The Big Bang Theory unexpectedly became a hit and led to the production of two more shows, creating a franchise. Young Sheldon, which followed the journey of the genius’ childhood and his eccentric family also gained a massive fan following.
Then came the spin-off to the spin-off, following two beloved characters who became even more popular than the original protagonist. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is set to release its first episode on 17 October 2024 but has already garnered substantial attention. Unfortunately, the show made one huge mistake which annoyed fans of the parent show and even the creator, Chuck Lorre.
TV show’s cardinal sin: Fans want genuine reactions
Young Sheldon was similar to The Big Bang Theory in a lot of ways, with the Cooper family and Jim Parsons‘ voiceover being two obvious aspects. However, one element that differentiated it from the parent show was the lack of the obnoxious laugh tracks.
TV shows used to perform in front of live audiences back in the golden days, but with the advent of technology, things changed. Gradually shows began to include fake laugh tracks in between dialogues to induce laughter. Sadly, this warranted the opposite response.
Most fans hated the concept of the artificial laughs and the same was seen for the recent clip of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. The short clip included an infectious banter between Montana Jordan, Emily Osment, and other characters. This was followed by the ominous cackle of the audience, which irritated most fans.
Remove the laugh track that’s what made young sheldon goo
Many comments on social media pointed out that the absence of the tracks made Young Sheldon better. Viewers urged the makers to take note of the unanimous dislike for this element and remove it from the upcoming show.
Live audience > Artificial laugh: A teaching moment
Chuck Lorre is the TV legend who was involved in the creation of all three shows in the franchise. The creator too held the same dislike for artificial laughs, he instead believed in performing for a live audience.
If you’ve been to tapings, you know that silence is horrifying. But it tells you that you’ve made a mistake.
Lorre believed shooting for an audience humbled as well as taught new skills to everyone on set. A comedy show’s main aim should be to induce genuine laughter due to humorous situations and dialogues. Unfortunately, this innate quality gets lost due to fake laugh tracks.
Those 200 people in the stands are telling us we weren’t not as smart as we think we are, and they don’t really care if I think it’s funny. It’s whether they think it’s funny. It’s humbling, but it’s also an endless education.
The Two and a Half Men co-creator spoke to The Wrap about live audiences. They used the opportunity to learn from their mistakes during the shooting of The Big Bang Theory. Though it may have worked for the parent show, fans were clearly not impressed and thus requested a change from the new show.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is scheduled to air on 17 October on CBS.
