mhg83

Lately all the exclusive cable sitcoms with a laugh track have been unbearably bad. Men At Work, Kristie The Exes, and Ground Floor. Most I've only seen a few scenes and promos. I can't make it through an episode without wondering how these shows get greenlit. Are there any good quality sitcoms on Cable? I already know of louie, Wilfred, and it's always sunny.

JohnSlider

They're filling a niche.

movieking

I've always wondered the difference in budget and salaries between network and cable shows. When shows like Cougar Town and Southland go from network to cable, I assume budgets likely go down (although I don't imagine it would be a big deal for sitcoms), but do salaries stay the same?

PenguinJoe

They are insanely cheap to make blame "It's Always Sunny". Anyone with a mac book and a GoPro can make one.

Bill Needle

When I run across these countless terrible shows while flipping I realize that the total viewership for them cannot be above 5 digits. No matter how cheap they are to produce how can they possibly make money? An infomercial (which buys airtime) has got to be more profitable.

Navinabob

Legit is pretty good.

GoldenJCJ

...And yet I still respect them more than I do the countless hillbilly/redneck/backwoods reality shows that cable channels keep churning out.

Bill Needle

Be careful you don't cast too broad a net and snag Gypsy Sisters into that rant. That show is pure gold.

madcougar

When you have networks like FX that basically commit to 100 episodes, basically guaranteeing syndication, I don't think the initial investment is going to scare off anyone.

PenguinJoe

I wish "I Miss Drugs" was turned into a show. It's a depressingly funny web series about getting older.

<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/48569927" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

I Miss Drugs-Episode 4-"Perfect Night" from I MISS DRUGS on Vimeo.

GoldenJCJ

Since I've never even heard of Gypsy Sisters I guess it gets a pass...for now.

Mikael79

I don't even know who you are, but I like you already.

DJariya

Hot in Cleveland on TV Land is IMO one of the funniest old school cable sitcoms.

As for Ground Floor, I don't love it, but it has some funny moments. Also, when this lovely woman is on it week after week, I have to watch.

E Unit

This is how Louie is made, but with a Red camera. The amount is money FX puts up for Louie is so small, it's such a little risk to them. Louie CK films his episodes with 1 camera and a very small crew, and edits the thing on his MacBook. I'm guessing that's why there's so many shows the OP is talking about.

RichC2

Those are non-traditional sitcoms (Sunny, Louie). The ones he complained about are your stereotypical standard sitcoms with full budgets and complete with laugh tracks. If TBS hadn't bought Cougar Town and created it themselves, it too would have a laugh track probably.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jKS3MGriZcs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

madcougar

She's gonna have to start going topless for me to watch that train wreck.

Mikael79

You do know there is a difference between a laugh track and a live studio audience, right?

RichC2

Yep, I consider them one and the same but they aren't. They are equally annoying.

Mikael79

I'll take a laugh track over the current Mockumentary style that seemingly every show uses these days.

RichC2

Other than the Parks and Rec and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I didn't think that was too common anymore.

MrSmearkase

/\ I wouldn't consider Brooklyn Nine-Nine a mockumentary.

Modern Family, most definitely.

RichC2

Oh yeah, forgot about that.

PhantomStranger

A hit sitcom can do very well in syndication, so these networks take a gamble by throwing everything against a wall and hoping that one hits it big.

Coral

Regardless of laugh-track or live audience, I don't think it'd be as simple as removing them from the equation. The writing style would have to be altered to account for the lack of laughter. You can see there's always a huge pause after a punch-line/joke to allow for laughter - but when you remove the laughter and the pause - the jokes don't land as well. The writing style requires constant feedback - it's almost like it demands audience participation (real or not). It'd be like watching a stand-up with no audience - it's not as funny.

Shows like Parks/Rec are written more like conversations, where the jokes are meshed into the dialog more and have less of a punch-line feel.

Simply removing the laugh track/audience doesn't necessarily make it better.