Laugh Tracks: No Laughing Matter

I don't care for laugh tracks. The origins, however, are completely understandable. Classic sitcoms like I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners were filmed in front of a live studio audience and they recorded the laughs in attempt to simulate the communal viewing experience for the family watching at home. It was a simpler time, when TV was new and producers were doing whatever they could to make audiences comfortable to a strange way of seeing new stories. Remember, it wasn't that long ago that movie-goers freaked out when seeing an oncoming train headed straight for them, or people believed that Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast was actually happening. And it worked for many years, with shows like Seinfeld, Full House and The IT Crowd proving that you can amplify the recorded laughs and still be funny.

But I also see it as lazy and controlling, telling me when to laugh because I'm too dumb or tired to bother paying attention to the story and characters. It also completely wrecks comic timing, making actors awkwardly stall while the audience goes crazy when a good joke lands or a surprise guest star shows up. Can you imagine the rapid-joke machine Arrested Development pausing while GOB mucks up a magic trick or Tobias prat-falling?

I had the “pleasure” of seeing a taping of an episode of According to Jim when I spent time in Los Angeles, and I learned a few tricks that the producers use to recreate the hysterical belly laughs. First, they have a solid stand-up comedian warm up those funny bones working. And then before the show starts, they tell everybody to laugh extra hard so the strategically placed microphones can pick up every giggle and guffaw. Finally, they do multiple takes of each scene, so if something's not working, they have the writers on-stage to tinker the jokes. So while nothing is genuine in television, there's something inauthentic about multi-camera sitcoms that just rubs me the wrong way. If you want to just relax and not think, watch Two and a Half Men. But for those who enjoy engaging with their comedy, go for the single-camera sitcoms, both for their visual versatility and respect for the viewer.