Sitcom?

Yesterday, I went into TVB forum and found a very curious topic.

It was titled; “甚麼是處境劇的框框？？如何從「畢打自己人」中看到突破？？歡迎大家發表意見！^^”

I had wanted to put in my two cents then it suddenly dawned on me if I even knew the meaning of the term, 處景劇. Is it really the direct translation of what I know as “situation comedy” or because of cultural differences between the US and Hong Kong, that the term has a different meaning? I recall that a few months back, some “person” attacked OP by comparing it to “Friends”, a sitcom that was extremely popular in the US for years. At that time, I find it a bit sad and certain people could be arrogant and egotistical as to saying something so ridiculous. However, after one show that was painful, even I questioned whether this was a sitcom and even jokingly said that it should be termed a sitdram (situation drama). I had wanted something fun and light, and not something so heavy that had me contemplating for hours or even days of what the leading roles were going through. I had based on what I know at that time as the meaning of sitcom. Before I go on, I want to add that I did not stop watching OP, in fact, the show grabbed at me making me one of its diehard fans. So, when I saw this topic again, I did some research because I wanted to really get to know the history of sitcoms and how it has evolved over the decades. What are the “guidelines”? Are there any guidelines? Do we have to put OP into a category or genre of entertainment other than for the purpose of getting a nomination for an Outstanding Sitcom? I came to a very simple conclusion, if there is no change from the traditional sitcom when it first originated, we would still be listening to the radio. Please read some of the following excerpts from http://en.allexperts.com/e/s/si/situation_comedy.htm

A situation comedy (sitcom) is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio. Today they are found typically but not exclusively on television. Sitcoms usually consist of recurring characters in a format in which there are one or more humorous story lines centered on a common environment, such as a family, home or workplace. Today's American sitcoms often use deadpan humor.  (OP fits)

According to the 12th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, the term sitcom was coined in 1951, making the term contemporaneous with I Love Lucy.

Characteristics

Traditionally, situation comedies featured individual episodes that were largely self-contained; the regular characters themselves remained largely static and events of the episode resolved themselves by the conclusion of the episode. Most sitcoms took this format; events of previous episodes would rarely be mentioned in subsequent episodes and while school friends or beloved relatives might appear, often they would only be seen once in the series, and they would rarely be mentioned in subsequent episode, something apparent in The Brady Bunch and many other programs.

More recently sitcoms have introduced some ongoing storylines. Friends, a hugely popular US sitcom of the 1990s-2000s, had an overall story arc similar to that of soap operas; in addition to using traditional sitcom stories which were introduced and resolved in the same episode, the show also always had two or three ongoing stories taking place at any given point in the show's run. Friends also used other soap opera elements such as regularly resorting to an end-of-season cliffhanger, and gradually developing the relationships of the characters over the course of the series.
Friends was not without precedent, however, as a sitcom with continuing storylines. The Beverly Hillbillies, for example, frequently had continuing stories during its successful 1960s-1970s run, and One Day At A Time frequently featured ongoing issues and four-part episodes.

Off Pedder is outstanding entertainment period. Who cares if it is a “traditional” sitcom or not? It touches audience with “heart”. That’s the only word that I can come up with now and it does not do the show justice.  Everything about this show is amazing.  The actors and actresses, the way the stories were written, the underlying plot, everything came into place, and it fitted like a piece of art that it is.  I don’t know if a show that was produced for a local audience could transcend to others in different cultures but for me, a person who has grown up living in the United States for over 40 years can relate and love this show as much as I have, then I would answer with a resounding “YES!” 

**This is the logical side of me writing this… the emotional side… tomorrow.