It really is amazing where they put the laughs in sometimes. Something that is definitely supposed to be sardonic is taken to be a joke by the laugh track. Gelbart must not have been involved beyond his insistence that OR scenes never had a laugh track because, like you, I occasionally catch an American version on TV and it feels so wrong now.
It kind of ruined shows with laugh tracks for me. I start analyzing where the laughs are being put. Shows I really like with laugh tracks are shows I just can’t watch anymore. I can do live audiences, but not laugh tracks.
It’s a great litmus test for good writing. If the show with it’s laugh track removed is awkward, it’s bad writing. If the opposite is true, it’s not a clear test, but at least it’s a good indicator.
It really is amazing where they put the laughs in sometimes. Something that is definitely supposed to be sardonic is taken to be a joke by the laugh track. Gelbart must not have been involved beyond his insistence that OR scenes never had a laugh track because, like you, I occasionally catch an American version on TV and it feels so wrong now.
It kind of ruined shows with laugh tracks for me. I start analyzing where the laughs are being put. Shows I really like with laugh tracks are shows I just can’t watch anymore. I can do live audiences, but not laugh tracks.
It’s a great litmus test for good writing. If the show with it’s laugh track removed is awkward, it’s bad writing. If the opposite is true, it’s not a clear test, but at least it’s a good indicator.