History Main / LaughTrack

* In ''Film/AFaceInTheCrowd'', De Palma demonstrates a machine that can produce different kinds of laughter and applause on cue for the benefit of Lonesome Rhodes, who uses it in the final scene just to practice a speech.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch away from the single-camera, movie-style format and back to the multi-camera format with a studio audience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it had a better comic "rhythm" and helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'', which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run. And while the TurnOfTheMillennium saw a resurgence of single-camera comedies (such as ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''TheOffice''), most of these omitted the now-unfashionable laugh track. It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch away from the single-camera, movie-style format and back to the multi-camera format with a studio audience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it had a better comic "rhythm" and helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'', which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run. And while the TurnOfTheMillennium saw a resurgence of single-camera comedies (such as ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''TheOffice''), most of them omitted the now-unfashionable laugh track. It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch away from the single-camera, movie-style format and back to the multi-camera format with a studio audience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it had a better comic "rhythm" and helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'', which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run. And while the TurnOfTheMillennium saw a resurgence of single-camera comedies (such as ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''TheOffice''), most of them dispensed with the now-unfashionable laugh track. It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch away from the single-camera, movie-style format and back to the multi-camera format with a studio audience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'', which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run. And while the TurnOfTheMillennium saw a resurgence of single-camera comedies (such as ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''TheOffice''), most of them dispensed with the now-unfashionable laugh track. It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be.

The term "Laugh Track" is often misapplied to shows that are filmed and later screened to an audience, whose responses are then recorded. This is inappropriate, though, because in these cases the laughter was a genuine response to the humor in the show, and was not pre-recorded... although it's not unheard of for supplemental canned laughter to be inserted afterwards. Sometimes the term is even applied to the existence of a StudioAudience. In fact, Studio Audience sitcoms tend to get accused of employing "Laugh Tracks" ''more'' than shows that actually do so, because a Laugh Track tends to be quieter and less noticable than real live audience laughter.

In some Latin American countries (Argentina, for example), the Laugh Track is replaced by a crew of off-screen people paid specifically to ''laugh on command'' whenever the comedic situation (presumably) merits a laugh; they are known as ''reidores'' ("laughers"); a senior laugher signals all the others when to laugh. In all the others (as happened in Mexico), comedies without it were openly stated to have no laugh track because they respected their audience, most notably the Chespirito programs, such as ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho''. A less direct version in US media is the ''"{{Cheers}} is filmed before a Live StudioAudience"''-style disclaimer.

While Laugh Tracks and other uses of recorded laughter are usually [[PetPeeveTrope reviled by most people]][[note]]the only thing more annoying being the canned cheering that accompanies every CelebrityGuestStar, no matter how obscure[[/note]], they can have one interesting benefit in terms of pacing a show. Similar to theater, when the audience laughs, the actors will often pause for the joke to "land" and for the audience to calm back down before continuing. This pause is beneficial in some cases because it prevents dialogue or important details from being missed if the audience is still laughing. A minor form of ValuesDissonance is in play here when it comes to trans-Atlantic shows - laugh tracks are generally more popular in the UK, or at least more ''prevalent''.

The term "Laugh Track" is often misapplied to shows that are filmed and later screened to an audience, whose responses are then recorded. This is inappropriate, though, because in these cases the laughter was a genuine response to the humor in the show, and was not pre-recorded... although it's not unheard of for supplemental canned laughter to be inserted afterwards. Sometimes the term is even applied to the existence of a StudioAudience. In fact, StudioAudience sitcoms get the accusations of "Laugh Tracks" ''more'' than shows that actually use a Laugh Track, because a Laugh Track tends to be quieter and less noticable than real live audience laughter.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch away from the single-camera, movie-style format and back to the multi-camera format with a studio audience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'' (which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run). And while the TurnOfTheMillennium saw a resurgence of single-camera comedies (such as ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''TheOffice''), most of them dispensed with the now-unfashionable laugh track. It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be.

The general opinion of the audience held by television executives then (and some would argue now) was [[ViewersAreMorons very low]]. There was serious concern that without a StudioAudience to "prompt" the home viewer's responses, a comedy would fall flat. The solution was the creation of the Laugh Track (also known as "canned laughter") -- an artificial audience that did nothing but react uproariously to anything and everything.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch from the single-camera, movie-style format to the multi-camera format with a StudioAudience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'' (which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run). And while the TurnOfTheMillennium saw a resurgence of single-camera comedies (such as ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''TheOffice''), most of them dispensed with the now-unfashionable laugh track. It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch from the single-camera, movie-style format to the multi-camera format with a StudioAudience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'' (which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run, loosening its hold on single-camera television comedies). And while the TurnOfTheMillennium saw a resurgence of single-camera comedies (such as ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''TheOffice''), most of them dispensed with the now-unfashionable laugh track. It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch from the single-camera, movie-style format to the multi-camera format with a StudioAudience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'' (which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run, loosening its hold on single-camera television comedies). It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be; while the TurnOfTheMillennium saw a resurgence of single-camera comedies (such as ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''TheOffice''), most of them dispensed with the now-unfashionable laugh track.

In the early days of television, comedies were "traditionally" performed essentially as short plays in front of a live StudioAudience, broadcast live or with minimal editing (see ThreeCameras). However, as television production grew more sophisticated in the late 1940s and early 1950s, there was at least a partial shift from live performances to productions that were filmed movie-style, with a single camera and on a closed sound stage. The latter gave the director more freedom in selecting shots and angles, as well as the luxury of multiple takes. However, there was no longer an audience to provide instant feedback on the humor.

In the early days of television, comedies were "traditionally" performed essentially as short plays in front of a live StudioAudience, broadcast live or with minimal editing (see ThreeCameras). However, as television production grew more sophisticated in the late 1940s and early 1950s, there was at least a partial shift from live performances to productions that were filmed movie-style in a closed sound stage. The latter gave the director more freedom in selecting shots and angles, as well as the luxury of multiple takes. However, there was no longer an audience to provide instant feedback on the humor.

Naturally, within a few years of its introduction, it was abused and overused. ''Every'' punchline, no matter how lame or subtle, would receive the same tsunami of belly laughs from the virtual audience. It became epidemic, even intruding bizarrely into cartoons (''TheFlintstones'' and ''TheJetsons'', anyone?). By the 1960s, it had become an annoying intrusion, hated but (in the minds of most producers) mandatory. In the 1970s, however, most sitcoms began to switch from the single-camera, movie-style format to the multi-camera format with a StudioAudience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it helped them write better jokes. By the 1980s, the only hit that still regularly used a laugh track was ''Series/{{MASH}}'' (which increasingly dispensed with the device toward the end of its run, loosening its hold on single-camera television comedies). It's still around, but it's not nearly as prominent or overused as it used to be.

* In ''Literature/WiddershinsAdventures'', this trope is played for horror by the evil fairie Iruoch, who is constantly accompanied by an invisible choir of children who laugh at his every quip.

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' had a tendency to abuse a semi-laugh track. They mostly used a real studio audience but would minimalise or emphasise as they saw fit. Although, they got lazy and used the typical "canned laughter" a fair bit too. Some episodes (such as "The One With Joey's New Brain" - which, to be fair, is a genuinely funny episode overall) can be particularly jarring, where it seems every line gets a laugh - including lines that clearly weren't meant to be jokes.

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' had a tendency to abuse a semi-laugh track. They mostly used a real studio audience but would minimalise or emphasise as they saw fit. Although, they got lazy and used the typical "canned laughter" a fair bit too. Some episodes can be particularly jarring, where it seems every line gets a laugh.

* In ''Film/AnnieHall'', Alvy visits Hollywood, where his best friend is editing a TV show by having false laughter added to it.

* Used in a segment of the film ''Film/NaturalBornKillers''.

* Used similarly in the segment of ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'' establishing Mallory's backstory. Mallory's father threatening to beat up her mother, Mallory's father groping Mallory and her brother asking if he was born of incest with her all have the "audience" rolling in the aisles. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXq2rsaOxWQ MASSIVELY disturbing.]]

* The DVD of ''[[SeltzerAndFriedberg Epic Movie]]'' actually comes with an optional laugh track.
** As does ''[[SeltzerAndFriedberg Date Movie]]'' -- It actually makes them [[SoBadItsGood somewhat tolerable]], if only by virtue of being [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs completely surreal.]]

* Used in a segment of the film ''NaturalBornKillers''.

* The ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]]'' episode "Cavender Is Coming", guest-starring Carol Burnett, featured a laugh track (as it was a pilot for a sitcom). The director was so offended by this that he refused to be in the studio when the laugh track man was present.

* See also ''IDreamOfJeannie'', ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and other contemporaneous [[SitCom sitcoms]].

* Creator/AaronSorkin used to engage in knock down, drag out fights with ABC execs over the laugh track in ''SportsNight.'' He hated it, they demanded it, and for a brief period at the beginning of the show's run, there was a laugh track. Sorkin eventually won out.

* ''LittleBritain''.

* Towards the end of ''{{Victorious}}'', creator DanSchneider had begun to insert a laugh track in every line, regardless of there being any joke involved.

* Similar to the ''OutOfJimmysHead'' example below, the laugh track in their ''Brian O'Brian'' shorts actually make them ''less'' funny; it's a pretty poor fit for the shorts' style.

*** ZekeAndLuther is the only Disney show that averts, and sadly its cancelled. Maybe that's why they use it so much else.
** ANTFarm, GoodLuckCharlie, ShakeItUp, and AustinAndAlly, to name a few, make a good effort to use the laugh track button. And YMMV, but none of the shows seem use it as much as Nick shows, which also seem to be louder than Disney's.
* The laughter in the standup scenes in ''{{Seinfeld}}'' sounds rather jarringly fake compared to the audience response in the rest of the show, presumably because they got a handful of actors in to play the standup patrons.
** Could also be that it was the "warm-up" to the show, shown before the start.

* ''{{Friends}}'' had a tendency to abuse a semi-laugh track. They mostly used a real studio audience but would minimalise or emphasise as they saw fit. Although, they got lazy and used the typical "canned laughter" a fair bit too. Some episodes can be particularly jarring, where it seems every line gets a laugh.
* The unnecessary laugh track in ''OutOfJimmysHead'' ([[NetworkDecay a live action show on Cartoon Network]]) manages to make the show ''less'' funny. It sounds especially phony, and is an awkward fit for the show's absurdist and cartoony sense of humor. Plus it's a one-camera show.

* ''HowIMetYourMother'' has a laugh track, although very sedated compared to most. Originally it was taped ahead of time and showed edited to a live audience with ''their'' laughter recorded, but it has slipped that they switched to canned laughter at some point before season six. The show is actually something of a hybrid in terms of production and presentation, most indoor locations such as the characters apartments utilize a ThreeCameras set-up while outdoor locations with a single camera are heavily used.
* Infamously (at least in Canada), the Canadian sketch comedy show ''TheRedGreenShow'' didn't have a Laugh Track... until it was imported into the United States.

* ''Series/{{Mash}}'' had one at the network's insistence, but the producers successfully averted it in the OR scenes, and were able to dispense with it entirely for certain later episodes. (The DVD releases of the show provide an option for the viewer to disable the laugh track on the episodes that have it.)

* The live-action segments of the ''SuperMarioBrothersSuperShow'', which leads to a humourous {{Mondegreen}} when the laugh track obscures something Mario [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogtjjQ6070U says]].

* The Singaporean television show ''Kids Talk Back'', [[TheyCopiedItNowItSucks like a talkshow version of]] ''KidsSayTheDarndestThings'', was particularly bizarre in this respect. A laugh track had been added to the interviews with children, which made it seem like the audience was brutally taking the mickey out of hapless 4-8 year-olds who were unaware that they were being manipulated into saying things for the sake of good television.
* Both ''TheMuppetShow'' and ''MuppetsTonight'' used laugh tracks. Justified in that both shows were presented as [[ShowWithinAShow shows being performed for an audience]], and it would be entirely impossible to film this show in front of an audience due to the special effects and the puppeteers. Also, unlike most others, the laugh track sounded ''so'' real, people ''actually try to buy tickets for a taping!''

* Every Creator/{{CBS}} sitcom, even in the modern era where shows like ''TheOffice'' and ''ModernFamily'' have been critically acclaimed and immensely successful without the use of one. In fact, CBS is the only network that still uses laugh tracks with any frequency.
* Early episodes of the NBC sitcom ''{{Whitney}}'' had a poorly orchestrated laugh track that bore a striking resemblance to the flushing of a toilet.

* Not does the original U.S. version of ''HogansHeroes'' contain a laugh track (and a rather over modulated one in the earlier seasons), one of the German redubs of the series (known in English as ''A Cage Full of Heroes'') adds its own laugh track, containing a single recording of a couple of women cracking up.

* Strangely enough, this trope is also invoked by the ''GanbareGoemon'' series of VideoGames, the most well-known example being in ''Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon''. It works due to the general {{Camp}} nature of the games.

** Notably the ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' inspired ''WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome'' aired with a laugh track at first but since has been laughtrackless.

* The first eight episodes of ''RockyAndBullwinkle'' featured a laugh track, against the wishes of creator Jay Ward; because of the show's rapid-fire, quick-paced humor, the laugh track often played over dialogue, as there was little to no pause allowing for laughter. Jay Ward and co-producer Bill Scott fought with Creator/{{ABC}} to remove the laugh track, but it wasn't until they were able to get the show's sponsor (General Mills) to back them up, so ABC relented, and the laughs were eliminated after those first eight episodes. The first season DVD set removes the laugh track from those episodes altogether.

* A laugh track starts playing in ''{{Fireball}}'', to the great dismay of Drossel, who is convinced it is caused by intruding spies.

* In RobertRankin's ''[[FarFetchedFiction A Dog Called Demolition]]'', The Shrunken Head pub has a laughter track installed, greeting Danny with gales of laughter,though he can't work out where it's coming from.

* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', which never actually used a proper laugh track (though it was shot in front of a studio audience), featured a few sketches in which canned laughter and applause tracks were triggered by one of the characters -- including the "AttilaTheHun Show" (which parodied American sitcoms) and the "Interesting People" sketch, in which Michael Palin can be seen reaching off camera to turn the applause on and off. In the National Bocialist rally scene, all the applause for Mr. Hilter's speech comes from a gramophone which Ron Vibbentrop is working.

* TVFunhouse (as [[{{Spinoff}} its on show]] and on SaturdayNightLive uses parody laugh-tracks, especially for their send-ups of Saturday morning cartoons of the seventies. Their HarlemGlobetrotters parody includes the same staccato baritone "Heh-heh-heh-heh" after every line.

* In the Pierce Brosnan episode of ''MuppetsTonight'', a particularly bad pun from Rizzo provokes no reaction whatsoever, causing Clifford to remark that "Even the laugh track didn't think that was funny."

* The ''{{Scrubs}}'' episode "My Life In Four Cameras" is a parody of classic sitcoms (as the latest patient is a former ''{{Cheers}}'' writer) and features a laugh track in several {{Imagine Spot}}s.
* The CBS editions of ''ThePriceIsRight'' and ''MatchGame'' had notoriously obvious audience reaction tracks (mainly of "oohs") in their early years. It sounded odd on ''Match Game'' simply for a Audience Match answer being revealed.

** "TwoAndAHalfMen was filmed in front of a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GrV3OZdjP8 live ostrich]]."
* RobotChicken had the canned laughter in Blooper's segment. In season 5 however, it [[spoiler: turned out that the host was hallucinating it and the laughter changed into distorted(while telling nobody to "STOP MOCKING ME!"]]

** In "A Bicyclops Built for Two", Katie Sagal's role on ''MarriedWithChildren'' is parodied when an alien, Alcazar, has Leela dressed like Peggy and Alkazar sitting on his couch with one hand down his trousers ala Al Bundy, with alien rats and pigs as friends of his who contribute the 'live audience' catcalls and whoops.

* Used similarly in the segment of ''NaturalBornKillers'' establishing Mallory's backstory. Mallory's father threatening to beat up her mother, Mallory's father groping Mallory and her brother asking if he was born of incest with her all have the "audience" rolling in the aisles. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXq2rsaOxWQ MASSIVELY disturbing.]]

* ''PoliceSquad'' was one of the first sitcoms to have neither a laugh track nor a live studio audience.
* A couple of sitcoms made by the Disney Channel actually have ''not'' used a laugh track -- ''LizzieMcGuire'', ''Even Stevens'', and ''Jonas''. ''Naturally Sadie'', ''Phil of the Future'', and ''Life with Derek'', all of which have been aired on the channel, also do not have a soundtrack.

* ''TheMonkees'' got rid of their laugh track in the middle of their 2nd (and final) season, and the non-laugh track episodes have such a different feel it almost seems like they're part of a different show.
* ''TheKennyEverettVideoShow'' on ITV in the late 70s was unique in that there was no studio audience, but the viewer could clearly hear the cameramen, floor manager, writers and other studio crew laughing out loud off screen.
* ''TheLeagueOfGentlemen'' ditched their laugh track after series 2. (The original {{Radio}} series had a live studio audience.)
* The ChristmasSpecial of ''DrakeAndJosh'' finally ditches the laugh track.

* Same deal with the ''WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' movie.
* ''{{Dinosaurs}}'' initially had this, but the makers didn't want it and it was subsequently dropped. Combined with ''TheSimpsons'' never using one except to subvert it, ''TV Guide'' praised both shows back in the day (the early 1990s) for this avoidance.

* ''MarriedWithChildren'' is one of those cases where people bitch and moan about the "laugh track"... and are ignoring the fact the series was taped in front of a live audience. Live audiences can provide situation-specific reactions that would be difficult to get from a can; in one episode, a tarantula crawls across Al's face while he sleeps, and as the audience's "Eeeew!" dies down, one voice rises above the crowd to ask, "Is it real?"
** The show's studio audience by the latter half of the run was actually filled with hardcore fans of the show that were excited to be there (versus the "Hey you're visiting Hollywood, come in and watch a TV show being filmed!" that many shows did)and maybe at times were a little...overboiserous (the many moments where its obviously breaking the flow of the characters waiting abnormally long times to speak or continue a conversation because the crowd's going crazy), but they crew and actors were always extremely offended at the notion. They didn't NEED sweeteners/canned laughter.
* Another more recent series plagued by this is ''Series/TheITCrowd''.
** Also recorded before a live studio audience.

** All other sitcoms which starred Creator/LucilleBall or were produced by her Creator/DesiluStudios also used a studio audience instead of a LaughTrack, largely because that's how it was done on ''I Love Lucy''.

* ''SCTV'' did sketch comedy without a live audience. The formative years for the show were shot in Edmonton, Alberta where television talent was apparently so sparse that the laugh track was done by the guy who did the farm reports, just adding laughter at regular, arbitrary intervals.
* ''DeltaHouse'', a sitcom version of the surprise hit movie ''AnimalHouse'', went beyond canned laughter to canned wolf whistles, canned villain-booing, etc. in a vain attempt to capture the feel of the movie.
* The current trend of {{mockumentary}} style sitcoms like ''TheOffice'' and ''ParksAndRecreation'' has dealt another blow to the laugh track. Obviously, shows like these ''can't'' use laugh tracks, since that would destroy the illusion that the shows consist of documentary footage. This type of series doesn't use music (except in the opening credits) for the same reason.
* ''GlennMartinDDS'', a ''stop-motion'' show, had a laugh track for about 8 episodes until it was removed entirely because the creators claim "it gave the show too much internal thinking".
* Some Nick shows have no laugh track, such as ''{{Zoey 101}}'', ''Series/BigTimeRush'' and ''The Troop'', which are somewhat unusual for the channel but are all [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by ''not'' being typical ThreeCameras KidCom shows ''and'' being shot extensively on location. It also helps than {{Zoey101}} is a dramedy and TheTroop is an action/adventure show. Subverted at least with ''NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' in which the laugh track was replaced with a set of specific "stand-in" sounds[[note]] (the show was filmed mostly on-location, and by the time it premiered, laugh tracks were in their way out)[[/note]], having one for a determinate situation.

** In an inversion, some taping reports for the filming suggests that some laughter and other audience responses were edited out because it clashed with their intended mood for a scene (such as when Penny kissed Leonard for the first time after they get back together, the scene as aired has no audience noise but apparently the crowd was "whoo"ing on every take).
*** This is referred to as Sweetening, which involves using a live studio Audience, but also editing in canned laughter in order to smooth out transitions or edit scenes where audience response drowns out the acting. Other shows which use this method have included Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, Cheers, Seinfeld and Friends.

** ''Malcolm in the Middle's''s ultimate legacy is that, along with the British sitcom ''{{Spaced}}'', it's considered to be the TropeCodifier of the single camera, laugh track-free sitcom. Since ''Malcolm'' premiered, it's become popular for high-quality, single-camera sitcoms like ''CurbYourEnthusiasm'', ''Series/TheOfficeUS'', ''[[Series/ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'', ''Series/{{Community}}'', ''PeepShow'', ''TheInbetweeners'', ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'', ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' and ''FlightOfTheConchords'' (among others) to eschew laugh tracks entirely. Coincidentally (or rather not) these shows are usually some of the most acclaimed comedies on television, with laugh-addled comedies seen as lowbrow. Naturally, some (specially people related with the laugh track) have often complained that the stuffiness of modern comedies (specially regarding the British-influenced "{{Mockumentary}}" format) has made them devoid of any climax, even if their criticism is dissed as MisplacedNationalism).
* Oddly enough, ''TheMightyBoosh'' was supposed to have a laugh track in its early stage of production, as we can see with the pilot episode (it's included in the [=DVDs=]). They actually showed the episode in front of an audience and recorded their laughter. Julian Barratt and Creator/NoelFielding found the audience overdid it so much that they decided not to keep it. It sounds disastrous indeed, as The Boosh is clearly not a "laugh out loud" type of comedy.

** However later seasons, as well as the AfterShow ''ArchieBunkersPlace'', used a laughtrack reportedly at Carol O'Connor's insistance.

* ''HomeImprovement'' not only used a live studio audience's laughter, but they also got their extras from audience volunteers. For "[[ShowWithinAShow Tool Time]]" the studio audience was the ''actual'' studio audience, and you can see how people are laughing at the gags on the show as though they were at a sitcom taping.

* Fox's ''{{Titus}}'' also used a live studio audience; episode tapings were performed as if the episode was live, with the show unfolding in the exact manner it would appear on TV (with the cast rehearsing the episode all week for the Friday taping) and capturing the studio audience's laughter as it happened. Even the cutaways towards Chris Titus' narration space were shown to the audience during the moments in the episodes they would occur.
* Creator/BillCosby's first sitcom, the 1969-71 series ''TheBillCosbyShow'', aired without a laugh track at Cosby's insistence (and over the objections of [[ExecutiveMeddling NBC executives]]).
** Later ''TheCosbyShow'' was taped in front of a live audience.
* ''SavedByTheBell'' had a live studio audience - and, like the audiences from ''MarriedWithChildren'' and ''TheBigBangTheory'', it was ''very'' in-your-face and obnoxious. However, predecessor series ''GoodMorningMissBliss'' used a conventional laugh track; and since the two shows are part of the same syndication package, it makes for a good education as to the differences between the two.

* ''ACharlieBrownChristmas'' was supposed to air with a laugh track, a common element of children's cartoons at the time. Charles Schulz objected, maintaining that the audience doesn't need to be cued to laugh.
* The 1988 ''MightyMouse'' episode "Bat With A Golden Tongue" had Mighty Mouse attempting to help Bat-Bat kick his joke-telling addiction. Bat-Bat's last word to the audience was "Just say no to canned laughter" (which was removed at [[ExecutiveMeddling [=McDonald's=] insistence]]) followed by a pan shot to a busted ceiling (caused from an earlier scene) and canned laughter.

** From the same series, there's ''Christmas with the Joker,'' where he uses a laugh track in grossly inappropriate fashion while discussing violence/terrorism. It's possibly a secondary LampshadeHanging that the "audience" he's using is revealed to be cardboard cutouts.

* As early as 1959, radio comics [[BobAndRay Bob & Ray]] were satirizing the concept by hauling out a 'laugh machine' (because "we don't feel we're getting the correct response from you [listeners],") then making it roar with joy over a deliberately awful sitcom pilot.

While Laugh Tracks and other uses of recorded laughter are usually [[PetPeeveTrope reviled by most people]], they can have one interesting benefit in terms of pacing a show. Similar to theater, when the audience laughs, the actors will often pause for the joke to "land" and for the audience to calm back down before continuing. This pause is beneficial in some cases because it prevents dialogue or important details from being missed if the audience is still laughing. A minor form of ValuesDissonance is in play here when it comes to trans-Atlantic shows - laugh tracks are generally more popular in the UK, or at least more ''prevalent''.

While some claim the reason for laugh tracks is ViewersAreMorons, in their defense laughing along with everyone else in a group is a very social phenomenon. It's not polite to laugh at something that isn't funny, not everyone has a well defined sense of humor (and that doesn't mean they are a moron, either), so the cue can be helpful to some people.

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* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', which never actually used a proper laugh track (though it was shot in front of a studio audience), featured a few sketches in which canned laughter and applause tracks were triggered by one of the characters -- including the "AttilaTheHun Show" (which parodied American sitcoms) and the "Interesting People" sketch, in which Michael Palin can be seen reaching off camera to turn the applause on and off.

* Used in ''[[http://spacetree.keentoons.com/bee.html Face Bee]] [[SpaceTree The Face Bee]] [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment in Your Face]]!''