Radio Before radio and television, audiences experienced live comedy performances in the presence of other audience members. Radio and early
television producers used recordings of live shows and later studio-only shows attempted to recreate this atmosphere by introducing the sound of laughter or other crowd reactions into the soundtrack. Jack Dadswell, former owner of
WWJB in Florida, created the first "laughing record". In 1946,
Jack Mullin brought a
Magnetophon magnetic tape recorder back from Radio Frankfurt, along with 50 reels of tape; the recorder was one of the magnetic tape recorders that
BASF and
AEG had built in Germany starting in 1935. The 6.5 mm tape could record 20 minutes per reel of high-quality
analog audio sound;
Alexander M. Poniatoff then ordered his
Ampex company to manufacture an improved version of the Magnetophon for use in radio production.
Bing Crosby eventually adopted the technology to pre-record his radio show, which was scheduled for a certain time every week, to avoid having to perform the show live, as well as having to perform it a second time for West Coast audiences. With the introduction of this recording method, it became possible to add sounds during
post-production. Longtime engineer and recording pioneer
Jack Mullin explained how the laugh track was invented on Crosby's show:
Early live U.S. television, film; "sweetening" In early television, most shows that were not broadcast live used the
single-camera filmmaking technique, where a show was created by filming each scene several times from different
camera angles. If a joke did not get the desired chuckle, Douglass inserted additional laughter; if the live audience chuckled too long, Douglass gradually muted the guffaws. This editing technique became known as
sweetening, in which recorded laughter is used to augment the response of the real studio audience if they did not react as strongly as desired. While still working for CBS, Douglass built a prototype laugh machine that consisted of a large, wooden wheel 28 inches in diameter with a reel of tape glued to the outer edge of it containing recordings of mild laughs. The machine was operated by a key that played until it hit another detent on the wheel, thus playing a complete laugh. Because it was constructed on company time, CBS demanded possession of the machine when Douglass decided to terminate his time with them. The prototype machine fell apart within months of use.
Multi-camera shows Soon after the rise of the laugh track,
Lucille Ball and
Desi Arnaz devised a method of filming with a live audience using a
setup of multiple film cameras. This process was originally employed for their sitcom
I Love Lucy, which used a live
studio audience and no laugh track. Douglass was then called upon to bridge these gaps. Both performers and producers gradually began to realize the power behind prerecorded laughter.
1960s As the medium evolved, production costs associated with broadcasting live television escalated. Filming in a studio with an audience, as
I Love Lucy or
The Ed Sullivan Show did, had its limitations as well: half the audience could not see the show from where they were sitting. Douglass was brought in to simulate reactions from scratch for the duration of the entire show. Producers became disenchanted with the multi-camera format; consensus at the time was that live audiences were tense, nervous and rarely laughed on cue.
''Hogan's Heroes'' of ''Hogan's Heroes'' Network research indicated that the inclusion of a laugh track was considered essential for categorizing a single-camera show as a comedy. This hypothesis was tested in 1965 when CBS conducted an experiment involving its new single-camera sitcom ''
Hogan's Heroes'' (1965–1971), presenting two versions of the pilot episode to test audiences: one with a laugh track and one without. The version without the laugh track, due in part to the show's more cerebral humor, performed poorly, while the version with the laugh track garnered a more favorable reception. Consequently, ''Hogan's Heroes'' was broadcast with the laugh track, and CBS subsequently incorporated laugh tracks into all of its comedic programming. Very few in the industry ever witnessed Douglass using his invention, as he was notoriously secretive about his work, and was one of the most talked-about men in the television industry. The technological advancements pioneered by Douglass closely resembled those found in musical instruments such as the
Chamberlain Music Master and
Mellotron. His sophisticated one-of-a-kind device – affectionately known in the industry as the "laff box" – was tightly secured with padlocks, stood more than two feet tall, and operated like an organ. Douglass knew his material well, as he had compiled it himself. He had dozens of reactions, and he knew where to find each one. Douglass regularly slightly sped up the laughter to heighten the effect. His work was well appreciated by many in the television industry. Douglass's "laff box" was purchased, unseen, at auction in 2010 when its owner failed to pay rent on the storage locker where it was housed. It was later discussed, and demonstrated in a June 2010 episode of
Antiques Roadshow from San Diego, California, where its value was appraised at $10,000.
Cartoons and children's shows The integration of laugh tracks extended beyond live-action programming to include select prime-time
animated television series during the mid-20th century. This trend commenced notably with
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (ABC, 1959–61; NBC, 1961–64), albeit restricted to the initial four episodes of the series. Subsequent to this pioneering endeavor, Hanna-Barbera adopted a similar approach, incorporating comprehensive laugh tracks into its prime-time animated productions until approximately 1970. Noteworthy examples of Hanna-Barbera's utilization of laugh tracks encompassed acclaimed series such as
The Flintstones (ABC, 1960–1966),
Top Cat (ABC, 1961–62), and
The Jetsons (ABC, 1962–63). Additionally, supplementary productions including Hanna-Barbera's mid-summer sitcom, ''
Where's Huddles?'' (CBS, 1970), and Krayo Creston and MCA's
Calvin and the Colonel (ABC, 1961–62), featured analogous employment of laugh tracks. The incorporation of laugh tracks extended further into midday programming, exemplified by
The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (NBC, 1968–1970), gradually aligning with prevailing industry practices. From the late 1960s through the early 1980s, a substantial proportion of comedic cartoons tailored for the Saturday morning genre embraced the inclusion of laugh tracks. This trend was inaugurated with the debut of
Filmation's
The Archie Show in 1968, subsequently emulated by industry stalwarts such as Rankin-Bass, DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (DFE), and Hanna-Barbera. However, as the proliferation of laugh tracks grew pervasive, diminishing their novelty and efficacy, animation studios gradually relinquished their reliance on this auditory embellishment by the early 1980s. The denouement of this era was marked by the conclusion of Filmation's ''
Gilligan's Planet'' (CBS, 1982–83), which stands as the culminating animated Saturday-morning series to feature the inclusion of a laugh track within its framework. Given its midday time slot,
The Banana Splits served as a precursor to Hanna-Barbera's utilization of Charles Douglass's laugh track technology in animated programming aired during Saturday morning hours. This transition commenced with the debut of
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (CBS, 1969–70) in 1969, marking the inaugural incorporation of Douglass's laugh track within Hanna-Barbera's Saturday morning lineup. Encouraged by the favorable reception of this innovation, Hanna-Barbera proceeded to integrate the laugh track into the majority of its productions for the 1970–71 season. This expansion of the laugh track's usage encompassed a broad spectrum of Hanna-Barbera's animated offerings, including series such as
Harlem Globetrotters (CBS, 1970–71) and
Josie and the Pussycats (CBS, 1970–71). Such strategic deployment of Douglass's technology mirrored Hanna-Barbera's commitment to enhancing the comedic appeal and viewer engagement of its animated content during the pivotal Saturday morning programming block.
The Pink Panther Show (NBC, 1969–1978; ABC, 1978–1980) was something of an anomaly among its peers. Comprising a compilation of previous theatrical releases, the show adopted a format featuring half-hour showcases, amalgamating various DFE theatrical shorts such as
The Inspector,
The Ant and the Aardvark and
The Tijuana Toads (rebranded as
The Texas Toads for television broadcasts due to perceived cultural sensitivities). Notably, the original theatrical versions of these shorts did not incorporate laugh tracks. However, NBC mandated the inclusion of such audio elements for television airing. Consequently, laugh tracks were added to adapt the content for broadcast, a decision driven by network preferences and perceived audience expectations. Subsequently, in 1982, when the DFE theatrical package entered syndication, efforts were undertaken to restore the soundtracks to their original state, aligning with the artistic integrity of the source material. Over time, the repackaging of these shorts has led to the availability of both theatrical and television versions, preserving the diverse auditory experiences associated with each iteration. Exceptions to this trend include
Misterjaw and
Crazylegs Crane, which were exclusively produced for television and never subjected to theatrical releases, resulting in versions characterized solely by the presence of laughter tracks. Following the precedent set by Filmation, producers
Sid and Marty Krofft adopted Douglass's laugh track technology for their television productions. The pivotal moment occurred with the commencement of production on
H.R. Pufnstuf in 1969, when executive producer Si Rose advocated for the inclusion of a laugh track, considering any comedy devoid of such augmentation as inherently disadvantaged. This persuasion led to the incorporation of Douglass's laugh track into
H.R. Pufnstuf, setting the stage for its integration into subsequent Krofft productions tailored for Saturday morning television. Subsequently, the Kroffts enlisted Douglass's services for all their Saturday morning television ventures, excluding the more dramatically oriented
Land of the Lost series. This collaborative endeavor extended to a range of productions, including
The Bugaloos,
Lidsville,
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters,
The Lost Saucer and
Far Out Space Nuts. Transitioning from high-concept children's programming to live variety shows, the Kroffts continued their collaboration with Douglass for audio sweetening purposes. Notable variety shows benefiting from Douglass's expertise include
Donny and Marie,
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour,
The Krofft Supershow,
The Krofft Superstar Hour,
Pink Lady and Jeff,
Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters, ''
Pryor's Place, as well as their 1987 syndicated sitcom D.C. Follies''. As the practice of incorporating laugh tracks into Saturday morning television programming gained traction, Douglass expanded his repertoire to include a variety of children's laughter. Referred to as "kiddie laughs," these additions to his sound library were first utilized for audio enhancement in the 1973 syndicated television special,
The World of Sid and Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl, but by 1974, were heard on most Saturday morning kids' shows such as ''
Uncle Croc's Block, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
, The Pink Panther Show
, The Lost Saucer
and Far Out Space Nuts''.
Nickelodeon – Disney's top competitor – utilizes a laugh track for shows such as
iCarly and
Victorious since closing the original studio facilities fitted for live audience seating.
Making their own By the onset of 1970, Charles Douglass's enterprise in laugh production had become increasingly profitable, prompting a decision to adjust the pricing structure for his services. However, the economic landscape of animated television programming differed significantly from that of sitcoms, characterized by tighter budgetary constraints. In response to the imperative of cost reduction, animation studios, notably Hanna-Barbera and Rankin-Bass, commenced a gradual disengagement from Douglass's services beginning in 1971. While acknowledging the necessity of incorporating laughter tracks into their productions, these studios sought alternative methods to procure chuckles, employing diverse strategies to compile custom laugh tracks independently. The adoption of such proprietary laugh tracks elicited considerable controversy within contemporary discourse and among historical commentators, who raised questions regarding their authenticity and aesthetic congruence. With the exception of their eclectic variety shows, exemplified by
The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour, which briefly reverted to Douglass for additional enhancements, Hanna-Barbera standardized the use of this modified laugh track across the majority of their Saturday morning programming throughout the ensuing decade. Situated at the
ATV Elstree Studios in England, the production team, under the guidance of Jim Henson, took measures to ensure a distinct auditory experience. Departing from the pre-recorded laughs of previous ventures, fresh chuckles and applause were meticulously curated for initial episodes, often sourced from the authentic reactions of cast and crew members to dailies. This novel approach not only lent an aura of authenticity but also cultivated a perception among viewers that the show was performed before a live audience. Despite this illusion, Henson acknowledged the impracticality of a live audience given the complexities of production, drawing parallels to similar challenges faced by other television productions. Henson noted that because of the series' vaudeville inspiration, having sounds of laughter was a necessity, but admits that it was not an easy task – "I look at some of the early shows, I'm really embarrassed by them. The sweetening got better later on, but it's always a difficult thing to do well, and to create the reality of the audience laughing." Following the conclusion of
The Muppet Show in 1981, subsequent Muppet projects saw a shift in production locales to the United States. This relocation was prompted by the cessation of the commercial
ATV franchise in the UK and the disassociation of
Lord Lew Grade, the show's financier, from television ventures. In the absence of Henson's original laugh track, subsequent projects turned to the expertise of Douglass for audience reactions, a tradition continued by his son Robert in subsequent Muppet endeavors, including special one-shot productions like
The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show and
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, and
Muppets Tonight under Disney's auspices.
1970s; Comeback of live audiences The use of canned laughter peaked in the 1960s. However, some producers felt uncomfortable managing a sitcom that wasn't designed to be filmed in front of a live audience. One such example was
Lucy veteran and Lucille Ball's ex-husband
Desi Arnaz, who was more familiar with live sitcoms, as he had previously co-produced
I Love Lucy. In mirroring Ball's successful comeback in
The Lucy Show and
The Dick Van Dyke Show, Arnaz produced
The Mothers-in-Law (
NBC, 1967–69), which was recorded in front of a live audience at Desilu Studios, but still hired Douglass to augment a sweetened track in post-production. A year later,
The Good Guys (CBS, 1968–70) attempted to follow the same format. Although the first few episodes were filmed live, changes in production and location forced the crew to drop using multiple cameras for the remainder of the first season, using only a laugh track. This continued through season two until low ratings led to its cancellation in 1970. Another show that started being taped partially in front of a live audience was
George Schlatter's sketch comedy ''
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (NBC, 1968–73), as well as its rival Hee-Haw (CBS, 1969–71, Syndication, 1971–93). Laugh-In'' became an enigma among other comedic shows of the time in terms of its production methods; the 1967 pilot and the first few episodes of the first season featured a studio audience to react to the comedy routines of the ensemble on-stage, while pre-recorded shots mainly used Douglass' laugh track. Eventually, as marathon taping sessions of the show became increasingly expensive, Schlatter no longer required audiences to attend the tapings. Instead, cast relatives, the crew, people who still opted to attend, and the cast themselves, composed the studio audience, and the show relied more on Douglass' laugh track. Douglass would even simulate the reactions of the audience and diversify these chuckles with the track. He would continue to use this effect until the show's end in 1973, and for earlier seasons of
Hee-Haw. Other shows that continued bucking the trend against the single-camera method was Lucille's Ball next incarnate sitcom, ''
Here's Lucy (CBS, 1968–74). Unlike other sitcoms of the era, Here's Lucy'' became one of the first sitcoms to embrace the social and cultural zeitgeist of the late 1960s, featuring guest stars ranging from the older guard of Hollywood to pop and rock musicians and athletes (e.g.
Joe Namath,
Donny Osmond, and
Petula Clark). With focusing more on episodes revolving around a more urban setting, it ushered in what
CBS had sought out to do by the turn of the 1970s. The 1970s began with
the decline of rural-based shows (such as
The Beverly Hillbillies,
Green Acres and
Mayberry RFD) and the rise of socially conscious programming (such as
All in the Family,
M*A*S*H and
Maude). What prompted CBS to revamp its new image was the success of the sitcom ''Here's Lucy
and its new emerging hit, The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (CBS, 1970–77). The series' pilot episode, "Love is All Around", had been initially filmed using the single-camera method. The results were not satisfactory to Moore or the producers, who then decided to shift to multiple cameras. Since the first several episodes were taped in late summer, the pilot's first taping was not received well due to bad insulation and poor audio. The second taping, however, provided better air conditioning and a better quality sound system to the stage. Critical reception thus improved, and the show used the multi-camera format thereafter, and became a major success during its seven-year run. The resurgence of live audiences began to gradually take hold. More sitcoms began to veer away from the single-camera, movie-style format, reverting to the multi-camera format with a live studio audience providing real laughter, which producers found more pleasing because it had a better comic rhythm and helped them write better jokes. Creator
Norman Lear's
All in the Family (CBS, 1971–1979) followed suit in 1971. Videotaped live, Lear was more spontaneous; he wanted the studio audience to act like the performer, with hopes of the two developing a rapport with each other. Lear was not a fan of pretaped audiences, resulting in no laugh track being employed, not even during post-production when Lear could have had the luxury of sweetening any failed jokes (Lear relented somewhat in later seasons, and allowed Douglass to insert an occasional laugh). With a live audience present, Randall and Klugman enjoyed the spontaneity that came with it; any missed or blown lines went by without stopping (they could always be re-filmed during post-production). In addition, it gave the show a certain edge that was seen as missing in the first season, although actors had to deliver lines louder, since they were on a larger sound stage as opposed to a quiet studio with only minimal crew present. Klugman later commented, "We spent three days rehearsing the show. We sat around a table the first day. We tore the script apart. We took out all the jokes and put in character. The only reason we leave in any jokes is for the rotten canned laughter. I hated it. I watch the shows at home, I see Oscar come in and he says, 'Hi,' and there is the laughter. 'Hey,' I think, 'what the hell did I do?' I hate it; it insults the audience." The sitcom
Happy Days (ABC, 1974–84) mirrored
The Odd Couple scenario as well. Its first two seasons used only a laugh track, and by third season, shifted over to a live audience. Komack instead employed music to counteract the sweetened laughs. He experimented with this technique in ''
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (ABC, 1969–72), which featured a subdued laugh track. Multi-camera shows produced by Komack, such as Chico and the Man (NBC, 1974–78) and Welcome Back, Kotter'' (ABC, 1975–79), utilized background music cues during scene transitions (obvious locations for sweetening) and made sure that Douglass's laugh track was used infrequently during post-production. Komack later commented, "If you ever try to do a show without a laugh track, you'll see a huge difference...[I]t flattens. The only way to get away from a laugh track is to use music, which can indicate when something is funny." On sweetening, he continued, "Then it's determined by the taste of the producers – by the morality of the producers...[A]fter a while, you learn that it is valueless. In the extremes, people are going to hear it and say, 'Why are they laughing?' and they'll turn off your program." Game shows were sweetened during the 1970s and early 1980s, often played when a contestant or the host says something considered to be funny and only a small reaction comes from the live audience. Douglass's laugh track was especially heard in Chuck Barris's game shows (i.e.
The Gong Show and
The Newlywed Game), whose shows were designed mainly to entertain the audience; the "prizes" were often rudimentary or derisive. Game shows that were produced at CBS Television City and NBC Studios Burbank were also sweetened, often to intensify audience reactions, including shows like
Press Your Luck (used during "Whammy" segments). During a typical game show's closing credits, the show used canned cheers and applause noises to sweeten the live studio audience applause noises that viewers did not hear during the credits. This was common on daytime game shows on CBS and NBC and some syndicated game shows from the 1970s through the 1990s. Game shows taped at NBC Studios Burbank used three different applause tracks for sweetening: one with a smaller crowd, one with a medium crowd, and one with a large crowd with a cheerful male audience member in the background. However, many kids' game shows, most ABC game shows, and most
Mark Goodson-Bill Todman productions, such as
The Price Is Right,
Match Game and
Family Feud were taped with a live audience present, though sweetening was used on rare occasions. There were still some producers who either still did not trust a live audience, produced a show that was too complex for an audience to be present, favored the single-camera method, or could not afford to screen it live to an audience for responses. In these cases, Douglass orchestrated the laugh track from scratch. Sitcoms like
The Brady Bunch,
The Partridge Family and
M*A*S*H utilized the single-camera method for their entire run. Having apprenticed under Douglass since the early 1960s, Pratt and his brother discerned that Douglass's methodologies lagged behind technological advancements, with discernible degradation in the quality of Douglass's laugh tracks. Pratt noted an audible deterioration in sound quality attributable to the wear and tear on Douglass's tape library, compounded by evolving audience sensibilities towards sitcom humor, which necessitated a more nuanced and subdued approach to laughter augmentation. Concurrently, animated shows followed suit, abandoning laugh tracks altogether, save for occasional parodic usage. Animated shows that used to employ a laugh track, such as
Scooby-Doo, had dismissed the laugh track altogether by the 1990s. However, sitcoms made by
It's a Laugh Productions, such as ''
That's So Raven'', use laugh tracks. The practice of sweetening live awards shows persisted, albeit undergoing technological refinements to ensure seamless integration with live broadcasts.
Controversy, bucking the trend The practice of simulating an audience reaction was controversial from the beginning. A silent minority of producers despised the idea of a prerecorded audience reaction. •
Ross Bagdasarian Sr., creator of the
Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise, outright refused to utilize a laugh track when production began on
The Alvin Show (CBS, 1961–62) in 1961. Bagdasarian's reasoning was if the show was funny, the viewers would laugh without being prompted.
The Alvin Show was cancelled after a single season. •
Peanuts creator
Charles M. Schulz refused to employ a laugh track during the production of the holiday favorite
A Charlie Brown Christmas (CBS, 1965). Like Bagdasarian, Schulz maintained that the audience should be able to enjoy the show at their own pace, without being cued when to laugh. When CBS executives saw the final product, they were horrified and believed the special would be a flop (CBS did create a version of the show with the laugh track added, just in case Schulz changed his mind; this version remains unavailable). When the special first aired on December 9, 1965, it was a surprise critical and commercial hit. As a result of this success, all subsequent
Peanuts specials aired with no laugh track present. •
Rocky and His Friends (ABC, 1959–61; NBC, 1961–64 as
The Bullwinkle Show) was originally broadcast with a laugh track, against the wishes of creators
Jay Ward and
Bill Scott, who disputed the laugh track with ABC; given the rapid-fire pace of the show's humor, the laugh track slowed the timing and at times interrupted dialogue. After getting support from sponsor
General Mills, Ward and Scott convinced ABC, and the laugh track ended after its fourth episode; while current syndicated prints of these episodes still retain the laugh track, it has been subsequently removed from the DVD release. • The musical sitcom
The Monkees (NBC, 1966–68) featured a laugh track throughout its first season and several episodes of the second. Midway through Season 2, the
Monkees band members insisted the show eliminate the laugh track, believing their viewers were intelligent enough to know where the jokes were.
NBC, already annoyed by the rock group wanting too much control over their show, cancelled
The Monkees after the conclusion of its second season, citing the removal of the laugh track as a significant factor. • When discussing the making of the sitcom
Get Smart (NBC, 1965–69, CBS, 1969–70) in 2003, television producer and screenwriter
Leonard B. Stern initially opposed to employing a laugh track for the sitcom, given its somewhat violent nature, calling it "offensive." Stern and
Mel Brooks relented and the earlier seasons contained a more-or-less modulated track. The laugh track got steadily more invasive as the show increasingly got campier in the later seasons. Comedian
Don Adams, who played Maxwell Smart on
Get Smart, reportedly hated the laugh track, citing it for refusing to watch the show in reruns. At a reunion seminar honoring the show in 2003, Adams stated, "it offended me in the pilot, the laugh track. I would come in a room and say 'Hello, 99!' and the guy would push the goddamn button! What the hell is funny about 'Hello!'?" In a 1995 Entertainment Weekly interview when discussing the legacy of the show, Adams firmly stated the laugh track was unnecessary. Conversely in the same interview, actress
Barbara Feldon, who played Agent 99, was more lenient, saying "You need a laugh track. Laughter inspires laughter." •
Bill Cosby's first sitcom,
The Bill Cosby Show (NBC, 1969–71) was produced without a laugh track at the insistence of Cosby. He stated that his opposition to NBC's desire to add a laugh track led to the show's cancellation after two seasons. •
Larry Gelbart, co-creator of
M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972–83), initially wanted the show to air without a laugh track ("Just like the actual
Korean War", he remarked dryly). Though CBS initially rejected the idea, a compromise was reached that allowed Gelbart and co-producer
Gene Reynolds to omit the laugh track during operating room scenes if they wished. "We told the network that under no circumstances would we ever can laughter during an OR scene when the doctors were working," said Gelbart in 1998. "It's hard to imagine that 300 people were in there laughing at somebody's guts being sewn up." Seasons 1–5 utilized Douglass's more invasive laugh track; Carroll Pratt's quieter laugh track was employed for Seasons 6–11 when the series shifted from sitcom to comedy drama with the departure of Gelbart and Reynolds. Several episodes ("O.R.", "The Bus", ""Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?", "The Interview", "Point of View" and "Dreams" among them) omitted the laugh track; as did almost all of Season 11, including the 135-minute series finale, "
Goodbye, Farewell and Amen". "They're a lie," said Gelbart in a 1992 interview. "You're telling an engineer when to push a button to produce a laugh from people who don't exist. It's just so dishonest. The biggest shows when we were on the air were
All in the Family and
The Mary Tyler Moore Show both of which were taped before a live studio audience where laughter made sense," continued Gelbart. "But our show was a film show – supposedly shot in the middle of
Korea. So the question I always asked the network was, 'Who are these laughing people? Where did they come from? Gelbart persuaded CBS to test the show in private screenings with and without the laugh track. The results showed no measurable difference in the audience's enjoyment. "So you know what they said?" Gelbart said. "'Since there's no difference, let's leave it alone!' The people who defend laugh tracks have no sense of humor." Gelbart summed up the situation by saying, "I always thought it cheapened the show. The network got their way. They were paying for dinner." • The sitcom
Police Squad!, which was a parody of
police procedurals, did not utilize a laugh track in any of its six episodes. The decision not to incorporate one was at the behest of its creators, the trio of
Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, since most of the humor of the program was derived from events that occurred either in the foreground or in the background of various scenes. • Another satirical police sitcom,
Sledge Hammer! (ABC, 1986–88), utilized a laugh track for the first 13 episodes of its first season, of which creator
Alan Spencer did not approve. After months of fighting with ABC, Spencer was able to cease adding laughter beginning with episode 14, "
State of Sledge". • The sitcom
Dinosaurs (ABC, 1991–94) initially featured a laugh track. At the insistence of co-producers
Brian Henson and
Michael Jacobs, it was eventually dropped as the show grew in popularity. •
Sports Night (ABC, 1998–2000) premiered with a laugh track, against the wishes of show creator
Aaron Sorkin, but the laugh track became more subtle as the season progressed and was completely removed at the start of the second season. In some cases, a laugh track was needed to maintain continuity, as portions of each episode were filmed in front of a live audience, while the remainder were filmed without an audience present. • The
2020 revival of
Saved by the Bell is a single-camera sitcom that dropped the live audience and laugh track altogether, which is a major difference from the
original series.
Persistence in modern sitcoms Some people, including creators of well-known comedies and fans of
documentary-style sitcoms, criticize laugh tracks. However, laugh tracks are still standard on television. Many sitcoms use them, with seven multi-camera sitcoms using laugh tracks on broadcast television, compared to five single-camera sitcoms without them. Laugh tracks can come from a live studio audience, the Laff Box (which has 320 different laughs recorded in the 1950s), or digital sound files. They remain popular because they appeal to audiences in a way that encourages laughter. ==Outside the U.S.==