> character says something obnoxious and pauses
> canned laugh track lasts just long enough to not overlap dialog magically
> repeat
Actually, like most sitcoms of that era, it was filmed in front of a live studio audience, it’s not a canned laugh track. The reason it lasts just long enough to overlap audio is because the actors wait for the laughter to die down before continuing. The whole point of the laughter isn’t to make it funnier to the viewer, it’s so the actors can see how the jokes land and tweak their performance, it’s constant feedback. It’s done for the same reason comedy has an audience even when it is a filmed special.
Funnily enough, it was filmed in front of a live audience, and it is canned laughter. In the edit, they often replaced the audience’s genuine reactions with stock laughter for various reasons. For example, when Monica popped out from under the sheets with Chandler, the audience shouted for minutes on end, they trimmed that for broadcast.
They had to trim a lot of Kramer’s entrances in Seinfeld because the crowd cheers too much too.
For those that don’t know, Scrubs going without canned laughter was considered a risk which is why they added those silly noises in the first season.
Hollywood trope: Applause sign. Forced laughter and laugh tracks are definitely real.
I have never seen that gif before but god do I hate it
Honestly, I love friends, but I would never recommend it to younger audiences.
Humour is a very personal choice, and like colors, not everything being fun for the same people. On top of that, A TON of today’s humour descends from friends, so the jokes feel dated and simple, but they were the literal origin of many tropes, at the time it was perfection, like a chewing gum.
And most importantly, nowadays people (specially chronically online people) can’t just sit back and relax, they are always being judgemental little pricks to feel superior to everyone else, while not even trying to contextualise the time when what they are seeing was made.
Not to mention how sad it is that all the media, no matter the genre, have to pass their stupid moral compass (whether the progressive one or the conservative one). The whole sit back, relax and have a laugh is lost to them.
Is a very sad reality of hyper judgement they lived in, probably fueled by the cancer that is social media. I’m sad for them, they keep chasing the internet points thinking it will make them happy somehow, they don’t just watch something, they keep filling the checklist to then “have something to say”.
I’m so happy the internet was not a thing when I was growing up, what a brain worm I dodged, just in time to enjoy it as an adult as well. I’m really sorry for the young people today.
Very interesting take I never thought about that at all. What about just what you consider “good” or “bad”? You think it’s better to watch whatever is in front of you/ available and have no criticism for it ? I’m most critical of media I enjoy most but not in a judgement social media way you are picturing
as always there is nuanced to everything, if I see a comedy or horror I’m not going to hold it to the same standards as a drama that is trying to convey a message, there will be a limit if it goes against my values in a crazy way, and I’ll stop watching it, but my main mentality is not there, I don’t watch it from a “defensive” position, so my alarms don’t go off as easily as other people’s, and I assume more good intent by default, which allows me to enjoy more of them, even if they “make fun” of my way of thinking or morals.
Being able to laugh about yourself or your beliefs without thinking you are “helping the other side win” in some kind of imaginary online culture war is quite healthy actually.
I was talking about objectivity and whether media is good in a sense of writing, execution and delivery. I will always give something the benefit of the doubt like you said, give something a try because you obviously never seen it. But why watch something that is clearly low effort and poorly thought out or planned? All that seems like an attention/ cash grab especially ones that try to appeal to a specific moral audience while disregarding any other viewers. My example is any show aimed at a straight white male that is very obviously disregarding any possible other viewer I consider poor writing and not well thought out.
My example is any show aimed at a straight white male that is very obviously disregarding any possible other viewer I consider poor writing and not well thought out.
This seems a bit reductionist, though I guess it depends on what you mean by “disregarding any possible other viewer”. Any examples?
If you mean racism and sexism, then that’s obviously bad. But I don’t see anything inherently wrong with having a target demographic
I think you are reading into it too much, a show, like friends that is very simply written for one target demographic means it is not very good. That’s all . I consider this a bad show that isn’t very funny. Instead of accepting it because everyone I know likes it or it’s on cable television.
People today really do lack basic critical thinking to the point where it’s not just concerning, but could outright explain the decline of our society. I think it should be common sense to consume media while being mindful of its era and audience as well as being able separate the art from the artists. I think it’s ridiculous that there are people who are attacking actors for playing an outdated joke on a show 30 years ago. Like how fragile and miserable do you have to be to get that riled up while trying to watch entertainment to relax.
Me watching Seinfeld
Same, but funnily enough I love Curb Your Enthusiasm. Jerry Seinfeld just doesn’t land with me while Larry David does.
Seinfeld and Friends was just the worst era. Fucking dumb ass work associates wanting to talk about vapid bullshit shows. So awful.
I don’t think it’s the funniest show on earth, I don’t think it’s even an amazing show, but it has its moments. Pretending otherwise for internet points is cringe.
How you doing?
Me with Seinfeld.
I was gonna say, I’m not judging people who like Friends, because I like Seinfeld…
the liquid hearty meal will not be given to you
Me watching any sitcom
Rewatching Malcolm in the middle right now and shit is hilarious
Hal’s roller skating dance routine for Malcolm lives rent-free in my head.
I like the episode where Dewey is addicted to cigarettes and Hal relapses on coffee because of it
Dewey smoking 2 packs a day lol
Also Reese outrunning the cops in his retry driving test and driving perfectly to the rules while Sum 41 is blasting then getting beat up by the cops but gets his license
I think sitcoms that don’t rely on laughing tracks (Scrubs, Malcolm, Better Off Ted, etc.) are genuinely funny. Else it’s give lor take. I found HIMYM really funny but not Friends.
I was subjected to an endless barrage of Full House reruns… My sister was obsessed. Oh god… Oh… Just oh god.
She should’ve cut it out. How rude!
With background laugh
Maybe it’s just nostalgia talking but I feel the Inbetweeners and Fresh Meat still hold up. The former one especially, if anyone wants to know what it was like growing up as a British teen in the '00s it’s basically 100% accurate.
I think sitcom hate has gone overboard. It became trendy and cool on sitcoms for some reason. I personally am okay with sitcoms if the characters are well written and the writers can write gags that naturally fit with their personalities.
You can Add in Always and Community too under love it.
Ongo Gablogian knows you don’t need a laugh track to make the viewer laugh.
Ongo plays it subtle… Very subtle.
It’s not for everybody and it’s certainly not nuanced or pointed humor at all, but it’s funny and it holds up.
pointed humor
Nipples did augment the jokes.
Me with American Dad et al. They’re just soul-crushingly mean-spirited.
I’ve noticed that with Family Guy in particular, the writers of that really have it in for women.
Wait, WHAT. I thought the likes of Seth MacFarlane were pretty progressive. But I also live a sheltered life. ELI5 please lol
Louis Griffin in particular is pretty bad, but the female characters are very one dimensional, and often portrayed as being very shallow and annoying, whereas the male characters are much more fleshed out and three dimensional.
I’d bet money Seth Mcfarlane doesn’t have a good relationship with his mother.
Thank you for telling me politely
I mean if you understand that they’re satire, then they can be funny.
That being said American dad past season 9 and Family Guy past season 7 have severely declined in quality to the point where they’re not funny to me anymore.
I don’t really see it as satire. Satire should have some kind of cleverness to it; nuance.
Me watching The Office: Why is this funny, nobody in a real office acts like this, what are you even trying to parody?
Turns out I never worked an early 2000s small town US corporate job. Apparently it’s kinda accurate even if exaggerated.
Maybe try the OG British one, completely different flavour even if the settings are similar.
If you go in with the predisposition that it won’t be funny, then of course it won’t be. Go watch something else.
Parts of Friends are funny, but overall it has way too much manufactured drama with Ross and Rachel to be enjoyable.
Rachel is the fucking worst.
deleted by creator
It’s one of those shows that you have to watch when it first came out.
I actually disagree. I’ve gone back to watch it and find it very cozy. It’s like I’m flipping through cable in the 90s and, oh, a show I’ve not seen!
That’s because we’re old. It’s okay grandma, I’m grandma too.
You mean when you are a child?
No. You let your little children watch shows about sex? That’s weird.
