Sai de Baixo was very funny upon its release date and an incredible success that created iconic characters and catchphrases that were repeated all throughout the country by people of all ages. It being one of the rare Brazilian-produced sitcoms, it aired very late at night on Sunday, and I remember fondly how it brought families together to watch it, even my own - it was one of the rare moments when my about-to-get-divorced parents would sit together with me in the living room (as this was a time when houses usually had only one TV, or at least only one big TV).
Unfortunately though, the jokes in this show have not aged well. The humor relied heavily on stereotypes, sexism, racism and specially classicism (Caco Antibes' main catchphrase was "I hate poor people!", uttered with a face of disgust...) which at the time, wasn't even considered scandalous or anything - those ideas were current, and our concept of what was disrespectful and offensive was mainly related to aggression. Watching it again with the mindset and education we have today is pretty much impossible (I barely could make it through 4 episodes), but I will always respect it for the place it had in the homes of so many Brazilians. It's very important to understand the show did not mean to offend, but rather to reflect what went on the minds of the middle class Brazilians in the mid-90's, good or bad as it was.
For an updated version, that includes Brazilian's more socially evolved points of view, try Toma Lá, Dá Cá, a show that features the same format and production - another excellent mirror of the Brazilian middle class, with it's all it's improvements and shortcomings during the mid-00's.
