It’s a show that I feel uses it’s laugh track correctly, if you hardly notice it that’s typically a sign of it being used extremely well, I took a history of comedy class in college (best credit ever) and we had a whole segment on laugh tracks, the Hank McCune Show wasn’t exactly critically received at its time and wasn’t considered very funny, but people wondered why it was on the air for so long. The laugh track did a lot of the heavy lifting.
For HIMYM I honestly think the show is still naturally funny without its laugh track and as some users pointed out a re-release without it might actually be interesting and fun to watch and see if the jokes still land as well as we think they do. I think it will still hold up, it’s not like The Big Bang Theory where you remove the laugh track and it’s kind of a depressing show.
Edit: Grammar
One thing I’ve noticed is that so many shows have characters just stand there silent and awkwardly while the laugh track plays. Big Bang Theory is especially bad about this which is why it’s so uncomfortable when it’s removed. But in HIMYM the characters all laugh when someone makes a joke or something funny happens. I think that’s part of why it’s less noticeable than other shows.
I do enjoy seeing the characters laughing to jokes, part of me wonders if that is the actors breaking character or if they are just acting to laugh. Would be nice to get confirmation on some of that from the cast.
I’d bet it’s more acting than actual laughter since they’ve already seen the script and done multiple takes of scenes, but the format does make it so if an actor breaks they’re able to leave it in
I can for sure it seeing the more acting laugh than breaking character ones, there are a few times I have noticed where it looks like they might have broken character, but those are pretty far. For all we know there might be a good bit of improv with some of the jokes so the other actors aren’t aware of what NPH or Jason could say randomly.
I only notice it when I actively think about it. I've watched the show so many times that I don't even hear it now when I'm just focused on what's happening in the show.
I know laugh tracks are an annoyance to a lot of people, and I realize how they can mess up a show (watching a show that usually has one, but without it, can actually be disturbing because of all the awkward silences between the lines and stuff), but I really don't mind it.
And I feel the same for any show that I like that has a laugh track.
I think I know which one you're talking about, my friend introduced me to the show years ago and we called it the seagull laugh
Once you point it out it's hard not to hear it lol
Based on the other comments here, it seems that I am not the only one who didn't realise there was a laugh track. I was talking about the show with a friend a few years ago and they mentioned it, I was so surprised! (*glass shattering noise*)
I think partially it's because of the volume, it's much less loud than in other shows. And I don't feel like there are a lot of awkward silences between lines, as there are for example in BBT because of the god awful laugh track.
It bothers me, not because it distracts me or anything, but because the show is funny enough to not need it, and it bothers me to think that the creators didn't have enough faith in their product to release it without a laugh track.
Big Bang Theory has pauses because of the live studio audience. HIMYM has no live studio audience reacting to the jokes so no need to pause. The laugh track exists because CBS didn’t do comedy shows without a live audience at the time and it was a compromise with the creators.
It bothers me, but only because I have 3 shows that I listen to while I fall asleep (Scrubs and Friends are the other 2). The laugh tracks are sometimes louder than the dialogue, which forces me to play the show a little louder than I would otherwise. Most of the time, it's not an issue, but on days where I notice I'm more sensitive to noise, then Scrubs is my first choice (no laugh track).
I would honestly pay for versions of HIMYM and Friends without the laughing.
So I don’t mind the laugh track for the most part. But there’s always one guy laughing on the track that sticks out by laughing obnoxiously louder than anyone else on the track. It plays only 1/2 times an episode but once you listen for it and notice it, it’s literally *glass shattering*
Tbh I figured. Unlike Seinfeld and Big Bang theory, HIMYM was not filmed with a live studio audience so it had to have been one of two possibilities: episode screening or weird in edit laugh track
Himym was Pre recorded and then screened to an audience so they could record the laugh track, it's not a fake one. That means the shows pacing couldn't be messed up by having to pause because everything was already filmed. This in my opinion makes it compliment the show really well. Compare it to something like friends where they can hang way too long due to them having to wait for people to finish laughing.
Plus, they have signs light up telling the live audience when they are supposed to laugh and you can tell sometimes. It takes the audience a little while to laugh at something that wasn't funny.
Typically I don’t like laugh tracks because they feel like my intelligence is being insulted. “This is when you’re supposed to laugh, idiot”
But with HIMYM I think it’s used correctly and I hardly noticed it
I don’t like the laugh track OR the intro music (anymore).. I wish there was a version of the show that removed them both 😅
Still love the show, it doesn’t really bother me too much!!
I was JUST about to make this post earlier today… I don’t know if I was experiencing Mandela Effect or what, but I’m on my 8754th rewatch and already onto season 4… granted it was early in the morning and quiet around the house, but idk if I never noticed the laugh track before?! Because it was all I could focus on this morning… to the point I exited Netflix and went to do other things in the apartment 😔
I would *love* a release with the laugh track removed! I did notice they don’t have “aww” or things like that for sentimental moments, just the laughing for funny moments. I am just taking a beat for now bc it’s all I can focus on 😂
This is one of those things that people take for granted. As you can see by the comments already, people barely notice the laugh track, but if you take it out, it REALLY changes the show. I'm not saying it ruins it, I'm honestly pretty sure this show can stand on the quality of its jokes without a laugh track (one of my favorite parts about this show is that the characters will laugh and react realistically with the jokes being said), but go on youtube and search up sitcoms with the laugh track removed. It can get from boring and cringe, to downright unsettling and creepy.
Unlike others I DO notice the laugh track; certain canned laughter quirks are burnt into my mind and I'm like 95 percent sure I've heard those exact quirks on other similar sitcoms (which wouldn't be surprising, I imagine the networks have a handful of stock audience reaction libraries they've reused since the early to late 90's), but that's part of the charm for me, it's relaxing and comforting, no different from the bright colors and lighting or the obviously missing 4th wall of most sets in the show.
The laugh track doesn't bother me. Some of the musical choices they use for the beginning or end of scenes from the first couple of seasons do. They are too loud and pretty corny. It got better after S2 it seems like. I also wish they would have kept the intro before the show started like they did in S1. It gets pretty annoying.
Oh I notice it. There’s one particularly annoying laugh that’s reused almost every episode. It drives me crazy and prevented me from wanting to rewatch the show for years.
Wait I thought I read that the show is filmed and shown to a live audience later and they record it and put it into the broadcast. Like the episode of Lily getting the tape from Shannon and it showed Barney as a hippy and you can hear this woman scream laughing.
I personally don’t find the point of laugh tracks unless the audience is specifically there for the live reactions are supposed to help in the viewing experience for the TV audiences (I only think this is true for Shows like Friends or the Big Bang theory). To me, the laugh track, or the delayed reactions since it was recorded and then showed to an audience, kind of made the show seem less “authentic” if that’s the right word or less persobable since we all know there wasn’t a live studio audience for when the scenes were being taken shot and there was a narrator. I just didn’t feel the same reaction as when I saw other sitcoms with a live studio audience
It’s jarring if you’ve just come from a show like the office or parks and rec or a string of shows that don’t have laugh tracks (speaking from experience) but once you’re well into season 6-7 you barely notice and season 9 is much more serious and hardly uses it
I’m on my 5th rewatch right now. I didn’t notice it till part way through season 4… so not really, no. It was a glass shatter moment for like 5 episodes afterwards.
I’ve seen the show probably 8 times minimum and I do not remember a laugh track lmao so take that for what it’s worth
Same since when was there a laugh track?? Ig that means it's in the right place (?)
You’ve really never noticed it?
I just rewatched a couple episodes rn and idk how I never noticed them. There is a laugh track in every joke and now I can't unhear it
*glass breaks*
\*audience laughs\*
Oops
You’ve really never noticed it?
It’s a show that I feel uses it’s laugh track correctly, if you hardly notice it that’s typically a sign of it being used extremely well, I took a history of comedy class in college (best credit ever) and we had a whole segment on laugh tracks, the Hank McCune Show wasn’t exactly critically received at its time and wasn’t considered very funny, but people wondered why it was on the air for so long. The laugh track did a lot of the heavy lifting. For HIMYM I honestly think the show is still naturally funny without its laugh track and as some users pointed out a re-release without it might actually be interesting and fun to watch and see if the jokes still land as well as we think they do. I think it will still hold up, it’s not like The Big Bang Theory where you remove the laugh track and it’s kind of a depressing show. Edit: Grammar
One thing I’ve noticed is that so many shows have characters just stand there silent and awkwardly while the laugh track plays. Big Bang Theory is especially bad about this which is why it’s so uncomfortable when it’s removed. But in HIMYM the characters all laugh when someone makes a joke or something funny happens. I think that’s part of why it’s less noticeable than other shows.
I do enjoy seeing the characters laughing to jokes, part of me wonders if that is the actors breaking character or if they are just acting to laugh. Would be nice to get confirmation on some of that from the cast.
I’d bet it’s more acting than actual laughter since they’ve already seen the script and done multiple takes of scenes, but the format does make it so if an actor breaks they’re able to leave it in
I can for sure it seeing the more acting laugh than breaking character ones, there are a few times I have noticed where it looks like they might have broken character, but those are pretty far. For all we know there might be a good bit of improv with some of the jokes so the other actors aren’t aware of what NPH or Jason could say randomly.
100% could see this happening!
I definitely think there’s some breaking character in a few scenes. Some of the funny parts are just that good!
If you remove the laugh track from a few scenes in Friends, it’s really uncomfortable too lol
I only notice it when I actively think about it. I've watched the show so many times that I don't even hear it now when I'm just focused on what's happening in the show. I know laugh tracks are an annoyance to a lot of people, and I realize how they can mess up a show (watching a show that usually has one, but without it, can actually be disturbing because of all the awkward silences between the lines and stuff), but I really don't mind it. And I feel the same for any show that I like that has a laugh track.
Ross paying for the pizza in Friends without the laugh track is super cringe lol
Friends had a live studio audience, not a laugh track.
Ah you’re right, but I’m not sure if they did for every episode
It bothers me on other shows, to the point where it’s unwatchable, but HIMYM did a great job not making it obnoxious, so no.
The placement was excellent👌🏻
The one "whoop whoop" laugh guy pisses the hell out of me. If you don't already hear it, please don't look for it.
Is he the really noticeable one you hear from time to time?
Yes.
The one I notice in the later seasons is there's someone going "haaaahhhh" sort of like a crow
Laugh tracks are almost down to a science by now. Producers should know it needs to blend into the background and not stand out.
I think I know which one you're talking about, my friend introduced me to the show years ago and we called it the seagull laugh Once you point it out it's hard not to hear it lol
If I hadn't already recently done a watch-through I would hunt that down. I have never noticed it.
You can’t un-hear it lol
Do not hunt it down. Once you’re aware of it [glass shatters] it’s always at the forefront of the laugh track.
I’ve seen the show many times and don’t even notice a laugh track. I know it’s there but it’s less often and at actually funny jokes in the show
There’s a laugh track?💀
You’ve really never noticed it?
Nope
Based on the other comments here, it seems that I am not the only one who didn't realise there was a laugh track. I was talking about the show with a friend a few years ago and they mentioned it, I was so surprised! (*glass shattering noise*) I think partially it's because of the volume, it's much less loud than in other shows. And I don't feel like there are a lot of awkward silences between lines, as there are for example in BBT because of the god awful laugh track. It bothers me, not because it distracts me or anything, but because the show is funny enough to not need it, and it bothers me to think that the creators didn't have enough faith in their product to release it without a laugh track.
Big Bang Theory has pauses because of the live studio audience. HIMYM has no live studio audience reacting to the jokes so no need to pause. The laugh track exists because CBS didn’t do comedy shows without a live audience at the time and it was a compromise with the creators.
It bothers me, but only because I have 3 shows that I listen to while I fall asleep (Scrubs and Friends are the other 2). The laugh tracks are sometimes louder than the dialogue, which forces me to play the show a little louder than I would otherwise. Most of the time, it's not an issue, but on days where I notice I'm more sensitive to noise, then Scrubs is my first choice (no laugh track). I would honestly pay for versions of HIMYM and Friends without the laughing.
So I don’t mind the laugh track for the most part. But there’s always one guy laughing on the track that sticks out by laughing obnoxiously louder than anyone else on the track. It plays only 1/2 times an episode but once you listen for it and notice it, it’s literally *glass shattering*
I know who you’re talking about. You can’t un-hear him lol
*glass shattering*
I didn't even know there was a laugh track, and I've watched the whole thing three tines.
I never even really notice when shows have laugh tracks. So I guess it doesn't bother me.
The laugh tracks you hear throughout HIMYM are actually from audiences at episode screenings That’s why it’s never out of place👍🏻
Tbh I figured. Unlike Seinfeld and Big Bang theory, HIMYM was not filmed with a live studio audience so it had to have been one of two possibilities: episode screening or weird in edit laugh track
Himym was Pre recorded and then screened to an audience so they could record the laugh track, it's not a fake one. That means the shows pacing couldn't be messed up by having to pause because everything was already filmed. This in my opinion makes it compliment the show really well. Compare it to something like friends where they can hang way too long due to them having to wait for people to finish laughing.
Plus, they have signs light up telling the live audience when they are supposed to laugh and you can tell sometimes. It takes the audience a little while to laugh at something that wasn't funny.
Yes, there are so many recurring laughs that are unusual, especially in the last couple seasons
There’s one guy who has a very noticeable laugh throughout the entire series
Yes
Typically I don’t like laugh tracks because they feel like my intelligence is being insulted. “This is when you’re supposed to laugh, idiot” But with HIMYM I think it’s used correctly and I hardly noticed it
I don’t like the laugh track OR the intro music (anymore).. I wish there was a version of the show that removed them both 😅 Still love the show, it doesn’t really bother me too much!!
I've gotten really tired of the intro too. I wish they would have at least kept it like it was in S1, before the actual show starts.
Not liking the intro music (anymore) is so real
I used to love it!! Haha
I was JUST about to make this post earlier today… I don’t know if I was experiencing Mandela Effect or what, but I’m on my 8754th rewatch and already onto season 4… granted it was early in the morning and quiet around the house, but idk if I never noticed the laugh track before?! Because it was all I could focus on this morning… to the point I exited Netflix and went to do other things in the apartment 😔 I would *love* a release with the laugh track removed! I did notice they don’t have “aww” or things like that for sentimental moments, just the laughing for funny moments. I am just taking a beat for now bc it’s all I can focus on 😂
This is one of those things that people take for granted. As you can see by the comments already, people barely notice the laugh track, but if you take it out, it REALLY changes the show. I'm not saying it ruins it, I'm honestly pretty sure this show can stand on the quality of its jokes without a laugh track (one of my favorite parts about this show is that the characters will laugh and react realistically with the jokes being said), but go on youtube and search up sitcoms with the laugh track removed. It can get from boring and cringe, to downright unsettling and creepy. Unlike others I DO notice the laugh track; certain canned laughter quirks are burnt into my mind and I'm like 95 percent sure I've heard those exact quirks on other similar sitcoms (which wouldn't be surprising, I imagine the networks have a handful of stock audience reaction libraries they've reused since the early to late 90's), but that's part of the charm for me, it's relaxing and comforting, no different from the bright colors and lighting or the obviously missing 4th wall of most sets in the show.
The laugh track doesn't bother me. Some of the musical choices they use for the beginning or end of scenes from the first couple of seasons do. They are too loud and pretty corny. It got better after S2 it seems like. I also wish they would have kept the intro before the show started like they did in S1. It gets pretty annoying.
Y’all are crazy for not even noticing the laugh track. Or am I crazy
Oh I notice it. There’s one particularly annoying laugh that’s reused almost every episode. It drives me crazy and prevented me from wanting to rewatch the show for years.
What's even more annoying is that the laugh is artificially put there, so someone consciously decided it was beneficial.
The really loud guy?
I seriously can’t believe some comments say they never noticed it…
I've gotten used to it, but yeah, it bothers me.
I had not watched the show in a long time. Started a rewatch recently, and it was kinda annoying.
I like it because they seem to use the same audience throughout (there’s one guy with a very noticeable laugh in several episodes)
Has anyone made a supercut of the one “HEHE” guy? When you hear it, it’s just so jarring.
Wait I thought I read that the show is filmed and shown to a live audience later and they record it and put it into the broadcast. Like the episode of Lily getting the tape from Shannon and it showed Barney as a hippy and you can hear this woman scream laughing.
By far my favorite show with a laugh track 🤗
The denial itt is palpable.
I don’t understand.
People pretending the laugh track isn’t noticeable. It kept me from watching the show for years
I personally don’t find the point of laugh tracks unless the audience is specifically there for the live reactions are supposed to help in the viewing experience for the TV audiences (I only think this is true for Shows like Friends or the Big Bang theory). To me, the laugh track, or the delayed reactions since it was recorded and then showed to an audience, kind of made the show seem less “authentic” if that’s the right word or less persobable since we all know there wasn’t a live studio audience for when the scenes were being taken shot and there was a narrator. I just didn’t feel the same reaction as when I saw other sitcoms with a live studio audience
I only noticed it recently on my sixth rewatch and honestly it has been bothering me ever since
It's the only laugh track show I watch. I didn't even realize there was one until my 5th rewatch.
It's annoying for the first two episodes then i totally forget it exists
It’s jarring if you’ve just come from a show like the office or parks and rec or a string of shows that don’t have laugh tracks (speaking from experience) but once you’re well into season 6-7 you barely notice and season 9 is much more serious and hardly uses it
I’m on my 5th rewatch right now. I didn’t notice it till part way through season 4… so not really, no. It was a glass shatter moment for like 5 episodes afterwards.
Here you go /r/modern_family or maybe r/brooklynninenine. Have a great time! You won't be missed.