And then we have shows like Scrubs, Arrested Development and 30 Rock which have no laugh track and seem like they are classier because of it. Are laugh tracks supposed to symbolize mainstream shows. Think about it. The highest rated comedies on television right now are Two and Half Men and apparently Rules of Engagement for CBS. Both are only on because of viewership and are not very intelligent comedies. Whereas the struggling shows like 30 Rock and Scrubs and past casualties like Arrested Development have no laugh track and people seem to shun them because of it. Is it that laugh tracks have become so commonplace that anything without one is deemed higher brow and complicated? Seinfeld defied this. It got high ratings and it was a moderately intelligent comedy (it's a show about nothing?). I dream of a day when people will warm up to intelligent comedies without bothersome laugh tracks.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Meanwhile...In TV Land
As I was settling in to watch a gloriously geeky new episode of "The Big Bang Theory," I was audibly distracted by the incessant laugh track forcing me to laugh. Then I began to wonder: why has nobody ever minded the laugh track? I realize it's supposed to make audiences at home feel like their among other people so they'll enjoy it more, but wasn't the time for that at the beginning of television? Don't get me wrong, Seinfeld is arguably the most consistently funny show in history and it used a laugh track, but I feel like I would have liked it just as much if it didn't have a laugh track.
And then we have shows like Scrubs, Arrested Development and 30 Rock which have no laugh track and seem like they are classier because of it. Are laugh tracks supposed to symbolize mainstream shows. Think about it. The highest rated comedies on television right now are Two and Half Men and apparently Rules of Engagement for CBS. Both are only on because of viewership and are not very intelligent comedies. Whereas the struggling shows like 30 Rock and Scrubs and past casualties like Arrested Development have no laugh track and people seem to shun them because of it. Is it that laugh tracks have become so commonplace that anything without one is deemed higher brow and complicated? Seinfeld defied this. It got high ratings and it was a moderately intelligent comedy (it's a show about nothing?). I dream of a day when people will warm up to intelligent comedies without bothersome laugh tracks.
And then we have shows like Scrubs, Arrested Development and 30 Rock which have no laugh track and seem like they are classier because of it. Are laugh tracks supposed to symbolize mainstream shows. Think about it. The highest rated comedies on television right now are Two and Half Men and apparently Rules of Engagement for CBS. Both are only on because of viewership and are not very intelligent comedies. Whereas the struggling shows like 30 Rock and Scrubs and past casualties like Arrested Development have no laugh track and people seem to shun them because of it. Is it that laugh tracks have become so commonplace that anything without one is deemed higher brow and complicated? Seinfeld defied this. It got high ratings and it was a moderately intelligent comedy (it's a show about nothing?). I dream of a day when people will warm up to intelligent comedies without bothersome laugh tracks.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment