Despite Hannah\u2019s constant need for attention during day hours, we usually still manage to sneak in a bit of couple time every evening when I\u2019m back home from work. This window is usually just a few hours, and between Hannah\u2019s 5:30 to 6:30 pm feed and her next feed that\u2019s usually at 8:30 pm.<\/p>\n
And what do we do? Well, two things: have dinner, and stone in front of the TV. Dinner during weekdays is usually either dinner that visiting parents bring along \u2013 which is always both delicious and nutritious \u2013 or takeout dinner that I\u2019ll buy on my way back \u2013 which is typically not very savory food, unless it\u2019s Roti Prata (but of course).<\/p>\n
And what gets played on TV? Well, invariably, it\u2019d be episodes from the stacks of sitcom DVDs I\u2019ve bought over the years. These include Everybody Loves Raymond<\/em>, Seinfeld<\/em>, Frasier<\/em>, and \u2013 lately \u2013 Scrubs<\/em>. Then there\u2019s also the odd Brit comedy here and there: specifically Rowan Atkinson\u2019s, better known as Mr. Bean, Black Adder, <\/em>or the hit 1980s World War II comedy series \u2018Allo \u2018Allo<\/em>.<\/p>\n The funny thing is that Ling is a relatively newcomer to American sitcoms, while I\u2019ve been watching them for as long as I\u2019ve been watching TV, i.e. as a young boy.<\/p>\n Interestingly, Ling does not usually immediately like a sitcom, or any American TV drama series when she first watches it. Rarely do TV series grip her from the get-go. She needs to watch a bit of it first, then ask me questions to fill her in on the context and background of the show and its characters. And after a couple of evenings, that\u2019s when things can go either way: she\u2019ll either like the series, or she won\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s my scoreboard so far at home:<\/p>\n Everybody Loves Raymond<\/em>. She liked it from the start when I started replaying episodes. This is now her favorite comedy series. Success.<\/p>\n Seinfeld<\/a><\/em>. This took a short while to grew on her, but she eventually grew to love Kramer\u2019s antics. Success.<\/p>\n Frasier<\/em>. This was a much more sophisticated comedy that was far less slapstick and more on wordplay. I didn\u2019t acquire all the seasons of the series though, but whatever I did get she didn\u2019t mind watching. Half-success.<\/p>\n Scrubs<\/a><\/em>. Early on, Ling repeatedly said she preferred Grey\u2019s Anatomy <\/em>(I in-turn thought that Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> was good only in the first two seasons, after which material was no long refreshing but constantly regurgitated). Five seasons of Scrubs<\/em> later, she loves it. Success.<\/p>\n How about dramas? All hyperlinked below to blog posts here.<\/p>\n Star Trek Voyager<\/a><\/em>. She wasn\u2019t impressed in 2005 when we were still dating and we were watching episodes of it. But after saturating her with all ten Star Trek films before J. J. Abrahms \u2018reimagined\u2019 film this year, she got hooked. Success.<\/p>\n The Sopranos<\/a><\/em>. She thought the show was extremely crass and very violent. But it grew a little on her. Half-success.<\/p>\n