Big Bang Theory, yes or no?

[Pavonis]

My first impression of BBT (that is, when I watched the pilot) was that it was a Frasier knock-off - high-brow humorous banter between physicists instead of psychiatrists. Leonard came off as Frasier, with Sheldon as Niles, then. I didn't think it would last more than a season.

Somewhere along the line the show seems to have degenerated into the stereotypical relationship-driven sitcom. The humor of the show no longer requires the characters be scientists, nor does it rely on the characters' geeky/nerdy interests.

 

[JD]

I love the show. It's one of my all time favorite sitcoms. I honestly don't see where it's really that offensive, sure they use the characters' nerdiness as a source of humor, but I don't really it as actually making fun of nerds as much as just using them as a launching board for the jokes. I think it's pretty clear that the writers are nerds themselves, other words there's no way that they'd be able to make all of the accurate references they do.

 

[Galileo7]

One of the few first-run sitcoms that I watch.

 

[Garak]

Probably the worst, most overrated show on television.

The actors are all awful, especially the lead muppet, the situations are contrived and boring and the whole thing is just lazy and unfunny.

I don't know how it manages to stay on the air, it's worse than AIDS.

 

[Gothowitz]

Sometimes the fun house mirror is the most revealing.

Shush you!

Litmus test in progress.

 

[FPAlpha]

First season was awesome as the tone of the humor was different.. they actually made science jokes which you could understand with a general knowledge in science and maybe a bit interest beyond it (the standard SF nerd that is) and they were a bit more specific in their nerd humor.

Then BBT really took off and they "dumbed" down the humor a bit and introduced far more relationship humor and such which isn't bad in general.. it's just that the show started with a different focus.

Somewhere in season 3 or 4 it slumped a bit but with the addition of the new girls (especially Bernadette who is hilarious) it got a bit of fresh wind.

Overall it's a pretty funny show and amongst the ones i like best currently.. it has lost a bit of steam since the early days but what show doesn't?

 

[davejames]

Somewhere in season 3 or 4 it slumped a bit but with the addition of the new girls (especially Bernadette who is hilarious) it got a bit of fresh wind.

Yeah I think Amy and Bernadette have both been brilliant additions to the show (and in fact Amy just might be my favorite character on there right now).

And yeah on the surface the characters can seem pretty cartoonish and over the top, but if you've been watching awhile you also start to see them as very relatable and human as well (certainly more than the snarky wiseasses on Community and 30 Rock ever have been).

 

[Methos]

i love the show

it's funny, random, intelligent and has some nice eyecandy in the form of Penny

M

 

[Kytee]

Overall I really enjoy the show, the nerd culture references ammuse me and I think the dialog is above par most of the time. I tend to watch the seasons on DVD after my borther buys them , rather then watch it live so I don't know if that influences my opinion.

I will say sometimes it feels like they throw out characterisation if needed to tell the story they want to tell. For example,

Sheldon is portrayed as mildly obsessive–compulsive , he will go as far as attaching RF tags to his clothes to make packing more orderly. Yet somehow he can forget to take a flash drive on a trip if the story requires ( Not to mention, realisticly, he would have the paper he needed on his primary flash drive, his backup flash drive, his laptop hard drive, and more then likely stored somewhere in the cloud, removing any need to send Penny into his appartment ) Or he can manage to lock himself out of his appartment.

There is also Raj, 100% of the time he can't talk TO women unless he's had a drink, but then he can't talk INFRONT of women about 99% of the time without a drink, at least two times he has made a comment to one of the male cast in front of Penny with no evidence of drinking and at least once in front of Bernadette. But usually he needs to whisper his comments to Howard.

For sure these are small issues, and mostly they are good at keeping the characters consistent, it's just these few times that for what ever reason stand out for me, they don't prevent me from enjoying the show overall

-Kytee

 

[Electric Coleslaw]

I think it's the funniest show on TV right now. I rank it up there with Andy Griffith, MASH, Cheers and Seinfeld. I also don't really see it as making fun of nerds. Instead it kind of show an acceptance of their state as if to say "we're nerds and we're funny and we're okay with it."

"Here comes John and Yoko."
"More like Yoko and Yoko."

 

[Nerys Myk]

That was a great line.

 

[Winterwind]

I used to like it, got some goods laughs from the Trek references and the one Doctor Who reference (think there's only been one) but it's gone down hill for me, especially since it became a standard relationship sitcom. I tried watching the current season and gave up. And I've never understood why so many find Kaley Cuoco attractive.

 

[Kelso]

The fiance and I absolutely love it. I got her a Sheldon bobble-head for Christmas.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I can't stand it. It's too "sitcom-ish" and forced for me. Plus I despise the nerd stereotypes on the show. They all look like cartoon nerds. The geeks I've known, as well as myself, tend to be more in the "Jay and Silent Bob" range of looks. Long haired, heavy metal \ punks who like sci-fi, gaming and comic books.

I've seen a few of those but in my experience they weren't the majority. Though I think a couple of guys I knew in High School ( back in the 70s) had the proto-Silent Bob look, including an affinity for weed. In View Askew terms, I knew more Randals, Dantes, Brodys and Quints.

 

[nightwind1]

Terrible show. I gave it more than a fair shake of two entire seasons because friends kept insisting that I just needed to keep watching until it got better, and it never did. What a godawful, unfunny sitcom. The best thing I can say about it is that some of the cast have good timing, but the lines they're delivering are so bad it pretty well negates that.

I don't know what show you watched, but it sounds nothing like The Big Bang Theory.

Either that, or you need to actually develop a sense of humor.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd have to say "no."

The humor goes over my head. Also, I don't like shows with laugh tracks.

 

[nightwind1]

So what do you guys think of the TV series "The Big Bang Theory"? Are they painting us in a favorable light or mocking us? Personally, I think it's really funny...in a good way.

Mocking us. Period. This show is nothing but making fun of nerds and any nerd that thinks its audience is laughing with him is delusional.

Sometimes the fun house mirror is the most revealing.

Exactly. I've met LOTS of people like any of those guys at practically every SF Con I've ever attended. The show just exaggerates (slightly).

 

[Gojira]

I'd have to say "no."

The humor goes over my head. Also, I don't like shows with laugh tracks.

It doesn't have a laugh track. The producer hates them and does not use them for his shows,

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd have to say "no."

The humor goes over my head. Also, I don't like shows with laugh tracks.

It doesn't have a laugh track. The producer hates them and does not use them for his shows,

So where is the laughter coming from? A studio audience? A REAL one, on-site during the shoot?

If so, I guess that's OK. Pity they couldn't actually make the audience part of the show, like with Red Green.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Filmed before a live studio audience