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[Dead Man]

This is a weird statement to me. Seinfeld, for example, had almost no ad-libbing, it was tightly scripted, and Larry David often would tell the audience to tone down the applause at Kramer's entrance because it threw off the timing. In fact most of what I view as classic sitcoms weren't ad-libbed.

Kids these days...

 

[dejay]

This is a weird statement to me. Seinfeld, for example, had almost no ad-libbing, it was tightly scripted, and Larry David often would tell the audience to tone down the applause at Kramer's entrance because it threw off the timing. In fact most of what I view as classic sitcoms weren't ad-libbed.

There was quite a bit of ad-libbing in Seinfeld, although not the drawn out stuff I was talking about.

 

[RobotNinjaHornets]

There was quite a bit of ad-libbing in Seinfeld, although not the drawn out stuff I was talking about.

And you want to be my latex salesman...

 

[Chuckie]

It was better than Full House, Step by Step and Married with Children though.

Wait...what the fuck. Did you just mention Married with Children in the same sentence as those shitty abominations Full House and Step by Step???

Go stand in the corner.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Even the ones filmed in front of a live audience, have many sequences not shot live and used canned laugher, even back in the day.

 

[Meier]

The live 30 Rock episode was brilliant.

 

[aceface]

UK Coupling was a great show filmed in front of a studio audience. Stephen Moffat talked about how he'd be sitting up in the control room having panic attacks worrying if people would laugh at the jokes.

 

[The Technomancer]

The problem I find with those kinds of edits is that the lines are paced to allow for the laughter, like in a stage play. Just muting the audience makes it look stupid. Someone needs to make an edit where they remove the laughter, but also cut out the silence to make the pacing make sense.

Bingo. Theater comedy productions sound the same way when you remove the audience, rehearsals especially as you near the open can sound a bit off.

 

[Leunam]

Even the ones filmed in front of a live audience, have many sequences not shot live and used canned laugher, even back in the day.

On Seinfeld, they would record stuff that wasn't in a studio and play it in front of an audience.

 

[BotoxAgent]

loved the audience in Married With Children

 

[Shig]

they'd edit it afterwards, but occasionally show bloopers after the episode

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gealzhBjAlY

I loved that stuff, wish more sitcoms would do that during the credit roll.

 

[JCX]

I prefer single-cam because there are less restrictions. I do have nostalgia for some older multi-cam shows, like family matters.

 

[Why For?]

Will and Grace.

Great show with the best live audience that the crew, especially Messing, would work off beautifully.

 

[Tobor]

There was quite a bit of ad-libbing in Seinfeld, although not the drawn out stuff I was talking about.

Not according to the commentaries by everyone involved. In fact, it's so rare, they tend to point out the instances where it does happen.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I have no idea what alternate universe you are from

I have never, not once, laughed at Married with Children.

Wait...what the fuck. Did you just mention Married with Children in the same sentence as those shitty abominations Full House and Step by Step???

Go stand in the corner.

Married with Children sucked as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Mr. B Natural]

I'd rather have canned laughter than "a live studio audience" that is paid and/or "enhanced" up with canned laughter, edited, and ultimately sound exactly like a laugh track. Sitcoms shouldn't insult my intelligence more than they already do.

 

[G-Fex]

I loved married with childrens audience they were the best like that one guy who yells "Yeah Al!"

Plus you knew it was always in front of a studio. Audience cause whenever someone came home or the neighbors came over they'd always pause for a while to let the audience applase go over.

Family matters also had a great audience

 

[Blutonium]

Obligatory Al Bundy awesomeness.

 

[kinggroin]

Is it me, or was it that everytime a kissing scene came up in Saved by the Bell, there would be the inevitable "wooooooOOO" but ALWAYS ending with some dude in the audience yelling "OW!"

 

[bbagwell]

The Larry Sanders Show.

 

[Tenks]

The only bad thing about no laugh tracks is Cougartown is barely watchable but my girlfriend forces me to watch with her. So when they make a "joke" (this is the most loosest sense) she is over there dying laughing and I'm sitting there poker faced. I feel bad no one else is laughing with her.

 

[MrHicks]

I have never, not once, laughed at Married with Children.

the fuck

 

[VGChampion]

Doesn't bother me. I can take it or leave it. In a three camera sitcom I don't mind it but obviously I wouldn't want laughter in Arrested Development which people like to bring up for some reason.

 

[border]

Did they ever release a version of SportsNight without the laugh track?

If ever there were proof of how horrible a laugh track is, that one takes the cake.

 

[Yen]

There's videos on YouTube of Friends without a laughtrack, great stuff.
"I said your hair looked like a seven year old boy. I love seven year old boys *10 second long awkward silence*"

 

[corporate cheerleader]

There's videos on YouTube of Friends without a laughtrack, great stuff.
"I said your hair looked like a seven year old boy. I love seven year old boys *10 second long awkward silence*"

8 year old.

 

[MisterHero]

I loved married with childrens audience they were the best like that one guy who yells "Yeah Al!"

Plus you knew it was always in front of a studio. Audience cause whenever someone came home or the neighbors came over they'd always pause for a while to let the audience applase go over.

Family matters also had a great audience

The audience for Family Matters was the only reason Steve Urkel became more than a 1-time character.

True, the ratings went up too but Urkel was extremely popular with the live audience.

<3 Steve

 

[Sol..]

For the 12 of us that actually watch Infomania. Remember when they decided to add a live audience to the show and the 200 people that actually watched the show every week stopped watching and trolled the shit out of their youtube videos?

that was hilarious.

If theres one thing worse than a laugh track/live audience is one that consists of half a dozen crew members. Less people doesn't make the laughter more sincere.

 

[JLG-]

I believe the first season of The It Crowd was filmed in front of a live audience.

 

[Pathetic Basement Virgin]

One season of the sitcom Roc was aired live every week. Now that was like a play.

I watched that every week hoping someone would screw up. I remember Charles Dutton holding up a news paper to prove it was live.

 

[demon]

There's videos on YouTube of Friends without a laughtrack, great stuff.
"I said your hair looked like a seven year old boy. I love seven year old boys *10 second long awkward silence*"

Oh god I gotta see this.

 

[Gattsu25]

they'd edit it afterwards, but occasionally show bloopers after the episode

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gealzhBjAlY

A damned classic

 

[Sobriquet]

Yeah, I miss live studio audiences.

Shows with fake laugh tracks and those without them (yet depend on jokes that need them) suck really bad.

Again, all multi-camera sitcoms are shot with an audience. It's a combination of actual laughs and canned laughter.

I once worked on a sitcom that actually hired an audience to laugh.

 

[Pollux]

I pity Americans the shallowness of their televisual history.

hey lets not trash full house....but the best comedy on american television was and always will be the original Get Smart...

 

[krae_man]

 

[faceless007]

Again, all multi-camera sitcoms are shot with an audience. It's a combination of actual laughs and canned laughter.

Not How I Met Your Mother.

 

[Sobriquet]

Not How I Met Your Mother.

I should have put "traditional multi-camera show." That show is shot over several days as opposed to several hours.

 

[sykoex]

I have a bad "sense" of humor so the live audience really helps me to understand when something is funny.

I watched Kung Fu Hustle by myself and thought it was crap until I watched it with my girlfriend's family, they laughed at certain moments which helped me to get the things about the movie that made it funny.

 

[Satyamdas]

Married With Children had the best (and worst) live studio audience. The best because they really whooped it up for Kelly and the various other hot women, laughed heartily at the (very funny) jokes, and gave Al a rousing ovation whenever he appeared. Their participation really gave the show energy. The worst, because they would regularly show up to tapings drunk/high, interrupt tapings, and some in the audience would have to be escorted out from time to time for being unable to pipe down. Ed O'Neill famously *hated* the studio audience for the show because of how low-brow and raucous they were, but understood the importance of it and played to them anyway with good nature and aplomb.

I remember as a kid, I used to think that the laughter I would hear during a sitcom was coming through the speaker from other people in their houses who were watching the show and laughing at the jokes. Every so often I would to sit close to the tv and when a joke happened I would laugh extra loud into the tv speaker so that other people watching in their houses would hear my laugh too. :*(

 

[JonathanEx]

I believe the first season of The It Crowd was filmed in front of a live audience.

All of them are.

 

[SpacLock]

I believe That 70's Show was. That was a great show.

 

[Rentahamster]

I remember as a kid, I used to think that the laughter I would hear during a sitcom was coming through the speaker from other people in their houses who were watching the show and laughing at the jokes. Every so often I would to sit close to the tv and when a joke happened I would laugh extra loud into the tv speaker so that other people watching in their houses would hear my laugh too. :*(

That is adorable.

 

[Frankenstrat]

Laugh tracks suck and always have.
Live studio audiences are awesome.
That is all.

they're hit or miss-for example, big bang theory.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Will and Grace.

Great show with the best live audience that the crew, especially Messing, would work off beautifully.

I've been going through seasons of this for a couple of weeks. The audience during the first two seasons is trying way too hard, especially with any racy jokes where it's just 20 straight seconds of loud whooping and catcalls, awkwardly announcing "HEY THERE ARE GAYS ON PRIMETIME NOW" while the cast has to literally stand there waiting for the noise to die down before continuing on and it destroys any rhythm the comedy had. Once the show hits its third season, though, everyone seems to have calmed down a bit and things are much, much smoother and more enjoyable.

As an aside, I can't help but think of this as the Jack and Karen Show (with Their Occasionally Funny and Often Neurotic Friends Will and Grace)

 

[G-Fex]

The audience for Family Matters was the only reason Steve Urkel became more than a 1-time character.

True, the ratings went up too but Urkel was extremely popular with the live audience.

<3 Steve

Urkel was entertaining as hell, til it focused way way too much on him. Sides that early 90's was awesome.

 

[bh7812]

I imagine by that point, Cosby was probably just ready to give TV a rest, particularly since he'd done the "other" Cosby show on CBS with Phylicia Rashad just a few years before.



I've seen most of Newhart (including the end), but it's been quite a while and it's frustrating that they've only released the first season on DVD. Similarly, the last two seasons of the Bob Newhart Show are m.i.a. and somehow I doubt anyone's pushing for Bob to be released. There are also a number of other late '80s/early '90s NBC and CBS shows I wish would come out, but it seems less likely every year. And where's my final season of Ned and Stacey, Fox? *scowl*

I'm almost certain that's the reason Bill gave for turning down the offer that would have gotten him his old Cosby show back. Although he respectfully declined it was along the lines of he'd already had one smash hit sitcom and had just done "Cosby" on CBS a few years earlier. After The Cosby Show though he did do a great job and I thought he was a perfect fit for the reboot of Art Linkletter's "Kids Say The Darnedest Things" which I enjoyed and watched every week too.

The situation about Bob Newhart's shows is really frustrating and it makes me wonder how Fox makes the decisions they do sometimes. He's one of the truly great comic greats..they get 3 out of the 5 seasons of "The Bob Newhart Show" out and just stop. When you're that much of the way through the series it makes more sense just to finish it at that point instead of abandon it. I supported that show, along with the 1 season of Newhart that's on DVD. There's 7 more seasons of that to go, Fox. Bob has said he's trying to make things right for the fans and is trying to get Fox to commit to releasing the rest of those shows on DVD. If Fox won't do it, then I hope the rest of both shows end up on iTunes which I will gladly pay them for.

 

[bh7812]

Do yourself a favor and read the book "Desperate Networks" by Bill Carter. I'm in the middle of reading it right now and it's very interesting. ABC has a bad habit/history of turning things down for the craziest of reasons. They actually had a chance to get CSI, Survivor, The Apprentice and American Idol before anyone else and passed on them. Highly recommended book even if I'm only in the middle of it now.

Thank you VERY much for the book suggestion! You can be sure I'm definitely going to get a hold of it! Books like that are really interesting and a great way to see networks behind the scenes! I loved the Late Shift books..still not done with the Jay/Conan one but both were well worth the money..will check out this book too!

 

[Anth0ny]

This thread is not complete without...

THE SEA WAS ANGRY THAT DAY MY FRIENDS

 

[IamMattFox]

I Love Lucy with the super long audience laugh.

I'm impressed they were able to avoid cracking up themselves with that kind of reaction to it.

 

[numble]

This is a weird statement to me. Seinfeld, for example, had almost no ad-libbing, it was tightly scripted, and Larry David often would tell the audience to tone down the applause at Kramer's entrance because it threw off the timing. In fact most of what I view as classic sitcoms weren't ad-libbed.

I don't know, I thought they ad-libbed Kramer's actions a lot. At least to the taping I went to (for a different show) they take multiple takes on a scene and go with the one that seemed to work best with the audience.