Hey, Where'd the Funny Go?

So, at exactly 9 0'clock this evening, I routinely plopped myself in front of the T.V., and waited in excitement for my favorite Iranian sitcom to begin. That's what I love about Iranian shows--they air every night of the week, at the same time (one hour later on weekends), spanning 150+ new episodes total. No more waiting a whole week for the saga to unfold!

Well, tonight my expectations came crashing down when "Barareh" (an imaginary village) failed to dazzle our senses. This show is so funny, that when I went to visit a family member in the hospital around 9 p.m., I watched in amazement as patients, nurses, visitors, and staff dragged their chairs out into the hallway, arranged them neatly in a multi-level semi-circle around a 20-inch TV, and together escaped into the comical world of talented director, writer, actor-comedian and singer Mehran Modiri. For a whole hour, it seemed as if everybody forgot they were in a bright white hospital that smelled of sickness, loss, and of course, embalming fluid. So, given the universal success of this sitcom, maybe you can understand my aching disappointment.

Anyway, one theory for this unusual lapse in programming (espoused by my cousin, who couldn't make sense of this beguiling predicament) is that today is the death anniversary of Hazrat Khadija, the very first Muslim woman, and Mohammad's wife. She was about 30 years older than the Muslim prophet, and was exceptionally rich--a capitalist who owned the biggest trade caravan in the Arabian desert. Her business smarts and generosity helped in funding the spreading and institutionlizing of Islam in many ways. Since she was a pious woman, her death must be mourned, hence the temporary replacement of our uplifting, humorous village satire with a melodramatic tear-jerker...or so this is our standing theory. If anyone knows where the funny went, please let me know!