A Defense of Laugh Tracks

I'm not the one defending it of course. I talk about a certain producer's opinion and defense of laugh tracks. The article in question is a few years old and this video is not intended as an attack, but a rebuttal to an argument that is being made.
Original article: danwarp.blogspot.com/2009/09/l...
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[@Wavorn100]

Not just laugh tracks. The "ooooo" tracks, "awww" tracks, cheer tracks (you know when a character cameo comes on the stage.)

[@dansamborski]

The boo track

[@UltraMarioLegendz]

I hate that track that plays when 2 characters kiss. It happens every time. At one point it doesn't have it's charm anymore.

[@Lauren_210]

Fuller House went overboard with the cheer tracks everytime someone from the original show came up (with the pilot, I can understand since its been over 20 years from when the first show ended to when the second show starts), but after the pilot, there's no need for the cheer when character cameos come up again.

[@AnimatedIdiotGuide]

Honestly it’s not even the fact that they use laugh tracks that bother me, it’s the fact that they use the SAME once again and again and again. You listen to the shows long enough, you’re going to hear them.

[@Dipper723]

Even a live studio audience can be bad. In All in the Family, "Edith's 50th Birthday" Edith is a victim of attempted rape, and some jerks in the audience were laughing.

[@michaelcarter-williamsisth6518]

wow

[@PIEGUYRULZ]

+Dipper723 Wow. It's actually very sad that the show about presenting a bigot as someone who was laughably backwards ended up attracting some like minded folks.

[@JohnReviews]

+Dipper723 Oh really? I don't remember that. That was a great episode though.

[@robbiewalker2831]

+PIEGUYRULZ What's your view on laugh tracks in cartoons?

[@Dipper723]

***** A lot of Hannah Barbera cartoons had laugh tracks, but some DVD or syndication cuts have them removed.

[@TheAlphaJayShow]

This is one of your most interesting videos yet. While I love the reviews you do, it is always nice to see you step back and see the bigger picture with concepts like laugh tracks. I honestly don't care about them because in the shows that I watch not all of the jokes would get a huge laugh out of me. In fact, I often find myself laughing at silent or deadpan reactions than (real or post-production) laugh tracks.

[@varietyhub2948]

@Umbreon hey, it did take him 6 months to reply to NickTendo in twitter

[@tycash99]

The thing that bugs me about laugh tracks would certainly be that they are used way too often. It's almost like you going to watch a play, but everyone was paid to laugh at even the smallest of jokes that most people wouldn't really find funny. It takes away from the show because now it's like, wait...that wasn't funny at all why is everyone laughing? Apart from that I can sorta get over laugh tracks because I tend to tune them out and watch the show I like without really caring about the laugh track. Like Drake and Josh, I love that show, and although it uses laugh tracks I don't seem to mind because I love the show.

[@PIEGUYRULZ]

That's a great analogy.

[@sandiman21]

+tycash99 Perhaps if there was measure of moderation in the how hard they laugh at different jokes, it wouldn't come across as so obnoxious... Perhaps the introduction of a chuckle track is long overdue?

[@sickboy1359]

There are a lot of tween sitcoms I like that have laugh tracks, I don't see it as a problem, I mean, it doesn't makes me laugh, but is also not annoying, I'm just okay with that

[@brettquimby3274]

+tycash99 The only animated show in recent memory that used the laugh track has been Glenn Martin DDS. Even without the laugh track, GM DDS was lousy, but the laugh track made it worse because it was used for jokes that were lame or off-putting and, since it was a modern animated show, viewers knew there was no live audience.

[@sickboy1359]

+Brett Quimby I'm talking about live-action, not cartoons, and damn! Use laugh tracks on cartoons is a terrible idea! I never heard of this cartoon that you mentioned because probably I wasn't even born around the time it aired

[@Genin99]

I watched that episode of Awesomeness TV again and counted that the laugh track was played 287 times.

[@briankentpirrie5228]

+Genin99 i hate laugh tracks!!!!!

[@miatoon]

Damn son! That company must be poor if they think their content is funny. At least other sitcoms know when to put in a laugh track, even if it's a terrible cheesy joke!

[@Mevans_2001]

Damn...

[@Loopyboy447]

Johnny Test doesn’t use the whip sound effect as often as sitcoms do with laugh tracks.

[@knightwing5169]

Saying a multi-camera show can't be made without a laugh track is like saying pop music can't be made without Autotune.

[@arturodejesuscruzcasab9502]

+knight wing Well...it can't.

[@NorbertSD]

+Arturo Casab Sam Smith? Ariana Grande? Lots of pop singers can sing without autotune. Besides, all music has some fine tuning and editing on it in some way, so technically, all music is autotuned.

[@arturodejesuscruzcasab9502]

P0CK3TB00K Sam Smith, yes, Ariana Grande uses autotune. And sound editing is not the same as autotuning, autotuning literally means taking somebody who can't sing and make it seem like he/she can through a computer audio program.

[@obnoxiousoboe]

It depends on what you mean by laugh track. I think some people are mistaking it for the studio audience, not the canned laughter that is being sweetened. Shows like Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family, I Love Lucy, The Cosby Show, Happy Days, and Seinfeld are some of the most popular shows in the history of television that contained a studio audience.

[@mikeymladi9279]

You really roasted pop music and I'm proud of that.

[@avisreviews5471]

Dan Schneider made 9 fake accounts and disliked this video :P

[@user-uk8et5wc8c]

*11

[@avisreviews5471]

At the time of posting the comment it was 9.

[@dtrinitypersonal]

47 :p (Yes I'm joking)

[@lordroy88]

It’s 49

[@varietyhub2948]

51 now

[@GurrenPrime]

My problem is that comedy shows seem to use them as a crutch. It's like they don't think they need to write actually funny jokes as long as they put a laugh track in there. It's about as meaningful as a fart joke.

[@keyboardking777]

Married with Children's studio audience was probably the best I've ever seen. You could hear a few individual members cheering on a specific character.

[@RickJaeger]

It's not the laugh track itself that's so terrible, it's the terrible jokes they're used to paper over. People don't even notice the laugh track when they're actually laughing themselves at a joke. If the comedy's shit, no amount of simulated TV audience interaction's going to help.

[@Freezeflame22]

“So, where are the Rocky Mountains?” “Philadelphia.” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@TheAgentGold]

My favorite moments that involve laugh tracks are the ones where it's undeniable that the audience really is having a good time watching what's happening. I've seen shows where the funny line or moment comes out, and the actors go silent for a minute as roaring laughter is going on. Then watching at home, you get to laugh that much more because the actors continue to react to the moment with quiet gestures and facial expressions until they're ready to keep going with the scene. I specifically remember that Kenan & Kel has some moments where you hear laughter you won't hear on any other show, or audience members unable to stop themselves from saying "Oh, Kel...!" or something like this. THAT show was structured to be like a play more than any other I've seen in a long time (most of the sets look clearly like sets rather than places), and it worked pretty well for what it did. On the flip side, Out of Jimmy's Head might be one of the worse examples I've seen. I remember that when the show was first released, it didn't have any laugh track. When they added one later, I just shook my head and wondered if the show really was doing that badly. A show where cartoon characters are walking around with real people just doesn't make sense to be filmed in front of a real audience, especially when some scenes snap back and forth between the cartoon characters being shown and heard or not being there to show the absurdity of what the main character sees. But the silliest use of laugh tracks I've seen is old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. I'm talking about shows like Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones where a live audience just isn't possible to begin with. If that's not manipulating the audience to relax and enjoy the show more than they would without it, I don't know what is.

[@redshamrock5670]

Aren't we listening to a bunch of dead people laughing? The laugh track was recorded in the 1950's after all.

[@React2Quick]

RedShamrock 56 for the most part yes. Those laughs are from people who are most likely dead currently.

[@ChiruKobra]

There is one show thar's used the laugh track with restraint. "The Simpsons". They used a laugh track exactly once in the entire run of the show.

[@CaptainJZH]

Nice video! I think one thing Dan Schneider misses here is that I Love Lucy and a lot of those sitcoms at that time were filmed LIVE. There was no chance for the creators to add in or edit laughs because in a few hours after airing live on the East Coast, they would have to have it ready to be aired on the West Coast (and due to the nature of film processing in that era, the reels would only be finished seconds before airtime) I think, if they're going to pre-shoot scenes and include laughter, they should show the scenes to an audience and record their reaction. That way, it's still somewhat genuine.

[@thirteenfury]

CaptainJZH I think what's just as amazing is that many of those old shows filmed live also had the same actors doing commercials for their sponsors' products during breaks--while in character! Imagine the pressure of changing sets and possibly costumes for a minute-long segment before going back to filming scenes from an episode without a chance to catch your breath.

[@CaptainJZH]

A lot of TV actors back then had extensive theater experience, so making it like a stage play was a no-brainer. The only difference was that there were cameras.

[@MarshallLeeA]

Watch Max & Shrek or however that show is called… It has a laugh track after every sentence… Example: -Hi! [Laugh track] -Oh, hi! [Laugh track]

[@Loopyboy447]

Marshall Lee If only Shrek was there

[@Rosie-wj9qr]

every time pieguyrulez says "laugh track" play a laugh track in your mind. if you make it through the video, here's a medal that doesnt exist.

[@obnoxiousoboe]

Actually, back in 1965, the producers did a test screening with an audience on the black-and-white pilot episode of Hogan's Heroes, one with the laugh track and one without the laugh track. According to the study, the audience did not find the humor in the version without the laugh track, but the one with the laugh track received a more positive reception, and consequently the laugh track was kept in for the show. It also treated the laugh track as a necessity; that every show needed one or at least somewhat to keep the TV audience entertained. That is why you still heard Charley Douglass' laugh track on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Bob Newhart Show, and Happy Days, because sometimes you can do four or five different takes and the joke will eventually fall flat, and so Douglass was still needed to sweeten the reactions. I, myself, don't mind the laugh track. I am actually intrigued by it. It sort of evokes the feeling of you watching TV without being alone, as opposed to a movie theater where you can eat popcorn with others. And sometimes it is good to have some kind of accompanying reaction with you or else you could get bored to death and doze off. There are some examples, however, where I think having a laugh track would be too much or would present the fake nature of it. For example, compare a Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the 1960s (e.g. Banana Splits, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, or Josie and the Pussycats), where they are at least manufacturing a decent variety of laughter, with a HB cartoon from the 1970s (e.g. Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The New Scooby-Doo Movies) and you will hear a more artificial laugh track of only five to six laughs being played almost repeatedly, thereby ruining the effect. And there are other instances where having a laugh track would be inappropriate to utilize, such as M*A*S*H, which is much more dramatic in nature. But I don't have a problem with the laugh track, because it can make the show funnier. Keep in mind that multi-camera shows back in the 1960s were very expensive to produce (same with broadcasting in color), so they allowed the writers to come up with the silliest ideas to entertain an audience. And to tell you the truth, they are pretty funny with a laugh track present.

[@NotYourAveragePyro]

LOOK! A funny Can! *Laugh Track*

[@YourUncleBenis]

Honestly, if the laugh track MUST exist, I think that they ought to have the episode filmed and edited without it, and then get a REAL audience in to react to it afterwards to keep the laughter consistent throughout. What made the laughs bearable on I love Lucy and Happy Days was the fact that the laughter was genuinely people laughing at the jokes. This, the writing was forced to stand on its own, and it was funny enough for the audience to laugh. If you have the pressure of making your audience laugh without pushing a button, you'll likely put a bit more effort into writing your comedy, which will help the show in the long run.

[@YourUncleBenis]

*thus, dumb autocorrect.

[@PIEGUYRULZ]

+The Framemaster(Ben_ToaofFire) This is really a great point. I'm all for cleaning up audio of laughter and stuff, but as soon as the phony laughs go in, it really ruins any trust that even some laughs are real reactions.

[@BeaverThingify]

+The Framemaster(Ben_ToaofFire) The big bang theory does that actually.

[@hyperdrive282]

Ben_ToaofFire The problem is half the time the show actually isn't funny and if it is it usually won't make me laugh but just a little chuckle. Sure some people would laugh, but I don't know if it would make such a sound that could be used as a laugh track

[@Joe-rz3fd]

This is why I don't watch live action sitcoms. (Hahahahahahahahahaha!) One of the reasons, anyway... (Hahahahahahahahahaha!) The other reason is because their jokes are just plain not funny. (Hahahahahahahahahaha!)

[@LilyRoseTerraharuka]

+Joe4 I agreed. I never like watching live action sitcoms because of it. Plus, it's not my type of tea.

[@nothing601]

JYOOBY JYOOBY JOOOOO! (HAHAHAHAGDHWISJJIFIEJNDJQSJIWANNAKILLMYSELFHSHWJEBRHISJDJSHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH)

[@djmeagaaim17]

+Nathaniel Noel So you do not like any of these shows?

[@dansamborski]

Seinfeld theme plays out of nowhere

[@Smashlander]

Haha get roasted (OOOOOOOOOH)

[@rustedpickle5088]

I tune most laugh tracks out, I forgot a lot of these shows even had laugh tracks [iCarly, Drake and Josh, and the like].

[@ivy7886]

same

[@thisisawsome34253212]

The absolute worst use of a laugh track that I have ever heard of was in Glenn Martin DDS.

[@thisisawsome34253212]

wififan I never watched it but I never wanted too. I heard that outside of the USA the laugh track was completely removed even in the early episodes.

[@Namadu7]

This video should have put laugh tracks after every one of Schneider's sentences. :P "And now we only use one [laugh guy] for all our shows - we think he's the best, by far." *laughter* "Some producers over-use the machine-generated laughs. I do my best to avoid that." *laughter* ...I jest. Honestly, I kind of see where he's coming from, and have some sympathy for him. But good luck implementing laugh tracks that sound genuine and not overdone without consistently great comedy... Heck, good luck implementing them at all, with the general dislike there is for them nowadays.

[@sandiman21]

+Namadu TV, like any other medium, changes through the years, but laugh tracks haven't really evolved beyond how technology makes it easier to insert them or edit them. Public receptiveness of laugh tracks have changed in the last decade or so, so like you said, laugh tracks should change to meet the public's needs, not the other way around.

[@HouriSamatsu]

The only upside of laugh tracks: replacing them with loud orgasm sounds and posting the results on KZbin

[@woodfloor111]

I find the silence that follows most funny lines in comedic shows-such as in Bob's Burgers and Parks and Rec- to often make the joke significantly funnier. The tight editing in those shows (where a joke is made, and the show immediately jumps to another take, not having to pause for a canned laugh track to play out) works in making the comedy fast and surprising. Even if a show like ICarly had the knock-out jokes, the laugh track just bogs down the pacing. Hearing a laugh from you or a friend fill that silence is so much more gratifying than hearing some forty year old man do it

[@minespatch]

My father was just complaining about this as he rewatched his Hogans Heroes dvds. We cringed at the loudness of the laugh track while watching Red Dwarf(even drowning the actor's lines). It was even worse on Love Boat when they played laugh tracks over sad scenes, just what the hell?

[@bored_person]

Now I know that Schneider's Bakery is the actual name of the production company and not just a joke you made.

[@user-lc8rh2vn5x]

Normally saying hello *Laugh Track*

[@MIGHTYMaxBOXING]

Your finally back!

[@Jspider56]

I will say there is a certain subsection of earlier shows were I don't mind the laugh tracks. Home Improvement stounds out to me as working particularly during the Tool Time segments were you see an actual audience. Or the final episode of Charles in Charge were they revealed the whole audience and they sung along with the shows theme. I guess my view is the more you're willing to break form and really show the play like elements the more natural the laugh track will feel. The opening/closings of Kenan and Kel did a good job with this, showing an audience at key points before shifting focus to the story. Having the odd moment or two were the actor tries and can't continue the line due to audience noise actually works in favor of the "live" feeling as well. I totally get your point for modern annoyance though. Most of these shows don't show the audience and otherwise treat everything like you're watching a very produced and edited production and the laugh track feels like a weird lazy intrusion. Better to have your produced show punctuate jokes through cleaver music and sound editing like Malcom in the Middle. Of course that could fail if your jokes are weak which is what alot of modern shows seem to have trouble with.

[@PIEGUYRULZ]

Well said! There certainly is a destination between when an audience is actually present and laughing (and possibly even part of the show in special cases) and that really phony canned stuff they play to death. The trouble is with modern laugh tracks it's getting hard to tell if there are even ANY genuine laughs or even if there was anyone watching to begin with. So it's hard to separate the two types of laughter. I totally agree though, when the audience is a part of it (like in All That) it plays a lot better than a (seemingly) mostly canned one like the modern sitcoms.

[@thezombiecreeper]

I am a fan of a few other 50’s sitcoms that aired during I Love Lucy’s run. (The Abbott and Costello Show, The Honeymooners, etc.) Even I Love Lucy used a laugh track that I noticed was the same a few times. Just a little note or somethin

[@LadyBrightcynder]

I never really consciously noticed laugh tracks before I started watching your videos, but now when I hear them they drive me up the wall. I think a small part of me was thinking, "Oh, this is telling me when to laugh", so I'd laugh regardless of if it was funny or not. Thanks for opening my eyes, or ears in this case :P

[@Nakia11798]

If a show is truly funny, it won't need a laugh track. Like you said, they feel manipulative, and rarely make people laugh anyway. TV is not like sitting in an audience, if I wanted to listen to people laugh at awful jokes, I'd watch tv with my mother. I know what I find funny, and I laugh at it. Tbh, I laugh way more watching Malcolm in the Middle than I ever have watching any Dan Schneider show, because it's actually funny, and not just canned laughs.

[@connorbredall3112]

"Because you can definitely over-laugh a show. I don't want to name names, but some sitcoms are definitely over laughed." *looks at Disney Channel*

[@pippo17173]

I really hate laugh tracks.

[@NarcoBlitzXtra]

+AnimeWolfgamer Me too; I have enochlophobia!

[@NarcoBlitzXtra]

***** Aren't we twinsies?

[@nickytembo4112]

AnimeWolfgamer yeah they are annoying

[@Eltrio2]

You know what might make a laugh track funny? Have it only revolve around ONE character and have it drive them to the point of insanity.

[@summerjonz]

The fourth wall joke in the third episode of Helluva Boss was so hilarious and on-the-nose I thought it needed a laugh track because I laugh every time.

[@FrozenUSA]

First of all I can't believe that Dan Schneider of all people said that some shows use laugh tracks way too much but he uses restraint. Granted this blogpost was written 7 years ago but still. The only show Dan has ever created that did not use a laugh track was Zoey101 and I think that is one of the reasons people really like the show. He used a similar type of comedy in that show as he has done in virtually every other show of his but he didn't cram the jokes down our throats the way he does now. I don't mind a laugh track if it so incredibly obvious that the show was filmed in front of a live audience. There is more emotion coming from a live audience and I love how there is more hooting and hollering and clapping in those kind of laugh tracks. The kind of laugh tracks that Dan and virtually every other kids shows use is so fake it makes me cringe. It sounds like the same group of people making the same oohing and aahing noises over and over again. It is as if the creators of kids shows believe the kids do not laugh EVER and need to be told when something is funny so that they are forced to laugh. As a brief experiment I watched one or two episodes of post Victorious crappier than crappy Dan shows and forced myself to laugh every time the laugh track was heard and not only could I not hear the actors talking, but I couldn't follow the storyline since after every damn line I heard the laugh track played. It is very obvious to tell the difference between really great comedy shows and those that are subpar at their ultimate best. Those that use a live studio audience are way better than those that use canned laughter. I am wondering where the producers are getting their canned laughter from these days. Decades ago, those cheesy shows that were single-camera but used a laugh track used laughter I believe from I Love Lucy and other shows that were filmed around that time. I have known for a long time that if a show says it is single-camera it will NEVER use a laugh track even if it is billed as a comedy. If the show is a multi-camera show it will almost if not always be a comedy show and ALWAYS without fail use a laugh track. The trend these days in adult comedy shows is to steer away from multi-camera programming and go almost exclusively with single-camera shows. I am almost programmed these days to be skeptical to the point of counting the number of episodes before cancellation if a new adult comedy show uses a laugh track. Chuck Lorre seems to be one of the only comedy show creators these days that has a laugh track in his shows and they are considered some of the best comedies of the last 15 or so years. It is hard to pin down many other current or recently ended comedy shows on other networks that were successful at using a laugh track. I hope doing away with laugh tracks altogether is the wave of the future.

[@Genin99]

After I watched Awesomeness TV, I thought that's a perfect example of how laugh tracks can be obnoxious and that laugh tracks are annoying when they're played after something that wasn't funny. The laugh track was played 15 times in the first 3 minutes of the episode I watched.

[@catholiccontriversy]

This is one reason why I REALLY like The Last Man on Earth. It's a very funny series, and it has a very interesting way of not doing laugh tracks (even though I think it might be single camera). When there are funny things, especially from being awkward, the actors will pause, as if to let the audience laugh, and if it isn't funny, it's awkward just like the scene that just played out. Similarly, it will occasionally use it's background music in place of a laugh track for extended funny scenes without much dialogue to say "here laugh with the funny music" but it isn't as overt as "laugh track says you should laugh too."

[@alexanderwaterfield1741]

If South Park had a laugh track than by the end of season 1 the tape recorder would brake

[@halfdemonprince]

1:53 counteracts Dan's argument at 8:38. Despite those shows not having a laugh track, you laugh with the jokes anyway despite not hearing any laughter. It doesn't feel wired or awkward because like PieGuy said the actors don't pause for the laughter, they keep going at a steady pace. I feel that laugh track are a little insulting to the audience because it's like they're telling when us when we should and shouldn't laugh. A comedy should never do that because everyone has their own sense of humor. Sometimes people laugh at scenes that aren't intended to be funny, but they laugh anyway because that's their sense of humor. I respect comedies that don't have laugh tracks more because they're confident in their jokes enough to not need to prompt the audience when to laugh. They also give the viewer more freedom to react however they want to at the certain scenes because an outside force isn't cueing them when to laugh, cry, or clap.

[@jbucktheman]

There are shows that do have a live studio audience but do use laugh tracks occasionally like friends, that 70s show, Seinfeld, and two and a half men. However shows like icarly, Henry danger, Sam and cat, and victorious don’t have a live studio audience and only use laugh tracks

[@BroudbrunMusicMerge]

Very good video! The only thing I have to point out is that many of the "pauses" are when the actual studio audience is laughing. They weren't really written into the script or anything. That being said, comedies have a bit more shine in my eyes when they don't use laugh tracks.

[@NekyaBoo]

I hate laugh tracks too, I think it just makes the joke unfunny. Which is also why I don't watch sitcoms anymore.

[@mozardthebest]

Can we please get another Bottom of the Bakery. Please.

[@evilthorn4416]

4:21 please tell me in not the only one who jumped a bit at the face ._.

[@Peridorito825]

#PieGuyTrollz

[@Ryzer]

I hate the laugh tracks in Henry Danger and The Thundermans.

[@thema1998]

Me too! I still watch those shows but not as often as used to because I HATE the laugh track!

[@React2Quick]

xicarzon yes.

[@justjulian4950]

Yeah. Especially the Thundermans. A character could literally say nothing and a laugh track would play.

[@ShyZShark]

This was funnier than the stupid shows that over use the laugh tracks. Thank you, you started my week off very well.

[@CalebCraft10]

Ah, Malcolm and the Middle. Even if it's ending kinda sucked, it was great while it lasted.

[@rageracerriley9590]

eeyup

[@rageracerriley9590]

watched it since I was little

[@rageracerriley9590]

not even on IFC?

[@CalebCraft10]

+Corrupted Rarity Do you have Netflix? Because the entire series is there.

[@hellsapoppin9326]

1:24 I guess he doesn't like Big Bang theory

[@LenaVieEnRose]

oh he's made that VERY clear that he doesn't in his KCA voting videos...

[@booklover4330]

+Kash Akinsade Yeah he's said he doesn't care for it. (I personally love it, but that's just me). XD

[@DudeWithThePoop]

+Kash Akinsade probably because of the overuse of the laugh track, I like the show but I hate the laugh track. Even if someone makes anything as small as a SLIGHT FACIAL EXPRESSION like Sheldon raising his eyebrows for example, it's worthy of "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SO FUNNY! HE RAISED HIS EYEBROWS AT LEONARD!"

[@technologyproductions-ye3px]

It used to be funny

[@DeadlyAlienInvader]

could you imagine if there were such a thing as scream tracks? Like every time there's a scary scene, or a scene that the movie director thinks is scary, a loud recorded audience scream will be played! Oh wait....they actually do have something similar to that, it's called jump scares. :(

[@josueravena3464]

For me, I don't mind laugh tracks, If the joke is delivered properly, I'd laugh, but if it's not I'll just go meh. Henry Danger is not delivering the joke and the writers are obviously lazy to create something more unique. That's why I prefer Adult Sitcoms now like Two Broke Girls and the Big bang Theory, at least they don't hold back on the adult jokes, Also, Nick and Disney is a kid's network it's fine to squeeze a bit of innuendos but writer's will have to restraint themselves or the network won't allow it. Overall, Laugh tracks, don't mind it all. I you think i's funny, I laugh, i it's not, meh.

[@Subzearo]

+Josue Ravena None of those shows are funny.

[@swissphan18]

Humor is subjective.

[@charliep7112]

Yes Pieguy, you're a genius, all my sitcomes should be on a stage, with the camera always at one angle (top down), with the stage looking theater like, with horrible lighting, photoshoped audience making it harder to see the action, convincing laugh tracks, as well as a low quality sound track, and a baby crying sound throughout the entire sitcom. Let's add effects, such as tomato throwing, lights flickering, and someone in the audience assaulting the performers, and getting kicked out. Now that's a real theater, emursive as it should be.

[@edsandsonicatolympic]

I love the background in this video by the way. I know you made a comment about it on your Twitter.

[@Jansci7G]

Dan Schnieder needs to get off his high horse...a lot of the 60's shows he called out (like Bewitched) were fantasy shows aimed at kids...they could not film them in front of a live audience since most of the jokes were the result of some effect (like Mr. Pie just pointed out here) and would have ruined it for kids.

[@chaosroy2426]

Was I the only one that got The Jungle Book ad in the beginning in Spanish?

[@amandaschmitt5019]

I've grown up watching sitcoms with laugh tracks. It's not something to be proud of, but because of the redundant laughter taking up so much of the show. It's something I've gotten used to, to the point where I find it awkward when a sitcom doesn't have the tracks. I still find it extreamly annoying when there's more laughing than actual dialogue, but I kind of enjoy it in a sense. It brings almost a light hearted feeling to the shows if used correctly.

[@SpeedHomeAttack]

•Guy walks into room with friends -“Hey Guys” HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[@a.delorme4513]

i agree with your view on laugh tracks. its very uncomfortable when youre sitting there and the horrible jokes feel so forced and in-your-face, if that makes sense

[@lonniegabbie]

I didn't know this! Some great info here.

[@SuperGamer61499]

You know PIEGUY even when you disagree with someone's opinion on something you dislike you are calm and mature about it.:) I like that not many Cartoon Reviewers are like that. And honestly i'm sorry if I didn't see this video earlier but I will say you did a fantastic job man as usual.:) I know that it may not matter a lot to you coming from me but I do enjoy your videos a lot man. Honestly i'm not a fan of laugh tracks.:/ To me 99% of the time it feels forced or unnatural to the point that i'm just facepalming at how stupid it can get. I honestly think it's a pointless gimmick to give people a cue when to laugh.(Or what they think their audience will laugh at.) I think a lot of shows would be stronger if they ditched this system IMO. I believe that shows that don't use this end up being stronger when they are trying to make me laugh because then it would be legitimately funny.(Without feeling forced) IDK PIEGUY this may be just me but I don't get why Laugh Tracks need to be a thing in general. But that's just my opinion piece you can disagree if you want but this is the way I feel about Laugh Tracks.

[@michaelsegal7443]

In terms of kids shows sitcoms I would say check out stuck in the middle on the disney channel just cause it doesn't use a laugh track. It basically Disney Channel combining Ned's Declassified with Full House

[@bossrosslp]

Coming this Summer; Dan Schneider's newest hit on teen nick, here with a revolutionary new twist on laughter! Introducing... The Talk Track! Genuinely feel like there's a group of really obnoxious, rude individuals holding a conversation while the show plays! With inductive 5D, where you can really feel the reverberations from the audience throwing popcorn at the figurative 4th wall! Don't miss it for the world!.................. But yeah seriously, can we cut the laugh tracks out yet?

[@spmscout]

I know how pieguy feels, I'm not a fan of the big bang theory myself.

[@savvyboo5493]

Hmm... interesting, simply interesting (old video is old, so as the article, I know that). Very good video.

[@mr.g653]

Because the laugh track is used way too often, it's almost like you go to watch to and they are blatantly telling you you are an idiot and you are wasting you time if you don't get the joke

[@glmathgrant]

One thing I read in defense of laugh tracks is that they allow the jokes to come at a less rapid-fire pace and give you time to laugh before the next joke happens.

[@illsubscribetoanyone9130]

Mr Beans laugh track was on point 👌

[@EXTREMEKIWI115]

I remember when I went to Universal Studios as a child, we went inside of this room where they were recording a live performance. We were the audience meant to create the reactions to the performance. That sounds all fine and dandy, but then there was a flash of light and in big, bold, neon letters, we were directed and told what to feel or how to react. This of course was out of the camera's line of sight. Words like "laugh" "applause" and "gasp" appeared, it was so lame.

[@bearbbb12]

I know you said you weren't big into Zoey 101 cause it is a little girly (I agree) but I do recommend it since it does have no laugh track and has some great humor and charm that a lot of Schneider shows just do not offer along with neds declassified

[@stringmaster034]

yes yes yeeeeeessss he's back

[@Nmonk09]

What about a live studio ostrich? Would that work better?

[@deadlywork]

I think the only time i'd be ok with laugh tracks now is for "stylistic suck" reasons. I used to not mind them at all, but now I just find them kinda obnoxious.

[@theicefairycirno7482]

I've just tuned them out over time. When I really listen to them I see how often they are used, sometimes for ever line of a scene, funny or not. I genuinely feel they would work if they were used, as you said, for the best jokes because since the laugh is normally the same or too similar to all the others, they lose their potential effect and just become white noise.

[@patbuttramssuperfan]

I've never really had a problem when it comes to laugh tracks. But I can see why most people don't like them. Plus, they're over used.

[@TwitchyTopHat1]

You should do more "I'm defense of" episodes haha like playing Devil's advocate

[@duderoth]

Sitting in a live studio audience can be absolute torture,I did one time as a kid and the snobby director kept running the actors through the same line for hours ,and we were supposed to cheer and laugh on que over and over.My family eventually left without seeing it concluded ,a nauseating experience I still remember from decades ago.

[@TinyGuy97]

I remember reading that article a long time ago.

[@rickyrehbein9241]

When I go see plays and the audience laughs it usually is ignored in the favor of watching the actual show. I personally don't mind laugh tracks because they usually go over my head but that just means they go over my head.

[@durece100]

Imagine all live action shows have big, heavy laugh tracks. 99% non-stop laugh tracks.

[@brainstar64]

Well said sir. Who needs the feel when you can just enjoy the show as it is.

[@EWil313]

You know one show that couldn't stopped laugh tracks? That 70's Show. Every episode......every 20 seconds, there is a laugh track to haunt you.

[@AIRJORDAN2387]

Maybe because "That 70's Show" was actually funny unlike Dan Schneider's recent works.

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

0:35 And see, this is why we all admire your vides, PieGuy - even when someone defends something you really hate, you're still calm and mature about it, and you're actually willing to listen to the other person. (Unlike, say, MrEnter or Clay Claymore.)

[@moghraliamneeson]

I personally don't mind laugh tracks. Heck, a lot of my favorite television shows use them. I don't really care whether or not they're used on tv, but that's just me.

[@NJGuy1973]

In Eating The Dinosaur, Chuck Klosterman has an interesting essay on laugh tracks.

[@Templarfreak]

One thing about a live studio audience is that even if it is a real, actually there, live studio audience they can still be payed people that are told to laugh and get payed to laugh at certain points. Even if you actually were to get a live studio audience's laughs for each and every take, that is still no defense because it can still be manipulated and fake.

[@protoluigi2047]

Please do a video about collecting merchandise for your favorite cartoons or a debate about who is the mascot of Cartoon Network because I kind of thought that Finn and Jake are kind of the mascots but it could also be the Powerpuff Girls!

[@Guthixian_]

I'm not sure whether this is true or not as I don't watch the Big Bang theory myself, but I heard that that show had an episode a while ago where they didn't play a single laugh track, and it's not generally seen as one of the worst episodes in the series' history. If you'd like me to back this up with an article, then feel free to ask, your video made me remember that there have been shows that tried to move away from the laugh track and yet fell flat on their face because the audience missed it (I guess?).

[@mychemicaldeath3310]

laugh tracks always annoy me too I hate how they tell me "hey were laughing you should laugh too"

[@nascarfanatic2425]

There are still some shows that record in front of a live studio audience, as they will say so prior to that show. Examples of the most recent ones were True Jackson VP and Hot in Cleveland.

[@tinitunz]

+nascarfanatic2425 Just about all Multi-cams film in front of a live studio audience. Just because they don't say it doesn't mean they don't. They have live tapings all the time in Hollywood.

[@nascarfanatic2425]

tinitunz I'm not saying all of the shows that have a live audience say so prior to it, but you'll definitely know the ones that do are; unless they're lying to you. Which, wouldn't surprise me.

[@hyperdrive282]

The thing about laugh tracks is that it really depends on the show. If they use the right laugh tracks, it really helps and it sounds well, but when they use it for every little minor joke, it gets too annoying. One show that used the laugh track well was Good Luck Charlie. It had very good jokes and even the small jokes were funny enough that I didn't mind a laugh track, and it wasn't overused. Plus, like the article says, the show did have an actual audience. Sometimes the show had bloopers at the end of an episode and one of them basically revealed that there was at least a small group of people there watching it live. So basically, some shows do it right while some do it way way wrong. The thing is, I hate when shows DONT use them. I don't watch many shows that don't use them; but the ones I've seen I usually hate because they have the same awkward humor as the laugh track shows, but it's hard to tell when to laugh and when to not! Plus the episode can get very quite, I feel like it needs more background noise, but maybe that's me being nitpick. I do like one show without laugh tracks, Malcolm in the Middle. It's VERY funny and I've seen nearly every episode! The thing is, they at least have music every once and a while and music stings at awkward moments to add to the silliness. But some shows are completely quite, and really drag the show down for me

[@scottd4306]

One example of using the laugh track tway too much was in CN’S short lived tv show out of jimmy’s head that was a spin off of reanimated made for tv The laugh track similar to guy falls down or gets hurt they play the Wilhelm Scream

[@brycesonflowers8758]

The only good usage of a Laugh Track that I seen and like is in the VeggieTales Theme Song. Because it is the only way we Larry can hear laughter and is enough for the viewer to believe Larry is getting laughed at.

[@DarkBonesDaku]

As you said, way more people view TV shows than actual live plays. Consequently, it makes sense that they would want to bring the "play experience" to more people by putting elements of that experience in a TV show. Again though, obviously the only way you can fully recreate the experience is to go to a live play, or watch a literal recording of one, so it's not a flawless argument.

[@Mariokemon]

i thought Schider's Bakery was your idea

[@bored_person]

Nope. It's apparently the actual name of the production company.

[@BronyDanProductions]

The longest running sitcom in the world 'Last of the Summer Wine' had a unique way of working with a laugh track. Their interior were shot in front of a live audience, but because the majority of the show was shot out on location, they would edit the finished episode together, and show the finished episode to a live audience and then record the laughter from that.

[@alorabeam5641]

It's pretty clear that Schneider's Bakery shows use the same laugh track though.....I always hear that weird "Hee Hee Hoo" like every second or third laugh...and since there's no variation, you can tell it's a recording.

[@LvLupXD]

The point about it being like watching theater is a bit weird, since I don't really know anyone that thinks of watching a sitcom like going to watch a play. There is sort of a sense of omniscience that T.V. provides that you don't really get in theater and puts you into a different head-space.