Seinfeld was the last show I could stand with any audience laughter.
For me, The Office (both versions) and Curb helped obliterate the sitcom format. Larry Sanders probably deserves some love.
When I hear a laugh track now, I’m almost always appalled. Especially when it’s something held up as good or popular but in fact terrible like Big Bang Theory.
Friends looks like it’s trying so hard, aping to the camera to get laughs. Huh? Huh? Funny, right?!
I never really watched it even when Friends aired immediately after Seinfeld. I think they counted on inertia to keep some of that audience, but this particular viewer was a hearty “nope.”
And this Friends clip is even more awkward because they have to wait for laughter before the next line. So it’s like a halting, Kubrickian conversation the entire time.
I meant Friends, not Cheers. Same difference probably. Never watched more than one episode of either, although Cheers had a decent offshoot series in Frasier.
The popularity of shows like Cheers and Friends seemed sort of pathetic to me, like they were providing a vicarious social experience for people with no life.
Cheers was funny because of some of the drunk humor, but got lousy. I will admit to hanging out after Seinfeld for Friends for at least a couple of seasons. I know at least one Bastard that was on the couch next to me.
He probably wasn’t watching it so much as wandering off in his imagination and singing the Courtney Cox refrain from the South Park dreidel song.
(about 2:38 in)
Was Cheers ever funny WITH the laugh tracks?
Seinfeld was the last show I could stand with any audience laughter.
For me, The Office (both versions) and Curb helped obliterate the sitcom format.
Larry Sanders probably deserves some love.
When I hear a laugh track now, I’m almost always appalled. Especially when it’s something held up as good or popular but in fact terrible like Big Bang Theory.
Friends looks like it’s trying so hard, aping to the camera to get laughs.
Huh? Huh? Funny, right?!
I never really watched it even when Friends aired immediately after Seinfeld. I think they counted on inertia to keep some of that audience, but this particular viewer was a hearty “nope.”
And this Friends clip is even more awkward because they have to wait for laughter before the next line. So it’s like a halting, Kubrickian conversation the entire time.
I meant Friends, not Cheers. Same difference probably. Never watched more than one episode of either, although Cheers had a decent offshoot series in Frasier.
The popularity of shows like Cheers and Friends seemed sort of pathetic to me, like they were providing a vicarious social experience for people with no life.
Cheers was funny because of some of the drunk humor, but got lousy. I will admit to hanging out after Seinfeld for Friends for at least a couple of seasons. I know at least one Bastard that was on the couch next to me.
He probably wasn’t watching it so much as wandering off in his imagination and singing the Courtney Cox refrain from the South Park dreidel song.
(about 2:38 in)