Can the can

CANNED laughter has become as much a part of our lounge rooms as remote controls and ludicrously large TV screens.
It’s there in the background, gently prodding us to laugh at the right time. It even lets us know when a guffaw is required or when a mild chuckle will suffice.
When Charlie’s date goes pear-shaped in Two and Half Men, we can be assured that the fat kid’s wisecrack will be a pearler. The canned laughter will tell us so.
But like someone who laughs too hard at their own jokes, sitcoms with a laugh-track are not necessarily as funny as they seem.
I once watched an episode of Get Smart which, for some inexplicable reason, didn’t have a laugh track. It was more than a little odd, but the quality of gags still shone through. Imagine watching an episode of Friends without the pre-prepared giggles. The poor writing and hammy acting would see the channel changed before Chandler did his first double-take.
Thankfully, there seems to be an increasing number of shows that are willing to let their humour stand naked in front of the audience.
In recent years, The Office (both UK and US versions), Curb Your Enthusiasm, Kath and Kim, 30 Rock and Modern Family have allowed audience to judge for themselves what is funny and what is not.
Perhaps Australia’s greatest comedy, the 1990s current affairs spoof Frontline, also punted on the audience being able to identify the funny bits. Hey Dad and All Together Now needed to give us a little prod.
Some of these shows, like the original The Office, are far too dark for pre-recorded audience reaction. How do you produce a squirm-track for David Brent’s antics?
Not that there is anything high-brow about shows that spurn recorded laughter. Gareth’s stapler being suspended in jelly in The Office is hardly Oscar Wilde, but it’s very, very funny. Curb Your Enthusiam’s Larry David having a hair caught in his throat is priceless comedy, but would be seen as crass by some.
What all these comedies have in common is a willingness to take a risk. They don’t follow the sit-com formula (handsome mismatched lead couple, kooky neighbour, smart-alec kid, crazy parents), but instead search for new ways to make us laugh.
Sometimes it can be hit and miss, but when these shows do hit, they can have the audience gasping for air. It’s so much better than reaching for a bucket.
– Danny Buttler