EPISODE · Jan 2, 2026 · 3 MIN
How The Laugh Track Made TV Jokes Seem Funny Even If They Really Weren’t
from Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson · host Brady Carlson
Today in 1910, the birthday of Charlie Douglass, who popularized the use of prerecorded laughter to help TV comedies seem more funny. Amirite folks? Plus: an astronaut uses microgravity to demonstrate a shape that we can't reproduce on Earth. Charles Rolland 'Charlie' Douglass (Variety via Archive.org) The Art of Science: Soft Cell in Space (University of Oxford) Laugh along with our show every day as a backer on Patreon
What this episode covers
Today in 1910, the birthday of Charlie Douglass, who popularized the use of prerecorded laughter to help TV comedies seem more funny. Amirite folks? Plus: an astronaut uses microgravity to demonstrate a shape that we can't reproduce on Earth. Charles Rolland 'Charlie' Douglass (Variety via Archive.org) The Art of Science: Soft Cell in Space (University of Oxford) Laugh along with our show every day as a backer on Patreon
NOW PLAYING
How The Laugh Track Made TV Jokes Seem Funny Even If They Really Weren’t
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Jan 2, 2026 ·47m
Dec 21, 2025 ·46m