It's also interesting if you go back and watch old MeTV ttyl8r shows and see laugh tracks all over oldies you think are so innocent. What were they programming? Dick van Dyke - mocking dads, bosses, whiney moms Love boat - affairs, inept people, drinking Live studio audiences have laugh track to start laughter. They used to hire laughed as plants to get it started. They also hired warm up comics to get people in laughing state. There are APPLAUSE signs, and people are instructed how&when to applaud. Fake. More Fake. Not funny. Not APPLAUSE worthy of you have to prompt people to applaud.