Describe a TV Program that Made You Laugh Cue Card

When did you watch it

When I started a new job, I had enough time on the weekends to relax all by myself as I barely befriended anyone. That is when this sitcom caught my attention.

Explain what it is about

The story is about a jingle writer Charlie Harper who lives freely in Malibu beach house until his uptight brother Alan and his son Jake come to live with him. The title itself is humorous as the “half-man” in the trio is a 10-year-old nephew of the protagonist named Jake. The story is all about what happens to the trio due to the intertwining of the three lives. The most fun character I found was that of Jake due to the punches he made and the comic timing he had. It was more humorous to me considering his age and the age-inappropriate comments he made as he grew up among two adults. The interaction of Charlie with his psychiatrist was hysterical.

What did you find funny in this program?

Every character in my opinion just added to the wackiness of the show. I thought when the team killed Charlie Harper’s character, the show would lose its funniness, however, Ashton Kutcher tactfully took over the responsibility of maintaining the humor and light-hearted ambiance by playing the funniest dumb billionaire. Whenever I feel a little low, I put on this show and within minutes, I start laughing my heart out. It is being said making the audience laugh is more difficult than making them cry. Well, I must say, the creators have done a great job. The show is a must watch for those who are looking for seasons of quirky comedy to binge-watch.

When did you watch it

Part of the reason why I find that show funny is that I grew up watching that show. Even today when I rewatch it, I find it extremely funny at some moments.

Explain what it is about

The story revolves around three women from three generations who have some magical powers. I still remember the “Shring vring sarvaling, bhoot bhavishya vartamaan badling” mantra that the women used to chant to change the scenarios that would tickle my funny bones and I would laugh hysterically while watching it.It will certainly ring a bell to every 90s Indian kid.It has been 12 years since the show first aired. It had over 190 episodes that ran for 3 years, from 2003 to 2006. The magical spells that would change the present, the effects it would cause and the reaction of the characters- all would unite to make it a humorous show. I adored the character of “Naani” played by Fareeda Jalal who was sweet yet mischievous. The show was loosely based on an American show called Sabrina the Teenage Witch in which Sabrina also lived with her aunts who were witches. Shararat however had elements of sassiness in the character of Pam and a little bit of puppy love of Jia and Dhruv.

What did you find funny in this program?

Overall the show was something that I have enjoyed while sitting with my family and I loved those simpler times when not many choices were present. Now we can watch infinite shows by just turning on our smart tv but back then in the times of cable connection, we used to wait for the clock to strike 9 so that our favourite show would be on air. It is indeed true that too many options kill the choice and that is why I still revisit my childhood through a show like Shararat which still leaves me giggling in a dimly lit room instead of exhausting due to umpteen options.

When did you watch it

I watched it when I was in school. Every weekend was dedicated to this program. 

Explain what it is about

It was a robot named Vicki(an acronym for Voice Input Child Identicant) that was built by Ted Lawson to assist handicapped children. He brought the robot home so that it can grow in a familial environment. The neighbours especially the Brindles were however unaware that Vicki is a robot and thus would always keep an eye on her making the execution of the whole storyline extremely funny. The show's humour is frequently derived from Vicki's attempts to learn human behaviour, her imitation of the same and trying to feed herself consciously to act the same while still holding on to her AI-powered self. What I used to find funny was Vicki’s unprecedented disorder of echolalia which would take over her and the glitch would make her repeat the human words endlessly. It was only when the engineer's father would fix a wire or two that Vicki would be restored to a normal self. Another funny element was the robot’s literal interpretation of speech and the family's efforts to disguise the robot's true nature. Amidst the concealment and revelation, there would be hell turning loose in the house of the small wonder. Vicki would witness everything and make use of her superhuman capabilities creating even more funny situations but would never smile as she didn’t know that emotion.

What did you find funny in this program?

Even to date, I have watched many adaptations of the same show but none of them matches the rawness of the 80s wonder. Although the show is nowhere near the way modern shows are made it was unique in its way and I thoroughly enjoy that. I always have a smile on my face whenever I see Vicki on screen with her straight face which rather looks grumpy than emotionless. She was a cute robot anybody would love to have. Many of the shows that came later used the same formula of cute kids stealing the show with their one-liners. The show ran for 96 episodes between 1985-89 but for me, it is still running on my tv whenever I am indecisive about what to watch.