On Laugh Tracks

Comedy has been around for a very long time. Even the grumpiest of individuals enjoys a good laugh from time to time. Comedy comes in many forms. There are many genres within comedy. And the medium through which comedy is delivered can greatly vary. There are funny radio shows, comedic plays, movies, stand-up, and television.

Comedy certainly belongs on television, and it allowed for the invention of situation comedies. Unfortunately, a terrible annoyance has also accompanied many of these sitcoms. I usually applaud most inventions, but I cannot commend Charles Douglass for his concept of canned laughter. It is terribly annoying and completely unnecessary.

I understand that a live studio audience may be too much to ask. There are expenses and planning to deal with when bringing in an audience. Also, one disruptive person could ruin an otherwise flawless scene. But it doesn't justify using fake laughter. If a joke is funny, people will laugh. They don't need to be prompted by some recording. Even the most intellectually challenged individual laughs when he or she finds something funny.

A bad joke on a sitcom gets brushed over as mere dialogue when no laugh track is added. A bad joke accompanied by a laugh recording actually reveals to all that the unfunny dialogue was intended as a joke. I don't need to be told what is funny and what isn't! I can laugh on my own, thank you very much! These laugh tracks are nothing but annoying useless recordings and they ruin the enjoyment of watching a program.

Despite the views of television producers, laugh tracks are not a necessary evil. They are merely an evil. It is time to put this sixty-year-old abomination to rest. Laugh tracks do not attract ratings, do not deceive people into thinking a show is funny, and certainly do not prompt people to laugh at something that wasn't funny. It is high time that the laugh track joins its inventor in the grave.