I don’t think the guy’s a very convincing nerd. I don’t like his mannerisms. I don’t like his idolization of penny. Frankly I would find the show a whole lot more appealing if it was just the other 3 and penny was just there, not as an obvious love interest.
Different strokes and all that. I think you are totally off, myself. Leonard is the emotional center of the whole show.
Face it, if they were true nerds none of them would be getting the action they’ve gotten on this show!
I just like it better when the nerds are smart and sarcastic (a la Frasier), rather than basing an entire episode on some oddball neurotic compulsion one of them has.
While I’m pretty sick of the Sam-and-Diane plot myself, it’s Sheldon who I can’t stand. I just don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth. The other three walk a line between character and caricature, but Sheldon is cartoonish.
Did anybody else hear the OP being read in Sheldon’s voice?
I do now.
Yes
Yup yup. He’s just so awkward it hurts. I already hate embarrassment comedy, but he’s the walking talking embodiment of it.
I like Leonard. He’s the straight man.
I’m not really a fan of the show, but I’d say it’s not really embarrassment comedy with Sheldon because he doesn’t care about being embarrassed. I’m not sure he’s even capable of being embarrassed. He has his way of doing things, and it doesn’t matter much to him how other people react.
This, mostly. Leonard is the facilitator. Can you imagine Sheldon and Penny having any interaction at all if it weren’t for Leonard?
And while the lovesick puppy thing may be annoying, it’s also important to keep Leonard and Penny together without losing Sheldon as a roomate. And it’s a bit Johnny Galecki while he was with Darlene on* Roseanne*.
Not to mention, lovesick Leonard is the source of some of Sheldon’s best lines. Bazinga!
This is bizarre, because Leonard’s function is clearly to provide a “relateable” character. It’s true that he ranks a little low on the nerd spectrum, in that he is well-versed in nerd lore but is necessarily well-adjusted enough to be self-conscious enough of the nerd condition. This is to provide necessary dialog in situations where comedic tension depends on the conflict between nerdism and mainstream expectations.
If you took him out, you would necessarily end up with a lot of scenes of Sheldon, Raj, and Wolowitz, and no-one to provide a foil. Leonard is there because the show’s creator understands a few basics about how to drive something in the format.
If you don’t know geeks like Leonard, you don’t know enough geeks.
Seriously - I used to work on a research floor - medicine, not physics, but just as many nerds.
There were a couple of Sheldons, a couple of Howards, I dated a Raj, and the rest were Leonards. I seem to recall an episode or two where there was a rock star type scientist guesting - there were a couple of them too (sort of like Malcolm from Jurassic Park).
You gotta love the Leonards.
I like Leonard fine but he could definitely be less whiny. And what’s with the nose in the air thing? After about 15 minutes of him wandering around with his chin up, I just want to jump in my TV and push his head down. He’s not that short.
That’s the physical twitch of the characters meek nature, just watch, every time he does it he’s apologizing for something, retelling an embarrassing event, or whining.
Or maybe he’s wearing bifocals and just can’t get the focus point right.
Maybe that’s it because I noticed the head up thing too-- and he is always squinting when he does it. I’m always wondering why he’s squinting if he’s got glasses on. Leonard also gets a lot more tail than the nerds I know.
Not quite Joyce Kim
Penny
Dr. Plimpton
Leslie Winkle
Dr. Stephanie Barnett
Priya
Joy
Mrs. Latham
That’s some quality tail.
I’ve noticed that the “anchor” of an ensemble cast is usually the least liked by fans and most often hated by detractors.