How do they make the background laughs in sitcoms?

I know that on Seinfeld, there’s no tape. The laughter is that of the studio audience. You know, the people who are sitting there watching the show be filmed?

I’m sure other shows used a laugh track, but I don’t know which ones are which.

Yes, it’s recorded laughter. It can be added during the shoot or in post. Whoever thought it up was an ass.

Here you go, the history of the laugh track. But on some shows, it is real laughter one hears.

I’ve been to a few. Sometimes they employ comedians to get the crowd ‘laughy’ in between shots.

canned laughter <shakes fist>
any show that employees this loses an automatic 20 cool points. I dont like being told when to laugh. -_ -

i think this helps to make the comedy more enjoyable. Its like how music influence a drama or a movie.

Ugh, laugh tracks, one of the worst things in existence in my mind. I don’t need to be told when a joke is funny. And sometimes you get an audience member who has a grating or otherwise annoying laugh, and it ruins the show. I actually stopped watching Seinfeld cause of it, and can barely make my way through How I Met Your Mother.

The worst is shows that use the same stock laugh track sounds over and over, from show to show, cause you can recognize the same laugh in the show you’re watching, and now you’re thinking about the laugh and not the show. Ruins the experience for me.

@mea05key i agree. i don’t know what’s with all the canned laughter hate.. it works just fine for me… of course shows like the office are funny too even without it.. it’s a negligible audible condiment imo