Big Bang Theory

Chaos Punk

For anyone that watches the "Big Bang Theory" (not the creation story, but rather the comedy series), this debate is just for you.

I never knew the show existed because I'm a nightshift wacko that watches black and white movies and lives in squalor...because I'm a MICA drop out that thinks it's cool to live in filth... but anyway, I got my wisdom teeth pulled a while ago and my girlfriend brought over Big Bang Theory Season 3.

I ended up liking the show a lot for its comedic take on physics and life as a dork. So I made my girlfriend do the dishes and go to best buy for me to get seasons 1 and 2. I watched them every morning I came home.

So then I started going home for my lunch breaks so I can watch the new episodes at 8pm.. and I really started to hate one of the characters: Amy.

I respect her in real life, she's a neurobiologist, whatever.. but her character I don't like. I think Sheldon did not need a female counterpart, and her robotic, stale performance on the show is ultimately corrupting the integrity of the series.

What's yer take on it?

Beltaine

I dunno. It's funny in a way because Sheldon's character is so solidly Sheldon that you'd never imagine him having a relationship with a female at all.

On the other hand, Amy flip-flops from being a genius to be a total ditz so much that I don't think the writers really put any thought into her beyond "a girl Sheldon".

Although now that they've added Pria, and with Howard getting engaged, I'm afraid they're moving closer to shark jumping.

Sentry

I like Amy's character more as a friend to Penny then a girlfriend to Sheldon. But they are so unlike a real couple that it actually doesn't bother me. In fact, they don't even interact on the show that much, at least not the last few episodes. And I'm sorry, but the whole exchange between the two of them about why Sheldon should go to the donor party lest the money be given to the Liberal Arts is pure gold.

Richy

I tried to watch Big Bang Theory. I just can't find anything funny about it at all. It's generic sit-com and stereotypes with a skin-deep nerd dressing.

I spent an evening watching the "funniest parts" clips on YouTube for every episode in Season 1. I only chuckled once - at the horrified look on Penny's face when Sheldon explains Schrodinger's Cat to her. The rest was bland and unamusing.

rockmonkey

I would gladly trade out Blossom for Penny's Ex who was around for a few episodes last fall and buddied up to the guys. He was in the last Halloween episode.

I'd much rather have his contrast as a stupid male hanging out with the guys rather than Amy's contrast as the girl Sheldon hanging out with the girls, of which Penny is still the only "stupid" one. On top of it you have the dynamic between Penny and her Ex where he is completely clueless instead of her normal level of ignorance and by this point she's been around the guys so much she looks smart in comparison to him.

His comedic timing is to my liking. The scene where they are all dressed up as super heroes and Leonard says, Well, looks like Superman isn't getting laid tonight" and the boyfriend looks to his left at everyone's costume, then to his right and then looks down at his own costume and realizes HE is superman. He looks up straight faced and says "Damn".

Sentry

The nice thing about this show (which is incredibly generic and sit-comy) is that everyone gets a chance to be stupid on it. There isn't a single character that doesn't act completely stupid on a pretty consistent basis.

Bliss 101

Seen the first two seasons so far, just started season 3. The show is horribly uneven, some episodes just completely fail to entertain while others are brilliant. What annoys me the most is that sometimes the characters act completely out-of-character for cheap laughs. It's like the producers don't believe in the characters and the premise enough. I'm also annoyed and slightly offended with how the characters (with the exception of Sheldon) sometimes treat their own nerdiness as some kind of an uncurable affliction, something to be embarrassed about. And lastly, while I enjoy comedy about people so obsessed with their own thing that normal people are alien to them, I feel it's been done so much better before in Frasier, for example. Or, with a different but analogous premise, in Third Rock From The Sun.

Still, I keep watching Big Bang Theory despite my complaints, so I guess the positives slightly outweight the negatives. I like how Penny's character has developed during the first seasons and Sheldon is often brilliant. Leonard is kind of useless but the rest of the cast manages to carry the show.

Brainiac 8

I like Amy, her deadpan delivery is hilarious. Plus her and Sheldon's "relationship" has led to some gold worthy scenes.

Arteen

I enjoyed the show early on, but the recent episodes seem to focus too much on (awkward) romance. I really cannot stand awkwardness/embarrassment humor.

Beltaine

I definitely agree on characters coming out of character for laughs. They've all kind of mashed together into a lump, which is kind of what would happen to a group of close friends in real-life, but for a television show I'd rather see them keep their individual quirkiness.

There are a few recycled jokes that I didn't catch until I watched them back on DVD together. Penny's Check Engine light comes up in more than one episode.

Still, my favorite episode is The Adhesive Duck Deficiency.

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Prohass

Richy sitcoms dont normally have the kind of jokes where you'll laugh at them in a 'best-bits'. Its more about investing in the characters, its like stockholme syndrome, you spend so much time with them you learn to love them, so minor jokes become great and its all about the comfortable ebb and flow of predictable relationships.

I think its a great show for what it is, and theres no sense really in bashing it, but if your looking for arrested development or such levels of wit and humour you're going to be dissapointed.

Its basically the host for all my wandering 'Friends' nostalgia.

Sentry

Beltaine wrote: »

I definitely agree on characters coming out of character for laughs. They've all kind of mashed together into a lump, which is kind of what would happen to a group of close friends in real-life, but for a television show I'd rather see them keep their individual quirkiness.

There are a few recycled jokes that I didn't catch until I watched them back on DVD together. Penny's Check Engine light comes up in more than one episode.

Still, my favorite episode is The Adhesive Duck Deficiency.

What you refer to as a recycled joke is actually something called continuity. Penny's check engine light is always on. It's a running gag.

Mojo_Jojo

Bliss 101 wrote: »

The show is horribly uneven, some episodes just completely fail to entertain while others are brilliant.

This is probably the key thing with The Big Bang Theory, it's really variable in quality. It crashes hard on a semi-regular basis, which I imagine is just to do with some weak spots on the writing staff.

Female Sheldon as a character was always going to happen, primarily to give Penny a "friend" so that should could be on-screen without one of the other main characters.

I still watch it, but largely as my girlfriend loves it. That and TV is a bit dry right now.

Beltaine

Yeah, the Check Engine light really wasn't a big deal until I had a marathon session of watching the DVD's. In the natural flow of one episode per week, it doesn't stick out so much.

Besides, Penny drives a VW Golf, OF COURSE the Check Engine light is going to be on

SammyF

I watch the show and generally enjoy it, but I also recognize that Sheldon is far too two-dimensional a character for the show to be able to keep my attention for much longer, probably not another season. Jim Parsons is a talented actor, and I do not at all begrudge him his Emmy, but the writers are simultaneously giving him nothing to work with while also trying to write him into every scene because of the aforementioned Emmy, so I've got about <---this much patience left--->.

Beltaine

The beauty of Sheldon's character lies in the behavior of the other characters due to Sheldon's character. Not so much his character itself.

Roommate agreement, his spot, what/where they eat, etc...

SammyF

Beltaine wrote: »

The beauty of Sheldon's character lies in the behavior of the other characters due to Sheldon's character. Not so much his character itself.

Roommate agreement, his spot, what/where they eat, etc...

I absolutely get that he's this show's Cosmo Kramer, it's just that I don't live in the 1990s anymore.

Kyougu

I used to hate hearing this show reffered to as a geek minstrel show, but after catching a few episodes I'm almost forced to agree. Just didn't gel with me.

Sheep

I don't remember if it was Season 3 or Season 4 where the Sheldon character archetype started to slightly change a bit. There were a few episodes where he did very UnSheldon like behavior.


Regardless, love the show.


Did you guys know that Leonard was the teen hearthrob David from Roseanne? Mind blown when I realized that.

Sentry

It's only a geek minstrel show in the way that Seinfeld was a Jewish minstrel show or anything Tyler Perry does is an ACTUAL minstrel show. In that it really isn't at all, but geeks are hyper sensitive about everything. It's their least endearing quality.

And David from Rosanne was not even close to a teen heartthrob. He was an awkward artist. Now he's just an awkward scientist. Also, Darlene and the aunt have both been on BBT on multiple occasions.

Sheep

And David from Rosanne was not even close to a teen heartthrob. He was an awkward artist.

That was super hot and had teen girls fawning over him.

Darlene was a heartthrob despite being an unconventional teen.

Chaos Punk

My list of things that I like about the show is longer than my dislikes, but here are a few things that have bothered me:

(1)In an episode in the second season Sheldon asserted, "More is merrier"....forget which one, but he definitely said it.

Then in the third season when howard brought bernadette over for the first time and asked if she could eat with him, leonard said, "more the merrier"... and sheldon flipped out and said, "That's a false equivalency, more does not equal merrier... if there were 2000 people in this apartment would we be celebrating? no, we would be suffocating!".

(2) The episode where the dude with the motorcycle was supposed to be some kind of Casanova but was like 10 times smarter than Leonard? Done and done. Saved by the bell, "WHOA, YOU'RE on the CHESS team??? You're such a hunk!" lame.

(3) Penny's one liners. I get that she's the cool pretty girl that isn't into the whole science thing, but what's with the one liners? Some of them are even cringe inducing. "I'm about get jr rodeo even!!!". Tried too hard to make her wit lowbrow, then simultaneously makes her character explore intellectual endeavors that are deep and somehow wiser than what the nerds are doing. *ultimately I like penny though*

(4) Sheldon not admitting he has biological, sexual urges.. I know, I know, it's cool, he wants to be purely intellectual and not succumbing to his primitive instincts, but come on! That scene where the chick went to his room and sat on the bed waiting for some lovin, and we went to Leonards' room... that just killed me.

(5) The laugh tracks. Oh god they are awful... every two seconds, even when something doesn't even seem like it was supposed to be funny... hahhahahahah. I first noticed it when I was coming down from a shroom high and wanted to lay down... had the hypervigilance going on..put the dvd in and it sounded like more laughing than dialogue. I watched it again completely sober and it still sounded like that. I have to really not think about it to be able to enjoy the show.

Sentry

Sheep wrote: »

And David from Rosanne was not even close to a teen heartthrob. He was an awkward artist.

That was super hot and had teen girls fawning over him.

Darlene was a heartthrob despite being an unconventional teen.

I think you might have been watching the wrong show. David didn't have anyone fawning over him, including Darlene, and was constantly picked on by everyone on the show, especially his older, actually attractive brother.

Artereis

I'd really like Penny to get a valid acting gig, even if it's a one off event like a commercial.

Sheep

David didn't have anyone fawning over him, including Darlene, and was constantly picked on by everyone on the show, especially his older, actually attractive brother.

...

The fans. Every guy I grew up with had a hard on for Darlene and every girl I grew up with had a hard on for David.

That's what a heartthrob is.

Sentry

Sheep wrote: »

David didn't have anyone fawning over him, including Darlene, and was constantly picked on by everyone on the show, especially his older, actually attractive brother.[/quote


...

The fans. Every guy I grew up with had a hard on for Darlene and every girl I grew up with had a hard on for David.

That's what a heartthrob is

Oh my bad. I didn't know that your circle of friends determined who or what classified a heartthrob. How did Luke Perry fare in your merry band of kingmakers?

SammyF

Sentry wrote: »

Sheep wrote: »

And David from Rosanne was not even close to a teen heartthrob. He was an awkward artist.

That was super hot and had teen girls fawning over him.

Darlene was a heartthrob despite being an unconventional teen.

I think you might have been watching the wrong show. David didn't have anyone fawning over him, including Darlene, and was constantly picked on by everyone on the show, especially his older, actually attractive brother.

Eh, Darlene's lack of fawning was really more about her own hang-ups as the anti-Becky and not anything to do with David. His hair was definitely Encino Man-grade unforunate, but some people liked that sort of thing back in the day.

Roseanne was a really good TV show.

Beltaine

See, I don't understand the laugh track complaint.

It's a sitcom staple, and I really don't notice it at all.

SammyF

Pretty sure they film in front of a live studio audience, actually. They do tend to mic studio audiences and add in canned laughter over top of it because the "organic" laughter can be diminished if they sat and watched you try the same joke for twenty takes.

Johnny Chopsocky

Beltaine wrote: »

See, I don't understand the laugh track complaint.

It's a sitcom staple, and I really don't notice it at all.

Yes, it's a staple in the same way that twin beds for married couples and very special episodes were staples.

Personally, I find laugh tracks to be obnoxious and suck the funny out of a performance. Since 'Malcom In The Middle', 'Spaced', 'Always Sunny' and 'Scrubs', I've had a hard time going back to multi-camera sitcoms. Once you go without a laugh track and get a sense of how damned quick good comedy can come at you and how valuable comic timing is, the laugh track's presence is glaring and cringe-inducing.

The laugh track is the main reason I just can't get into BBT for more than a few episodes. It feels less like "you feel like you're there" and more like "How can we make 15 minutes of situations and dialogue fill 22 minutes?"

For me, studio audience laughter should be reserved for taped-as-live programming, like 'The Daily Show' or 'Conan', because those guys get to react right back to the audience. Sitcoms don't get that luxury.

Sheep

Sentry wrote: »

Oh my bad. I didn't know that your circle of friends determined who or what classified a heartthrob. How did Luke Perry fare in your merry band of kingmakers?

Well, considering that the very idea of what constitutes a "heartthrob" was audience reaction, then yeah, I would say that they determined what was classified a heartthrob.

Luke Perry is... pretty much the same situation. Tiffani Thiessen, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, etc etc etc.

SammyF

Johnny Chopsocky wrote: »

Beltaine wrote: »

See, I don't understand the laugh track complaint.

It's a sitcom staple, and I really don't notice it at all.

Yes, it's a staple in the same way that twin beds for married couples and very special episodes were staples.

Personally, I find laugh tracks to be obnoxious and suck the funny out of a performance. Since 'Malcom In The Middle', 'Spaced', 'Always Sunny' and 'Scrubs', I've had a hard time going back to multi-camera sitcoms. Once you go without a laugh track and get a sense of how damned quick good comedy can come at you and how valuable comic timing is, the laugh track's presence is glaring and cringe-inducing.

The laugh track is the main reason I just can't get into BBT for more than a few episodes. It feels less like "you feel like you're there" and more like "How can we make 15 minutes of situations and dialogue fill 22 minutes?"

For me, studio audience laughter should be reserved for taped-as-live programming, like 'The Daily Show' or 'Conan', because those guys get to react right back to the audience. Sitcoms don't get that luxury.

As someone who hardly ever notices the laugh track or the studio audience, I'm generally turned off by the multi-camera sitcom format because they're so visually uninteresting, being essentially to other modern television formats what family portraits and Christmas greeting card photos are to the photography of National Geographic, but I'm pretty sure you've just found another reason to ruin it for me. :?

Nickle

I can't stand sitcoms with laugh tracks, personally. It's not the laugh track itself, more the fact that every joke has to be a one-line zinger with a 10 second pause for (fake) laughter.

Character A: "blah blah blah"
Character B: "(derogatory comment about character A)"

I've just written every joke in any sitcom with a laugh track. Somebody pay me.

Buttcleft

Big Bang Theory has a laugh track?

I never noticed any audience laughter or can laughter

Bolthorn

Buttcleft wrote: »

Big Bang Theory has a laugh track?

I never noticed any audience laughter or can laughter

Are you watching your CBS feed on your home theater surround sound system and you turned off the left and right channels? If I remember correctly, a few of the CBS sitcoms have the laughter in those left and right channels and the dialogue is in the center channel. It's how I was able to tell one of my surround sound speakers had come unplugged.

Sentry

I think he's trying to say BBT has never been funny, hence no laughter. But I could be wrong.

Captain Tragedy

Or, conversely, he's saying that the show is entertaining enough for him that the studio audience isn't an issue or distraction like it is for other people.

Chaos Punk

It's just too much laughing. It's not realistic. You can know something is funny without laughing hysterically. I read funny shit at work all the time and nobody would ever know it. Not BBT.... sheldon makes a funny face and it's 30 seconds of laughing. If the laugh track went off every time I laughed out loud in reality, I would be okay with it.

Buttcleft

Sentry wrote: »

I think he's trying to say BBT has never been funny, hence no laughter. But I could be wrong.

No, I love the show.

I never heard a laugh track though. I dont have a surround set up, so that may be it.

Tav

Sentry wrote: »

I like Amy's character more as a friend to Penny then a girlfriend to Sheldon. But they are so unlike a real couple that it actually doesn't bother me. In fact, they don't even interact on the show that much, at least not the last few episodes. And I'm sorry, but the whole exchange between the two of them about why Sheldon should go to the donor party lest the money be given to the Dirt People is pure gold.