Laugh tracks have been around since the early 1950s and it’s all thanks to one (reviled) sound engineer who invented them. But as much as people like to hate laugh tracks most shows wouldn’t be at all funny without them.
AI Summary
# Summary
This episode explores the fascinating history of laugh tracks in television, starting with how CBS sound engineer Charlie Douglas invented the "laugh box" in 1950 to solve the problem of unpredictable live studio audience reactions. Douglas created a mechanical device loaded with 320 different types of recorded laughs that could be played like an instrument during shows, becoming the sole source of canned laughter for decades until he eventually became wealthy from his invention. The hosts discuss how laugh tracks were initially derided as phony and artificial, yet studies show they make content 15-20% funnier to audiences, and they explore how the trend eventually fell out of favor with the rise of cringe comedies like The Office that couldn't work with artificial laughter, plus they have fun describing what classic sitcoms like Friends sound like when you remove the laugh track entirely.
"It's hard to imagine something like either version of the office or Arrested Development or 30 Rock or Curb Your Enthusiasm with a laugh track. — Chuck mentions 30 Rock as an example of a modern comedy where laugh tracks would seem strange."
— Chuck
Arrested Development
2003
★ 7.9
"It's hard to imagine something like either version of the office or Arrested Development or 30 Rock or Curb Your Enthusiasm with a laugh track. — Chuck uses Arrested Development as an example of a modern comedy where laugh tracks would be inappropriate."
— Chuck
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000
★ 8.0
"It's hard to imagine something like either version of the office or Arrested Development or 30 Rock or Curb Your Enthusiasm with a laugh track. — Chuck uses Curb Your Enthusiasm as an example of a comedy that would not work with laugh tracks."
— Chuck
"They've notably done this on YouTube with episodes of Friends and Clips of Friends. — Josh mentions Friends as a popular show where fans have created versions without laugh tracks on YouTube."
— Josh
Hogan's Heroes
1965
★ 7.5
"I saw that almost went away as early as the mid 60s that some CBS studio executives tested the pilot of Hogan's heroes with a laugh track — Josh describes a focus group test of Hogan's Heroes that compared versions with and without laugh tracks, proving laugh tracks' effectiveness."
— Josh
M*A*S*H
1970
1h 56m
★ 7.0
"The ones that are weird are the shows like MASH that were not filmed in front of a studio audience. — Josh uses M*A*S*H as an example of a show without a live studio audience that still used laugh tracks."
— Josh
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
1969
★ 7.8
"That was really used to great effect in Scooby-Doo, if you think back, like there was very often times where just one person was kind of like — Josh mentions Scooby-Doo as an example of an animated show that used laugh tracks effectively, particularly the single-person laugh."
— Josh
"So if you think back, even Seinfeld, Chuck, one of the funniest shows of all time had a laugh track and this was into the 90s — Josh uses Seinfeld as an example of a highly successful sitcom from the 90s that still used laugh tracks."
— Josh
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
1994
TV-PG
★ 7.8
"And like way before Space Ghost Coast to Coast, I don't know if it was the same Friends of ours, Dave Willis, who did this too — Josh references Space Ghost Coast to Coast as an example of a show where laugh tracks were added to create comedy."
— Josh
The Flintstones
1960
★ 7.4
"We talked about the Flintstones. I believe that will be coming up in part two of the sitcoms app. — Chuck references The Flintstones as an animated sitcom that used laugh tracks despite not having a live audience."
— Chuck
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
1981
TV-PG
★ 8.0
"I think the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in the UK really broke out and said, we're not going to use this — Josh mentions The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as a UK show that rejected laugh tracks."
— Josh
"But Flintstones and the Jetsons, they have laugh tracks too, which doesn't make any sense at all. — Chuck discusses The Jetsons as another animated sitcom that used laugh tracks despite being animated with no live audience."
— Chuck
"It wasn't until the office came along and just changed comedy. The comedy involved was presented and written in a way that a laugh track just would not make sense — Josh credits The Office with changing how comedy was presented and making laugh tracks inappropriate for the style."
— Josh
"The Simpsons managed to launch without one. They never had a laugh track. — Josh mentions The Simpsons as a show that broke from the tradition of using laugh tracks."
— Josh
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