zlacker

>>exitb+(OP)
I suspect this appeals to two types of audiences. The first being people who play on their phones instead of watching the show. You can blame phone addiction and ADHD type behaviors for this but it feels like a slippery slope of stupidity in the face of good writing/acting as opposed to constant cartoon like action. (the wife and I do it too).

The second set of audience this would appeal to are people with autism. Sitcoms have always done this. Some people really need to be told when to laugh and what people are thinking because they have no ability to read body language, zero empathy, and cannot read the room. Once you encounter it regularly it’s mind blowing and that a significant portion of the population commonly lives with this sort of mental blindness.

>>austin+K2
As someone with autism, the second paragraph is entirely incorrect.

>>Arch48+o6
I have a child with autism and coworkers with autistic children and in-laws with autism. That second paragraph was the polite and mild description.