I was watching The Big Bang Theory today, and boy do they sure like their laugh track, they like it so much they use it between every two lines.

It was some thing like this:

Sheldon: "I forsee no large upcoming expenditures, unless they develop an affordable technology to fuse my skeleton with adamantium like Wolverine."

(Audience begins to laugh as one. The torrent of sound that ensues is near-deafening and all-encompassing. Several audience members fall to their knees in a vain attempt to regain their compsure)

Penny: "Are they working on that?"

(An extreme hush falls across the captive listeners. A few nervous giggles before all voices are extinguished, and faces are lit in delight and anticipation of the ultimate punchline.)

Sheldon: "I sincerely hope so."

(6 people die instantly. A shockwave with the force of 10 Hiroshima bombings erupts from the studio, causing billions of dollars worth of damage. The surviving audience members begin urinating and vomiting on each other, all while laughing uncontrollably from the funniest joke ever told. The turds arrive. Thousands of turds, each one seemingly larger than the last, all of which slowly seeps into the eyes and nasal cavities of the hysterical audience. Their lungs are permeated completely with their own turds. They hang lax, spirits unbroken, yet defeated by the poop. They will never be the same.)

That was probably a little harsh but just watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg4s2-zRAT4 I also by no means made this to bash on The Big Bang Theory, it's just a perfect example. What do you all think, laugh track or no laugh track? Seriously why do they need to tell us when to laugh?

Well, I laughed at your post.

1) To make the show seem funnier than it is.
2) To fill time, as the video you linked shows.

You are too stupid to know when to laugh and must be told when to, or at least that is what many producers and directors think.

Laugh tracks are stupid and my father and I talked about this not too long ago. The one comedy show here in Canada that didn't have a laugh track is Corner Gas and I was soooo glad they didn't add one. I wish they would completely do away with the stupid laugh track. In Allo Allo, I think it was, the laugh track is so loud it gets annoying but the show is so hilarious you put up with the silly noise.

It makes things funnier. We're conditioned to find humor in things that others laugh at.

Then it's not making thing funnier. It's fooling you.

I play a laugh track after I post.

Good thing forums don't have those stupid laugh tracks..

HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHA

I gotta go now and look at my friend's computer...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA

No kidding.

They exist solely for the purpose of making sure that people like me never watch their show.

I saw the title of this thread and the first show that popped into my head for nauseating use of laugh tracks was the Big Bang Theory.

Aye. I enjoy the show, but it would be so much better without the canned laughing. Even if it was replaced with real audience laughter, it would be a huge improvement. Canned laughter always sounds so fake.


Edit: Oh, wow, according to Wikipedia TBBT doesn't use Laugh Tracks but actual audience laughter. What are they doing? Pumping the room with Joker gas?

The OP needs to be changed since laugh tracks aren't used on TBBT

No. I like it too much. :wink_smile:

They could have "laugh" and "silent" signs or something. Watching that scene linked in the OP made me chuckle a couple times and I'm a nerdy dude. A whole audience exploding into roaring laughter at some of those jokes just seems ridiculous.
Definitely one of the funniest OPs I've read in a while.

I love when the actors all pause awkwardly after saying something funny to allow the laugh track to finish.

All comedy is based on the exploitation of human psychology. You never choose to find something funny, something is just there, and if it's funny, you're amused. "Time flies like a arrow; fruit flies like a banana" is funny because we're conditioned to laugh to defuse embarrassing situations, and some deep part of your brain thinks that someone else might have noticed that you misread the second part of that sentence. Sure it's a trick, but its also funny.

Anyway, so long as its not leading me to danger, I have no problem with being tricked into thinking something's funny (or otherwise enjoyable).

I didn't laugh at that. But I did notice the fruit fly pun before I noticed the joke itself.

I didn't even notice Big Bang Theory had a laugh track...

Not all jokes work on all people.

Well, technically speaking TBBT doesn't have a laugh track, as a live audience laughs (no matter how coerced the laughter is) but if you're being serious :blink:

Do they have people holding signs that say 'laugh'?

And once again, the mute button to the rescue! :lmao:

I find it stupid most of the time too, though i have found some comedies wihtout canned laughing a bit difficult at times. "Wait, was that a joke? Should i laugh?" :hehe:

This might be true...I have no idea when I should laugh when watching Big Bang Theory. :teehee:

I don't notice laugh tracks...