FlipBoardThe response to Jim Parsons hosting this week’s Saturday Night Live has been lukewarm at best (although most of the vitriol seems to have been redirected now that Lena Dunham has been announced as next week’s host). I, for one, am no fan of The Big Bang Theory, but I’m always interested in seeing how a first-time host fares.
How will his talents translate from the sitcom world to live TV? Will he be able to survive without a laugh track? Parsons and Bobby Moynihan tackle these misconceptions (The Big Bang Theory is filmed in front of a live studio audience — though the audio is “sweetened” with additional laughter) head-on in this week’s promos. Bazinga?
![[avatar]](https://profilecdn-woven.netdna-ssl.com/photo/33316/profile)
The one was funny.
Why, SNL? Watching these is murder.
So painfully unfunny
Laugh tracks are an abomination unto nature. It is known
As long as the laughs come from an actual studio audience, there is no problem with a show having a laugh track. Criticism of the laugh track is a cheap and easy criticism. When people started criticizing Seinfeld and Cheers for the laugh track, it became a stupid argument in my view.
I’m not a fan of laugh tracks, but genuine laughter in a studio can actually make something seem funnier. Take The Soup, for example. For some reason, I find certain clips on that show funnier because of the actual audience reactions.
[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]
Though, to be fair, Stains the Dog and Spaghetti Cat were hilarious.
To every person who thinks that Community having no laugh track/audience reaction makes it an artistic triumph, shoudl remember that Joel McHale is on a show which uses a laugh track every single week.
And I love Community. However, I remember when Dan Harmon promoted it on The Soup on New Years Day. Before we keep up the hipster bullcrap, Dan Harmon went on a show which dumbs people down into telling them when to laugh.
Criticizing shows with a laugh tracks by pointing out how they have laugh tracks is not a real criticism. Except for Saved By The Bell. You can hate that show because it has a “woo” button on its canned track for everytime something goes from PG to PG-13.
Laugh tracks kill suspension of disbelief. It’s like people talking in the cinema. How can you be immersed in a story if you keep getting reminded that it’s not real?
I don’t think most of you know what a laugh track is. Most multi-cam shows film in front of a live studio audience. That’s not a “laugh track”. Shows like How I Met Your Mother do use a “laugh track”, and yet is considered (at least a few years ago) to be one of the only “good” ones.
I’ve said it many times, but shitty comedy writing is shitty comedy writing. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether you can hear an audience laughing or not.
I know the difference between canned laughter and studio laughter. Either way, you get a track with laughter on it. Either way, it makes it a lot harder to enjoy the show.
I don’t give a crap if it’s a laugh track or someone brought in several dozen idiots to laugh in the studio. They are both horrible
AWESOME, YOU GUYZ!!!
(overenthusiastic thumbs-up)
I’m still not watching either of them.
Gross.
He looks like a turtle.
well, luckily you do not, right?
Painfully unfunny. This week is going to be a snoozer.
Well, at least Parsons had HIS mic on through ALL of the promos. THINK, MAN THINK!
Laughtracks are not needed – if the shit aint funny, then change it.
I don’t mind a laugh track if it sounds half way realistic,but this really sounds phony and can’t stand to watch the shows because of it.