Conclusion

Sitcoms inherently carry social messages which often change slower than reality. The attempt to reflect Singaporean national identity through featuring a multiethnic casts, or the concept of an ‘Asian’ family sometimes comes out as fake, much like in the case of Under One Roof, where the family remains the same for almost the entire length of the production, only to give in to societal undercurrents during its limited edition season to commemorate MediaCorp’s fourtieth anniversary when Denise introduces her Caucasian boyfriend.

The use of HDB as the setting for Under One Roof highlights the notion of communal living portray living life together with multiracial neighbours, emphasising the need for respect and tolerance towards one another to maintain peace and harmony. While the Tans sometimes come to conflict with their neighbours, ultimately, cordial ties are always maintained at the end of every episode.

One would also notice that while producers try hard to portray the idealistic Singapore society in sitcoms by having minority races as sideliners it has actually lead to an artificial portrayal. Singaporeans do not need sitcoms to instill in them the importance of racial harmony. Futhermore, we have also seen how an all-Chinese cast sitcom like Phua Chu Kang can still connect with minority races.

There is also an idealistic belief of the inherent necessity of the family, enshrined in the Shared Values as being the building blocks of the republic. The family unit is a sphere where one could always turn to for comfort and security. In Parental Guidance, Ling and James stick to their marriage vows so that the children would not be subjected to adoption. They lived together despite their vast differences because they know the importance of having a proper family for the children.

Finally, sitcoms as a topic of discourse have served to politicize an otherwise apathetic population. The reiterated social messages, as well as the developing a sense of identity is questioned by various aspects of the population to different degrees, and it is the coming together of such varied ideas that bond the peoples closer together, and create a more democratic society.