canned laughter
Sitcom audio sweetening
Canned laughter is prerecorded laughter added to comedy television programs or radio shows to simulate the sound of a live studio audience.
The practice originated in early broadcast comedy and remains common in sitcoms, though it has fallen out of favor with many viewers who find it manipulative or dated.
The show's canned laughter made every mediocre joke sound like a hit.
By extension, canned laughter can describe any response that feels artificial or manufactured rather than genuine.
Low, suppressed laugh
- giggleSoft, silly vocalization
- guffawBoisterous burst of mirth
- chortleGleeful, breathy laugh
- snickerStifled, scornful laugh
titter · roar · howl · applause · clapping · audience reaction · prompted · triggered
Not the real thing
- artificialMade, not natural
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
- manufacturedMade by machinery
- syntheticProduced artificially, not natural
forced · mechanical · staged · hollow · insincere · phony · ersatz · simulated
Artificial audio enhancement
- audio trackRecorded sound portion
- sweeteningAdding substance for taste
- post-productionAfter-the-shoot work phase
- editingRefining content for clarity
mixing · dubbing · overdub · looping · cueing · insertion · enhancement · amplification
Viewers present during recording
- punchlineHumor's final delivery
- timingArt of choosing moments
- soundstageIndoor film production space
- multicameraUsing several filming devices
network television · syndication · reruns · episodes · broadcast · prime time · catchphrase · ensemble cast
chuckle
Low, suppressed laugh
snicker · titter · roar · howl · applause · clapping · audience reaction · prompted · triggered · cued
fake
Not the real thing
- artificialMade, not natural
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
- manufacturedMade by machinery
synthetic · forced · mechanical · staged · hollow · insincere · phony · ersatz · simulated · feigned
sound effect
Artificial audio enhancement
- audio trackRecorded sound portion
- sweeteningAdding substance for taste
- post-productionAfter-the-shoot work phase
editing · mixing · dubbing · overdub · looping · cueing · insertion · enhancement · amplification · studio recording
studio audience
Viewers present during recording
- punchlineHumor's final delivery
- timingArt of choosing moments
- soundstageIndoor film production space
multicamera · network television · syndication · reruns · episodes · broadcast · prime time · catchphrase · ensemble cast · pilot
- televisionTV, television, broadcast, TV shows, TV series
- sitcomssitcom, sitcoms, episode, episodic, season
- TV lingoon air, off air, showrunner, cliffhanger, cue
- TV productionbroadcasting, directing, boom mic, editing, filming
- broadcastingbroadcasting, TV, radio, television, news
- recorded mediavideo, audio, clip, video clip, audio clip