For the better half of the last century, multi-cam sitcoms across television relied on the laugh track to make TV shows better. Thanks to the laff box by Charley Douglass, favorite shows from Friends to Seinfeld would use canned laughter to sweeten the comedy. But over the last 10 years, the laugh track has disappeared almost entirely.
Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday.
This week we recommend the in-laws from hell, a feel-good teen drama of the ages, megachurch preachers, a trip down Marvel's memory lane, and a podcast to inspire.