Sorry I've been MIA on this message board up until now, but the whole idea of it makes me nervous. I don't know if I've had an original thought my entire life. Well concerning the "normal" family, that conversation is pointless as others have stated. That is all subjective, so we shouldn't really try to narrow anything down to an absolute.

I think it's difficult for most sitcoms to completely develope characters with more depth because they have viewers who expect certain things from the characters they have come to know and love. For that reason, it's almost impossible for families on television to live up to what we'd expect from a family. I mean, isn't that why we watch these shows? They entertain us; I don't stay up nights watching Rosanne, Family Ties, or any other sitcom feeling nastalgic about when I lived at home with my family. We watch them because they make us laugh. That's not to say we don't pick up certain perceptions concerning "a family" from watching, but I only think it's a big deal if you make it one. Which I guess I just did? OH well, sorry...