This is a very important scientific study, obviously.
The US version of The Office has been scientifically determined to be the funniest sitcom. You can’t argue with this. It is science, apparently.
This very important research, carried out, by, er, OnBuy.com, took a sample of 120 people, and made them binge-watch ten of the most popular sitcoms in the world. They then recorded the total laughter duration for each show (measured by decibels), to to calculate how much laughter per hour each show generated.
The Office came out on top, with an average of one minute and 45 seconds of laughter per hour. Season three was the season that generated the most laughter, with the penultimate eighth season provoking the least (which makes sense, as it was the first one after Steve Carell left).
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is second, which caused one minute and 38 seconds of laughter per hour. Community came in third with one minute and 13 seconds per hour.
At the bottom of the list is The Big Bang Theory, which only generated six seconds of laughter per hour from the test group. Some of the participants even reportedly referred to the show as “occasionally annoying”.
Here is the complete list of shows, with the amount of laughter per hour they scored:
- The Office (US) – 1min 45 sec
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine – 1min 38 sec
- Community – 1min 13 sec
- Parks and Recreation – 56 sec
- It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia – 55 sec
- Arrested Development – 52 sec
- Friends – 32 sec
- How I Met Your Mother – 24 sec
- Two and a Half Men – 10 sec
- The Big Bang Theory – 6 sec
The Office is of course based on the original (and some would say superior) UK version, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
Whereas the BBC version only lasted twelve regular episodes and two Christmas specials, The US Office ran for none season between 2005 and 2013, becoming one of the most loved sitcoms of its era.
