Laugh tracks
I’ve often thought about this, but lastnight, I watched an episode of Amen, and really focused on the laugh tracks. It was not performed for a live audience. I think shows from the 80s and 90s just had a database of laughter they edited for each episode.
Is that an insult to our sense of humor? Has it been a panel of suits on sitcoms that has conditioned us to think we need to laugh…or a crescendo of oooooooooaah when there’s a kiss. Or an awwwww when Michelle is left out of Stephanie’s game with friends. Or a series of catcalls when AC Slater does a funky dance to Buddy Bands.
I actually felt pressure as a child to laugh when I watched the Flintstones because I thought maybe I wasn’t getting something and I needed to compensate.
The thought of all this makes me laugh as I even type this. Next time you catch an old sitcom, just listen…. it’s oddly familiar.
3 years ago • 0 notes