The laugh track. When used correctly, it can be effective, an element of the sitcom that adds to the experience, seen and heard on shows like Seinfeld or Mom. When it isn't used correctly, it's ...

Critically reviled. Hopelessly dated. Forever near extinction. Yet in a TV landscape full of brutally realistic hits, sitcoms with background laughter are not only still popular, but have become ...

In the 75 years since it was introduced, the laugh track has conditioned viewers to know when and how much to laugh Some audiences love it, and some audiences hate it, but the laugh track—which ...

Early on, the first season of the NBC sitcom "Scrubs" has a defining moment. In the pilot, medical resident J.D. Dorian, played by then-newcomer Zach Braff, daydreams about how life would be if he ...