shows without them tend to be better than those with them, and TV could do with getting rid of them, but I don't think that means that ALL shows with a laugh track are bad.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:44:00 +0000

By: RobertFure

RobertFure — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:16:22 +0000

Any show that sends an audio signal of someone laughing somewhere, for whatever reason, is doing a disservice to the show. Even if a show is filmed in front of a live audience (which increasingly few are), I don't see why you would keep or highlight the laughter. Just let the show be.

By: RobertFure

RobertFure — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:16:00 +0000

By: curt

curt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:58:38 +0000

thank you mr. fure. fuck the laugh track. i will not watch shows that have it

By: curt

curt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:58:00 +0000

thank you mr. fure. fuck the laugh track. i will not watch shows that have it

By: bcarter3

bcarter3 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:32:49 +0000

Yeah, the laugh track on "The Wire" used to bug the hell out of me….

By: bcarter3

bcarter3 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:32:00 +0000

Yeah, the laugh track on "The Wire" used to bug the hell out of me….

By: Joshi

Joshi — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:34:53 +0000

According to Wikipedia, they don't technically use a laugh track, but instead, film the episodes and then play it in front of an audience to get the laughter. Bit of a long way to go for something that isn't really needed since HIMYM is quite funny, but I think laugh tracks go hand in hand with any sitcom with four cameras and a stage-like set. Pretty much all the shows that don't have laugh tracks are filmed a lot like a movie or generic TV show's are filmed.