Laugh Track

Whether we like them or not laugh tracks are an important part of TV history. Its something so familiar that sometimes it becomes unnoticeable and of course some shows had real studio audiences laughing (or those were the ones recorded for the laugh track)
I recently saw this segment about a laugh track machine on “Antiques Roadshow”

Watch the full episode. See more Antiques Roadshow.

You can read the transcript on the PBS website if the embedded video does not work
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/201001A13.html
I love how when the appraiser talks about the shows the laughs were recorded from he says 1953 up to “Cheers” its great how he mentions the specific show instead of just giving another date in the 80s or 90s when “Cheers” was on. The other thing about laugh tracks is when they were not used after learning I liked “MASH” someone asked me something about episodes that did not have the laugh track. I said they did not use it during scenes in the operating room and some episodes take place entirely in that room. Other episodes omitted the laugh track because they were dealing with serious subject matter. Of course the lack of canned laughter does not mean there were no jokes it was just up to the people at home to decide how funny they were. I think that’s what people don’t like about the laugh track they don’t want someone else to tell them what they should think is funny. In that sense its not really different from any other aspect of television the writers producers and advertisers all tell us what we should think is entertaining and of course if no one watches it a show will get bad ratings and be canceled but hype can compensate for lack of quality and lead to a show having more success then it deserves or just give it a chance to find itself and earn the laughter for real.


"Antiques Roadshow" side note the show premiered in England in 1977 so how ling before something that was new when the show started is old enough to be considered an antique featured on the show.