My wife absolutely loves this show, especially Sheldon.
Sheldon doesn’t portray a geek, he portrays a lot of the attributes of someone with Asperger syndrome (AS).
My son has been diagnosed with AS; and I (along with my father and grandfather) almost certainly have/had AS as well. So my wife gets a kick out of watching the show–she likes to point everything that I have in common with Sheldon, for instance. :dubious:
Anyway, I think the show is pretty funny; I identify with some of the things that Sheldon does (though most are exaggerated), and I appreciate that the physics and the equations shown in the show appear to have some basis in reality instead of just being random symbols.
I think the Frankenstein parody idea is reaching a bit.
But creepy, skeevy and slimy? To me, it’s totally the opposite. Sheldon is a Total Innocent in this regard, and that’s why it’s hilarious!
Of course, YMMV.
What made that scene work for me is that Sheldon and the little girl were actually becoming friends (in as much as a minute’s interaction) before Leonard stepped in. It was sweet in a way. Another show would have had Sheldon get dissed by the kid, but this one has affection for its characters.
And of course, the “Don’t look up, they have cameras,” was pretty funny too…
I agree, it was quite sweet. When I saw that scene I got pissed that creeps who prey on little kids have spoiled it for all men, who now can’t say anything to a kid in public without being looked at with suspicion.
I keep trying to watch sitcoms, but almost all of them lose me after the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd episode. But I’ve been watching BBT since its inception. Contrary to a lot of the other opinion in this thread, I find it really funny! I get several belly laughs out of each episode. And, yes, I have an advanced science degree from a top-tier university.
A reply above reminded me of this scene: A new “hot girl” has moved into the building and she starts taking advantage of the guys, asking them to do things for her. Penny sees what’s happening and is bothered by it. Later, Penny meets “hot girl” in the laundry room and tries to talk to her about it. Penny says something like this: “These guys are my friends and they’re different than regular guys. They have no shields. You know how in Star Trek the Enterprise has…” At which point she gets an absolute look of horror on her face and you can just tell she’s thinking “oh my god, I’m becoming one of them!”
I laughed my *** off at this one.
I also find the “vanity card” at the end of each episode fun.
J.
Of course Big Bang Theory wasn’t intended to be enjoyed by physicists.
It’s humor.
Of course, we’re going to out-geek the geeks on BBT. At my SF convention, we’re having a panel discussion on whether BBT is insulting to geeks or shows them in a positive light. Maybe I should just print this thread and bring it…
I love the show.
“I possess the DNA of Leonard Nimoy?!?!?!?!???” Sheldon is a scream.
Plus, Penny is very, very hot!
I don’t love the show, but I like it. I agree that Sheldon is the best part of the show.
Most of the overemphasized jokes fall flat, but I like the show because of those moments that just ring completely true and remind me of my geek friends (and me, sometimes). Two that come to mind: At the end of the very first show, when Penny asks the guys to help put together an entertainment center, they just go off on tangents redesigning the thing to have active cooling and titanium plating, etc. And the episode where they’ve routed control of their stereo system through the internet, and Penny asks why they’ve bothered to do that when they can just reach over and turn the knob. “Because we can.”
The OP has expressed my disappointment and aggravation with the show (though it’s been recommended to me many times) perfectly.
That plus the laugh track.
I can’t understand why anyone thinks this show is any good.
I can’t understand why anyone thinks it isn’t.
Yep.
I love this show, unreservedly. It always makes me laugh, I understand almost all the subtle humor, and I recognize these people in the show.
However, I never watched Seinfeld or felt it was funny, as the people disgusted me. I can’t stand two-and-a-half-men, despite them being in the top 10 every damn week. I intensely dislike The Office, as to me, its just too close to my real life.
If you don’t like a show, you usually can’t get sold on it.
Seriously?? I gotta hear that one.
There should be a rule in CS, where if you don’t like something, you must propose your favorite show of the same genre as an alternative. Otherwise , as far as anyone knows, you’re just someone who is pleased by nothing.
So, for example, if I say, “I never really cared much for Star Wars, but I thought that Lord of the Rings was fantastic” at least someone might say, okay, I get it, you maybe didn’t like Sci Fi as much as fantasy.
Or “I don’t get the appeal of all of the NCIS stuff, but really liked The Wire” then one might infer that I don’t care for mass marketed, formulaic stuff, but like crime shows with a little more substance and depth of characters.
I personally like The Big Bang Theory, despite some of it’s flaws. My main pet peeve is the tendency to show Sheldon as purely annoying without enough redeeming qualities to balance out his downsides, so you wonder why they would put up with him. On the other hand, I can’t think of a lot of purely superior comedies out there on television right now - How I Met Your Mother leaps to mind, and maybe 30 Rock, depending on your taste. But 30 Rock is clearly not for everyone, and HIMYM seems to have taken a couple of seasons to build to it’s current level.
Am I missing some great comedies out there?
You know, when I was little I thought my grandmother (who liked Little House on the Prarie and The Waltons) would like The Golden Girls. Because she was an old lady that the show was about old ladies. I was wrong. Shows aren’t necessarily aimed at, or enjoyed, by the types of people that they (supposedly) portray.
FTR, I’ve chuckled a few times the few times I’ve watched it.
I asked the same question in an old thread - http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=505821&highlight=Bang+Theory
In short, I don’t get it either, but it seems to be purely a matter of taste. Personally I gave up on it.
I feel this way about Curb your Enthusiasm. If I knew that guy IRL I would have to kill him.
I’m a geek and although you would have trouble spotting me in the Big Bang crowd (and then again, maybe not), I can tell you that I *do *have friends who are that geeky. I know people who will argue over how Superman gets his clothing clean. I know people who - although they might not play Klingon Boggle - know Klingon. Sheldon may be a tad over the top, but the others could easily be people I know.
I love this show! Why? Because it is a silly, goofy half-hour about silly, goofy, nerdy guys! Sheldon rules!
I’m married to a professor and work for an observatory. 'Nuff said! Plus, my best friend since Junior High IS Sheldon. He has many rules. :rolleyes:
Also, I like to think of myself as a real life Penny. 