Generational thing. Laugh track sitcoms were a very common form of entertainment from the 50s till the early 2000s. If you were born after that period, you probably just don't have the same cultural experience as those who were born before do. TV and film in general hold a different role in our society now than they did before the single camera and streaming revolutions. Comedy is also extremely contextual, so saying that a sitcom from 30 years ago isn't funny isn't that useful of a statement. It met the comedic standards of the time based on the culture of its audience - that's why it was popular. The goal of a sitcom wasn't to tell a big long plot. It wasn't to establish an exciting storyline. It was to provide weekly entertainment people could enjoy in their homes with embellished characters and situations they could relate to. Those characters and sets earned a place in our hearts and minds as they infiltrated our living rooms every Thursday night. The shows that lasted many seasons created a feeling of comfort that you might get from your own family or friend group or favorite bar or cafe. The reason people enjoyed friends or cheers or whatever else was because those characters became familiar, and watching the tv with them every week began to feel like hanging out with those guys. There's an interesting psychology to all of this. TV now is just a different beast. It is inconsistent and plot driven with high production value and big concepts. Many shows are like really long movies that come out every few years. It's a different way to consume media, and our brains adjust to that style.

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Thank you for this perspective - I'm beginning to understand why people from older generations are so attached to this show! Still don't understand how people binge multiple episodes at a time and watch it all at once though

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Glad it's starting to make sense! The binge watching again just comes from familiarity. It's comforting to hear those voices coming out of your tv. I often use sitcoms as a background show for while I'm cooking or doing something else that requires attention. The shows don't have complex plot lines you need to pay attention to, and whichever show I choose to watch is probably one I've seen 10 times before, so I don't really need to give it my full attention. Any 60 second bit I tune into has entertainment value separated from what was around it. Comedy in general is just a tough genre to get into after the fact. Like I said, humor is contextual, and if you aren't familiar with the context in which a joke was written, it probably won't be funny to you. A lot of comedy is also made at the expense of others, which means that a lot of comedy doesn't age well considering the social acceptability of making fun of certain things changes over time. I don't blame you for having a hard time finding something like friends funny if you weren't alive in the 90s.

by Anonymous 6 days ago

I was born in the 80s. I always found laugh tracks weird and off putting

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Is this like the person on the split screen laughing at the video playing above them?

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Nah you don't say that about Drake and Josh

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Yeah, it's weird because usually no one in the show laughs because of the laugh track, so maybe Chandler and Joey are picking on each other, and you know that the characters would find it funny, but since no one is laughing it just feels like passive aggressive bullying.

by Lempibashirian 6 days ago

For sure, the example I'm thinking of specifically in HIMYM Marshall is consoling all of Ted's ex-girlfriends after they break up, with the laugh track it seems super light hearted, without the laugh track it is downright just hard to watch lol

by Anonymous 6 days ago

I like the ones with Ross from Friends where his "funny" lines make him sound like a psychopath lol.

by dbashirian 6 days ago

Imagine couples watching habitually with always present background TV's smiling laughter infused mind control. ARGHH!!!!

by Gullible_Profit 6 days ago

Sitcoms are boring in general

by Anonymous 6 days ago

I grew up with them, and for me a sitcom needs a couple of things; People eating on a couch (hanging/sitting around). An audience/laughter. Preferably a Chuck Lorre made series.

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Believe it or not, there was a time when laugh tracks were completely normal, and not considered "corny".

by Anonymous 6 days ago

a big reason cartoons are better... animated sitcoms like The Simpsons don't have that nonsense.

by estellekessler 6 days ago

There's a video somewhere on YouTube that has a scene from friends without the laugh track, and any place that there was a laugh track was just awkward silence, because the jokes weren't funny/good

by Radiant-League 6 days ago

No you haven't. There's a big pause intended for the laugh track so that's why lol

by Fit-Jackfruit7155 6 days ago

I can't ever watch a sitcom with a laugh track again it's so corny and distracting to me now

by Square_Kiwi 6 days ago

I'll be so real I just watch it if it happens to be in the telly when I'm in the living room so I've only seen a handful of episodes across various seasons

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Some people don't understand humour unless there is a specific cue to tell them when to laugh.

by heathcotejayde 6 days ago

I wanted to clarify I'm speaking mostly about Friends and BBT Ignoring that laugh tracks/studio audience responses are unrelated to the quality of the writing, this just shows you don't even fully understand what your opinion is. Maybe it should be reconsidered?

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Can we have an example of what is not boring to you? Your lumping 50+ years of television history into a random bucket.

by Anonymous 6 days ago

Agreed, i've never once laughed watching a show with a laugh track. Its so damn annoying and overused to me. Its probably so awkward filming for those with all those pauses too lol (unless there's a live audience laughing off camera, which ive heard is the case for some). I think the laughing is just to tell people when they should laugh though lol

by Anonymous 6 days ago

"It's so you know when to laugh" is always the dumbest excuse I've seen

by Anonymous 6 days ago

it's just 🇺🇸 that use them, well that's i've gattered from tv shows, they have a lot of influence

by Anonymous 6 days ago