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TV Review

The Big Bang Theory – TV Review

Well, I just got through watching the entire first season of The Big Bang Theory. The surprise hit sitcom of 2007; The Big Bang Theory is about a bunch of academic scientists (nerds, and big ones at that) that have a hot girl move in across the hall. Simple premise. Simple show.

I will admit though, its surprisingly well done. The situations in this comedy are pretty much what you would expect: Predictable, slightly raunchy (but not too much), and full of nerd speak. It’s a show that pokes fun at intelligence, but also at stupidity. It spends just as much time putting down geeks as it does the people who don’t understand them. This is where I think it’s different from what we’ve seen in the past in TV land.
The main four nerds in this show would be throw away characters in any other sitcom. They would be the one note joke that makes the cool kids seem cooler. But The Big Bang Theory shows that it is not a bad thing to be intelligent and learned.

Johnny Galecki plays Leonard, the most approachable of the nerds, who has a crush on the new girl next door, Penny. Penny is played by Kaley Cuoco from 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (she was the hot older sister). She is the girl with the gorgeous features and a penchant for muscle bound morons that treat her like dirt. Will these two ever get together? You can see where this sitcom is going from day one.

The fun of this show really comes from the 3 other characters. Sheldon (Jim Parsons) is quite possibly the smartest 26 year old on the planet. His only problem is that he is a complete sociopath. He’s arrogant, too intelligent for his own good, and hates just about everything and everybody. At first, this is really annoying, and then it gets even worse. But you get used to it, and his brand of demeaning humor is a guilty pleasure. The other two nerds in this herd are Howard (Simon Helberg from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) and Raj (newcomer Kunal Nayyar). Howard is too confident and forward with the opposite sex, and Raj can’t even talk to them. In fact, Raj’s awkwardness in this show creates some of the best moments. When he inadvertently talks to a woman by mistake, it’s like seeing a pixie in your garden. You feel like you’ve witnessed a miracle.

Great little touches like this add a lot of flavour to the show. Sarah Gilbert and Laurie Metcalfe both make appearances on the show. Add them to the aforementioned Galecki and you’ve got half the cast of Roseanne right there. The dialogue is perfectly aimed at nerds. They get all the nerdy references right, and they never feel the need to explain them for the uninitiated. If you’re a nerd yourself, these people are speaking your language perfectly.

Creators Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men, Dharma and Greg) and Bill Prady (one of the head writers on Dharma and Greg, and also Gilmore Girls) have created a show with a different look at nerds, but with the same glossed up schmaltziness of Dharma and Greg. It’s like a hotdog. It’s looks good, smells good, tastes good, but there’s really no meat in there. Not yet anyway. As with Two and a Half Men, I am expecting this to get a lot better down the road. They could do so much with these characters, but I’m afraid they wont let it get past the fluffy stage. 17 episodes in, and nothing has really happened yet. I get the feeling that if they focused less on getting all the internet, cult, TV, sci-fi, and gaming references right, they might have a bit more room left over for some substance. The nerd referential humour is awesome, but it’s like having too much ice cream. It tastes great, but it will give you a headache.

Food metaphors aside, I’m not saying I don’t like it. This is the perfect mindless sitcom for nerds. An ever expanding group that is hungry for material based on them. This is the closest thing in sitcom world at the moment, so enjoy.

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The Vokalist

In a world where opinion means everything, one man can make a difference. Kristopher Wright once lived in relative obscurity. He had a loving fiancee, a house by the sea, and a great job as a DJ. But all that changed when he started writing online reviews. Now his world has turned upside down. For once in his life this man is standing up and shouting his opinions to the world. The only problem is...the world is listening. THIS SUMMER YOU ARE INVITED TO HEAR THE TRUTH (Cool) Shite Presents Kristopher "The Vokalist" Wright in THE OPINIONATOR This time it's personal!

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Article Information

  • Posted: Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
  • Author: The Vokalist
  • Filed Under: Review, TV
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