# History of the laugh track **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693 "2025-12-14T20:32:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/21 "2025-12-15T17:17:34Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > “I Love Lucy” was filmed before a studio audience Perhaps the first multi-camera setup TV show. Lucille Ball was a pioneer in a lot of elements of sitcoms. If some new, I dunno, Panaflex camera came out, she’d get it. I haven’t seen the show in 30+ years so I don’t know how dated it would be. I reckon it would still stand up, though it fell into the formula of lucy-wants-to-perform-at-the-cabana. The Honeymooners is still good, also multi-camera, even though there are only 39 episodes plus a few bits on the Jackie Gleason show. “Sweeteners” have been around as long. If the stars or guys in the booth do not think a joke got sufficient laughter the soundtrack can be made sweeter. I did not know it (laugh track) was still used for real, rather than ironically (I recall a Simpsons with a laugh track that was perhaps eidetic). Not a great element for the soundtrack. If Hawkeye (MASH) makes a pun at Frank Burns’ expense, or Arthur Carlson (WKRP) declares, “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!” it ought not need laugh track accompaniment. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/22 "2025-12-15T19:20:46Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > In the Book “Cu;t TV” Sorry: **Cult** TV, by John Javna. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/23 "2025-12-15T20:05:16Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > There’s a big difference between a mechanically created laugh track and the laughter from a live studio audience. But nowadays they are commonly confused. I’d never seen an episode of Big Bang Theory, but friends persuaded me to give it a try and I watched Season One on DVD a few months ago. There were a lot of things to like but I was distracted and put off by the laugh track which was conspicuously fake and ridiculously overused. Imagine my surprise when I learned it was always live audiences. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/24 "2025-12-15T20:23:37Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > There were a lot of things to like but I was distracted and put off by the laugh track which was conspicuously fake and ridiculously overused. Here ya go: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0N4AoEywpko/hqdefault.jpg "WATCH: ‘The Big Bang Theory’ With More Laughter Added In") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N4AoEywpko) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2025, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/25 "2025-12-15T21:45:12Z")
In addition to laughter from a laugh track and from a live audience there is a middle ground which is showing the filmed/taped episode to an audience and recording their response to what they are watching. I believe this was the method used by _Monty Python’s Flying Circus_. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/26 "2025-12-16T00:14:43Z")
I watched a video about A Charlie Brown Christmas the other day. It bucked the trend - Charles Schultz said no laugh track. NBC pushed back - Schultz got his way. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/27 "2025-12-16T01:02:04Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Charles Schultz said no laugh track. NBC pushed back - Schultz got his way. Nitpick: it was CBS. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/28 "2025-12-16T07:38:20Z")
There was a recent Omnibus podcast episode that covers this topic at length. Very interesting! (Too bad Ken Jennings is no longer hosting the show since he’s too busy with Jeopardy.) > **[Laugh Tracks (Entry 704.EC0202)](https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/laugh-tracks-entry-704-ec0202/id1318335827?i=1000729739232&l=en-GB)** > > Podcast Episode · Omnibus · 02/10/2025 · 1h 31m ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/29 "2025-12-16T19:18:49Z")
So there have been episodes with laugh track? Any idea how many? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/30 "2025-12-16T19:48:33Z")
I remember reading an article about “The Cosby Show” in _ **TV Guide** _ back in the ‘80s. Each episode was filmed (or taped) twice before two different live audiences, and then compared to see if the jokes all worked. If one flopped in the first showing, it was rewritten and tried again (or simply omitted) in the second. Conversely, if one in the first version worked better than in the second, the two were switched. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/31 "2025-12-16T20:05:27Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > So there have been episodes with laugh track? Any idea how many? That’s just isolating the “audience” out of the audio track. While The Big Bang Theory was filmed in front of a live audience, that doesn’t mean their laughter is spontaneous or organic. Those audiences are coached and encouraged to laugh, and the audio track of their laughter can be sweetened in the final edit. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/32 "2025-12-16T23:03:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > That’s just isolating the “audience” out of the audio track. > > While The Big Bang Theory was filmed in front of a live audience, that doesn’t mean their laughter is spontaneous or organic. Those audiences are coached and encouraged to laugh, and the audio track of their laughter can be sweetened in the final edit. Got it. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/33 "2025-12-17T02:31:27Z")
I didn’t watch much of other Chuck Lorre’s shows, yet they were known for using the laugh track/sweetening. Every damm thing someone said was either a straight-man setup for a joke, or a joke itself. And hi-lar-i-ous. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693/34 "2025-12-17T02:41:34Z")
Classic example from Lorre’s pre-BBT show _Cybill_ at 1:28 here. Who laughs like that, anyway? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GChl1pbX4Rg/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHeAoAChgKKAgwIABABGDUgZShHMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDa9pQdnl-sxCT3Hx3WyGUn97QvVA "DR DICK'S WEDDING ON CYBILL PART 3") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GChl1pbX4Rg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-the-laugh-track/1025693.md?page=1)