I didn't catch much of the show during its original run in 1998, and even if I did, I wouldn't have understood it as I pretty young at the time.
Seeing the show in numerous reruns, it amazes me, in a weird way. The way its built up is extremely dull, predictable and at times stupid. It completely lacks touch with reality and doesn't have shred of credibility at times. Karl Reverud, the businessman who thinks too high of himself, repeatedly finds himself in situations way over his head, something that always has to end in him making a fool of himself, to everyone's amusement and his great irritation. It clearly conflicts with the life he leads. He has a large apartment in what's obviously a rich neighborhood and he's obviously had some financial success, but that can in no way be the same Karl as the one who's portrayed in the show.
The show is clearly cheap. It's built up in a simple way: The main stage is the main character's living room. His friends, acquaintances, neighbors and seemingly random people walk in and out of it, something he irritates himself over almost every time. There is laughter in the background so that anyone watching knows where the good jokes are, unfortunately they aren't. Any special effects, if they can be called special effects, are poorly made.
Still, there is something to this show that doesn't become apparent at first glance. The characters', especially Karl's personality, fits his character perfectly. Having studied introductory psychology myself, I immediately can identify his reactions to to various things that happen in the show. Whether this was intended by the script writers is unknown, but to me, it's quite interesting, especially in a show which in general is very poorly made.
