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Honestly a great article. So often any "article" about the laugh track just throws "it's dumb" at the wall and rants. This article is more clear. It's a style of media. Maybe it's an older style. Maybe it's changing. If it goes away, that's fine. If it sticks around, that's fine too.
Certainly the more prestige television has moved away from it, and maybe that will continue, but it still has its place.
Exactly. People have levied the same complaints about musicals, yet we don’t see videos floating around of musicals without music. Both are genres that aren’t trying to be entirely realistic.
I’m personally kind of over laugh track shows simply because they feel performative. I’d rather watch a comedy that has a plot than watch comedy built like stand-up: with a setup, punchline, and then pause for audience response. It’s why so many of them have catchphrases like “Did I do that?” “Bazinga!” and “We were on a break!” It’s fine if others enjoy different setups for the same joke, but I’d personally rather be more immersed in the show than constantly be reminded I’m supposed to laugh.
"Realistic" is also a treacherous term.
Cutting between two closeups of people talking is not realistic. Jumping in time to the next morning is not realistic. Being able to see the conversations between people in their private homes is unrealistic. All tv is extremely stylized, we're just familiar with the style.
The studio laughter (or canned laughter) still adds something. I'm not a fan of any multi cam sitcoms since Seinfeld ended, but as the article mentioned, it still does something for shows like SNL.
COVID showed that some variety type shows normally filmed before an audience still benefit from having an audience. John Oliver's show without laughter seemed weird. Some standup comics have played around with the genre without an audience, and it's really interesting.
So I'm with this article. It's a legitimate style of show that uses the laughter.
Good article and tbh I've always been neutral on the laugh track. I get that it's not popular but it is part of an absurd genre that's delightful for its absurdity