Meaning of でも or ちょうだい in テレビでも見てちょうだい

Question

Two kids are playing 'house' ままごと. The speaker is happy. The person she is speaking to has just suggested that it's pointless.

「まったくおとうさんは現実的なんだから。さあ、テレビでも見てちょうだい。ほら、キンちゃんがでてるわよ」
Good grief, it's because you're pragmatic. Come now, please watch TV. Look キンちゃん is on.

I'm either failing to understand でも or ちょうだい in this sentence. I thought verb-てちょうだい meant 'please do verb'. In which case I can't make sense of でも with a meaning of 'even' or で+も as two separate particles.

My initial thought is that I am misunderstanding ちょうだい. If I take it to mean 'won't you do' rather than 'please do'. Then I can have "Won't you even watch TV?"

Answer 1

「まったくおとうさんは現実的{げんじつてき}なんだから。さあ、テレビでも見{み}てちょうだい。ほら、キンちゃんがでてるわよ。」

Easier item first -- 「Verb in て-form +ちょうだい」. The only thing this can express is a friendly request. No exceptions. "please do ~~"

Next, the not so easy -- 「でも」. Here, it does not mean "even". It is used to give an example (as in suggesting an action) instead of making a clear statement as in an imperative or declarative. It simply means "~~ or something" rather than "this or that". Please know that this usage of 「でも」 is very common.

「コーヒーでも、どうですか？」 ("How about grabbing a coffee or something?")

「ひまなら助詞{じょし}の勉強{べんきょう}でもしたら？」 (If you have spare time, why dontcha study Japanese particles or something?)

「テレビでも見てちょうだい。」 means:

"Why dontcha watch TV or something!" or "Please watch TV or something!"