The Big Bang Theory?

[Smooth Operator]

It was probably one of those marketing gags "make it popular or we can it", so then they went out of their way to plaster it everywhere and reheat the hype.

But it was time to stop it after season 2, season one had the most charm but then like most shows it get that strange transition where the creators get a huge contract but noone has any idea how to continue so they just start extending old gags.
Or maybe it's a "we will give you a huge contract, but you will commit to some changes..." sort of deal, and the product pushing in this ***** is one of the worst I've seen in years.

 

[Total LOLige]

I don't get why you guys around here hate it so much. "It's not intelligent in the slightest" "Stupid and dumb" I don't think I've seen a sitcom that isn't stupid. It's hardly Family Guy that solely relies on fart jokes(I like family guy). I can see why it's popular to the general TV viewer, 'hipsters' like it so they can call themselves nerds because they like the show. They'll get bored eventually because it will get too popular. I don't think I've seen an episode where I didn't laugh at all, I think it's great you can call me moron if you like I don't care. Maybe you hate it because it's popular?

A thing I've noticed is people say that Sheldon has Aspergers, I don't think he does. Reminds me of all those threads that people say half the people on the internet self diagnose it. Another reason I don't think he has it is because he says quite a bit "I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested"

Awesome show. Sheldon's awesome. The characters are quite likable with the exception of Leonard, he's too whiny. Maybe I'm one of these morons that like shows such as Two and A Half Men, I am not exactly a nerd so maybe that's why I find it funny.

Some of the jokes are funny because they're really shit jokes.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

Big Bang Theory has always been going strong, it just seemed to be unpopular because it got a lot of hate. It has occasionaly inaccuracies, the laugh track is overused, and it's simply just not all that plausible - so the nerds the show was meant to appeal to have shunned it and it's bred a subculture of people who think being nerdy is cool now so they wear stupid glasses and dorky clothes, co-opting an aesthetic and lifestyle that real geeks and nerds suffered with for decades before it suddenly became mainstream.

We earned the right to be nerdy. We fought for that. Now hipsters are taking it away while at the same time failing to relate to us. Many people blame shows like Big Bang for this.

Although I do fully agree with you, one thing: They don't use a laugh track. It's a live audience.

Otherwise, I do on occasion enjoy it. The 'on occasion' being the key phrase.

I find it funnier than Two and a Half Men at least but it still has the same problem as most comedies with laugh tracks, the really forced jokes and of course the laugh track.

You too: It's a live audience, not a laugh track.

Well then that audience is VERY easily entertained because at least a third of the jokes shouldn't evoke laughter and most others aren't THAT funny.

 

[KingHodor]

As I said to @SmashLovesTitanQuest in another thread, there's a reason Jim Parsons (Sheldon) wins Emmys for his acting - it's a brilliant piece of characterisation that went above and beyond what the producers had intended.

And as I said before, fuck the Emmys and fuck Jim Parsons.

Didn't you say you were watching the German dubbed version? The dub removes pretty much any and all nuances from Sheldon's voice, which really is the comedic high point of the show.

I've watched both. Obviously the dub is on German TV, so thats what I heard first and heard for the majority of the time. A friend of mine owns a season box set with numerous different languages, so I lent it from him just because I wanted to know how their "real" voices are.

The English original is superior but I'm just so damn used to the German one, cant move on...

It took me more than a season to warm up to TBBT. That was because I felt insulted that they felt the need to ruin the joke of having Sheldon order a "Virgin Cuba Libre" when he couldn't get a diet coke by explaining it slowly and in detail for even the dumbest of viewers.

So getting over Sheldon's completely uninspired dubbed voice will probably require some furious rewatching of Jim Parson's brilliant original performances.

Then again, TBBT's German dub is still a godsend compared to that of "Community".

 

[Blazing Steel]

Didn't find it funny, but with most shows I would just forget about it. Unfortunately friends will not shup the fuck up about it being awesome and that I'm not nerdy enough to get it. *Sigh* If only they knew how much time I spent on the internet/games.

 

[Xanadu84]

BBT is an ironic homage to silly 80's nerd stereotypes that half the audience doesn't realize is ironic. That's why I enjoy it, but kind of hate myself for it.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I hate contrived sitcoms, like this one. Since Seinfeld went off the air, good sitcoms do not exist anymore because IMO Seinfeld nuked the playing field. Sorry, but its true. Everything else feels like the same formulaic shit thats been put out since the 70's/80's. BBT is just more of the same no matter how much "nerd culture" they put in it. Its still processed, canned pop trash trying to emulate a culture that it doesn't "get".

 

[ToxicOranges]

I like it. I don't think it's particularly shit TV, especially as most of the science they sometimes refer to is (To the best of my AS-Level knowledge) correct.

Sure, sometimes the plots can be a bit guessable or "Nerds wouldn't do that" kind of thing, but still.

To all of you that say it's shit because... it is - that's not a valid argument. Can I have some proper critiscism please? I enjoy it!

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

I think Chuck Lorres Shows, be it Two and a half man or Big Bang Theory are about as generic as sitcoms can be. The characters are generic, the plotlines are generic, the jokes are generic. It's probably some kind of feat to come up with something that bland. I don't find it offensive like some people do. While i'm probably what you'd call a nerd i don't have a lot of love for nerd culture. I mean, it's just not like i'm proud enough of being bad with women, liking obscure media and having a bad fashion sense to feel offended when someone makes fun of those things. Even when he's not very good at it.

 

[Palmerama]

I must be in the minority here by saying that I really like the Big Bang Theory! Granted some of the newer episodes anren't as good as the old ones but its still enjoyable and alot more funny than alot of the crap out there! Especially on American TV! I think the character of Sheldon is brilliantly portrayed and in my & my housemates opinion is a new incarnation of Niles from Frasier! Leonard & Penny are definately the weekest charaters! The Raj & Howard combo is always funny!

 

[lacktheknack]

No idea what happened to you. I heard of it when it first started, and it never left my radar. People kept talking about it all the way through high school (partly because my Chemistry teach is a Dutch version of Sheldon), and then it exploded in popularity around here shortly after leaving high school.

I guess it's OK. I refuse to watch it on principal because people kept telling me that I would be able to "sympathize" with it.

 

[Dense_Electric]

I don't know how you managed to avoid it for so long, it's been fairly persistent throughout it's run.

As for all the hate it seems to get online, I don't understand that either. Personally, I think it's hilarious (at least the first three seasons were, recently the show seems to be going downhill into a self-aware parody of itself). Someone's going to have to explain to me just what they hate about it so much.

 

[Laughing Man]

As someone who thinks the early series were brilliant, and also hates most attempts at sitcoms and comedy shows in general, I'd be interested to know what good television I've missed out on.

Black Adder
Bottom
Young Ones
Black Books
Father Ted

Just to name a few,

as for this topic, wow if there were any other way to pull the 'we hate it because it is popular' crowd out of the woodwork then this topic is it. For the record I like TBBT, the shows I listed above blow it out of the water in just about every way but it's still a decent enough show on it's own merits, considering it's American.

Edit

how the hell could I forget Red Dwarf and better yet the new season is just round the corner.

 

[BENZOOKA]

It's an alright mildly-funny sitcom, that has its moments. It's got a way different scenario, or a theme, than the rest of them so that's refreshing at least. That's about it.

As it happens, I've watched every episode of it, but don't keep them. Besides the newest to know where I'm going.

If I want to watch something that is easy to follow and can offer a few smiles and a laugh or two, that's what I pick.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Yes, Friends was cool, but it's HIMYM set in the 90s with references I don't always get because I was still a child at the time.

I don't understand your point. Yeah, How I Met Your Mother is similar to Friends, but it came after it and is by no means better. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent sitcom (although some gags fall flat) with some interesting storylines and Barney's just great. But if there were references you didn't always get because you were a child at the time, you could just, I dunno, watch it again, now that you're an adult?

 

[Relish in Chaos]

I still think Malcom in the Middle was the best sitcom in America...that's not saying much, is it?

Oh yeah, I forgot about Malcolm in the Middle. Brilliant sitcom. Scrubs is my favourite sitcom: funniest bunch of characters I?ve seen in a sitcom, unique setting, thoughtful plot.

And I don?t really get people?s hatred for laugh tracks, as long as they?re used well and aren?t overused like in The Big Bang Theory. With some sitcoms, it?d just feel weird without them. Take Friends or My Family as examples.

Another good sitcom: The Office. No, the original UK version. Oh, and The Inbetweeners. Fucking hilarious and, unlike many other sitcoms, it knew where to stop, with three series and a fittingly conclusive film.

Sometimes that can be the problem with many sitcoms: longevity. People can get tired of the characters, the jokes can get stale, and the creators don't realize that it has a sell-by date and keep trying to milk the dead cow for all it's worth. That's why Friends started going downhill in its last couple of series (along with how they dragged out Ross X Rachel), that's why Scrubs' final series (which I officially ignore) couldn't even be saved by the brilliance of Dr. Cox. Basically, they should know their limits.

I still think Malcom in the Middle was the best sitcom in America...that's not saying much, is it?

Oh yeah, I forgot about Malcolm in the Middle. Brilliant sitcom. Scrubs is my favourite sitcom: funniest bunch of characters I?ve seen in a sitcom, unique setting, thoughtful plot.

And I don?t really get people?s hatred for laugh tracks, as long as they?re used well and aren?t overused like in The Big Bang Theory. With some sitcoms, it?d just feel weird without them. Take Friends or My Family as examples.

Another good sitcom: The Office. No, the original UK version. Oh, and The Inbetweeners. Fucking hilarious and, unlike many other sitcoms, it knew where to stop, with three series and a fittingly conclusive film.

Sometimes that can be the problem with many sitcoms: longevity. People can get tired of the characters, the jokes can get stale, and the creators don't realize that it has a sell-by date and keep trying to milk the dead cow for all it's worth. That's why Friends started going downhill in its last couple of series (along with how they dragged out Ross X Rachel), that's why Scrubs' final series (which I officially ignore) couldn't e

 

[Eamar]

I had no idea it was so hated... personally I've really enjoyed it since series 1 and I show no signs of going off it any time soon.

I've never found it "offensive" to nerds as some people seem to see it :/ Sure there are some cringy jokes, but to be honest I've usually been able to see the truth behind it (I'm British, we're into self-deprecatory humour) or recognise that they're exaggerating a stereotype.

Whatever, I think it's hilarious.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

I was just wondering what the consensus here is on British humour vs. American humour.

 

[CODE-D]

Because people are idiots and want to feel theyre watching a "smart" comedy.

 

[Thaliur]

I personally don't see the magic that everyone else seems to be getting. All I saw in the few episodes I watched was an extreme exaggeration of nerd/geek culture centered around characters representing the most stereotypical nerd/geek roles I have ever seen. What about you guys?

I share your opinion on the show. As far as "geek comedy" is concerned, it appears impossible for other shows to at least get close to The IT crowd (UK), or, to a lesser extent, Coupling (also UK, the US version sucks).