Laugh Tracks: The Evolution of Humor

For the record, none of this should be taken as actual fact, but rather just one of my many pop-culture theories. I am sure I could spend time researching the history of the laugh track, but instead I skimmed a Wikipedia article on it, found that I generally didn't find what I wanted to find, and now I'm forging ahead with my own opinions.

In my mind, laugh tracks on Sit-Coms should have been officially buried on May 6, 2004. That's when the last episode of Friends aired. Friends gets grandfathered in simply because when it started in 1994, most comedy shows had a laugh track.

The last time laugh tracks were acceptable, people dressed like this.

Growing up with Full House and Family Matters, laugh tracks taught me how to get jokes. In fact, most shows for children have canned laughter because kids need to be taught when to laugh at words. So much comedy for kids is physical comedy, so they are visually cued to laugh, but when shows rely primarily on dialogue, some jokes might be beyond the development of a kid's brain. Laugh tracks help them know...hey, this is funny, enjoy it. And if you have or know any kids then you've probably had them excitedly repeat jokes from TV shows to you. They are proud to get the joke and they want to share it. That laugh track was probably vital to their understanding it. SO...before I go totally off on laugh tracks, please know that I recognize they have their place.

But prime time comedies are not that place.

The laugh track tells us she's funny, not obnoxious.

It used to be that in order to be culturally informed, you had to watch hours of news, or Entertainment Tonight, listen to the radio, or read newspapers and magazines. But now you just have to have a Twitter, a Facebook feed, or a nearby teenager. Getting the headlines is so easy. In fact they come at us fast and furiously, but rarely is there a need to actually read or explore a topic. In other words, it's not hard to get the culturally relevant jokes that show up in our comedies these days. For example: I didn't watch the VP debate a few weeks ago, but I know that Biden laughed in a cocky way and that Ryan didn't really go into detail with his answers. I knew this from what I saw on Facebook. So when SNL did a spoof of the debate last week, I felt fully informed and got the jokes. It's a shallow existence that allows us to know very little about A LOT of topics and still come across generally informed. Which is horrible for having an educated point of view or being able to discuss any given topic of importance...but is GREAT for our TV watching.

The only show I like as of right now that has a laugh track is Two Broke Girls. Which by the way, is a really great show even with the enhanced laughter. Think of shows like 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Community, Parks and Rec, The Office, and even Cougar Town, The Middle, and Modern Family. None of these shows have laugh tracks even though they cover very different types of characters and plots. I like to think of this as more educated TV, or at least TV that gives a little credit to their viewers. These shows know that we don't need the laugh track anymore. But even these shows don't escape giving us clues that they want us to laugh at something. The laughter has been replaced by little musical trills, documentary style glances at the camera, or flashbacks in some cases.

Did I do that funny thing causing mechanical laughter to ring through the sound stage?

There are petitions to get the laugh tracks removed from shows like The Big Bang theory, which carries an interesting mixture of audience. The jokes are often sophisticated and scientific in nature, so the audience with those leanings doesn't need the cue. But the audience that watches a group of socially awkward nerds interact and likes the easy funny flow of the show,  doesn't mind the track. It will be interesting to see if a show ever attempts to transition between the two. Because truthfully, laugh tracks are more than just about making an audience laugh, they are there for transitions and comedic timing too. Adding one or taking one away would mean changing the filming style, the writing, and the acting. For proof of this check out 30 Rock's live shows where there is audience laughter as opposed to their week to week rhythm. It's a noticeable difference in the way they do things.

Now I've equated education with no laugh tracks and said that I like shows with no laugh tracks. I realize that I might come across as a snob with that kind of reasoning. In order to prevent that assumption, I would like to point you to exhibit A: my blog two days ago where I confess to watching over 20 hours of TV weekly, as well as exhibit B: my post last month where I defend Honey Boo Boo. We all have our vices. I happen to hate laugh tracks, but when Ramona gets drunk on Real Housewives of New York, I cannot look away! Believe me, I know I am no better than anyone else...laugh track or not!

Maybe this isn't something you notice, but I challenge you to watch your favorite comedies this week and pay attention to the things that make you laugh. Was there a pause in dialog? Was there a laugh track? Was there some other cue? Do you watch any shows with laugh tracks? Do you watch any without? What's your general feeling about canned or enhanced laughter? Or do you have an actual life and haven't bothered to put any time into thinking at all about such things....

It's The Final Countdown: How To Leave 'Em Wanting More

One summer a friend of mine and I were working at a camp together. We were given the task to entertain a group of children for an hour. We only had a parachute. She pulled the parachute out began to play with the children. They loved it! But about 30 minutes in, she packed up the parachute and had them play tag, followed by hide and go seek. I was confused. That parachute would have easily entertained them for the entire hour. When I asked her about it later she said something I'd heard a million times, but never really seen in action: "Always leave 'em wanting more!" By quitting at the height of their enjoyment, she could always return with the parachute, it would always entertain them, it would always be successful.

Most fun ever.

It should be that way with television. Each season, we cross our fingers and wait to see if our love for characters, humor, and drama have translated into enough ratings and money to secure a place in next year's line up. This year, the news I was the most anxious to hear revolved around 30 Rock, Parenthood, SMASH (don't judge me) American Horror Story, and Community. All were renewed, even if some of those renewals had conditions such as: Community without Dan Harmon, rumors of entirely new story lines/characters in American Horror Story, and a final season for 30 Rock. I can live with that...just bring them back, I'm not ready to lose them yet!


Listen, no one wants to see their favorite shows cancelled. My cousin and I were the only ones in the world watching Best Friends Forever, and we both understand why it's gone, but are we happy about it? No. Because it speaks to some part of us. We all have our attachment issues, and breaking up is hard to do. But there's one thing that's worse that missing your favorite show....and that's watching it be totally ruined.

I miss them!

There are 2 kinds of show endings. The first is that the creators of the show decide it's time to cut it off. The second is that the network isn't making enough money and decides to cut it off. The most common is the second kind, because the truth is that people don't know when to put the "parachute" away. One notable exception to this is my personal favorite TV show in the history of TV, Six Feet Under. I will fight you to the death about the perfection of Six Feet Under. And here's the amazing thing, it only went 5 seasons. Because creator, Alan Ball, came to the network and said that he felt that the show had run it's course. Yeah, you heard me. He fired himself. But he did it because what he was creating with Six Feet Under was about making good TV. Not about staying on the air as long as possible!


The problem with TV today (wow, I sound old, uptight, and like I know everything. I'm not old.) is that somehow the networks and creators haven't caught onto the fact that for the most part, the generation they are dealing with these days wants authenticity, cleverness, and a sense of purpose. We want it in our own lives, and we want it in the TV characters' lives. And so when a show like ER ends with an entirely different cast than where it started, it doesn't feel real! That's not how we live our lives! It feels desperate and grasping and like this is really all about a paycheck.

Who are these people?

Don't get me wrong, I KNOW it's all about a paycheck, but I don't want to be reminded that it's all about a paycheck. I want to see a story arc come to completion, run it's course. I want to see characters evolve as they face hardship (even if that hardship is a bit too dramatic at times) and come out on the other side. I want to relate to them. And if it's a comedy, I want the inside jokes and one liners that started the show to end with it. Friends was great at this. The characters were strong, they evolved, we literally watched them grow up on TV, and before it was too silly or over the top or they took too many trips out of the country or used too many green screens, it ended. And we still love it today.

Perfect Timing.

But some of our favorites are in danger of going too long. It's time for a few of those shows that we love to consider saying goodbye. Now, don't get upset with me as I name your favorite show for cancellation material, but remember the parachute story. Don't you want to be able to miss it and watch it again without thinking of how boring it got in the end? We are talking quality here, not quantity. I suggest the following shows should go 1 more season and end, securing their places on pedestals instead of falling into the category of "Yeah, I used to watch it before..."

Community-I know. It hasn't been on long enough. But it's been on the chopping block since its inception.  And now, without Dan Harmon, I have my doubts. My friend Amy suggested that the 3 part finale of this season could have served as a great series closer. I agree. But it didn't go quite like that. And so if for some reason, Community actually manages to survive next year, I don't think that it should survive another year after that. Plus, it's community college. They have to leave at some point. And don't even THINK about bringing in new characters.

The Office-Please go away. Not only is it depressing seeing Jim and Pam all married with kids and not nearly as adorable as they once were (a writing issue, not a life situation issue), but Michael Scott was the heart of the show. To try to continue it without him has left me trying to remember why that red headed lady from Florida is in Michael's office and why Andy is acting like a fool. I would be okay to never see James Spader again (the same way I felt about him after seeing The Secretary), and even Dwight's antics can't revive this show. Please, just let it die. Write an ending. Shut Dunder Mifflin Down. Let Dwight and Jim be co-managers. ANYTHING. Just...enough. It hurts to watch.

When it's all over, I vote for a cooking show with Dexter as the host. Specialty: Breakfast.

Dexter-It's finally happened. Deb has finally seen the real Dexter. So, next season it's Deb vs. Dexter. We've always known it had to be this way. But it really has to end this way, and it has to end this season. Deb could go down in history in the Miami Metro Police Department if she turns him in. Is Dexter cold-hearted enough to go after Deb? Can they talk through it? Can Dexter explain and justify his reasons for killing? Will Deb let Dexter go, or will she pull a Sound of Music whistle blow on him and send him running for the hills? If none of the above happen, then we are looking at either the death of Deb, or incest, neither of which we want to see. Kill it off before it's squirming, please.


30 Rock-You know my love for this show, and I've already read that next season is the last. I'm glad. The show has always been a little exaggerated, but within regards to the revolving door of characters, it's been tamed to the love interests of Jack or Liz. This season, bringing on a new page, Hazel, just about killed me. The actress herself drives me crazy, but she doesn't work in the cast. We love Kenneth. But we love him for the role he plays, which is not the protagonist. Liz is the protagonist (though Jack would argue that). The page storyline just gets us off focus from where we really want to be. Tracy, Jenna, Liz, and Jack. So, please. Let Jack call Nancy Donovan (Julianne Moore) and rekindle with her happily in Boston, let Kenneth rise to Jack's position as the new executive, and for the love of God give Liz her baby with her current adorable boyfriend, while she is still happily working on TGS. Let her finally, have it all. 

Grey's Anatomy-You know I love it, but it's time to go. I want to see the characters land. They are grown up doctors now, with grown up relationships. It's time to tie up the loose ends. If Arizona is gonna die, let Mark and Callie live happily ever after. Meredith and Derek have a child now, we want to see them be responsible enough to stay together and raise her after they fought so hard for her. Yang and Hunt are going to get back together and pour themselves into that hospital. Let Bailey have her man. And Alex. Sigh...Alex. Just don't bring in a new batch of residents and get some ER thing going. I don't want this show to be unrecognizable in 5 years. 

Speaking of always leave 'em wanting more...I cannot WAIT!

What shows do you want to see cancelled before they go bad?