Who are the people who laugh in???

Question

who are the people who laugh in the background in comedy shows such as friends, 8 simple rules, etc...???

Answer 1

If the show is taped in front of a live audience, like Will & Grace was, it's real people.

If not the classic laugh track :D

Answer 2

It depends on the show.  They often say at the end "was filmed before a live audience" it's usually their laughter you're hearing but some editing of the laugh track might happen once the show goes to a recorded medium.  

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Even show filmed before a live audience they ofter re-do a scene because the actor messed up a line.  There might be several takes of the same scene.  In the editing room they make pick the laughter from the first take to use when putting the show together.  Many older shows had a totally fake laugh track put into the show to simulate an audience. This paceing was used to allow the TV audience to laugh without missing the next line.

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Mash was one show that began with a laugh track but they quit using it after the show got all preachy.

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Answer 3

They are either the audience or in most cases a pre recorded laugh track