 His improvisational experiment in television, "All In the Family are Humans" (1995–97), was a surprising alternative hit on Taiwan TV and ran for 600 episodes.Lai occasionally directs the works of others, including the Chinese language premiere of Angels in America, Part I, which he translated.He has also directed innovative versions of Western classics, including an evening of Samuel Beckett plays in an ancient Chinese garden environment, Mozart’s operas Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte and The Marriage of Figaro, all set in Chinese backgrounds, in collaboration with Taiwan's National Symphony Orchestra.