10 Reasons Why Friends SHOULDN'T Do A Reunion
8. Original Format Hasn’t Aged Well *Insert Laughter Track*
At the time, laughter tracks were a staple in TV sitcoms. But increasingly this format is just a marker of age on a programme. Rarely now are shows being produced where you will hear a studio audience cackling on cue. Rather, you more and more shows adopt the format of The Office in which jokes are followed by silence, for the viewer to make their own mind up on whether it’s funny.
There is a certain merit in having a live studio audience (which Friends favoured) over canned laughter, as it still has a feel of authenticity to it. But having an audience react to things as they happen, in a way, assumes the viewer needs prompting and It doesn’t challenge a watcher in the way many programmes today like to do.
There is an amount of writer’s vulnerability that is captured in the silence that plays out after a joke that is much more exposing and enjoyable to watch.