BBT's Portrayal of Nerds: Offensive or Accurate?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around opinions on the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," with participants sharing their thoughts on its humor, characters, and overall appeal. Many express enjoyment of the show, highlighting its clever writing and relatable geek culture references. Sheldon is frequently mentioned as a favorite character due to his unique personality and comedic genius. Some viewers appreciate the physics jokes and the show's ability to blend scientific concepts with humor, while others criticize the laugh track and feel the show has strayed from its original focus on science to more general sitcom tropes. There are mixed feelings about character development, particularly regarding the relationships portrayed, with some viewers feeling that the focus on romance detracts from the show's scientific roots. Despite some criticisms, the show has garnered a loyal fanbase, with many considering it one of the best sitcoms currently airing.
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As everyone here is into physics in some shape or form, I am sure everyone has at least heard of The Big Bang Theory by now. So, what is everyone's thoughts on the show? Do you like it, love it, got to have it? Who is everyone's favorite character, or favorite episode? Let's talk about the geekiest (and one of the best) shows airing now :)
 
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GeekGuru said:
As everyone here is into physics in some shape or form, I am sure everyone has at least heard of The Big Bang Theory by now. So, what is everyone's thoughts on the show? Do you like it, love it, got to have it? Who is everyone's favorite character, or favorite episode? Let's talk about the geekiest (and one of the best) shows airing now :)

A couple of people were insisting that I watch this. I have only seen a few episodes but they were funny at times. A buddy bought the series and is mailing the discs to me. Netflix has it but it has been backordered for weeks.

Best line so far [1st or 2nd episode]: We could tell her that we were masturbating for money.

That one had me laughing out loud.
 
If it wasn't for the obnoxious laugh track, it wouldn't be so bad.
 
erok81 said:
If it wasn't for the obnoxious laugh track, it wouldn't be so bad.

Do you mean the live audience it's taped in front of?

You can actually go buy tickets to watch the filming in person, you know.
 
Jack21222 said:
Do you mean the live audience it's taped in front of?

You can actually go buy tickets to watch the filming in person, you know.

I've only seen the show once or twice and it sounded like a laugh track. Let me rephrase.

If it wasn't for the obnoxious laughing audience, it wouldn't be so bad.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Best line so far [1st or 2nd episode]: We could tell her that we were masturbating for money.

That one had me laughing out loud.

Yes that line is funny, and it is from the pilot :) But my favorite quote so far is "Gravity, thou art a heartless *****."

And as for the laughing audience, I have never found it annoying. Then again, I am used to sitcom comedies with the audience laughing in the background.
 
I watched all the episodes so far.

Great show. I watch it everynight.

Sheldon is my favourite character and then it's Howard.
 
There was another scene that had me laughing esp because I have seen ~ the same discussions here a number of times. Sheldon and Leonard are riding in a car... I thiink going out to dinner, when Sheldon suggests playing some kind of "name that scientist" game. What was funny was the complex set of rules and guidelines quickly blurted out.

I'm not much of one for stereotypes, esp when it comes to geeks :biggrin:, but that was dead on! You could have probably taken the script from a PF post.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
There was another scene that had me laughing esp because I have seen ~ the same discussions here a number of times. Sheldon and Leonard are riding in a car... I thiink going out to dinner, when Sheldon suggests playing some kind of "name that scientist" game. What was funny was the complex set of rules and guidelines quickly blurted out.

I'm not much of one for stereotypes, esp when it comes to geeks :biggrin:, but that was dead on! You could have probably taken the script from a PF post.

Yes Sheldon is big on rules and guidelines. He also added on Lizard and Spock to the game Rock Paper Scissors. The show is funny because it is oh so true :) And of course because Jim Parsons plays Sheldon so brilliantly.
 
  • #10
I actually rank Big Bang Theory higher than Seinfeld.

The show is also having good success in China.
 
  • #11
And yes, The Big Bang Theory takes the top spot as my favorite sitcom (my favorite before was That '70s Show). It keeps getting better with each episode.

And China? Really? That's surprisingly good to hear...
 
  • #12
I absolutelly love this show :biggrin: Can't seem to get enough of it.

My favorite character is either Penny (being that I can totally relate to her) or Sheldon (he is just too cute and the right amount of geek :wink:)
 
  • #13
I hate that show. Every time I look for new torrents on a site like the pirate bay I always see a highly seeded torrent with the words big bang theory in the title and i get really excited, thinking that someone has made a new science special about the big bang. So, without looking at the description I download it and then find out it's a stupid sitcom. The writing also stinks.
 
  • #14
Unfortunately I only saw the pilot, but it seemed like a pretty decent show. Granted, it's nothing like how real physicists behave, but I suppose the medical doctors have the same problem with House. In case I ever want to catch up, how many seasons are there by now?
 
  • #15
Noxide said:
I hate that show. Every time I look for new torrents on a site like the pirate bay I always see a highly seeded torrent with the words big bang theory in the title and i get really excited, thinking that someone has made a new science special about the big bang. So, without looking at the description I download it and then find out it's a stupid sitcom. The writing also stinks.

You appear to be a special kind of person.



Sheldon has to be my favorite character. Every time I watch the show, I wonder if I am a few geeky friends and a few IQ points away from observing my life.
 
  • #16
GeekGuru said:
And yes, The Big Bang Theory takes the top spot as my favorite sitcom (my favorite before was That '70s Show). It keeps getting better with each episode.
My wife started watching the show. I hated it because Johnny Galecki, (AKA the boyfriend in Roseanne)'s charcater Leonard was far too sitcomish for me - in a Steve Erkle kind of way.

Despite my best efforts, BBT grew on me because it is so hilarious.

Now, everytime I laugh out loud at it, she barks at me: "Don't laugh! It's not funny!"
 
  • #17
Watched it several times now. Absolutely enjoy most of the episodes.
 
  • #18
I have never before heard a single mention of this show, anywhere.

Perhaps I have led a sheltered life.
 
  • #19
I love the show, luckily they do some research, and make references to real principles in physics. I was sold since the pilot, when they were discussing the potential offspring from their masturbating for money venture. Sheldon, had the objection that it was fraud, since they wouldn't be guaranteed a child with a high IQ. He said something to the effect
"What if they don't know where to use a derivative or integral to find the area under a curve"
"I'm sure they will still love him"
"I wouldn't"
 
  • #20
Could u recommend an episode to start with?
 
  • #21
Its where I learned about schrodingers cat. Great show.
 
  • #22
Galteeth said:
Could u recommend an episode to start with?

The pilot and go from there.
 
  • #23
I came across this thread and decided to resurrect it. BBT is now one of my guilty pleasures. ^_^

Season 4 is coming right up!
 
  • #24
I watched it last night for the first time, after hearing that the star won an Emmy. Looked like an average sitcom (= sub-average entertainment), yet 24 hours later I am still thinking about it. Might have to give it a chance to grow on me. Hmmm, 4 physicist friends who spend their free time almost never talking about physics with each other? I can see I'll have to suspend disbelief if I am to get into this show.

erok81 said:
If it wasn't for the obnoxious laugh track, it wouldn't be so bad.
Jack21222 said:
Do you mean the live audience it's taped in front of?
Okay, I too could have sworn that was a laugh track. If it's not, then there must be "Applause!" signs telling the audience when to laugh. It just seems like the laughter happens when the directors/producers want it to, rather than spontaneously and naturally.
 
  • #25
There is plenty of physics infused at the right time for the occasion. Its my favorite show :biggrin:
 
  • #26
Season 1 was the best. As the episodes progressed, it dealt less with science references and more with general nerdy mainstream stereotypes fused with love interests. It got progressively worse to the point that I no longer enjoy watching the show. I stopped right after they started dealing with Penny/Leonard's relationship because if I really cared about relationships, I would be watching 90210, Gossip Girl, or some other drama show. And now they just focus on Sheldon's eccentricities as the main comedy piece, and it's gotten pretty lame. The show's attempt to apply to a wider demographic alienated me.
 
  • #27
This thread should be locked and all mention of this show stricken from the history books. Anyone who likes this show must be the anti-christ. Obviously.

Do your jobs moderators.
 
  • #28
Pengwuino said:
This thread should be locked and all mention of this show stricken from the history books. Anyone who likes this show must be the anti-christ. Obviously.

Do your jobs moderators.
:smile:

At the urging of one of my coworkers, I finally saw the show two weeks ago. My wife and I both enjoyed it and laughed through the whole show.
 
  • #29
Redbelly98 said:
Okay, I too could have sworn that was a laugh track. If it's not, then there must be "Applause!" signs telling the audience when to laugh. It just seems like the laughter happens when the directors/producers want it to, rather than spontaneously and naturally.

Lets see if Chuck Lorre allows hotlinking from his site...

vc282.jpg
 
  • #30
Redbelly98 said:
Hmmm, 4 physicist friends who spend their free time almost never talking about physics with each other? I can see I'll have to suspend disbelief if I am to get into this show.
You need to watch a little more. The 4 friends include a high energy theorist, an experimentalist, an astrophysicist and an engineer. Obviously, they've got nothing in common! :biggrin:
 
  • #31
The show is freaken awesome. The only that I don't like about it is that it doesn't seem all that realistic to me as I don't think physicists and engineers have that much free time to spend hanging out and reading comic books.

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?
 
  • #32
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 :biggrin:.
 
  • #33
I watch it (mostly when I'm bored), but I can't say that it is a favorite of mine. 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.
 
  • #34
SticksandStones said:
I watch it (mostly when I'm bored), but I can't say that it is a favorite of mine. 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.

Thats just silly. Big bang IS a theory, so its a play on words and a sexual innuendo with a hot blonde involved. You are just trying to create a straw man, where clearly you should've said Dave Chapelle Show
 
  • #35
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?
 
  • #36
Topher925 said:
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.

SticksandStones said:
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.

Ivan Seeking said:
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.
 
  • #37
Redbelly98 said:
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.
 
  • #38
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. :biggrin:

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? :biggrin:

Chuck Lorre is my new hero. What a great piece of work!
 
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  • #40
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..." :rolleyes:
 
  • #41
Ivan Seeking said:
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..." :rolleyes:

:smile:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIp77PUvLTE
 
  • #42
Ivan Seeking said:
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? :biggrin:
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.
 
  • #43
Gokul43201 said:
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.
 
  • #44
Best quote- "Engineering is merely the slow younger brother of physics. Watch and learn... do either of you know how to open the toolbox?"

:smile::smile::smile:
 
  • #45
Grep said:
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/
 
  • #46
Ivan Seeking said:
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 :biggrin:.

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
 
  • #47
Raj speaks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOan_0acqE8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iDlMniZ_lw
 
  • #48
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJoJn5M2Ov8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW2nJBj3TTI
 
  • #49
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
 
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