Prompt Cast
The History and Impact of Laugh Tracks in Sitcoms
TLDR Laugh tracks, also known as canned laughter, have been used in sitcoms for over 70 years to enhance comedic timing and make jokes funnier. Despite initial criticism, laugh tracks have become a staple in the genre, although some shows like Seinfeld and The Office have chosen to break away from this tradition.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Laugh tracks, also known as canned laughter, have been used in sitcoms for over 70 years to augment or replace the laughter of live studio audiences.
02:40
The laugh track, or canned laughter, was first used in 1950 on a show called Chuck the Hank McEwen show, and the creator, Charlie Douglas, meticulously crafted over 320 different types of laughs for his laugh box machine.
05:10
Laugh tracks were used in shows like Scooby-Doo to add laughter to scenes where the animated characters were not performing live in front of a studio audience.
07:33
Laugh tracks were initially disliked by most people, and the inventor of the laugh box, Charlie Douglas, became reclusive due to the criticism, but he still made a lot of money from it.
10:14
Laugh tracks were initially used in shows filmed in front of studio audiences, but even shows like MASH that weren't filmed in front of an audience still had laugh tracks, and the use of laugh tracks was solidified when a focus group chose the laugh track version of Hogan's Heroes.
12:44
Laugh tracks are used because studies have shown that people find things funnier when other people are laughing, making them 15 to 20 percent funnier, and shows like Seinfeld and The Office broke the mold by not using laugh tracks, which can make sitcoms without them feel disjointed and less funny.
15:15
Laugh tracks can drastically change the perception of humor in TV shows, as demonstrated by the removal of the laugh track in a scene from Friends, which made it seem creepy and unfunny, and adding a laugh track to non-comedic content can also create humor.
Categories:
Society & Culture
