Laugh tracks are very simple and can be over looked when watching older sitcoms. They have a great affect on the audience whether they realize it or not. The outburst of laughter instructs the audience on how to respond in addition to jokes. We are supposed to laugh when a character makes a embarrassing or even an insulting joke. Laugh tracks strongly shape how viewers interpret shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhpu3GdlV3w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rzY_yxi_Ak
When laughter follows a moment, it signals that the comment isn’t meant to be taken seriously, making even harsh insults or awkward situations feel harmless. Certain scenes could feel stressful or just wrong without laugh tracks. This eventually has an affect on peoples social interactions when in a public setting, or even in their day to day relationships.
Laugh tracks have completely disappeared in modern shows today. They instead use silence in shows like The Office, and the way they use that silence is very important. The moment will linger forcing the viewer to sit with discomfort and for them to determine how they feel. It changes the power dynamic, so instead of being told what to laugh at and what not to it makes the audience think. Awkwardness is now known as the message and that it will not be something that will be smoothed over causing that silence to be funny. Laughing tracks are not always bad. They create a shared experience for the viewer, but the problem comes when laughter is used to excuse harmful behavior that shuts down the viewers critical thinking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXKTWbCmJVw
Question for discussion:
- How does a scene feel different when theres no laugh track?
- Are there jokes you've laughed at that feel uncomfortable once you think about them?
- Do you prefer being guided by laughter or deciding for yourself whats funny?
I liked your idea here. It's really hard to notice a laugh track, until its missing or pointed out to you. Then it's glaring. I think their is room for both. But as you mentioned Office as an example of a non-laugh-track sitcom it got me thinking. Writers and produders can cover up a mulittude of sins using a laugh track. But when you have skilled, clever writers and good producers. The should be less need for a laugh track at all, evidenced by the award winning "The Office".
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