Internet commenters retrofit the viral metaphor to US movies and TV to highlight financial and social insecurity
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenJane Caiin BeijingPublished: 4:00pm, 5 Apr 2026When the American sitcom Growing Pains was first broadcast in China in the 1990s, it was the first window for many in the country into American middle-class life.
In the series, a doctor father, a journalist mother and four children live in a spacious suburban home with room for mistakes and second chances.
While the show lightly touched on serious social issues, it projected a picture of health, stability and security.
However, Chinese viewers have had a chance to rethink the show since state broadcaster CCTV and Shanghai Dragon Television started airing it again earlier this year.
Observers in China say the kill-line conversation points to a bigger shift in the way Chinese people see the United States.
