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[Louise]

But this is all typical for a Chuck Lorre production.

I know. My point is that 1. I believe these themes are simply not acceptable or suitable in a light mainstream comedy, 2. There may possibly have been hints of these ideas in earlier seasons, but now it's no longer subtext, it's overt, 3. There are double standards in the way characters' behavior is judged, 4. It's vile and I won't watch it, 5., I wonder to what degree the writers are aware of this and to what extent we're being trolled/mocked/messed-with.

What I mean is, I *see* what they're doing, but that doesn't make it okay. And if this is standard mainstream sitcom fare, and the audience doesn't *see* how reprehensible it is, or doesn't care, or isn't paying enough attention to notice, that's not okay, either. To me, that's kind of what we HQers are, the people who recognize the problems and call them out, while others either actively approve and celebrate it, or are indifferent or oblivious, with the majority probably being in that third category.

If this had been a dark and nihilist show from the start, and was truthfully marketed as such, one could make the argument that anything is fair game for comedy. That would be a legit argument, though I, personally, would still take issue with it. But it's marketed to the very type of person whom it delights in abusing and mocking.

And what you said recently was spot-on, Dev: if you asked someone to describe the show or the characters, they would probably describe the original set-up, more or less.