No laugh tracks. From the man himself: http://www.chucklorre.com/index-bbt.php?p=282
But I do agree the laughter is overbearing sometimes. Luckily I can usually ignore it and appreciate the show.
I’ve only seen one episode of BBT, but this clip of a scene with the laugh track (or audience laughter, whichever it is) removed sorta reinforces my opinion of the show - not funny and kinda creepy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_iEY9pSHT0
shudder
That is an unfair clip, because pauses are kept in where they are waiting for the laughter to subside, while in a single camera sitcom they edit it down tighter. Plus the subject matter of the clip is creepy in itself, which isn’t fair.
BBT is the type of show designed on a series of one liners. Without the laugh track, it would sound kind of weird. Its very important for BBT to fill in audience gaps, because a lot viewers may not get the jokes. That’s why simple repeated themes like the door knocking generate bigger laughs than Schrodinger’s cat gags.