laughter part 1: live audiences

Whenever late-night television re-enters its usual formula, with audiences and no-holds-barred comedy and celebrity off-camera–on-camera silliness, I hope it leaves behind its worst habit of getting applause: Team Blue Cheering.

You can tell when something hits an audience's nerves and they laugh in response; you can tell when they're just obediently following the rhythm of a joke with a laugh; and you can tell when the host has just said something they agree with, or are supposed to. It's a comedy killer. 

There's a wealth of funny things to say about a given president — for pete's sake, never again is too soon with the orange spray-tan bit. Leaving aside the fact that the single-joke joke about our President's skin tone got old in early 2015 and has done nothing but get older, and leaving aside the fact that that single-joke joke seems to block much of the fertile opportunity for satire our President offers daily, nothing is worse for the craft than those group cheers that are less the inheritor of no-holds-barred late-night comedy than the inheritor of "Enter Fonzi."

SNL had several quality-killing seasons of "oh man let's mention the word 'cocaine' on the air!!!!!!!!!!" People cheered and whooped!!! Phhhht.

This is why the laugh track saved "MASH." Temptation removed.

Meanwhile, hear me, please, hosts: never again is too soon with the orange bit.