There was always something comforting about revisiting a character each week as they bumbled their way through work/home/love life. These days, we can binge-watch our way through entire series, spending hours with said bumbler before moving on to a whole new show. The half-hour sitcom has not only managed to survive life on demand, it's gained a new lease of laughs through hits such as Silicon Valley and Master of None. Joining the less groundbreaking but still popular examples of the genre (The Big Bang Theory, Mom) is Dr Ken, an old-fashioned sitcom disguised as a comedy for the times.
I say disguised because in a few ways, it's to be applauded. One of the few shows to focus on a Korean-American doctor and his family, and the doc's multicultural friends, it stars an original comic with broad appeal. But try as it might to raise a laugh, you know that when the first line refers to haemorrhoids, it's not off to a great start.
Dr Ken (Wednesdays, TV2, 7.30pm) is played by Ken Jeong, a real doctor in a former life, who uses that to inform his character.
As anyone who has seen Jeong in Community or The Hangover would know, you wouldn't want him anywhere near your colon, given his tendency for manic outbursts and crazy arm flailing.
Nor would you want him faking an Asian accent to get rid of you. On screen though - or even stage - you'd think this might work. He has proven himself to be a very funny guy.
