A callback is a comedic technique that extends a previous joke with a new but related joke. A significant period of time may elapse between the two jokes. For example, in a television show the joke may refer to a previous episode. In other cases, a callback is used at the end of a story or a comedy performance in order to go out with a big laugh and establish a sense of completeness.Callbacks create rapport with an audience because they feel like an inside joke.
Seinfeld
The American television show Seinfeld is considered the first sitcom to use regular callbacks that span multiple episodes. This broke an unwritten rule in the television industry that each episode of a sitcom be understandable to new viewers. The callbacks in Seinfeld helped to give the show a strong following as it had a rich vocabulary of self-references.
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