the bill cosby show was the first sitcom without a laugh track.
the bill cosby show was the first sitcom without a laugh track.
what was the first sitcom without a laugh track?
the bill cosby show
bullet::::- bill cosby's first sitcom, "the bill cosby show" (nbc, 1969–71) was also 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.
laugh track
bullet::::- 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". the laugh track is also omitted from some international and syndicated airings of the show; on one occasion during an airing in the uk, the laugh track was accidentally left on, and viewers expressed their displeasure, an apology from the network for the "technical difficulty" was later released. the dvd releases, meanwhile, give the viewer a choice of watching every episode with or without the laugh tracks (though the french and spanish track do not have this option). uk dvd critics speak poorly of the laugh track, stating "canned laughter is intrusive at the best of times, but with a programme like "m*a*s*h", it's downright unbearable." "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."
laugh track