Series/The Big Bang Theory

I love the show, but in Britain, they broadcast the episodes in random order. Sheldon's Time Machine is working on overdrive.

I can't help but think this show would be a lot better if it got rid of that obnoxious laugh track.

And before one of you says "Ah-Ha! But it's a live studio audience you see!" I know. That doesn't stop it from being incredibly obnoxious, irritating and sucking the humour out of everything.

I know what you mean. Ironically, I find the laugh track on How I Met Your Mother, which is not real, much less annoying.

There is a doorbell to the right of Leonard's door and to the left of Penny's door. Sheldon knocks and says names. Why do the sane people not use the bell?

Are you implying that Sheldon is insane? Because he's not, his mother had him tested.

Sheldon's probably borderline autistic, with his reliance on routines and such.

She did get him tested... But she really should have gone to Houston to get that second opinion...

In Britain, the episodes are out of order. Should I add Priya to the Main Page?

As a regular? No, cause she isn't.

As for the supposed laugh track, I'll admit when I saw the first episode I was a bit surprised that it had audience laughter because it was both really popular and old-school sitcoms have sort of petered off.

But I grew up on Family Matters, Full House and especially Home Improvement so it's nothing too strange for me. In fact, the show is structured to be like sitting down with a group of friends so the old-school style actually works for it in a way the faster paced single-camera comedies can't quite replicate.

Priya is mostly nice, but she is a bitch about Penny and vice versa.

Time machine episode: Leonard opens the lift and slides Penny down.

My problem is that during the adverts, I watched Myth Busters and turned back too late to get the continuity. `

x8: To my knowledge, the HIMYM laugh track is actually semi-real - they record the episode without an audience, but then they show the completed episode to an audience and record their laughter for the laugh track.

I think the problem with laugh tracks in general is the matter of volume mixing, since the laughter is generally recorded on a completely separate audio track regardless of whether or not it's real. HIMYM does have a much more subdued laugh track volume.

Not only that, but they also don't have these long pauses to wait for the laughter to end. Its like pointing out the joke. "Look! It's funny, Laugh!". You know what i mean?

I've talked with people on the imdb board and several people there regularly attend tapings. They have said that no one has encouraged them to laugh louder, whoop or "ahh" at anything, but because of how popular the show is and the subject matter they tend to get a lot of people coming to the tapings who are fans and love the in-jokes and side material.

This video (around 1:32) talks how much energy they get from the audience reaction, and the season four bloopers even have a few moments where the audience laughter was either wildly inappropriate or other distracted the actors from finishing their lines (one scene at 2:10 and two scenes back to back at 7:59).

I didn't think that they had to encourage the audience in any way. But the point still stands that the long pauses are irritating. I guess if you are sitting in the audience it is a different feeling, since you can experience it first hand.

Knowing the building in which Leonard and Penny live, I wouldn't be surprised if the doorbell doesn't work.

The only show I know of that transitioned from laugh track to none is M.A.S.H and it certainly changes the feel of the show. The jokes seemed to fly faster and be more subtle now that there wasn't that slight pause in between them.

You can probably cram an extra minute or two of goodies into a show if you can the laugh track.

edited 29th Oct '11 2:17:39 PM by thatguythere47

M*A*S*H is different in that it was never filmed before an audience, the laugh track there was after a great deal of fighting between the execs and producers over when and where they could use it. I believe it was the last two seasons that didn't have any laugh track at all (besides the occasional special episode that simply omitted it).

And I understand if people don't like it in general, there is a thing called personal preferences. But to me I'd rather it be done for real like the show actually does rather than fake it. Whenever I see iCarly I can tell it wasn't filmed before an audience because of how consistent the laughter is, a mild chuckle after most every joke (and some tags have a deleted scene from the main story with no laughter at all, making the show feel empty and awkward without it).

But the laugh track for me can sometimes be part of the fun. When Sheldon is trying to comfort Penny at the ER in the third season (she had dislocated her shoulder), his awkward mannerisms and stilted dialogue would only be funny to the people who know the character and the squeel when he says "There there... everything is going to be fine (creepy smile) Sheldon's here." very much reminds me of being in the audience for a play.

Great show! One of my favorites, even if I didn't grow up with the western nerd subculture (learned all about it over the years - thank you, Internet!). Oddly enough, I find a lot of similarities between the characters' interests and mine - video gaming, for one. And this show is responsible for my current watching of Star Trek Voyager (and because Kate Mulgrew was also in Dragon Age ).

One thing baffles me: why does no one ever use the doorbell? And why do their doors seem unlocked almost all the time?

I avoided this show because I usually like everything, so I have to set some personal limitations so I can stay focused. Then I caught an episode and now I like it. Of course.

Re doors. I've seen Penny lock her door sometimes, when she's headed out. It seems they don't lock it when they're at home as they cross apartments frequently. And when someone needs to burst in. Sheldon knocks at any rate.

And the long pauses between dialogue bug me as well. Sheldon's varying levels of social prowess are a little irksome as well, but they're usually funny so I relent.

Every single year, I forget that the new season has already started. So I just did a marathon through everything that's season 5.

Yeah, it's still good. Sheldon x Amy annoys me in some way I can't really explain, but apart from that, I had a couple of good laughs.

"Like shooting nerds in a barrel1"

I joined pretty late. I never understood Sheldon/Penny , at least until I saw the first season where Sheldon was slightly less erratic. I'm pretty used to Sheldon/Amy.

I hate Amy sometimes when she gets really creepy. But I sort of like Shamy, mostly because Amy, contrary to what I initially expected is usually a force that makes Sheldon develop. Like making him realize that his emotional problems are not unlike everyone else's.

It's really come out to be a remarkable pairing. When Amy was first introduced she was just a female Sheldon, and because of that she encouraged his obnoxious behavior. She was an enabler. Once becoming friends with Penny, she broke out of that mold and is now one of the few people who can outmaneuver Sheldon with logic and reasoning. In the episode where she stole Leonard away to a wedding I was just amazed at how charming she was, without completely dissolving her inherent bizzare nature.

And I don't care what anyone else thinks, the Relationship Agreement was a brilliant character-joke. "It's so romantic!" "Mutual Indemnification always is."