本剧主要讲述住在纽约长岛的西佛一家的日常生活故事,是中国大陆较早引进的国外情景喜剧,在中国从1990年一直播出至1994年。1990年代初期一经播出就引发了收视高潮,片中迈克开朗调皮的形象为广大观众所喜爱。而剧中西佛医生对子女采取启发式教育的方式,也让观众得到启示。
Maggie: Michael.
玛吉:迈克。
Mike: Go ahead. Try it. Try to give me one good reason to go on living, Mom.
迈克:来吧,你帮我想个活下去的理由。你试试看吧,妈妈。
Maggie: The solid girl dancers.
玛吉:你来个摇滚歌星舞会。
Mike: At least Dad's not here. I mean he really tried to cheer me up.
迈克:可惜的是爸爸不在家。他到是会帮我驱散烦恼。
Maggie: Ah, the slime.
玛吉:噢,他是个滑头。
Mike: I mean he always acts like, he's gonna be real sympathetic then before you know, he turns on you. Mike, Mike, Mike. I find that the time like this is always the best to keep a little perspective on life.
迈克:可他做的好像一直很同情我,然后一下子他会对你说,迈克,迈克,迈克,我认为,在这种时候对生活你最好还是朝前看。
Maggie: At least, he didn't give that line about how rough he had it when he was your age.
玛吉:至少他从没跟你说过他像你这么大时他有什么苦闷。
Mike: No, no. That's right ,he always says: Mike, now I'm not gonna give you that a line about how rough I had when I was your age but I think that you should be aware that historically, people have had it rougher than this.
迈克:没有,确实没有,他说,迈克,我不想和你谈我在你这么大时有多么的苦闷,可是你要知道,从历史上来看,比你苦闷的人还多着呢!