Which comedy DVDs let you kill laugh tracks?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Is M*A*S*H the only one? On all of the DVD season sets of that show, you have the option to watch it without the laugh track.

Do any other shows have DVDs that let you do that? I'd buy some of them if that was the case, because I fucking well *hate* laugh tracks.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I didn't know you could do that on any DVDs. Kudos to M*A*S*H!

 

[RandyS]

^Yeah, but the annoying part of MASH is that on the episode "O.R.", which originally did not include one, you DON'T have the option of watching it with a laugh track.

Contrary to popular opinion, laugh tracks are not insulting to our intelligence, and do, in fact, enhance the humor.

At least, I think so.

 

[Worf412]

^ Depends on the show, to me. Some shows, I agree, I could not imagine without laugh tracks. Some, they are REALLY annoying and destroy the show, IMO.

Twenty Good Years, for instance. I think this could have been a funny show, but the laugh track made me change the channel with the quickness.

 

[Super Grover]

I know the laugh tracks were taken off on the Sledge Hammer! DVDs.

 

[Hicks]

I like laugh tracks, but not when they're fake and clearly there to cover up crap (poorly). If the show is at least somewhat funny anyway I don't mind, but I like it best when the show was filmed before a real audience so it's not just canned laughs, but sincere reactions.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Contrary to popular opinion, laugh tracks are not insulting to our intelligence, and do, in fact, enhance the humor.

I don't see how it enhances the humor when we are essentially being told what's funny - told when to laugh. If we need to be reminded when something is funny, then it *isn't* funny, IMHO.

Studio audiences are definitely better, I admit. I wonder why they're not more widely used. (I assume that if a show does use one, they will say so? "This show is filmed before a live audience" and all that.)

 

[Harvey]

A few episodes of Red Dwarf's seventh season are available without laugh tracks, but that was an experiment they decided to abandon. A shame... I really liked the laugh-track free episodes.

 

[Michael]

Well, I agree that fake laugh tracks are kind of moronic. But back when sitcoms were filmed before a live audience it really did add to the enjoyment of the show. I loved it in Seinfeld (which was IIRC on of the last shows filmed with a live audience) when the laughter indicated that this was a very special joke. Or when the actors have to wait for the laughter to end to carry on with their dialog.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Well, I agree that fake laugh tracks are kind of moronic. But back when sitcoms were filmed before a live audience it really did add to the enjoyment of the show. I loved it in Seinfeld (which was IIRC on of the last shows filmed with a live audience) when the laughter indicated that this was a very special joke. Or when the actors have to wait for the laughter to end to carry on with their dialog.

And like I said, a studio audience is definitely better. The laughter is real. You know that there are others laughing along with what you're seeing. (Not like a laugh track, which is completely artificial.) That's not so bad; if all sitcoms used live audiences (or nothing), then that would be fine with me.

And better yet, do what The Red Green Show did: actually make the audience a part of the program! (Red Green was a show *about* a show. Kind of like what Home Improvement would have been like if it was all Tool Time. And Canadian. And actually funny. )

 

[WHF]

I believe it's mentioned in the commentary on the Sledgehammer DVDs that when a laugh track is removed from a show the timing can get screwed up. Actors are waiting for a non-existent laugh to end. It's better to not use a laugh track but if a show is created with one it might be better to leave it.

 

[Hermiod]

I kind of have a horrible feeling that the Friends DVDs let you add more canned laughter.

 

[ITL]

A few episodes of Red Dwarf's seventh season are available without laugh tracks, but that was an experiment they decided to abandon. A shame... I really liked the laugh-track free episodes.

I agree. I liked the laugh-track free versions as well.

On the season 7 documentary they said that it was difficult to mix the laugh-track at times, as the cast were used to mainly filming in front of an audience and were used to timing their performances to accommodate the laughter. But at least they never used canned laughter, as the laugh-tracks were made by showing an audience the episodes on tape.

BTW - over here, M.A.S.H. was originally aired with no laugh-track. When they were repeated on a satellite channel in more recent times, the laugh-track versions were used. I very much prefer the non laugh-track one.

 

[Canadave]

Well, I agree that fake laugh tracks are kind of moronic. But back when sitcoms were filmed before a live audience it really did add to the enjoyment of the show. I loved it in Seinfeld (which was IIRC on of the last shows filmed with a live audience) when the laughter indicated that this was a very special joke. Or when the actors have to wait for the laughter to end to carry on with their dialog.

And like I said, a studio audience is definitely better. The laughter is real. You know that there are others laughing along with what you're seeing. (Not like a laugh track, which is completely artificial.) That's not so bad; if all sitcoms used live audiences (or nothing), then that would be fine with me.

And better yet, do what The Red Green Show did: actually make the audience a part of the program! (Red Green was a show *about* a show. Kind of like what Home Improvement would have been like if it was all Tool Time. And Canadian. And actually funny. )

I'm pretty sure that Red Green used a laugh track, actually, despite the fact it was filmed in front of an audience, especially over the pre-taped segments. I think they probably dubbed-over or enhanced the studio audience reactions, that's how it's always sounded to me.

 

[Trekker4747]

Contrary to popular opinion, laugh tracks are not insulting to our intelligence, and do, in fact, enhance the humor.

I don't see how it enhances the humor when we are essentially being told what's funny - told when to laugh. If we need to be reminded when something is funny, then it *isn't* funny, IMHO.

Studio audiences are definitely better, I admit. I wonder why they're not more widely used. (I assume that if a show does use one, they will say so? "This show is filmed before a live audience" and all that.)

Both Friends and Seinfeld were filmed before studio audiances and neither advertised the fact. Infact, in the case of Seinfeld the audiance laughs had to be contained a bit, and the audiance told not to cheer during character entrances to keep the pacing of the show. Which is why very, very, rarely (if ever) on Seinfeld you see characters pause/wait for the audiance to simmer down before delivering a line.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

A few episodes of Red Dwarf's seventh season are available without laugh tracks, but that was an experiment they decided to abandon. A shame... I really liked the laugh-track free episodes.

I agree. I liked the laugh-track free versions as well.

On the season 7 documentary they said that it was difficult to mix the laugh-track at times, as the cast were used to mainly filming in front of an audience and were used to timing their performances to accommodate the laughter. But at least they never used canned laughter, as the laugh-tracks were made by showing an audience the episodes on tape.

Didn't they allow you to switch the laugh-track off on the series 7 DVDs? I thought they did, or maybe it's just the Xtended episodes.

 

[Kegek]

I don't care for laugh tracks (or studio audiences, really), and yet, conversely, my favourite sitcom is Frasier. This is probably because they're not that much of a dealbreaker for me. What's important is I find the jokes funny, sometimes drowning the show out in my own guffaws.

With, say, Scrubs, there's no laugh track, and I don't add my own.

 

[ITL]

A few episodes of Red Dwarf's seventh season are available without laugh tracks, but that was an experiment they decided to abandon. A shame... I really liked the laugh-track free episodes.

I agree. I liked the laugh-track free versions as well.

On the season 7 documentary they said that it was difficult to mix the laugh-track at times, as the cast were used to mainly filming in front of an audience and were used to timing their performances to accommodate the laughter. But at least they never used canned laughter, as the laugh-tracks were made by showing an audience the episodes on tape.

Didn't they allow you to switch the laugh-track off on the series 7 DVDs? I thought they did, or maybe it's just the Xtended episodes.

The Xtended episodes didn't have a laugh-track at all, it wasn't a switchable thing. I think.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I agree. I liked the laugh-track free versions as well.

On the season 7 documentary they said that it was difficult to mix the laugh-track at times, as the cast were used to mainly filming in front of an audience and were used to timing their performances to accommodate the laughter. But at least they never used canned laughter, as the laugh-tracks were made by showing an audience the episodes on tape.

Didn't they allow you to switch the laugh-track off on the series 7 DVDs? I thought they did, or maybe it's just the Xtended episodes.

The Xtended episodes didn't have a laugh-track at all, it wasn't a switchable thing. I think.

I remember what it was, now. On the DVD it's selectable whether you have normal, extended, remastered, or remastered and extended.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'm pretty sure that Red Green used a laugh track, actually, despite the fact it was filmed in front of an audience, especially over the pre-taped segments. I think they probably dubbed-over or enhanced the studio audience reactions, that's how it's always sounded to me.

No, Red Green did not use a laugh track. It was always the studio audience.

ITL and Bob: You're lucky...you got the Red Dwarf DVDs that had the remastered FX, didn't you? All we got were the originals.