Every now and then there comes along a show that everybody seems to love, but for some reason it lacks any appeal to me whatsoever. The new Battlestar Galactica was one of those shows for me. Although, I do see the appeal, I honestly feel that it was an overrated show. But then there’s The Big Bang Theory. Supposedly, if you’re a nerd, you have to love this show. Tech Haze even listed it as one of the Top 5 TV Shows for Tech Lovers. Great! I’m a tech lover. I used to run a site called Brit Girls Gadget Guide for crying out loud. Not to mention it seems like every week I learn of a new genre actor making an appearance. From Katee Sackhoff to George Takei, all have put in an appearance on this show that is supposedly written by geeks for geeks.
But for some reason that I cannot fathom, this show just makes me want to puke garish, skittle coloured vomit. It has me worried. Am I not “geek” enough to love a show like this? Well, I run a sci-fi and fantasy website, have indeed been to a Star Trek convention and ran a tech site. So the problem clearly isn’t my geek cred. There are plenty of jokes in there including references to Admiral Ackbar and World of Warcraft that I can chuckle at. And yet…
First there’s the garish colours. Sure those bright colours were the norm for a comedy in the 90s but in the age of Arrested Development and The Office all I can say is “tone it down a little!” Then there’s the laugh track. Or is it a laugh track? I’ve heard claims that it is filmed before a live audience and others that have said the laughter is actually from the crew. Either way it’s annoying and fake. Don’t believe me? Check out this clip of the The Big Bang Theory without the laugh track.
Now don’t get me wrong. I have a degree in Theatre. I understand the need to wait for the audience’s laughter to die down before continuing, but it certainly ads to the general fakeness of the scene and helps me to feel even less connected with the characters and situations.
This could just means I have a problem with sitcoms. I won’t deny it. I listed two of my favourite comedies above and neither of them are traditional sitcoms. So does that mean I’m not giving The Big Bang Theory a fair shake? Ahh, if it were only that easy…
Now I come to the thing that bothers me the most about The Big Bang Theory: the characters. You have a group of socially inept, scientist/geeks that can’t even talk to girls. Seriously, they look and act like the nerds from Saved by the Bell, that’s how poorly constructed they are! In what seems like a nerd renaissance, when super heroes equal big box office and the stars of Battlestar Galactica are being invited to a UN conference, why does The Big Bang Theory continue to perpetuate such stereotypes?
And that’s just the guys. The girls on The Big Bang Theory either have a smoking hot body but know nothing about geek culture or are plain (read: ugly) and are only comfortable talking about science. As a geek, actress and one-time fashion magazine writer, I can officially confirm that you can be a geek and also be interested in fashion.
Remember that episode of Heroes where Hayden Panettiere gets a job in the comic book shop solely because she’s a pretty girl? The writers got a lot of flack for that and yet The Big Bang Theory perpetuates those kind of myths every episode. I don’t expect The Big Bang Theory to be realistic. Of course the characters are going to be larger than life, that’s what comedy thrives on, but until I can find characters that I can associate with and genuinely want to hang out with, I’m gonna pass on it.
Disclaimer: I’ve only watched a few early episodes of The Big Bang Theory. I have heard from some that the series does get better and the jokes become less about making fun at geeks and more making fun with geeks. That said, who has time to keep watching a series on the promise that “it gets better?” Want to watch shows that really are “by geek, for geeks?” Here’s a few of my favs:
The Guild
Created by Felicia Day (Dr Horrible, Dollhouse) as a way to get over a two-year World of Warcraft addiction, this web series is just hilarious. Sure, the characters aren’t in any way real. Vork is the ultra-frugal leader of the guild and Zaboo seems to project his mothers smothering tendencies onto poor Codex. But Day gives us a variety of characters and backgrounds versus the stereotypical pocket-protector type seen in other shows. Also, while the gaming jokes are plentiful, you don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy it.
Spaced
Spaced is what you get when you combine the ultra geeky mind of Simon Pegg and the queen of pop cultural references, Jessica Hynes. It’s a surrealistic show that prides itself on its open geekiness. And I think this is why the show rings true. That, and it shows a group of twenty-somethings doing what they tend to do best, i.e. clubbing, going to the pub and slacking, in addition to geeking out.
Special Mention: Psych
Okay, Psych’s not really about geeks- well, aside from Gus. And Shawn has made some pretty overt statements about being too cool to be a geek. But does anybody remember him in the original series Battlestar Galactica helmet? How geek-cool was that?! Sure not all shows revolve around conventions and alien kidnappings, but pop culture references are fast and furious on this show making it definitely worth a watch.
Extra Special Mention: Community
I’m not sure why I didn’t initially mention Community when writing this article a year ago. I alwas already thinking I needed to add them to the list, but given the latest moves by NBC to replace Community with the awful (laugh track show) Whitney for mid-season, it seems now is the time to introduce viewers to it. And what a geek show it is! Of course there are the obvious nods to geekdom everywhere such as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (no explanation needed), or the timelord alternative Inspector Spacetime (which has sparked a geek following of its own), or even the recent Remedial Chaos Theory which features multiple timelines. But then there are also the more subtle mentions thrown in there for fans, such as references to Firefly (Firefly suicide pact anyone?) or the ongoing references to Kickpuncher, a shoutout to cheesey Van Damme flick, Cyborg. Honestly, I’m kicking myself for not listing Community sooner. They clearly have the cred. Sadly, it’s pretty clear that NBC doesn’t want to be known as a geek network. Their fuss over the D&D episode as described by show creator Dan Harmon in this AV Club Interview proves that the network does not get it. And although NBC states than they do plan to air the rest of the show’s third season (at some point in time) it’s looking more likely that Community will fall the way of other classics such as Firefly and Arrested Development.
I agree with you on Big Bang. I watched an episode where Sheldon loses his job for insulting the department head. The laugh track was truly pathetic and very annoying. 90% of the time the laugh track is triggered on lame unfunny “jokes”. Sheldon is knitting. “har har har”. I grew up on sitcoms with live or recorded laughter but sitcoms like Golden Girls, Married with Children, Family Ties had real laughs; they didn’t have this 9:1 ratio of stinkers. I do like the actors and actresses; I just hate the awful unfunny writing. It is as if they hired a professional mathematician to write some of these lines.
You’re full of it. The Big Bang Theory has GREAT writing and is very funny. Maybe you’re TOO much of a nerd/geek to have a sense of humor. Also, the laugh track is barely noticable if you’re concentrating on the show and not the minor insignificant details – like a geek would. TBBT gets the most viewers on its time slot. It’s for a reason… Also the stereotypes – yes on of them can’t talk to girls. But one of them also had a serious relationship with a very hot girl on the show. Another one still has no problem talking to girls and is kind of douche bag. The douche bag is now engaged to another nerd (Biologist) who is actually a VERY pretty girl. It seems you’ve made a snap judgment on a show that you don’t know much about and haven’t watched very often.
Also, on a side note: the bright colors thing…WTF? I think you might be the only person that actually even noticed that. Anyway, if you haven’t noticed, nerd style involves bright t-shirts with funny shit written on them. Really you NEED to get out of your house.
Also, for the record I am a member of the nerd community. Research scientist turned medical student who’s engaged to a comp sci major who is now a web developer. I understand nerd culture and I LOVE this show.
Yay! I got my first hate comments on this article. Cool! AM, you’re obviously passionate about TBBT and you obviously have the geek cred, but not everyone enjoys it, and it doesn’t mean we don’t have a sense of humour. I’ve plainly listed several comedies that are about geek culture that I find funny, such as Community and Spaced. As for the use of colours, they have nothing to do with geek clothing and everything to do with sitcoms. Scrubs, a single camera comedy, did a sitcom version of an episode where they added a laugh track, cheering whenever a cast member appears on screen, and *bright* colours. This is a staple of sitcoms which not everyone enjoys anymore. To me it seems dated. I, for one, think television comedy has evolved. I will concede however, that I haven’t watched many episodes of TBBT, simply because I haven’t enjoyed what I’ve seen.
“my first hate comment” that’s funny hehe… “TBBT” is not. I totally agree about the excessive use of laugh tracks being annoying. I always compare it to The IT Crowd… that’s the best show “by geeks for geeks” around there. Every single IT crowd episode makes me laugh to tears and that’s what makes the difference to me. I won’t waste my time on TBBT when there are more interesting (at least to me) TV shows that I can watch.
I really do need to check out the IT Crowd. I keep hearing so many good things about it. I think i’ll have to watch a few episodes over Christmas, and add it to this list. You’re right. There’s plenty of other good shows “by geeks, for geeks.” Why waste your time on ones that suck?
The show uses stereotypes to bring in the audience’s attention and then they capitalize on it to show theres more to these characters than their stereotypes alone. It’s not necessarily that the show is supposed to “get better” its that most of America is hard to entertain without a stereotype and they use the show as a tool as to how there is more to the person than their looks or their smarts.
Sheldon is stereotypically “asexual” and emotionless but later cuddles with his girlfriend.
Leonard is the stereotypical nerd but can still get the hot girl
Penny is the stereotypical dumb blonde waitress/actress who ends up loving video games, cosplays, goes to paintball, knows everything there is to know about nerdvana, and even learning some of each characters research
Raj is the stereotypical feminine male though throughout the show he always has vivid dreams about women, sexual encounters, or spoken slip ups “bernadette I want you to play my clarinette”
Howard is the loser 30 something year old who still is living with his mom but gets engaged to a super attractive microbiologist.
See how wrong you are about the show?
TBBT is overrated. The show has been for several years and the character have not changed significantly at all. Leonard is a douchbag. Penny is still the dumb blond. Walowitz is still a perv. The fact that the guys now have relationship does not the stereo-types that are portrayed with theses characters. Another that annoys is me is how arrogant these character portray there geek-dome. Snobbish and awkward nerds/geeks are not fun to watch at all.
Take for instance how TBBT vs Community (another geek/nerd show) showed joked about Firefly. TBBT had a joke about Leonard wanting to kill FOX acting snobbish about how superior the show was. On Community you have the Firefly suicide pact. Which made the better joke? Community, because it actually looked into the Firefly series and made a joke people cared about, then TBBT ranting on and on about FOX just to make fun on geek/nerd culture and over-reactive fan bases.
See that’s exactly my impression too. Almost like the Comicbook Guy from Simpsons. Don’t get wrong, go to a convention and you’ll definitely meet people like that. However, most of us are fairly normal and want to bring people into the fold, not get all snobby about it.
Ccooper: I agree that the sad fact is that comedies do often have to appeal to the lowest common denominator. In fact, much of comedy is about stereotypes. However, relying on stereotypes is just lazy writing. There are plenty of comedies about geeks that don’t rely on stereotypes. Community is a good example, but there are plenty of others as well. I do hope that they have managed to have the characters break away from these stereotypes, but even if they have, it doesn’t make me wrong. There’s plenty of other reasons why TBBT has absolutely no appeal to me.
In my opinion you are right. TBBT is overrated.
When I watch this show, there are very few funny moments.
Most of the time the things Sheldon says are supposed to be funny,
supposedly because we are not able to understand him.
It is like: Hey I did not understand that so it must be something hilarious.
The laugh track is pretty obvious to me too, because it is always there. Every 5 to 10 seconds you hear laughter. Really annoying.
What I personally cannot understand is how most of my friends can think that TBBT is a better show than Scrubs, but to each their own.
I stay with shows like Scrubs, Arrested Development or Community.
This Sunday Community is airing for the first time in Germany. I really like to see if they managed to dub it properly, but from what I’ve seen in the ad, it is not going to do justice to that show. The time is pretty bad as well. Sunday 1:30 pm. Unfortunately, I would say that it will not last long.
Arrested Development is another great show. So glad they’re finally getting another season/movie. What I like about it, which I’m pretty sure TBBT and most sitcoms don’t do, is that there are these huge set up’s for their jokes, sometimes a whole year in advance. Stuff that you don’t know to catch unless you watch it again. That’s the mark of a good show, it holds up to repeat viewing.
There is no laugh track. Maybe you guys should look into it before you just assume. People like you need to be removed from the gene pool. Fucking idiots.
@Ryan Wow. That was rude. Let’s keep it clean please, just because I don’t agree with your love of a mediocre show does not make me or anyone else an f*&king idiot. Also, you may need to pay attention to the article. I believe I actually question whether or not it’s a laugh track.
“Or is it a laugh track? I’ve heard claims that it is filmed before a live audience and others that have said the laughter is actually from the crew. Either way it’s annoying and fake. “
I found this to be an interesting read. I like The Big Bang Theory, in fact I remember loving it once upon a time but lately I’ve started to check out other American sitcoms which haven’t been aired or have a cult following here in the UK e.g. Parks and Rec, Arrested Development, The Office (US), Community etc. and I’ll agree that TBBT is quite mediocre in comparison to the likes of these forward thinking and well written shows. Also TBBT has gotten worse with age and only peaked at season 3.
Also to answer your question, they did a making of TBBT here in the UK and they do film it in front of a live studio audience.
Furthermore, any BBT lovers need to chill out and respect this guy’s opinion. He’s made a professional article on why he dislikes a certain show and I respect him for that.
@Aaron Well, actually I’m a girl, but thank you anyway!
I will have to look for the Making of TBBT you mention. I’d be curious to see some of the behind the scenes stuff. The cast really do seem to enjoy geekdom, however I just find the character to be slightly too caricature. It’s hard to identify with them.
I look forward to The Big Bang every week simply because it’s a new episode i.e not a repeat but that’s it
Cannot stand or tolerate the “actress” who plays Penny. I watched a promo vid of that actress doing a photo shoot and she was doing that whole pouty, shove my arse out stuff that the character Penny does which simply means she’s a dyed blonde that got lucky.
Leonard is in no way a geek, fact! He’s far too hipster. Despite his whining about girls he always ends up having a sexual relationship with the lookers & not the horrors of life.
Sheldon has went through the changes. First he was super intelligent with no understanding about emotion then he went to child & finally a camp guy who has a relationship with a female & is now able to function and understand feelings.
Jim Parsons [Sheldon] strangles the jokes the ‘audience’ find funny to the point of death.
The writers have a [300k an episode for all actors] working formula. Why bother if it’s a mish mash of all American sitcoms.
Money matters differing opinions don’t.
Would you bother about opinion if you were raking in mega money?