# Fresh off the Boat



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Kind of surprised there isn't a thread about this show yet.

While it's not absolutely *hilarious*, this is definitely one of the best sitcoms I've seen in the past year or two, at least.

While a large portion of the humor is based on stereotypes, I like that the parents aren't "can barely understand English" stereotypes, which is often the joke in fish out of water type shows. (Yes, I do realize they lived in DC before, and I don't remember how long ago they came to the U.S.)

Strangely enough, the two most recent episodes had contradictory statements about the Internet. One said there was "no Internet" in 1995.. Obviously wrong, and even when you limit it to the world wide web, which unfortunately is what tons of people mean when they say "the Internet", even that's wrong... From wikipedia, Netscape Navigator was 1.0 in late 1994.. (and I realize his statement ALSO talked about search engines.)

Then the next episode somehow said the reverse.. but like usual, people don't remember the correction.. Oh, I think it was listening to the modem trying to connect, he was trying to get to his web page.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

I find it amusing. Especially the Eddie Huang character.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I like it too. Better then some of the other 1/2 hour sitcoms out there.


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## AeneaGames (May 2, 2009)

mattack said:


> Oh, I think it was listening to the modem trying to connect, he was trying to get to his web page.


Which was kinda odd since the power cable was not connected to the computer!


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

It's not LOL funny, but I'm enjoying it. In the last episode, the little brother getting involved in the party planning committee (or whatever it was) and listening to all the gossip made me chuckle.
And I think the mom is hawt.


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

I love this show! (In general, I hate sitcoms. )


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## milo99 (Oct 14, 2002)

this show makes me think it's a "Goldbergs" for the 90s with a Chinese family flavor. it's not bad. not a must see for me, but it's kind of entertaining.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

I looked up Cattleman's Ranch in Orlando. Apparently it closed this fall. Bad news for Eddie's father.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

milo99 said:


> this show makes me think it's a "Goldbergs" for the 90s with a Chinese family flavor. it's not bad. not a must see for me, but it's kind of entertaining.


This is my thought. I don't get all the Rap references as I'm not a fan, but I still find it fun. The interaction between mom and dad seem genuine, even though the mom is the stereotypical "Tiger Mom".

I think in the earlier reference about there not being Internet, well, it wasn't the distraction/mainstream that it is now and probably less than half the population was "online" in 1995.

Not sure if this is the series thread and spoilers are aloud but just in case:



Spoiler



I was laughing when the computer was trying to connect to the internet via modem and that it too so long.


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## Jolt (Jan 9, 2006)

Jeeters said:


> And I think the mom is hawt.


+1000


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

ABC is becoming the destination for funny moms. 

Beverly Goldberg
Frankie Heck
Claire Dunphy
Rainbow Johnson

and now Jessica Huang


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Funny seeing the Dad playing such a straight laced guy after recently watching him play Kim Jung Un in The Interview.


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## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

Jeeters said:


> And I think the mom is hawt.


Yes, she is crazy hot.


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## series5orpremier (Jul 6, 2013)

pdhenry said:


> I looked up Cattleman's Ranch in Orlando. Apparently it closed this fall. Bad news for Eddie's father.


It was converted into a Hooter's. Seriously. Randall Park talked about it last night on Kimmel. If Eddie's father were to get his hands on any of that Hooter's money he'd probably make out OK.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

mattack said:


> Strangely enough, the two most recent episodes had contradictory statements about the Internet. One said there was "no Internet" in 1995.. Obviously wrong, and even when you limit it to the world wide web, which unfortunately is what tons of people mean when they say "the Internet", even that's wrong... From wikipedia, Netscape Navigator was 1.0 in late 1994.. (and I realize his statement ALSO talked about search engines.)
> 
> Then the next episode somehow said the reverse.. but like usual, people don't remember the correction.. Oh, I think it was listening to the modem trying to connect, he was trying to get to his web page.


I don't think it was really a contradiction. In the first episode, Eddie didn't really say the Internet didn't exist, but simply said that in 1995 you couldn't go on the internet to search for "Asian kids who like hip hop." And in the second episode, the brother-in-law was trying to show off how successful he was by showing off his "new Internet computer." So I think they made it pretty clear that this was the very early days of the general public being on the internet and that it was relatively exotic and there wasn't a ton of information out there.


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

I like it a lot - and I'm also not a fan of sitcoms.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

series5orpremier said:


> It was converted into a Hooter's. Seriously.


Yep.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/cattlemans-orlando
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hooters-International-Drive/197299700286597

Both at 8801 International Drive.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Wait -- it gets better:

http://www.thebraiser.com/eddie-hua...staurant-to-hooters-and-retire-sifton-tweets/

So I guess it's more autobiographical than I thought.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

pdhenry said:


> Wait -- it gets better:
> 
> http://www.thebraiser.com/eddie-hua...staurant-to-hooters-and-retire-sifton-tweets/
> 
> So I guess it's more autobiographical than I thought.


Quite a bit of it is autobiographical.
http://www.vulture.com/2015/01/eddie-huang-fresh-off-the-boat-abc.html

I was a tad surprised when they dropped the C Bomb but I see his point.

I found the show interesting but it's not in a great timeslot.


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## atrac (Feb 27, 2002)

I've only watched two episodes thus far but definitely plan on catching up very soon. I enjoy the show but actually find the Eddie Huang character the least interesting so far. This is most likely because I have and have had zero interest in rap music, so any reference to it falls on deaf ears.

But the other characters (his parents, grandmother, brothers) consistently make me laugh and are what contribute to me liking the show. And the neighbor boy with the over the top ridiculously depressing references to his absentee father are truly inspired.

Hopefully Eddie's character will grow on me as the show progresses (since that is kind of the whole point of it, I'd imagine.) 

And yes, the mom is staggeringly gorgeous. Her voice, not so much.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

atrac said:


> I've only watched two episodes thus far but definitely plan on catching up very soon. I enjoy the show but actually find the Eddie Huang character the least interesting so far. This is most likely because I have and have had zero interest in rap music, so any reference to it falls on deaf ears.
> 
> But the other characters (his parents, grandmother, brothers) consistently make me laugh and are what contribute to me liking the show. And the neighbor boy with the over the top ridiculously depressing references to his absentee father are truly inspired. Hopefully Eddie's character will grow on me as the show progresses (since that is kind of the whole point of it, I'd imagine.)


Totally agree about the Eddie character. The rap stuff and the wannabe gangsta attitude is a turn off, but the rest of the supporting characters more than make up for that annoyance.



atrac said:


> IAnd yes, the mom is staggeringly gorgeous. Her voice, not so much.


Wait until you watch Episode 3 and hear her sing.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

pdhenry said:


> I looked up Cattleman's Ranch in Orlando.


Was this part of a chain? Looking around now, I guess there are various "Western" restaurants (a couple with Longhorn in the name, some chains, some apparently not) that this place totally made me think of..

That is, I wasn't sure it was a real place until people linked to the articles.. and if it was, I was confusing it with other places I'd seen!


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## series5orpremier (Jul 6, 2013)

In the pilot it was mistaken for being part of a chain, but they explained it's the original restaurant of that type that somebody else copied into a chain with a slightly different name (according to the show).


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

the gangster rap thing is apropos for this character in this time period. If you're significantly older (out of high school) than the time period of the show, I can appreciate not "getting it" - but it's on point.


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

MonsterJoe said:


> the gangster rap thing is apropos for this character in this time period. If you're significantly older (out of high school) than the time period of the show, I can appreciate not "getting it" - but it's on point.


Agreed. I appreciate the character because of that.

The "Success Perms" near tears and it has been a long time that I've had that kind of reaction.


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## justapixel (Sep 27, 2001)

I saw the first two episodes last night. I thought at first it was really dumb, but it grew on me. I lol'd a few times. It reminds me of The Neighbors, which I loved and which disappeared quickly. I'll keep watching.

And my son was very into Big and that kind of music, he is about the age Eddie was. So were all his friends, 100% of whom were Asian.


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## Chapper1 (Jan 2, 2004)

I think the Neighbors was on for 3 seasons so it didn't disappear that quickly


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

I didn't realize the neighbors was cancelled. Bummer


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Still on the fence with this one, but the episodes have been getting better.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

We did a binge viewing via On Demand and we were a bit unsure about it after the first episode, but by the 2nd episode we started getting into the groove. We set an SP for it.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

One other thing I forgot to mention -- this show is reminding me that I'm old!

It's scary that they're "Wonder Years"-ing freaking 1995!

(Yeah, I know, it's always 20 years earlier.. "Happy Days" did it in the 70s to the 50s, "The Wonder Years" did it in the 80s to the 60s.. BUT STILL!!!! The lyrics to "All in the Family" are the only instance that pops to mind that's 30-40 years earlier than when it was made.. Obviously there's many instances where something is set hundreds to thousands of years ago..)


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Based on some of the comments here I might give the series another shot. I watched about half of the first episode and declared meh, and deleted the SP.


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## tlc (May 30, 2002)

waynomo said:


> Based on some of the comments here I might give the series another shot. I watched about half of the first episode and declared meh, and deleted the SP.


My wife and I both thought the pilot was pretty bad, but the 2nd and 3rd ep redeemed it.


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

Yesterday's episode was meh but I'm not giving up since a few stale episodes are expected in any season.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

I saw this thread a couple of days ago and setup a SP. Watched last night's episode and found it pretty good. I'll try a couple of more.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

I rather liked this episode. The boys watching their dirty movie, the poker game subplot.

And I get an odd feeling from this show, it doesn't feel like a normal sitcom for some reason.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Kudos to the writers for getting fajitas right. Fajitas are skirt steak. No more, no less.

But then again, the dad *did* run a steak house.

--Carlos V.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

I had a big lol moment when the mom said: "We're going downtown to pick up a prostitute so that Ashley Alexander can bend her over and [door bell SFX] her too."

Shocked that they could get away with that line in Early Prime.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

RGM1138 said:


> I had a big lol moment when the mom said: "We're going downtown to pick up a prostitute so that Ashley Alexander can bend her over and [door bell SFX] her too."
> 
> Shocked that they could get away with that line in Early Prime.


Yeah we cracked up at that line as well.

The Goldberg's does the same thing each week. In a recent ep the mom, upon having her son ask her for dating advise, said "F me sideways, one of my kids needs my help!". Of course they blurred her lips/voice just at the right time, but it was obvious what the character was saying. I always look forward to seeing what crazy outburst they will put her (or others) in each week.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Unbeliever said:


> Kudos to the writers for getting fajitas right. Fajitas are skirt steak. No more, no less. But then again, the dad did run a steak house. --Carlos V.


But they sizzle!


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

RGM1138 said:


> I had a big lol moment when the mom said: "We're going downtown to pick up a prostitute so that Ashley Alexander can bend her over and [door bell SFX] her too."
> 
> Shocked that they could get away with that line in Early Prime.


What used to be known as "Family Hour" now appears to be limited to Sundays between 7 and 8 Eastern, and even then, Fox has run TV-14 shows like _American Dad!_ at that time.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

Was it my imagination or did all of the kids change between last week and this week? If not all, then I know the main tall kid did that was challanging him with the party and dirty mag, last week.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

They look the same to me


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Unfortunately, I missed E01 & E02, but have been watching since and enjoy the show.

Also loved the Ashley Alexander stuff. But I don't have kids so not much bothers me. I can see how those with kids would not love some of the things said on sitcoms these days.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Unbeliever said:


> Kudos to the writers for getting fajitas right. Fajitas are skirt steak. No more, no less.


What did he call it? D grade meat or something like that?



That Don Guy said:


> What used to be known as "Family Hour" now appears to be limited to Sundays between 7 and 8 Eastern, and even then, Fox has run TV-14 shows like _American Dad!_ at that time.


A better example -- "Two Broke Girls" runs at 8pm. I like the show Two Broke Girls, but I honestly think this would be R rated stuff if it were in a movie, not too long ago (i.e. not MANY MANY decades ago.. maybe one or two).. Yet opposingly, there used to be nudity in PG rated movies. (It was PG-13, but "Doc Hollywood" is the only one that comes to mind. I'm 100% sure there were PG rated movies that had nudity.)


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

mattack said:


> What did he call it? D grade meat or something like that?]


Utility grade. Two or three grades below select.

http://modernfarmer.com/2013/10/demystifying-usda-meat-grades/


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## bobcarn (Nov 18, 2001)

I caught this show by accident a couple weeks ago. I was watching something on Tivo, it ended, and when live TV came on, this show had just started and it grabbed my attention. I've been watching it and like it so far. I don't think it's hilarious, but I still get a good laugh and like the characters. I'm keeping the season pass for it.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

pdhenry said:


> Utility grade. Two or three grades below select.


There's a reason why it was a cut nobody but us Mexicans would eat for the longest time.

--Carlos V.


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## MPSAN (Jun 20, 2009)

My wife likes this show so I still watch it with her. I am getting VERY annoyed at the laugh track that they play after every other sentence! A little is OK, as some stuff is funny, but I feel it is WAY overdone. Am I just getting old?


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## mlsnyc (Dec 3, 2009)

MPSAN said:


> My wife likes this show so I still watch it with her. I am getting VERY annoyed at the laugh track that they play after every other sentence! A little is OK, as some stuff is funny, but I feel it is WAY overdone. Am I just getting old?


What laugh track? This show doesn't have one or if it does I haven't noticed it in the 4 or so episodes that have aired.

Are you talking about this show, mistaking this for another show, or making commentary about other shows in this thread?


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## MPSAN (Jun 20, 2009)

mlsnyc said:


> What laugh track? This show doesn't have one or if it does I haven't noticed it in the 4 or so episodes that have aired.
> 
> Are you talking about this show, mistaking this for another show, or making commentary about other shows in this thread?


Well, I can check. I thought we saw this and I commented last night that it was getting old. MOM is the same. I will check again.


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## mlsnyc (Dec 3, 2009)

MPSAN said:


> Well, I can check. I thought we saw this and I commented last night that it was getting old. MOM is the same. I will check again.


Finally was able to recheck. Fresh Off the Boat does not have a laugh track.

Haven't seen Mom. But it's on CBS, so I assume it has one (a laugh track). I can't think of any comedies on that channel that don't feature one.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

mlsnyc said:


> Finally was able to recheck. Fresh Off the Boat does not have a laugh track. Haven't seen Mom. But it's on CBS, so I assume it has one (a laugh track). I can't think of any comedies on that channel that don't feature one.


Mom is a Chuck Lorre sitcom (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Hal Men, Mike & Molly), so it definitely is filmed in front of a live audience as incorporates the audience laughter into the show.


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

I don't know why we keep going through this. Three camera sitcoms filmed in front of al live audience have actual people laughing.

Did people say the same thing about All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends?


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## mlsnyc (Dec 3, 2009)

Turtleboy said:


> I don't know why we keep going through this.


The difference between a laugh track and a show filmed in front of a live audience? Or people liking or not liking a show simply because there's laughter, whether canned or live audience?

FWIW, I only care if I think the show is funny or not. Not if it has audience or canned laughter. Also, whether the laughter is from a live audience or canned means little to me.


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## jamesl (Jul 12, 2012)

Turtleboy said:


> I don't know why we keep going through this. Three camera sitcoms filmed in front of a live audience have actual people laughing.
> 
> Did people say the same thing about All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends?


huge difference between those shows and the Chuck Lorre sitcoms

the big bang theory has laughter for almost every line

and often the laughter starts in the middle of of sentence

there is just no way an entire audience is going to start laughing before the punch line is even said

you can go to youtube and see clips of Cheers and Cosby Show and the others and see and hear that the laughter does not step all over the conversation

here is one of the most famous scenes from the cosby show






there is a lot of added laughter in that scene, 
but it's still nothing compared to big bang theory

and it's not just the Lorre sitcoms 
it's all of cbs 
2 broke girls has the laughter overkill disease too

it's just annoying


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

Turtleboy said:


> I don't know why we keep going through this. Three camera sitcoms filmed in front of al live audience have actual people laughing.
> 
> Did people say the same thing about All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends?


I didn't mind back then. I do now and cannot intellectually explain why it annoys me. Suffices to say that I don't like to hear the noise from audiences unless

- I am in the audience 
- it is airing live (award shows)
- I actually can see the audience (filmed plays, nightly shows, standup comedy, etc)


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Beryl said:


> I didn't mind back then. I do now and cannot intellectually explain why it annoys me. Suffices to say that I don't like to hear the noise from audiences unless - I am in the audience - it is airing live (award shows) - I actually can see the audience (filmed plays, nightly shows, standup comedy, etc)


Your loss.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

I'm just realizing that I can't remember if Friends had a laugh track or not. I've seen most of the eps numerous times, but I'd have to watch one now to see.

ETA: Yep, laugh track.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

RGM1138 said:


> I'm just realizing that I can't remember if Friends had a laugh track or not. I've seen most of the eps numerous times, but I'd have to watch one now to see.
> 
> ETA: Yep, *laugh track*.


Is it actually referred to as a laugh "track" when the show was actually filmed in front of an actual *audience* that was laughing live?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Alfer said:


> Is it actually referred to as a laugh "track" when the show was actually filmed in front of an actual *audience* that was laughing live?


Actually, one "on-set" scene was filmed without an audience:



Spoiler



In the episode where Chandler and Monica get married, all season long, episodes had been spoiled by people sitting in the audience and then posting what happened onto the alt.tv.friends newsgroup, so what they did was, they "ended" with the end of the wedding, then sent everybody home...and then got the cast back on set to record the final part, where it turns out that the positive pregnancy test Phoebe found earlier was not Monica's. This is why there is no audience reaction to Rachel's last line, where you would expect half the audience to go crazy under the assumption that Rachel was pregnant with Ross's baby.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

Alfer said:


> Is it actually referred to as a laugh "track" when the show was actually filmed in front of an actual *audience* that was laughing live?


I think a lot of us here consider it a 'laugh track' whenever what we are hearing has been manipulated in any way, regardless of whether or not the laughs occurred during taping. So any sweetening, even an increase in volume, turns it into a 'laugh track'.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Meh.

Either way it doesn't really bother/phase me. 

Although I would find a live in person audience to be more tolerable in that they are laughing at the moment of the funny scene etc. As opposed to having one person sitting in an editing room with a script that says "add laughter track after this line of dialogue" etc.


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

Beryl said:


> I didn't mind back then. I do now and cannot intellectually explain why it annoys me. Suffices to say that I don't like to hear the noise from audiences unless
> 
> - I am in the audience
> - it is airing live (award shows)
> - I actually can see the audience (filmed plays, nightly shows, standup comedy, etc)


For me, the difference is that back then, it was usually very obvious that there was a live audience. The laughs sounded more 'real'. Sure, in post-production, they sometimes, or even oftentimes, enhanced the studio audience laughter with a laugh track, but it still didn't sound so artificial.

But today, the laughter always sounds completely canned to me. If there's an actual studio audience, it's very hard to tell. At least for me it is.


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## MPSAN (Jun 20, 2009)

Sorry, my wife said it was Cristela! But it was bad...every other sentence!


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Turtleboy said:


> Did people say the same thing about All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends?


(BTW, I am one of the "defenders" of real audiences vs "laugh track" distinction.)

But I sure thought we've had people here discussing the paid laughers in audiences of oooooold shows (70s, maybe earlier). So it was a "real" laugh track at times, rather than an artificial one (which Andy Griffith's character invented in one of his movies).



jamesl said:


> 2 broke girls has the laughter overkill disease too


The only thing that bugs me here is the "Fonzie walk in cheer" that Oleg's girlfriend gets on at least her first appearance each show. The weird thing is that I saw her on some OTHER show, and she actually CAN act and talk normally. (Maybe I'm misremembering, but I sure thought she did almost the same annoying voice in "American Pie" and other things I've seen her on.)


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

mattack said:


> The only thing that bugs me here is the "Fonzie walk in cheer" that Oleg's girlfriend gets on at least her first appearance each show.


"Hi girls, it's me, Sophie." {insert huge crowd applause/laughter}


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## AeneaGames (May 2, 2009)

astrohip said:


> "Hi girls, it's me, Sophie." {insert huge crowd applause/laughter}


I dislike that with a passion, not sure why she's so popular either, her character is rather annoying...


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

AeneaGames said:


> I dislike that with a passion, not sure why she's so popular either, her character is rather annoying...


:up: :up: :up: this is so annoying I have considered dropping my season pass (the rest of the show is not good enough to make it worthwhile). I definitely don't watch this show regularly anymore: I had 3 episodes queued up before last weekend when I finally got through them.


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

What the hell show are we talking about?


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Turtleboy said:


> What the hell show are we talking about?


Sorry... _2 Broke Girls_. We'll get back on topic


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

In a nutshell:

Fresh off the Boat= Good

Laugh tracks= BAD


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## Carlucci (Jan 10, 2001)

So with a live studio audience, what do they do about multiple takes? I can see the audience laughing really hard the first time they hear the joke, but after several takes, wouldn't there only be a smattering of laughter? If they have to instruct the audience to exaggerate their laugh like it's the first time they've heard it, then it's not much different than "canned" laugh tracks, IMO.

On topic: FOtB delivers only about 2-3 LOL moments for me, each episodes. That's not good enough for me to say I like it yet, but I'm still watching.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I only get annoyed when laugh tracks are obviously manipulated to make what the producers / writers / staff think are funny. If the show is funny, I don't care if there's a laugh track or not. Some shows though, they have it turned up so loud that it IS distracting.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Carlucci said:


> So with a live studio audience, what do they do about multiple takes? I can see the audience laughing really hard the first time they hear the joke, but after several takes, wouldn't there only be a smattering of laughter?
> 
> If they have to instruct the audience to exaggerate their laugh like it's the first time they've heard it, then it's not much different than "canned" laugh tracks, IMO.


I think in that situation, they would just use the recorded laughter from the first take. But I think most multi-cam shows try their best to film their episodes with minimal reshoots.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

Carlucci said:


> So with a live studio audience, what do they do about multiple takes? I can see the audience laughing really hard the first time they hear the joke, but after several takes, wouldn't there only be a smattering of laughter? If they have to instruct the audience to exaggerate their laugh like it's the first time they've heard it, then it's not much different than "canned" laugh tracks, IMO.


I went to a live taping of Tim Allen's Last Man Standing sitcom. 
They did 3 takes for every scene. The big joke would change each time, so it got fresh laughs. The small joke would sometimes get a laugh the 3rd time just based on whether or not they messed it up in the earlier take.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

Donbadabon said:


> I went to a live taping of Tim Allen's Last Man Standing sitcom.
> They did 3 takes for every scene. The big joke would change each time, so it got fresh laughs. The small joke would sometimes get a laugh the 3rd time just based on whether or not they messed it up in the earlier take.


I'm curious, at a live shoot, how much time is there between scenes for set changes, wardrobe etc.

And about how long does it take to shoot the whole episode?


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

RGM1138 said:


> I'm curious, at a live shoot, how much time is there between scenes for set changes, wardrobe etc.
> 
> And about how long does it take to shoot the whole episode?


It took almost 6 hours to tape. 4pm-10pm. They served pizza during a 40 minute break.

The scene changes probably took 5 - 10 minutes each, based on whether or not the next scene took place in the same room.

During the down time we had a guy that kept us entertained. He would tell jokes, bring people up front for games, etc. Basically kept everyone happy and laughing and hopefully carry that into the next scene. Sometimes he would be in the middle of his 'act' and the bell would ring for quiet on the set and he would immediately stop talking and sit down.

The one thing that really was interesting to me, and maybe not to anyone else, was what happened when someone walked out of a room. I always assumed they would keep walking and go backstage to get ready for their next scene. But as soon as they cleared the doorway and were out of the shot they would just stop. And stand there. Even if they weren't coming back into the scene. It looked so strange to see.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

Donbadabon said:


> It took almost 6 hours to tape. 4pm-10pm. They served pizza during a 40 minute break.
> 
> The scene changes probably took 5 - 10 minutes each, based on whether or not the next scene took place in the same room.
> 
> ...


Very interesting. Thanks!


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Wow, I didn't realize it took THAT long to do a half hour sitcom (on normal standing sets). I would have guessed 2-3 hours, with nothing to back it up.


Looks like I didn't mention it when I saw it a few days ago -- I saw an article that pointed out the success of "Fresh off the Boat" and related it to a bunch of biographical sitcoms greenlighted for next year. (Not necessarily making a cause->effect relationship, but saying that this and IIRC one other recent show were doing well.)


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

The only TV taping I was at was, I would guess, 1978. It was a Chico and the Man taping and it was after Prinze was gone. They specifically told us there would be multiple takes and to try to laugh the same as we did the first time we heard the jokes. They also had an applause and laugh light that people were supposed to respond to when lit. 

Our taping only took about 2 hours. But they told us that the first scene was filmed off stage so it we didn't get to see a full episode.


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

Donbadabon said:


> The one thing that really was interesting to me, and maybe not to anyone else, was what happened when someone walked out of a room. I always assumed they would keep walking and go backstage to get ready for their next scene. But as soon as they cleared the doorway and were out of the shot they would just stop. And stand there. Even if they weren't coming back into the scene. It looked so strange to see.


That's because they wanted to stay close incase they needed to redo the scene if someone flubbed something.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

mattack said:


> Wow, I didn't realize it took THAT long to do a half hour sitcom (on normal standing sets). I would have guessed 2-3 hours, with nothing to back it up.


According to this, a taping of Big Bang Theory typically lasts about 2.5 hours, but on rare occasions will go longer.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

DevdogAZ said:


> According to this, a taping of Big Bang Theory typically lasts about 2.5 hours, but on rare occasions will go longer.


I bet they get faster as the seasons progress.

I wonder how many scenes BBT films at a time? The Tim Allen always filmed each scene 3 times no matter what.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Last nights episode wasn't one of their best, but still had a few funny moments. I liked it when the kid with the hots for his babysitter/schoolmate had the stomach issues and after he just finished going to the bathroom, he ran to the sofa to sit by her and said *"Now where were we...NOPE!"* and hopped up to back to the bathroom.

LOL


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I loved the mom randomly blurting out lines from Caddyshack. "We're all gonna get laid!"


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

Loved the billboard picture on the other side of th...

oops, wrong thread, I think - sorry.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

If this is going to morph into a season thread, we should get a mod to add a spoilers note to the title... or else create a new season thread.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

MonsterJoe said:


> Loved the billboard picture on the other side of th...
> 
> oops, wrong thread, I think - sorry.


It just paints itself.


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## Howie (May 3, 2004)

I remember in the old sitcoms like I Love Lucy and such, they used the same laugh track all the time. There's one point in the track where a single person goes "uh oh" in anticipation of some kooky thing that one of the characters is about to do, and it's very distinctive. It sticks with me to this day.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Howie said:


> I remember in the old sitcoms like I Love Lucy and such, they used the same laugh track all the time. There's one point in the track where a single person goes "uh oh" in anticipation of some kooky thing that one of the characters is about to do, and it's very distinctive. It sticks with me to this day.


"Soon after the advent of the laugh track, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz devised a method of filming with a live audience using a multi-camera setup. This process was originally employed for their sitcom I Love Lucy, which used a live studio audience and no laugh track."

In fact, the biggest laughs came from Desi Arnaz when he was watching from off camera. That loud guffaw you hear every once in a while is him.


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## Howie (May 3, 2004)

Maybe it wasn't I Love Lucy, but some other sitcom that used the same laugh track over and over. And I think it was used on more than one sitcom. The single person "uh oh" I was referring to was a woman, I'm pretty sure. I could have sworn I Love Lucy used it, but I've been wrong more than once in my life.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

It might have been a follow-on Lucille Ball comedy. I recall "uh-oh" in some B&W sitcom of that era.


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## efilippi (Jul 24, 2001)

jamesl said:


> here is one of the most famous scenes from the cosby show
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for that. I haven't seen Cosby for a long time and our perception of him has changed lately, but he sure was funny. Too bad he wasn't as good at life as he was on stage.



Carlucci said:


> So with a live studio audience, what do they do about multiple takes? I can see the audience laughing really hard the first time they hear the joke, but after several takes, wouldn't there only be a smattering of laughter? If they have to instruct the audience to exaggerate their laugh like it's the first time they've heard it, then it's not much different than "canned" laugh tracks, IMO.


I just read in some listical about great moments in films of the Farrely brothers, one being the three strikes Bill Murray rolled in Kingpin. The directors figured it would take them maybe dozens of rolls before they could get three strikes so coached the audience on how to react, from just a little to a grand roar for the third. Then Murray went out and proceeded to roll three straight strikes and the crowd went properly nuts! Great story.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

Started watching this week and have caught up. In general, I like it so I'm going to keep watching. There were some hilarious bits like the episode where they were discussing sexual harassment and the mom emphasized "no means no!" with the stuffed animal.

The mom's accent keeps wandering though. I wish they would just get rid of it. The actress just can't do it right.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

By the way, I noticed this week that the brand of Corned Beef sold at Aldi is Cattlemen's Ranch. Probably other beef cuts also.


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

logic88 said:


> The mom's accent keeps wandering though. I wish they would just get rid of it. The actress just can't do it right.


It doesn't bother me. She wouldn't seem "fresh of the boat" if she had an American accent.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

Jeeters said:


> It doesn't bother me. She wouldn't seem "fresh of the boat" if she had an American accent.


The accent itself doesn't bother me as much as the fact that it keeps coming and going. One scene she has a fairly thick accent and then another scene, she barely has one at all.

I was surprised to see that Eddie Huang was the narrator though, given how much he's trashed the show for making his life story so bland. I guess a paycheck is a paycheck.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

In the last article I read by Eddie he seemed to have come to grips with the show for what it was, rather than a faithful telling of his personal story, and even said he liked it as a show.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

That opinion piece by Eddie got a lot of publicity for him "trashing" the show. But when he appeared at the Television Critics press tour to promote the show, and they all asked him about why he was promoting the show if he was so down on it, he seemed totally surprised. The problem was, the beginning of the piece had him discussing all the things he disliked about the production, but by the end of the piece, he explained how he'd come to grips with it and understood why the producers and the network did things that way. So he didn't view it as a put-down piece at all, but many of the critics who only read the beginning thought he disliked the show, when in fact that's not the case.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

I have no idea who "real" Eddie is. Not sure if I care.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

DUDE_NJX said:


> I have no idea who "real" Eddie is. Not sure if I care.


I'd never heard of him before this show. I don't care either. Apparently he's some celebrity chef who wrote a book about his life and this show is based on that book.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

DevdogAZ said:


> That opinion piece by Eddie got a lot of publicity for him "trashing" the show. But when he appeared at the Television Critics press tour to promote the show, and they all asked him about why he was promoting the show if he was so down on it, he seemed totally surprised. The problem was, the beginning of the piece had him discussing all the things he disliked about the production, but by the end of the piece, he explained how he'd come to grips with it and understood why the producers and the network did things that way. So he didn't view it as a put-down piece at all, but many of the critics who only read the beginning thought he disliked the show, when in fact that's not the case.


Huh. I didn't know that was the case. I just saw all the headlines and blurbs about how he disliked the show. Thanks for the additional information.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Here's the original article in question:

http://www.vulture.com/2015/01/eddie-huang-fresh-off-the-boat-abc.html

I hadn't read it until now. I can see how someone skimming it would think that he was dissatisfied with the show. And I can see how someone would start reading it and not make it to the end. But it's kind of an interesting read and gives some insight into who he is and what he's trying to do.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

I had no idea this was based on a real person either. That makes it funnier to me.

The previews didn't do the show justice, IMO. I missed the first couple of episodes because the previews didn't pull me in. But once I stumbled across it and actually watched an episode I liked it and am in for the season pass.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

They follow the pattern of "story based on real life" like The Goldberg's, also on ABC.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

He was on CNN's Reliable Sources this last Sunday, and it's available as a free audio podcast. He still seemed to have some negative things to say, but yes, did eventually say he liked it.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

Ken Levine on "Fresh Off the Boat":

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2015/03/fresh-off-boat-my-review.html

I watched a few minutes of the pilot and quit. Guess I should try to revisit it. Any way to watch from the beginning without $$$?


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

ABC On Demand is free. So is Directv's On Demand.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

Alfer said:


> ABC On Demand is free. So is Directv's On Demand.


Have both, thanks!


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

When will a renew/cancel decision be made? Someone told me that FotB got cancelled but I couldn't find any confirmation when I searched.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

logic88 said:


> When will a renew/cancel decision be made? Someone told me that FotB got cancelled but I couldn't find any confirmation when I searched.


The latest TVbytheNumbers shows it to be safe.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...erican-crime-is-likely-to-be-canceled/376056/

Not gospel, but very accurate in the past.


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## smak (Feb 11, 2000)

astrohip said:


> Ken Levine on "Fresh Off the Boat":
> 
> http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2015/03/fresh-off-boat-my-review.html
> 
> I watched a few minutes of the pilot and quit. Guess I should try to revisit it. Any way to watch from the beginning without $$$?


"'FRESH OFF THE BOAT just keeps getting better. And how refreshing to find a new sitcom with some genuine laughs. "

Is this a shot at Blackish?

-smak-


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

smak said:


> "'FRESH OFF THE BOAT just keeps getting better. And how refreshing to find a new sitcom with some genuine laughs. "
> 
> Is this a shot at Blackish?
> 
> -smak-


No, I think from previous posts of his he likes Blackish too.

He is not happy with much of the state of sitcom these days. He thinks shows like 2 Broke Girls (and several others) are symptomatic of weak writing, going for cheap vagina jokes, lack of character development. With his bona fides, his points are well made. He wrote a blog post a few weeks back about this very subject. He also says network interference (AKA "notes") is probably responsible for as much failure as the actual sitcom writers themselves.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

Huh. I guess Eddie Huang's really "off the boat" now, so to speak.

https://deadline.com/2015/04/eddie-huang-fresh-off-the-boat-tweets-1201406604/



> For the record I don't watch #FreshOffTheBoat on @ABCNetwork
> 
> - RICH HOMIE HUANG (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
> 
> ...


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

Sounds like he expected the show to autobiographical. I thought it was just based on his experiences like _Everyone Hates Chris_.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

I try not to make fun of or even mention people's appearance.... But wow, Heather Locklear got fat!


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I thought that looked like her but I didn't want sure. I certainly was surprised how she looked. But she is 55 years old, and age tends to catch up to people, even those that used to be one of the hottest women in the world.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

DevdogAZ said:


> I thought that looked like her but I didn't want sure. I certainly was surprised how she looked. But she is 55 years old, and age tends to catch up to people, even those that used to be one of the hottest women in the world.


I know many people thought that.. that's part of why I commented at all (personally, even when she was young, I think I would think many others were prettier than her).. e.g. I liked the nice girl ("Allison" was the character?) on Melrose Place better.

Her gig all along has basically been "the hot chick", and she seemed to mostly be keeping it up even as she got way into her 40s..


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

It's not just her looks. She "acts" like she's paralyzed. Her face and her body don't move.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

Wow! Trying not to judge, but I saw her not too long in some other venue and she did not look like she did in this show. (And I'm certainly no one to talk).

Sometimes, a DP or a director will try to be kind and mainly shoot the actor in medium and close ups. They opened on her with a full body entrance.

Maybe she's on meds. Steroids can add on the pounds.


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## fmowry (Apr 30, 2002)

Haven't watched this episode yet but she did go to rehab recently so perhaps it's from eating instead of popping pills.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

It has to be difficult where one ages so publicly, and where sporadic professional appearances don't allow for a "graceful" aging that the public can acclimate to.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

It's not simply aging, though. There are other things going on.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Yep, possibly. But even those seem more "natural" with constant exposure, rather than sporadic experiences.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Mikeguy said:


> It has to be difficult where one ages so publicly, and where sporadic professional appearances don't allow for a "graceful" aging that the public can acclimate to.


But my point was that this does seem sudden, though I honestly don't remember the last thing I saw her on... I *thought* it was within the past year or two though.. maybe not.


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

mattack said:


> I know many people thought that.. that's part of why I commented at all (personally, even when she was young, I think I would think many others were prettier than her).. e.g. I liked the nice girl ("Allison" was the character?) on Melrose Place better.


btw, "Allison", i.e., Courtney Thorne-Smith, happened to be a guest star on the show the week before. She played the mom of that blonde haired boy with the glasses. She looked mostly the same to me. I think Heather has 6 or 7 years on her.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Watched the latest episode last night. Didn't see the big deal about how Locklear looked. Pretty typical for someone of her profession.

Her acting though... Jesus. Please never let her show up on my television again.  That was painful.


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## bantar (Apr 27, 2004)

This is one of my favorite shows, but I have a problem with the lack of morals often portrayed. Remember when Jessica tried to scam the hotel from charging her legitimate fees? This week, she scammed a child at the garage sale and then grandma decides to key the car of the man that helped her get a free chair. I get and enjoy that she is trying to be cheap, but stealing is and hurting other people is more than being cheap. Some credit for the child at the garage sale catching her trying to steal that record album.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

Jeeters said:


> btw, "Allison", i.e., Courtney Thorne-Smith, happened to be a guest star on the show the week before. She played the mom of that blonde haired boy with the glasses. She looked mostly the same to me. I think Heather has 6 or 7 years on her.


My wife and I immediately recognized her. She looks good. It was kind of an odd cameo, though. Why choose such a well known actress for such an insignificant part?


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Jeeters said:


> btw, "Allison", i.e., Courtney Thorne-Smith, happened to be a guest star on the show the week before. She played the mom of that blonde haired boy with the glasses. She looked mostly the same to me. I think Heather has 6 or 7 years on her.


OK, that's funny.. I did remember seeing her on some other show recently, and had a vague thought it might have been this same show.. but didn't look it up.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

gweempose said:


> My wife and I immediately recognized her. She looks good. It was kind of an odd cameo, though. Why choose such a well known actress for such an insignificant part?


When actors get older, especially women, they don't get many parts.. So they take any job they can get.


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## bantar (Apr 27, 2004)

mattack said:


> When actors get older, especially women, they don't get many parts.. So they take any job they can get.


That's how it worked in Hollywood of yesteryear. Now that California has blocked IMDB from posting their ages, she can play a teenager again.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

bantar said:


> That's how it worked in Hollywood of yesteryear. Now that California has blocked IMDB from posting their ages, she can play a teenager again.


If I recall correctly, the court recently dis-allowed that ban, citing First Amendment rights. The lawsuit still will go forward, though.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I always go to Wikipedia to find celebrities' ages. Wouldn't think that site could be censored like that.


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

bantar said:


> This is one of my favorite shows, but I have a problem with the lack of morals often portrayed. Remember when Jessica tried to scam the hotel from charging her legitimate fees? This week, she scammed a child at the garage sale and then grandma decides to key the car of the man that helped her get a free chair. I get and enjoy that she is trying to be cheap, but stealing is and hurting other people is more than being cheap. Some credit for the child at the garage sale catching her trying to steal that record album.


Agreed. I loved Season 1 but it has gotten painful to watch. Since I like the premise, I haven't deleted the OnePass but I'm *this* close.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

mattack said:


> I try not to make fun of or even mention people's appearance.... But wow, Heather Locklear got fat!





Jeeters said:


> btw, "Allison", i.e., Courtney Thorne-Smith, happened to be a guest star on the show the week before. She played the mom of that blonde haired boy with the glasses. She looked mostly the same to me. I think Heather has 6 or 7 years on her.





gweempose said:


> My wife and I immediately recognized her. She looks good. It was kind of an odd cameo, though. Why choose such a well known actress for such an insignificant part?


Ya'll haven't been paying enough attention. They did a whole Melrose Place style episode last year and Courtney Thorne-Smith had a cameo there too. So it's only natural that they are pulling faces from Melrose Place to fill in the background characters.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I'm starting to tire of this show. I really like the kids, but the mom has become REALLY annoying. The fact that she does all this illegal stuff and gets away with it often and considers it a good thing bugs me. The dad has zero backbone. And because of the popularity of the show, there are way too many stories about the mom and much less about the kids now.


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## bantar (Apr 27, 2004)

Steveknj said:


> I'm starting to tire of this show. I really like the kids, but the mom has become REALLY annoying. The fact that she does all this illegal stuff and gets away with it often and considers it a good thing bugs me. The dad has zero backbone. And because of the popularity of the show, there are way too many stories about the mom and much less about the kids now.


I think you and I are both upset with the bad behaviors portrayed on this show, but a big part of the series is the "Asian Tiger Mom". I actually like the mom, but abhor many of her behaviors and think that they should be portrayed differently (maybe with a bit more karma - not glamorizing the bad). (Like is not the right word, glad this character is part of the show is a better way to say it).

It's funny to see the HOA hate her and the jealously with her sister, etc. What I find missing is one or all of her kids playing either the piano or violin with mom aggressively overseeing the practice with a wooden cane. The other thing that is missing is the mandatory Chinese school on Saturday. Maybe Eddie didn't have to attend this. I'm friends with a few tiger mom dominated families and have heard the stories first hand. I was just talking to an Chinese male neighbor of mine yesterday and he lamented that his opinion didn't matter with respect to home improvements. But, I'm not so sure that this is an Asian only scenario.

Interesting to compare, Louis, the dad to Murray on the Goldbergs. Louis wants his kids to like him and is a bit soft and overbearing in his approach. Murray secretly likes his kids, but would never say it. It was funny watching his kids request permission to get a job, become self-sufficient and threaten to move out of the house.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

bantar said:


> I think you and I are both upset with the bad behaviors portrayed on this show, but a big part of the series is the "Asian Tiger Mom". I actually like the mom, but abhor many of her behaviors and think that they should be portrayed differently (maybe with a bit more karma - not glamorizing the bad). (Like is not the right word, glad this character is part of the show is a better way to say it).
> 
> It's funny to see the HOA hate her and the jealously with her sister, etc. What I find missing is one or all of her kids playing either the piano or violin with mom aggressively overseeing the practice with a wooden cane. The other thing that is missing is the mandatory Chinese school on Saturday. Maybe Eddie didn't have to attend this. I'm friends with a few tiger mom dominated families and have heard the stories first hand. I was just talking to an Chinese male neighbor of mine yesterday and he lamented that his opinion didn't matter with respect to home improvements. But, I'm not so sure that this is an Asian only scenario.
> 
> Interesting to compare, Louis, the dad to Murray on the Goldbergs. Louis wants his kids to like him and is a bit soft and overbearing in his approach. Murray secretly likes his kids, but would never say it. It was funny watching his kids request permission to get a job, become self-sufficient and threaten to move out of the house.


I think they don't want to portray the mom as TOO Tiger mom as it would make her completely unlikable to those not from that culture, but yet still show the stereotypical domineering mom of Chinese culture. But, what they've replaced it with is despicable, in that the mom, rather than instilling cultural morals of education and strictness, have replaced that weasily, bordering on illegal behavior, which makes her a terrible role model for her kids. Perhaps this is something accepted in Chinese culture? I'm not Chinese so I don't know, but certainly isn't how an adult should behave in front her her kids. The father seems much more morally grounded, to the point of being TOO nice.

I know Eddie Huang has mentioned that while the show is based on hi childhood, the TV Huangs are nothing like the real life ones.


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## bantar (Apr 27, 2004)

Steveknj said:


> I think they don't want to portray the mom as TOO Tiger mom as it would make her completely unlikable to those not from that culture, but yet still show the stereotypical domineering mom of Chinese culture. But, what they've replaced it with is despicable, in that the mom, rather than instilling cultural morals of education and strictness, have replaced that weasily, bordering on illegal behavior, which makes her a terrible role model for her kids. Perhaps this is something accepted in Chinese culture? I'm not Chinese so I don't know, but certainly isn't how an adult should behave in front her her kids. The father seems much more morally grounded, to the point of being TOO nice.
> 
> I know Eddie Huang has mentioned that while the show is based on hi childhood, the TV Huangs are nothing like the real life ones.


I'm not Chinese, but I've worked with many Chinese folks and here's some of what I've been told. Communism has ruined much of mainland Chinese values. With Chinese, we must differentiate between Mainland China and Taiwan. IMO, Taiwan appears to have better morals than Mainland China. The Huangs are from Taiwan. Almost every Chinese immigrant that I've met, from either mainland or Taiwan seems to be personally honest, but I don't know any gang members from Chinatown either. Many come here looking for a better way of life (escaping Communism).

In discussions with mainland China immigrants, they've said that the Communist government has largely broken down their ancient culture, even to the point that children were encouraged to turn their parents into the government for verbal insurrection. Government is superior to your parents. Further, I've managed a large team in mainland China and I can say without a doubt, cheating is a respected business model. As long you are saving face, or "being successful" in business, it's OK and encouraged to cheat. Folks are rewarded for the outcome, not the method. It is especially valued if you can cheat (save money) and not get caught (cadmium in rings, etc). Distance and language make attribution difficult. When caught, it is then a communications problem. (I've managed teams in many different countries and cultures, but never a team in Taiwan. I've seen a bit of cheating elsewhere, but it's opportunistic rather than cultural). I could go on for hours on this topic. Personally, I think the One China policy would be bad for Taiwan. Made in Taiwan can be trusted way more than Made in China.

I've delved into a bit of a rathole here, but I'd rephrase your question to read: "Perhaps this is something accepted in Taiwanese culture?" I don't know any Chinese that are watching this show to ask. I have asked around but I've not found any watchers yet. I'm very curious as to what a native or first generation immigrant would say about the show and our bad mom.


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

There's a line between being a good haggler and someone that switches prices. I wouldn't attribute either as Tiger Mom behavior. She's just a rotten person on her own.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

bantar said:


> I've delved into a bit of a rathole here, but I'd rephrase your question to read: "Perhaps this is something accepted in Taiwanese culture?" I don't know any Chinese that are watching this show to ask. I have asked around but I've not found any watchers yet. I'm very curious as to what a native or first generation immigrant would say about the show and our bad mom.


The haggling and "bang for the buck" and the "pushing the children" attitudes are not exactly uncommon in Taiwanese culture but the outright cheating of people is not considered acceptable for the most part.

However, I have seen a few older Taiwanese justify it by saying it doesn't apply to "Americans".
(It appears to me to be a form of prejudice against non-Chinese.)

I don't like seeing this in Jessica either (especially considering that they've gotten most of the other Taiwanese cultural references right).

They could use this as an impetus for character growth concerning Jessica's prejudices (like they did for her sister and art school) but I don't expect this show to be that (ahem) nuanced.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Steveknj said:


> I know Eddie Huang has mentioned that while the show is based on hi childhood, the TV Huangs are nothing like the real life ones.


I'm pretty sure Eddie Huang was unhappy with the way the family was being portrayed and the direction of the show, and he pretty publicly ceased his involvement with the show back in the middle of the first season.

Frankly, I'm happy about that, because it seems like he was much more focused on the Eddie character and his obsession with rap, and I think the Eddie character and all the stories involving him are by far the least interesting on the show.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

mattack said:


> I try not to make fun of or even mention people's appearance.... But wow, Heather Locklear got fat!


I smell a new thread coming on!!! LOL


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

I like the mom a lot.. I think she started out far more the "Asian Tiger Mom", but the show actually has her evolve as a character.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

mattack said:


> I like the mom a lot.. I think she started out far more the "Asian Tiger Mom", but the show actually has her evolve as a character.


Yeah, now her character is a lying, conniving petty thief, with few morals. Great direction they are taking her 

I liked the Tiger Mom better.


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

bantar said:


> I'm not Chinese, but I've worked with many Chinese folks and here's some of what I've been told. Communism has ruined much of mainland Chinese values. With Chinese, we must differentiate between Mainland China and Taiwan. IMO, Taiwan appears to have better morals than Mainland China. The Huangs are from Taiwan. Almost every Chinese immigrant that I've met, from either mainland or Taiwan seems to be personally honest, but I don't know any gang members from Chinatown either. Many come here looking for a better way of life (escaping Communism).
> 
> In discussions with mainland China immigrants, they've said that the Communist government has largely broken down their ancient culture, even to the point that children were encouraged to turn their parents into the government for verbal insurrection. Government is superior to your parents. Further, I've managed a large team in mainland China and I can say without a doubt, cheating is a respected business model. As long you are saving face, or "being successful" in business, it's OK and encouraged to cheat. Folks are rewarded for the outcome, not the method. It is especially valued if you can cheat (save money) and not get caught (cadmium in rings, etc). Distance and language make attribution difficult. When caught, it is then a communications problem. (I've managed teams in many different countries and cultures, but never a team in Taiwan. I've seen a bit of cheating elsewhere, but it's opportunistic rather than cultural). I could go on for hours on this topic. Personally, I think the One China policy would be bad for Taiwan. Made in Taiwan can be trusted way more than Made in China.
> 
> I've delved into a bit of a rathole here, but I'd rephrase your question to read: "Perhaps this is something accepted in Taiwanese culture?" I don't know any Chinese that are watching this show to ask. I have asked around but I've not found any watchers yet. I'm very curious as to what a native or first generation immigrant would say about the show and our bad mom.


My ESL Chinese students told me something similar. (None of them reported to watching the show.)

I was facilitating a conversation lesson on philanthropy and I was told that the government squelches those kind of behaviors . Don't try to be a Good Samaritan if you see someone who got robbed or hit by a car. The victim will turn around and blame you for his plight and people believe him -- you must feel guilty for offering to help.

Of course this a small sample and anecdotal. Although I've spent some time in China (specifically Beijing), I know very little about their culture.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Somehow this reminds me of the "Penny is a drunken felon" days. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Well, this week the mother was very upset that her oldest son might be a thief. 

This thread kinda spoiled this show for me. I didn't really care about the terrible things the mother did. Now this last episode, all I did was watch her to see what she was up to.


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