Why are US series obsessed with canned laughter?
- Thread starter Ricochet J
- Start date
Friends was, as is Big Bang Theory (as already stated).
Amusing people are getting angry yet they don't actually know what they're getting angry about.
Isn't that pretty much the whole purpose of the internet??
A lot of the time it isn't canned laughter. Most shows are filmed in front of a live studio audience.
I was studying the sitcom in uni recently, and I'll probably take it on to my honours year too. The laughter is left in for a number of reasons. This post is probably gonna be TL;DR but oh well.
The sitcom was originally created for a way to bring vaudeville or music hall programs from the radio to the TV. These variety acts were put on the air because it was a familiar form of comedy that people identified with in the early days of television. Indeed, sketch shows with canned laughter still follow the same rough idea, but by and large the sitcom was created by US TV networks to give popular vaudeville acts of the era a place on TV in common formats and regular timeslots.
The sitcom then evolved as a compromise between the theatrical underpinning of the vaudeville show and the constrictions that TV and radio created for it. In the early 50s the first sitcom was created, resolving a lot of the tension between both mediums.
The Jack Benny Show is widely regarded as being the first network TV show to strike a balance between the vaudeville traditions of old, dispensing with the sketch show nature of vaudeville, and injecting the first real display of narrative comedy on screen by using regular characters and settings. It's considered the first sitcom. It aired in the 50s. The only change to the format is that most sitcoms now use a three camera setup. Everything else is literally identical.
Unlike vaudeville, the sitcom has a repeatable narrative but much like the early sitcoms, some of the more popular “safe” sitcoms of the present era are still of the same format. The studio audience is there to not only give sitcoms the theatrical feel of old, but also to pose as the literal fourth wall keeping them both engaged in the action but also distanced from it.
It may seem obvious but it's worth stating just for context's sake: for comedy to work effectively in any medium one must be able to identify with what’s going on but also be at a distance from it so we can see the joke at the performer’s expense. The laughter track provides this whilst also giving the series a sort of "communal" feel; as if you really are watching as part of an audience.
The theater vibe is compounded in a number of ways – actors enter from the wings, never from behind the camera, they perform their own routines in a comedic fashion much like you would see in a variety performance, the audience react to every beat, sets are lit from the rafters etc.
All of this is classed as the "traditional sitcom". Since The Office came on the scene more and more shows have used what is called "genre hybridity" in order to provide us with series' which fuse the sitcom with other types of television show. In the case of The Office, it's part sitcom part docusoap.
I'd like to say that the traditional sitcom is dying out but it isn't. The traditional sitcom is regarded by most TV networks as being safe and lowest common denominator stuff, and with good reason too because it's so easy to watch, challenges nothing and has one dimensional characters that we don't have to invest anything in for longer than 22 minutes per episode. Any character development is reset at the end of the episode as the status quo is restored.
So that's why you have your laughter track left in; it has always been there, it has always been a staple of the sitcom as both a psychological agent and as a barrier between the actors and the audience.
I was studying the sitcom in uni recently, and I'll probably take it on to my honours year too. The laughter is left in for a number of reasons. This post is probably gonna be TL;DR but oh well.
The sitcom was originally created for a way to bring vaudeville or music hall programs from the radio to the TV. These variety acts were put on the air because it was a familiar form of comedy that people identified with in the early days of television. Indeed, sketch shows with canned laughter still follow the same rough idea, but by and large the sitcom was created by US TV networks to give popular vaudeville acts of the era a place on TV in common formats and regular timeslots.
The sitcom then evolved as a compromise between the theatrical underpinning of the vaudeville show and the constrictions that TV and radio created for it. In the early 50s the first sitcom was created, resolving a lot of the tension between both mediums.
The Jack Benny Show is widely regarded as being the first network TV show to strike a balance between the vaudeville traditions of old, dispensing with the sketch show nature of vaudeville, and injecting the first real display of narrative comedy on screen by using regular characters and settings. It's considered the first sitcom. It aired in the 50s. The only change to the format is that most sitcoms now use a three camera setup. Everything else is literally identical.
Unlike vaudeville, the sitcom has a repeatable narrative but much like the early sitcoms, some of the more popular “safe” sitcoms of the present era are still of the same format. The studio audience is there to not only give sitcoms the theatrical feel of old, but also to pose as the literal fourth wall keeping them both engaged in the action but also distanced from it.
It may seem obvious but it's worth stating just for context's sake: for comedy to work effectively in any medium one must be able to identify with what’s going on but also be at a distance from it so we can see the joke at the performer’s expense. The laughter track provides this whilst also giving the series a sort of "communal" feel; as if you really are watching as part of an audience.
The theater vibe is compounded in a number of ways – actors enter from the wings, never from behind the camera, they perform their own routines in a comedic fashion much like you would see in a variety performance, the audience react to every beat, sets are lit from the rafters etc.
All of this is classed as the "traditional sitcom". Since The Office came on the scene more and more shows have used what is called "genre hybridity" in order to provide us with series' which fuse the sitcom with other types of television show. In the case of The Office, it's part sitcom part docusoap.
I'd like to say that the traditional sitcom is dying out but it isn't. The traditional sitcom is regarded by most TV networks as being safe and lowest common denominator stuff, and with good reason too because it's so easy to watch, challenges nothing and has one dimensional characters that we don't have to invest anything in for longer than 22 minutes per episode. Any character development is reset at the end of the episode as the status quo is restored.
So that's why you have your laughter track left in; it has always been there, it has always been a staple of the sitcom as both a psychological agent and as a barrier between the actors and the audience.
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Soldato
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Because it's funny. Duh.
I think the traditional sitcom is dying. Look at "workoholics", those guys started as a youtube channel. They filmed the sitcom in their actual house for the 1st season. Now it's a proper sitcom on TV. No canned laughter on it either.
Once googleTV and the like starts to happen for real, when people get FTTP, basically anyone could produce their own sitcom and there's a decent chance it will be better than what a corporate production company could manufacture.
They are really going to miss the boat on this one just like the music industry did.
Once googleTV and the like starts to happen for real, when people get FTTP, basically anyone could produce their own sitcom and there's a decent chance it will be better than what a corporate production company could manufacture.
They are really going to miss the boat on this one just like the music industry did.
Here's something I saw recently, the comedian Lousi CK released his last show all by himself. He charged $5 and you can download it from his website and he said he has 3 or 4 IT guys running everything for him. No copy protection or anything. He made a million $ pretty quick.
http://nofilmschool.com/2011/12/louis-cks-self-distributed-standup-video/
http://nofilmschool.com/2011/12/louis-cks-self-distributed-standup-video/
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I saw a documentary on The Big Bang Theory and they were surprised so many people thought it was canned laughter since it is actually a live audience. I also thought it was canned before I saw that.
Are you sure the laughter isn't topped up with canned laughter? I myself just assumed it was canned laughter. Either that or they are holding up boards telling people when to fake laugh.
Either way I hate canned laughter when I stop and listen to it, but with the Big bang theory I don't really pay much attention to it. I notice more how hot penny was in series one and how fast she is going downhill
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Its hard, but you have to tune your brain to block it. But to be honest, a lot of british comedies do it too.
Soldato
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OFAH had it too, Not needed though.
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Also think how it's filmed.
The ones with canned laughter are in sets where camera angles are pretty much fixed from 2 or 3 angles at most, think Friends' set with the apartments. You never see it from a different angle.
Now look at New Girl, and you see the whole set from all angles, it is shot and re shot the same scene and edited together, like a movie. It also has lots of outdoor scenes as well.
With a canned laugther track, they could if they wanted, put the show in front of a live studio audience like Seinfeld did, I think Cheers did too.
I thought Big Bang Theory was canned laughter because, who would laugh at those 'jokes'?
It amazes me that people will sit and watch it, not laugh once but keep watching the next episode. At least Friends had some good moments and is watchable.
It amazes me that people will sit and watch it, not laugh once but keep watching the next episode. At least Friends had some good moments and is watchable.
Most if not all 3 camera sitcoms are filmed in front of a live studio audience. As I said in my previous post.
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Was enduring some rubbish american 'comedy' my missus watches the other day and found a trick to put her off watching it was to tell her that the laughter was canned, channel changed within 2 minutes 
The big bang theory is quite funny.
Depends what is meant by canned laughter.
Some things are filmed in front of studio audiences, but due to time restrictions have the laughter adjusted in the edit. Normally just trimming for timing purposes.
Or, filmed on a closed set and then showing the resultant shows to an audience and recording the laughter and using that.
Or, filmed on a closed set and then having an artificial track added after
???
All bar Series 7 and the BtE specials were filmed in front of studio audiences.
Series 7 was shown to audiences once recorded and the laughter recorded and used for the broadcast.
Some things are filmed in front of studio audiences, but due to time restrictions have the laughter adjusted in the edit. Normally just trimming for timing purposes.
Or, filmed on a closed set and then showing the resultant shows to an audience and recording the laughter and using that.
Or, filmed on a closed set and then having an artificial track added after
???
All bar Series 7 and the BtE specials were filmed in front of studio audiences.
Series 7 was shown to audiences once recorded and the laughter recorded and used for the broadcast.