How to make The Big Bang theory genuinely geeky

[Queen Michael]

As I'm sure you know, The Big Bang Theory is a comedy TV show that's purportedly about nerds. The problem is that the geeky references in the show are few and far between.

No, references to the Justice League aren't "geeky." Everybody's heard about them.

Yes, there was that one (1) time that Sheldon and Stuart discussed who'd be the best suited person to take over the role of Batman after the disappearance of Bruce Wayne, but that was just one time.

No, references to Star Trek don't count, because they're the one genuinely nerdy thing that non-nerds are sure to have heard about. Star Trek is more famous than To Kill A Mockingbird, for cryin' out loud, and nobody'd call that "obscure."

So what'd you do if you were hired by WB to make sure that Raj, Sheldon, Leonard and Howard were genuinely geeky?

Me, I'd have a Homestuck cosplay episode. Nohing's geekier than Homestuck, because[footnote]with the exception of people who know a huge Homestuck fan[/footnote] if you know about Homestuck then you are a geek no matter what you say.

LEONARD: I'd make a good John.

HOWARD: (removes Leonard's glasses) Or a good Terezi.

What'd you do to geek the show up?

 

[El Luck]

You don't. You just leave it as it is. Don't like the show because its not as geeky as you think it should be? fine, go watch something else. Its from the dude who made Two and a Half Men for crying out loud, its lowest common denominator.

 

[Casual Shinji]

You want to watch a show for geeks? Watch Community (the first 2 seasons) or Rick and Morty.

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom, and sitcoms are made for the mainstream. It simply has a "nerd" hook, that's all. The characters are of such Revenge of the Nerds quality, that nothing but a complete overhaul could make it "genuinely geeky".

 

[TheIronRuler]

As I'm sure you know, The Big Bang Theory is a comedy TV show that's purportedly about nerds. The problem is that the geeky references in the show are few and far between.

No, references to the Justice League aren't "geeky." Everybody's heard about them.

Yes, there was that one (1) time that Sheldon and Stuart discussed who'd be the best suited person to take over the role of Batman after the disappearance of Bruce Wayne, but that was just one time.

No, references to Star Trek don't count, because they're the one genuinely nerdy thing that non-nerds are sure to have heard about. Star Trek is more famous than To Kill A Mockingbird, for cryin' out loud, and nobody'd call that "obscure."

So what'd you do if you were hired by WB to make sure that Raj, Sheldon, Leonard and Howard were genuinely geeky?

Me, I'd have a Homestuck cosplay episode. Nohing's geekier than Homestuck, because[footnote]with the exception of people who know a huge Homestuck fan[/footnote] if you know about Homestuck then you are a geek no matter what you say.

LEONARD: I'd make a good John.

HOWARD: (removes Leonard's glasses) Or a good Terezi.

What'd you do to geek the show up?

.
The show isn't supposed to be geeky. It's mocking the whole geek culture as a whole. It needs to be as less "geeky" so everybody could get the jokes (even when some jokes build on the fact that most of the audience doesn't have a clue what a character just said).

 

[Queen Michael]

You don't. You just leave it as it is. Don't like the show because its not as geeky as you think it should be? fine, go watch something else.

I like it enough to own all the DVD box-sets. I just think they ought to make the nerd references more authentic.

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom, and sitcoms are made for the mainstream. It simply has a "nerd" hook, that's all. The characters are of such Revenge of the Nerds quality, that nothing but a complete overhaul could make it "genuinely geeky".

I actually think that a quick reference or two would be enough.

 

[Queen Michael]

As I'm sure you know, The Big Bang Theory is a comedy TV show that's purportedly about nerds. The problem is that the geeky references in the show are few and far between.

No, references to the Justice League aren't "geeky." Everybody's heard about them.

Yes, there was that one (1) time that Sheldon and Stuart discussed who'd be the best suited person to take over the role of Batman after the disappearance of Bruce Wayne, but that was just one time.

No, references to Star Trek don't count, because they're the one genuinely nerdy thing that non-nerds are sure to have heard about. Star Trek is more famous than To Kill A Mockingbird, for cryin' out loud, and nobody'd call that "obscure."

So what'd you do if you were hired by WB to make sure that Raj, Sheldon, Leonard and Howard were genuinely geeky?

Me, I'd have a Homestuck cosplay episode. Nohing's geekier than Homestuck, because[footnote]with the exception of people who know a huge Homestuck fan[/footnote] if you know about Homestuck then you are a geek no matter what you say.

LEONARD: I'd make a good John.

HOWARD: (removes Leonard's glasses) Or a good Terezi.

What'd you do to geek the show up?

.
The show isn't supposed to be geeky. It's mocking the whole geek culture as a whole. It needs to be as less "geeky" so everybody could get the jokes (even when some jokes build on the fact that most of the audience doesn't have a clue what a character just said).

First of all, if the joke is that the audience doesn't understand the reference then I'd say that's the perfect joke for an obscure nerd reference.

Secondly, no need to quote the entire post. Everybody assumes you're referring to that anyway.

 

[Colour Scientist]

You don't. You just leave it as it is. Don't like the show because its not as geeky as you think it should be? fine, go watch something else.

I like it enough to own all the DVD box-sets. I just think they ought to make the nerd references more authentic.

By authentic do you mean obscure?
The show isn't going to appeal to a mass audience if it's intentionally alienating people with its references.

Referencing things that are well known makes sure that most people feel in on the joke, while actual fans of the thing being referenced will appreciate it on a different level. If the show starts intentionally referencing relatively obscure things, most people are just going to feel out of the loop, which isn't what you want for a sitcom.

 

[DANEgerous]

Cancel it? Seriously unless you fire the entire cast of directors, Writers and most actors I just do not see BBT ever being geeky. I mean it is geeky as Friends and that is to say not at all geeky. In fact I think BBT kind of hates geek and nerd culture and the geeks an nerds that like it just do not give a damn. Not that that is a bad thing I mean it is a decent show and one that while I do watch would be somewhat sad to be canceled as while it fails at any mature subject fuck if it does not get me all nostalgic for high school or earlier. It just feels as if the cast has had 2-3 decades in bloody crosleep and are at most 18 years old and are okay for awkward teens but just... totally suck as adults.

Frankly if you want BBT to be what you think it to be as a nerd I say watch Amazon Prime's Betas. They act their age, are socially awkward and have real struggles and goals. Still Amazon Prime is kinda pricey and it only has one season so I can not fully recommend it

 

[shootthebandit]

BBT is about as funny as being punched in the throat. Id be more interested in them making it funnier than making it nerdier.

The IT crowd is a lot funnier and roy and moss are a bit more genuinely nerdy (they still fall into stereotypes though). Its got the same sort of formula of nerdy guys with clueless female friend

Its nowhere near as forced as BBT and it has some great memorable moments such as "thats a nice tnettenba" or the "0118 999.......3"

 

[Eamar]

I wouldn't change it. I love the show; maybe it's because I'm British and self-deprecating humour is kind of our thing? I don't know, I just feel that some geeks need to lighten up and learn to laugh at themselves when it comes to TBBT. While it's not really aiming for the hardcore elite audience, I honestly don't think the show's mean-spirited towards us nerds either.

Back on topic, I honestly think the references are on about the right level as they are. They're nerdy enough that I feel kinda good for getting them (whatever you think, OP, while the general public is likely to have heard of the Justice League or Star Trek, they are not going to know who all the characters are or what nerd culture says you're "meant" to think of them, which is what the jokes tend to be about). At the same time, it's not so utterly alienating that my 81 year old grandmother can't love the show (true story, she's a huge fan). It works on several levels and makes the basics of nerd culture more accessible, and you won't see me complaining about that.

As an aside, after The Big Bang Theory got big in the UK, university applications for Physics boomed. Seriously, we were at a point where Physics departments were closing up and down the country, but the popularity of the show helped turn it around (not saying it was the only factor obviously, but the media is a major influencing factor for teenagers). Hardly what you'd expect if the show was so viciously anti-nerd as some claim.

 

[DANEgerous]

I wouldn't change it. I love the show; maybe it's because I'm British and self-deprecating humour is kind of our thing? I don't know, I just feel that some geeks need to lighten up and learn to laugh at themselves when it comes to TTBT. While it's not really aiming for the hardcore elite audience, I honestly don't think the show's mean-spirited towards us nerds either.

Back on topic, I honestly think the references are on about the right level as they are. They're nerdy enough that I feel kinda good for getting them (whatever you think, OP, while the general public is likely to have heard of the Justice League or Star Trek, they are not going to know who all the characters are or what nerd culture says you're "meant" to think of them, which is what the jokes tend to be about). At the same time, it's not so utterly alienating that my 81 year old grandmother can't love the show (true story, she's a huge fan). It works on several levels and makes the basics of nerd culture more accessible, and you won't see me complaining about that.

As an aside, after The Big Bang Theory got big in the UK, university applications for Physics boomed. Seriously, we were at point where Physics departments were closing up and down the country, but the popularity of the show helped turn it around (not saying it was the only factor obviously, but the media is a major influencing factor for teenagers). Hardly what you'd expect if the show was so viciously anti-nerd as some claim.

Fully-agree with such heart but disagree in mind. Yeah just wanted to quote this for expressing my feelings better than I can.

 

[JettMaverick]

You want to watch a show for geeks? Watch Community (the first 2 seasons) or Rick and Morty.
".

This.

Also, if you remove the laughter track from BBT, you basically end up with a show that basically takes the piss out of someone with autism.

 

[V4Viewtiful]

TBBT just makes me miss The IT Crowd, I need to get the boxset.

 

[Souplex]

That's like saying "How do you make a minstrel show more sensitive to African Americans?"
You don't.
You shame the people who make it and hope it goes away.
Also; Homestuck is like Inspector Space-time: For the geeks who get beaten up by bigger tougher more socially active geeks.

 

[mjharper]

As others have said, it's a futile exercise.

When the entire basis of the show is laughing at nerds, rather than laughing with them, there's no way you can make it more nerdy. Any actual nerd humour and the target demographic - people who aren't nerds - wouldn't get the joke.

I'd add Psych to Community and The IT Crowd as shows with actual nerd humour in them. And Futurama, obviously.

 

[Aramis Night]

I was on the set of this show once and it was one of the saddest productions I had ever been on. The writing was just terrible. I was less embarrassed to be on Passions. That's right, being on a soap opera was less demeaning then being on this show. If this is nerd humor, then they just convinced people that assaulting nerds is justified and I say this as someone who grew up as a nerd back in the 80s/90s.

 

[shootthebandit]

I'd leave it as it is. It isn't shit-your-pants funny, but it's funny enough to leave on while I'm eating, and it doesn't matter so much if I can't hear it because I'm crunching my food. It's just such easy watching - I don't understand why some people are so sensitive to the content. I get the nerdy references enough to feel involved, but I never feel insulted. Maybe people need to learn to laugh at themselves. Or, you know, not watch stuff just for the purpose of feeling self-righteously miffed. Have you lost the remote or something?

I couldnt agree more. Its perfect tea-time watching because its so easy to watch and its actually pretty complimentary towards nerds/geeks

Its just not funny though. When you actually pay attention and notice the laugh track. You cant help but not notice it every time and its no frequent too. I find myself having a little snigger to myself at some of the jokes but overall its mostly unfunny and I can keep a poker face throughout. Its just another chuck lorre show, as someone once said "same shit different living room"

 

[Something Amyss]

No, references to Star Trek don't count, because they're the one genuinely nerdy thing that non-nerds are sure to have heard about. Star Trek is more famous than To Kill A Mockingbird, for cryin' out loud, and nobody'd call that "obscure."

You want obscure, not nerdy. And at that point, I'm not sure what's left to discuss. So what if it's well-known? Obscurity doesn't equal authenticity, and there's a reason Star Trek is so well known. This doesn't seem at all like it's about being more geeky or authentic, but rather about being "hipster."

I can't believe people might be put off because people might have actually heard of these shows.

I wouldn't change it. I love the show; maybe it's because I'm British and self-deprecating humour is kind of our thing? I don't know, I just feel that some geeks need to lighten up and learn to laugh at themselves when it comes to TBBT. While it's not really aiming for the hardcore elite audience, I honestly don't think the show's mean-spirited towards us nerds either.

Back on topic, I honestly think the references are on about the right level as they are. They're nerdy enough that I feel kinda good for getting them (whatever you think, OP, while the general public is likely to have heard of the Justice League or Star Trek, they are not going to know who all the characters are or what nerd culture says you're "meant" to think of them, which is what the jokes tend to be about). At the same time, it's not so utterly alienating that my 81 year old grandmother can't love the show (true story, she's a huge fan). It works on several levels and makes the basics of nerd culture more accessible, and you won't see me complaining about that.

As an aside, after The Big Bang Theory got big in the UK, university applications for Physics boomed. Seriously, we were at a point where Physics departments were closing up and down the country, but the popularity of the show helped turn it around (not saying it was the only factor obviously, but the media is a major influencing factor for teenagers). Hardly what you'd expect if the show was so viciously anti-nerd as some claim.

But isn't that part of the "problem?" Now other people are getting in on our culture and now our physics programs.

Well, I shouldn't say "our." I'm probably not "genuinely geeky" enough. But the points remains.

On a more serious note (Though I seriously doubt I count as a geek at this point), it's pretty cool that there's a resurgence in interest in science. Are people actually remaining in the programs? I only ask because I know a lot of people signed up for forensics when CSI got popular, then dropped out when they found out CSI was more sci-fi than anything ever seen on Star Trek.

That's like saying "How do you make a minstrel show more sensitive to African Americans?"

Except in any real or practical sense, like there being some sort of commonality or comparison.

 

[RoonMian]

I wouldn't change it. I love the show; maybe it's because I'm British and self-deprecating humour is kind of our thing? I don't know, I just feel that some geeks need to lighten up and learn to laugh at themselves when it comes to TBBT. While it's not really aiming for the hardcore elite audience, I honestly don't think the show's mean-spirited towards us nerds either.

Back on topic, I honestly think the references are on about the right level as they are. They're nerdy enough that I feel kinda good for getting them (whatever you think, OP, while the general public is likely to have heard of the Justice League or Star Trek, they are not going to know who all the characters are or what nerd culture says you're "meant" to think of them, which is what the jokes tend to be about). At the same time, it's not so utterly alienating that my 81 year old grandmother can't love the show (true story, she's a huge fan). It works on several levels and makes the basics of nerd culture more accessible, and you won't see me complaining about that.

As an aside, after The Big Bang Theory got big in the UK, university applications for Physics boomed. Seriously, we were at a point where Physics departments were closing up and down the country, but the popularity of the show helped turn it around (not saying it was the only factor obviously, but the media is a major influencing factor for teenagers). Hardly what you'd expect if the show was so viciously anti-nerd as some claim.

I never got the hate either. But as a Rhinelander I am big on self-deprecating humor, too. Besides, I am able to accept the characters as fiction and don't see them as insults targetted at me or as jokes about me. Seriously, that comparison to minstrel shows is just... I don't even have words for that kind of... Nevermind, I'd only get myself warned.

I've always had the feeling that the hate comes from the mean narcissism and arrogance that you only dare to let out in the safety of your own room that I sometimes seem to see in the so called geek community. Like jokes with the premise of a guy having trouble talking to girls making someone think: "I can't talk to girls, either. This show is about me! And I hate it because I'm not shown as a flawless hero!!! I will go now write snide rants about it on the internet!"

Or as you put it in much fewer words: "Lighten up!"