BBT's Portrayal of Nerds: Offensive or Accurate?

[Redbelly98]

BTW, do universities usually hire physicists and engineers to work for them full time on research with no teaching responsibilities? I though such positions were called post-docs?

Yes, they do hire some people to fairly permanent, non-post-doc positions. I suspect this is more common at the more research-oriented institutions, so it actually makes sense to see this at CalTech. The ones I have known about had their salaries paid out of the grant money associated with a research group, or one of the full professors, within the physics department.

I can't help but think that it's the "geek" equivalent of having a show called "The Black Guy theory" where it's about black people who go around stealing bikes and degrading women.

Well, an important distinction is the stereotyping of a profession vs. stereotyping of a race or religion. One is acceptable in mainstream society, even if it's generally taken with a grain of salt; the other is not.

At first I was a bit turned off by the obvious and inflated stereotypes. But they do hit the mark at times as well.

How many people here are into comic books? I don't know if this applies or not. I know a lot of geeks were into comics as kids, but does that continue into adulthood?

My comic book phase was over by the time I hit 8th grade.

I find myself comparing those 4 with the people I knew in physics grad school. We drank beer and lots of coffee, and a number of my friends smoked. A few of us enjoyed watching Star Trek (TNG was in its heyday at the time) but we weren't into all the trivia, wearing costumes, or sci-fi conventions.

That being said, I accept that a sitcom must exaggerate real life and am willing to give the show a chance to grow on me.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

That being said, I accept that a sitcom must exaggerate real life and am willing to give the show a chance to grow on me.

My resistance was minor. The show won me over pretty quickly.

Also, no one says these are supposed to be typical physicists. There are probably a few people who, in their own way, are just as strange as Sheldon.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Tsu and I have both become huge fans of this show. The more you watch it, the better it gets! I'm starting to think Jim Parsons really is a genius - a comic genius.

This is very distressing, however. While we are watching the show [just rewatched the first season], Tsu keeps shaking her head, rolling her eyes, and saying, "Oh my God, I am married to Sheldon!" I have to admit that I can relate to many of his lines. These guys have definitely tapped the essence of being a nerd.

The show has some of the smartest humor you have ever seen, or will see, in a sitcom. Where else in TV history could a negative sign added to the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, qualify as a joke?

Chuck Lorre is my new hero. What a great piece of work!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I noticed a link to an index of Lorre's vanity cards.
http://www.chucklorre.com/index-bbt.php

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have been hit with a stomach bug.

I told Tsu, and how do you think she responded? She started singing, "Soft kitty warm kitty..."

 

[Dembadon]

I have been hit with a stomach bug.

I told Tsu, and how do you think she responded? She started singing, "Soft kitty warm kitty..."

:rofl:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIp77PUvLTE

 

[Gokul43201]

The show has some of the smartest humor you have ever seen, or will see, in a sitcom. Where else in TV history could a negative sign added to the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, qualify as a joke?

A couple months ago, there was an interview on NPR with Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon. From that interview, I learned that the writing team uses a physicist from Berkeley - I think it was Berkeley, but it might be Caltech - to help with the physics jokes. I don't recall the name of the physicist.

 

[Grep]

A couple months ago, there was an interview on NPR with Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon. From that interview, I learned that the writing team uses a physicist from Berkeley - I think it was Berkeley, but it might be Caltech - to help with the physics jokes. I don't recall the name of the physicist.

You probably mean David Saltzberg. Here's an interesting interview with him:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=ucla-physicist-dishes-on-his-work-a-2010-10-31

And since I've now been sucked into this thread... I love that show!

So many great lines... My favorite is the Christmas episode when Sheldon gets the gift from penny. I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Best quote- "Engineering is merely the slow younger brother of physics. Watch and learn... do either of you know how to open the toolbox?"

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

 

[Jack21222]

You probably mean David Saltzberg. Here's an interesting interview with him:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=ucla-physicist-dishes-on-his-work-a-2010-10-31

And since I've now been sucked into this thread... I love that show!

So many great lines... My favorite is the Christmas episode when Sheldon gets the gift from penny. I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard.

And here's his blog, where he discusses something science-y about every episode:

http://thebigblogtheory.wordpress.com/

 

[i_wish_i_was_smart]

Has anyone else watched this on DVD and caught the philosophical meanderings of Chuck Lorre, at the end. You have to watch for it and freeze the frame when it comes up at the very end of the credits. For every episode, he writes about some strange observation or insight, from the week. It generally has nothing to do with the show; it may have more to do with a bong .

Totally, i had to tell everyone i knew about it, its often more entertaining than the show itself!

you don't really need to DVD though, just the ability to pause live TV

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Raj speaks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOan_0acqE8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iDlMniZ_lw

 

[Ivan Seeking]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJoJn5M2Ov8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW2nJBj3TTI

 

[ask_LXXXVI]

An FBI agent interrogates Sheldon about the character of Howard , as he is about to be given some funding for research by the govt. She asks whether he is a responsible person overall.

And Sheldon incriminates Howard for damaging the plastic retention hub of one of his LOTR blu-ray disk. LOL.

I thought that was a classic Sheldon! I have some friends who could do such a thing in real life! :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtsmBnZdzJ0#t=01m45s

 

[Ivan Seeking]

One of my favorite Sheldon quotes

There's always the possibility that alcohol and poor judgment on her part might lead to a nice romantic evening."

I've had friends like him!

Compliments of Tsu, Sheldon Shirts
http://www.sheldonshirts.com/sheldon.html

I like this one
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-88371276646969_2134_115173658
http://www.tvstoreonline.com/tv-shows--big-bang-theory.html

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Over the holiday, Tsu and I got stuck on the freeway due to a big accident. We didn't move for almost 90 minutes.

At one point Tsu looked as me and said:
Helium.

To which I replied,
Magnesium

Manganese
Einsteinium
Molybdenum...

This is a silly game. Far too many elements end with the letter m. :grumpy:

 

[oddcitations]

Newest Big Bang Theory episode coming out January 6th! :] I am EXCITED.

I'm not a fan of Amy Farrah Fowler, to be honest, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's the depth of her voice, or the way her dry humour doesn't at all click with me, or just the fact she's with Sheldon and I secretly believe Sheldon isn't emotional enough to be with anyone. OR MAYBE, it's because they are so similar that they don't make for the couple people expect to see on TV.

 

[turbo]

Big-Bang theory TV show?

On the advice of a friend, I tried watching an episode just now. It was pathetic. The triggering of a canned laugh-track every 2 seconds was bad enough (and irritating as hell!), but the dialogue and visuals were even worse. Does anybody watch this tripe?

 

[Saladsamurai]

Just watched a little bit myself. I wasn't as disgusted as you seem to be turbo. Maybe because I have seen 3 1/2 men before (I believe it's the same writer) so I knew what to expect. It is what it is.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I watched a short segment in which there was an argument about string theory vs loop quantum gravity. It was obvious that the script was looked at by real physicists. That's impressive. Unfortunately, it couldn't make up for the abysmal acting and so I won't watch any more.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I watched a short segment in which there was an argument about string theory vs loop quantum gravity. It was obvious that the script was looked at by real physicists. That's impressive. Unfortunately, it couldn't make up for the abysmal acting and so I won't watch any more.

Funny you would mention that. Sara Gilbert only makes a few appearances in the show and her acting IS terrible; esp so in that scene. Unfortunately she also carried the scene. It is generally much better; over-the-top to be sure, and some scenes don't make it, but this show is a classic. The more I watched, the more I liked it.

 

[DaveC426913]

Seriously guys? You're watching a sitcom, and you're judging it on its acting?

Name three sitcoms with good acting.

 

[NobodySpecial]

Name three sitcoms with good acting.

Are we allowed to include the BBC or is that cheating ?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Seriously guys? You're watching a sitcom, and you're judging it on its acting?

Name three sitcoms with good acting.

In my view, the Sheldon characters sometimes reaches the level of comic genius. At times he completely bombs, but when he gets it right [and the writing is there], it can be priceless.

It isn't dramatic acting, but it is an art form in its own right. Of everyone on the show, Gilbert has probably been the worst. Simon Helberg [Wolowitz] would be next on my list.

Kunal Nayyar [Raj] isn't great, but he has some great moments. He has delivered some of the best lines of the show. Laurie Metcalf [Sheldon's mom] is great as always.

 

[DaveC426913]

Are we allowed to include the BBC or is that cheating ?

Cheating.

N.American and recent.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Cheating.

N.American and recent.

Cheers is the first example to come to mind. In kind, Frasier is another easy one. The character Niles was top-notch. A few more would be, Northern Exposure, MASH, and going waaaaay back, All in the Family.

"Recent" is an unreasonable and aritificial constraint. Great shows are not terribly common. There has always been a lot of crap on TV.

 

[NobodySpecial]

"Recent" is an unreasonable and aritificial constraint. Great shows are not terribly common. There has always been a lot of crap on TV.

Although drama on TV has got very good - West Wing, House, Lie to Me, are better than the cinema has produced in recent years.

 

[DaveC426913]

In kind, Frasier is another easy one. The character Niles was top-notch.

True. True.

A few more would be, Northern Exposure, MASH, and going waaaaay back, All in the Family.

"Recent" is an unreasonable and aritificial constraint. Great shows are not terribly common. There has always been a lot of crap on TV.

I don't think it's unreasonable. To include sitcoms for all time is to expect that TBBT must compare to all-time untouchable classics such as MASH (the very one I thought of). TBBT falling short of these classics does not relegate it to tripe. To relegate it to tripe it must fall below some sort of current average.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

On the advice of a friend, I tried watching an episode just now. It was pathetic. The triggering of a canned laugh-track every 2 seconds was bad enough (and irritating as hell!), but the dialogue and visuals were even worse. Does anybody watch this tripe?

The joke's on you. They don't use a laugh track. They have a live audience.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I don't think it's unreasonable. To include sitcoms for all time is to expect that TBBT must compare to all-time untouchable classics such as MASH (the very one I thought of). TBBT falling short of these classics does not relegate it to tripe. To relegate it to tripe it must fall below some sort of current average.

Well, I can say that very few sit-coms really get to me, and I just named all [or most] of them. To me, TBBT has some of the best lines in TV history. I wouldn't put it on par with MASH, but MASH was a sit-com with a basis in tragedy, so it always had deeper elements that few sit-coms would ever touch. But for a smart and light-hearted sit-com, I would put TBBT at the top of my lifetime list. Frasier would probably be my next choice, but the physics-based humor in TBBT easily wins the day. Next would probably be Northern Exposure.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

West Wing.

Don't even get me started. My wife and I were absolute addicts. And it has been thrilling to see it all come true.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Name three sitcoms with good acting.

Of course, it's just a matter of taste. However, here is a short list of ones I liked.
Seinfeld - Jason Alexander. Also Bette Midler was in one episode and was great.
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Mary Tyler Moore.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Just about everyone. Moore, Ed Asner, Ted Knight, Betty White, Clorox Bleachman, etc.

 

[Vanadium 50]

It's hard to forget Chuckles Bites The Dust. "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants."

 

[DaveC426913]

Of course, it's just a matter of taste. However, here is a short list of ones I liked.
Seinfeld - Jason Alexander. Also Bette Midler was in one episode and was great.
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Mary Tyler Moore.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Just about everyone. Moore, Ed Asner, Ted Knight, Betty White, Clorox Bleachman, etc.

Right. My point being that, if you have to go back - what 40 years? - then a show that falls short of all-time classics is not doing badly at all. TBBT could be the best-acted show in a quarter of a century and still fall short of these comparisons.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oh yes, can't forget MTM.