Liz Carter considers why 2 Broke Girls – a sitcom about young Brooklynites who dream of opening a cupcake shop – has become a surprise hit in China:
Perhaps Chinese viewers prefer 2 Broke Girls because they can empathize with the characters, who work hard for low pay. In 2012,
the average Chinese took home a little less than $4,000 of income, according to official figures. One fan commented on Weibo, China’s Twitter, that she wanted to be like Max and Caroline. “Although they are poor,” she wrote, “They work hard together to achieve a shared dream.”
While wages are much higher in China’s urban areas, the country’s income gap and the rising cost of living have many worried that hard work will not translate into success, or even security. For these people, 2 Broke Girls represents the dream of a meritocracy. One Weibo user wrote that she felt 2 Broke Girls was about girls “at the lowest tiers of society” pursuing their dreams “with bravery and determination.”
Millions of Chinese, especially university students and recent graduates facing a tough job market, admire the protagonists’ optimism and positive attitude in the face of adversity. … “I don’t just watch 2 Broke Girls for fun,” one viewer explained on Weibo. “I am studying the spirit with which they pursue their dream. At the end of every episode, when they count how much they’ve saved, I feel an indescribable positive energy.”
Previous Dish on the sitcom here.
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