its so ubiquitous it feels like it was a requirement…
The formation of television in the USA was different than for movies. The early cameras were incredibly large, required close access to transmission equipment, and needed high ends technical staff to maintain it. Also, Rockefeller Center was built in NYC for the express purpose of being a television studio, the first of its kind in the world.
So, a lot of early television was done on various stages. Since Broadway was nearby, TV companies pulled a lot of theatre acting talent to make television shows. Because these people were used to performing in front of an audience, they brought audiences with them.
Scripted comedies ended up being holdouts in switching to non-audience filming because it was thought that the live audience made the viewing experience better for the television audience. People watching alone could laugh with the audience.
Good question, and interesting answers
Also small opportunity to promote !showsandmovies@lemm.ee
In addition to making the show sound more authentic, there’s a bonus tourism boosting angle: “filmed before a live studio audience” that could include YOU!
One fun thing to do when visiting relatives come to Los Angeles is to go be part of the studio audience of a favorite show. And it’s free. (Maybe not some shows, I haven’t done research.) We took my cousin to “Jeopardy!” back when Trebek was host. Watching later we could hear his distinctive laugh. And it was fun to know the winner ahead of time.
There were accusations of using a laugh track - recorded laughter added in post-production - so having authentic laughter was a selling point if you’d stumbled across a show coming on after something else.
I’m sure those ones also used laugh tracks, because they didn’t say “Actual audience laughter.”
Many that were filmed in front of a live audience still had a laugh track. Either to correct them not laughing or not laughing enough at the clearly excellently written jokes, or laughing at things they weren’t supposed to was removed or dampened.
They tried filming in front of dead audiences but it just didn’t work as well
Maybe they did film in front of a dead audience and then just played prerecorded laugh tracks … how are we to know?
Authenticity.
Shows with a laugh track are basically telling you that the writers producers think certain jokes are funny. And fuck that noise.
Shows without a laugh track generally get laughs because an audience is having fun.
Just because a show was “filmed in front of a live studio audience” that doesn’t meant it didn’t have a laugh track as well. Lots of shows filmed in front of a studio audience ALSO added tons of laugh track
If they didn’t announce it, I’d assume the studio audience had died.
Filmed before a studio audience that met an untimely demise.
like ALF
Clerks is drawn by a live studio audience.
Thats the ugliest bong that Ive ever seen!
filmed in front of a live studio ostrich
Don’t you have some rats to murder, Charlie?
