The Magic of Television

Our friends Apryl and David arranged for us to attend the taping of an episode of That 70s Show last night. What a treat! First David (who works on the show) gave us a tour of where the writers write the scripts, then we went to the studio where it tapes, joined the studio audience and watched the actual process. The show uses no laugh track, but there were no applause signs in sight, and we were given no cues as to when to laugh. When they called action, we had to be quiet (except for our laughter – not hard, it was a funny episode). We were also fed popsicles and candy about an hour and a half into the process, no doubt to give us all a sugar high and keep us geared up. There was a comedian who in between takes kept us entertained and awake with jokes, juggling and audience question and answer. The taping took over two hours (remarkable when you think they get 24 minutes of usable TV time out of that — and this is a fast-moving show, many take a lot longer to tape!). Near the end, David took us down to the stage level and we got to watch them film the last few scenes up close and personal. The episode had most of the star, and several guest stars (including Morgan Fairchild and Brooke Shields), and once filming was over we were able to get autographs and take photos of the cast. All in all, a fabulous experience, and Katie was quite impressed. We were glad that it happened toward the end of her visit: this will be a tough (try impossible!) act to follow.

You can see all the action here.