Oh, I'm not saying comedy shows can't work without a laughtrack. But there's a difference between adding a laughtrack after the fact, a la M*A*S*H, and shooting the scene with pauses for laughter as part of the rhythm. Watching 30 Rock with a laughtrack would be weird. But I'm guessing so would watching Married... with Children (or your own favorite studio-audience sitcom) without one.

I don't think BBT is filmed with a live audience, which would be why the pause-for-laughters feel particularly artificial and forced. There's a discernible difference between someone trying to get to the next line but not being able to over a laughing audience, and someone just halting after every line or two so the editor can slap some laughter down. But I do think removing laughtracks that were meant to be there would create awkward rhythms in any show.