Originally Posted by
OldPhiKap
I learned to hate laugh tracks with "M*A*S*H*" years ago and haven't gotten past it. Part of the reason that "Cheers" and "Seinfeld" were so good was because they were filmed before a live studio audience -- the laughs were more organic and fit the level of the joke.
I don't know this to be a fact, but I always thought shows with studio audiences were supplemented with laugh tracks anyway. I've been a studio audience member and things just generally aren't laugh-out-loud funny. If they didn't add some background laughs, it would sound quiet on TV (kind of like Carolina home basketball games adding crowd noise).
Rich
"Failure is Not a Destination"
Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016