Commanding a laugh: cue or crutch?
By Abhinaya Kasagani— akasagani@ucdavis.edu
The laugh track sits itself down beside you on the couch, right as you are in the middle of shoveling popcorn into your mouth. You want the laugh track to be like watching television with you. You want the laugh track to like being your friend. The laugh track laughs, so you join in. It’s never really that funny, but maybe it is and the joke is simply lost on you. Follow their lead and you’ll learn what is funny with time.
The presence of the laugh track has long been a source of controversy. What was once a fixture of national television now raises questions regarding its use: Is this tactic a comforting cue for one to follow or is it an outdated crutch that deters the viewer from truly laughing? No consensus has yet been reached regarding whether the laugh track has been retired to television history or if it still has a role in modern comedy.
The laugh track, first introduced in the ‘50s, quickly became a staple of the American sitcom. Initially meant to simulate the presence of a live audience, radio and television producers used it to enhance the communal experience of television viewing. The laughter was real, filmed in front of live studio audiences.
While it dates back to ‘50s classics like “I Love Lucy” (1951), the laugh track managed to secure itself a home nearly 20 years later, with “The Brady Bunch” (1969). By then, television production had shifted to a pre-recorded and manufactured response designed to replicate a live studio audience.
Laugh tracks were deeply embedded in sitcom culture — for instance, “M*A*S*H” relied heavily on “sweetening” techniques, which referred to using pre-recorded material to enhance the existing audio. Some argued that this effectively reinforced punchlines, and others believed it relied on external validation for a joke to be funny. What was once welcome became intrusive.
By the early 2000s, the ways in which people consumed media evolved. The shifting comedic sensibilities of the time rendered earlier jokes less funny and traditional methods began to pale in comparison. Sitcoms like “The Office,” “Arrested Development,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” embraced awkward silence, facial expressions and naturalist dialogue to more implicitly convey humor.
Some argue that the laugh track aided shows that failed to produce truly funny material — by deviating from the comedic norm, these shows proved that they were more immersive on their own and that their material was able to speak for itself. What one understands now is that since comedy is subjective, the idea of being told when to laugh can be grating. For many viewers, laugh tracks are not only reductive but outright patronizing, leaving the viewer feeling more exhausted than engaged.
Most shows today have abandoned laugh tracks altogether, but they haven’t disappeared from the zeitgeist entirely. Shows like “Friends” and “Seinfeld” are lauded for their quippy dialogue and remain some of the most rewatched sitcoms of all time. The format still holds nostalgic value. Multi-camera sitcoms have thrived with laugh tracks just as much as mockumentaries have without them.
Psychologists have concluded that this is because people tend to laugh more within group settings. Since television is mostly watched alone, this can help substitute that communal experience. If leveraged wisely, the format of the laugh track does wonders for comedic timing. It makes you really laugh, and not simply because you are told to.
When it comes down to the question of whether or not the laugh track is a welcome addition or a distraction from the premise of the show, who can really say? Most critics reason that laugh tracks are coercive, deceptive and make audiences passive. Others suggest that perhaps audiences were never so easily humored. Sometimes, a synchronous laugh, despite not being very highbrow, can be warm and familiar. Laughter is contagious, after all.
Besides, the evolution of the laugh track mirrors the evolution of comedy itself. What worked then occasionally fails now. What once dominated sitcoms can sit in the corner — or next to you on your couch — and simply wait its turn. The future of the laugh track is undetermined, but it might still have a place in television’s extensive comedic landscape.
So, I sit down next to my laugh track and sometimes tell it that it is distracting me. Sometimes, I thank it for being reassuring. Sometimes, I ask it to leave so I can have my own thoughts for once. This friendship is a beautiful thing.
Written by: Abhinaya Kasagani— akasagani@ucdavis.edu
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