Common Features of Philippine Sitcoms
Resort to impersonation of famous (and infamous) political and showbiz personalities (i.e., Ate Glo, Sherap Estrada, El General Tabako, Ate Guy, etc.)
Resort to exaggeration (physical attributes, mannerisms, accessories, accent, preoccupations, etc.)
Lack originality (“bastardized” version of Western sitcoms or a copy-cat of local materials)
Characterized by discrimination on the basis of physical trait, gender, ethnicity, intelligence, creed, age and socio-economic status
Inject green jokes and toilet humors
Characterized by substandard plot and light themes
Promote escapism (Cinderella stories, rags-to-riches plots, etc.)
Drawn mainly from the day-to-day living of the lower- and middle-class
Tendency to make fun of the misfortune/miseries of others
3Ds (demoralizing, demeaning and discriminatory)
Inject dialogues with double/subliminal meanings (i.e. sisid, araro, gubat, etc.)
Spoof of popular commercial advertisements and current events (SARS scare, traffic jams, back-to-school scenario, election fever, etc.)
Inject adlibs (characterized by spontaneity)
Make use of parody/satire (i.e., Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata)
Appeal to the ranks of the masses
Delve into the personal lives of the artists
Deliver vulgar and profane lines
Reflect the idiosyncrasies of the Filipinos (i.e., fatalism, clannishness, culture of poverty, colonial mindedness, etc.)
Demean the underdog (slapstick comedy)
(This outline is a consolidated output of my INSOCIO students A.Y. 1st term, 2003-2004)
