Studio audience

However, as an enticement to attend, one or more members of the audience may be selected to win a prize, which is usually provided by a manufacturer in exchange for an advertisement, usually at the end of the show.

For sitcom/sketch comedy shows like All in the Family, Saturday Night Live and Happy Days (for indoor scenes), the use of a live studio audiences essentially turns them into de facto stage productions while shooting individual scenes, with minor problems like the audience applauding or uproariously whooping (the latter since becoming a satirical cliché in shows which mock the format and tropes of traditional sitcoms) when their favorite performers enter the stage.

[1] This was made possible by the idea of Desi Arnaz to use multi-camera setup, a concept which had been pioneered by Jerry Fairbanks, and which had been used on The Silver Theater, Truth or Consequences and Amos ‘n’ Andy.

This implementation allowed the show to benefit from the strengths of both stage plays (live audience) and film (camera angle options, point of view, etc.).

In the early television era, applause signs were made from cardboard and other materials which studio staff members showed to the audience to get desired reaction.

Television tapings for sitcoms and talk shows have a warm-up comedian who warms up the crowd before the recording starts and sometimes in between the commercials or between the scenes.