Review of Hennesey

Hennesey (1959–1962)
Adult comedy with NO LAUGHTRACK
28 January 2003
I remember the remarkable thing about "Hennesey" was that it was a dry, adult comedy WITH NO LAUGHTRACK. My mother used to love the show for that reason alone. The absence of that psychological prod actually made the absurdities funnier. We the audience were being treated as adults who could laugh when it was funny. This was an innovative and bold move in television of the time. I really notice the idiocy of American TV when it is rebroadcast here in Italy. The use of the laughtrack to manipulate the audience into thinking something is funny is really noticeable here, where it is rarely employed. Also, the use of implausible situations, as mentioned above, was lacking. The show stood or fell on the quality of the characters and writing. Whoever chooses to re-release this show will have an uphill battle to avoid inserting these banal mechanisms to please sponsors.
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