No one likes being told what to do. As soon as we can choose for ourselves, humans thrive on the sense of agency to wear what we want, eat what we want, say what we want and do what we want. And that includes laughing.
So why did so many television shows include a laugh track, telling us when to laugh at something? Was it an attempt to manipulate us? Or perhaps the jokes weren’t funny enough to conjure up a genuine guffaw. The Big Bang Theory was the last show to incorporate a laugh track and that ended in 2019. So with laugh tracks pretty much dead now, what caused producers to kick the canned laughter? You mean they have to rely on clever scriptwriting, innovative directing and engaging actors?!
Could the laugh track be dead forever?
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Laugh Tracks: Why?
03:30 Loathe It or Love It
06:09 The Invention of the LAFF Box
08:49 Laugh Boy Art
13:52 The Rise and Fall of the Laugh Track
15:44 Shows That Used Fake Laughter
19:44 Laugh Track: An Evil Innovation
23:01 Why Did The Laughing Stop?
30:34 Is It All That Bad?
31:57 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show
SOURCES:
- RIP canned laughter, the most evil innovation in TV history
- The Hollywood Sphinx and his Laff Box
- The Laugh Track: Loathe It or Love It
- The Most Hated Sound on Television
- The Real Reason TV Sitcoms Stopped Using Laugh Tracks
- This Sitcom’s Cancelation Signals The Death Of A 70-Year-Old Sitcom Trend
- 20 Funniest Sitcoms With Laugh Tracks
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!