The Big Bang Theory

[VanQ]

I don't find it funny. I've watched a few episodes, and barely laughed at all. Mostly it was just uncomfortable to watch. If you want a "universal" to apply to it, I'd say that it is bad because it's a sitcom, and sitcoms are universally reviled.

Why are sitcoms universally reviled? Because they are written to appeal to the least intelligent people. This sounds pompous, of course, but that's how they're designed. Easy jokes, low hanging fruit, etc. You don't watch a sitcom for intellectual stimulation, you do it because it's comfortable.

You've clearly never watched any Frasier or Becker. You may want to check them out. They expect a certain amount of intelligence and cynicism respectively to be able to enjoy. Even Seinfeld, while certainly had a lot of less high brow humor in it, had its fair share of sub text that the average viewer wouldn't bother to look for.

Though I do agree that most sitcoms are how you described them, there were a few worth watching. I put emphasis on the word "were" because I don't know of any right now worth watching.

 

[Soundwave]

You've clearly never watched any Frasier or Becker. You may want to check them out. They expect a certain amount of intelligence and cynicism respectively to be able to enjoy. Even Seinfeld, while certainly had a lot of less high brow humor in it, had its fair share of sub text that the average viewer wouldn't bother to look for.

Though I do agree that most sitcoms are how you described them, there were a few worth watching. I put emphasis on the word "were" because I don't know of any right now worth watching.

I don't disagree that Frasier and Becker are certainly exceptional examples of standard sitcom fair. However, rather than admit that my "universal" statement as not being "universal", I'd much rather make the claim that those two exceptional examples are too exceptional to be labelled as merely sitcoms.

 

[KOMega]

They are alright, but a lot of the time they don't do much with their references.

I unfortunately don't watch too much TV and can't really point out another show that does, but that would probably be my gripe with it. That and it dominates a lot of the air time often.

 

[Quadocky]

Its a good show. I kinda can understand why people might see it as disparaging to 'nerds' but honestly its no where near anything like 'blackface'. I find it funny because of the base premise of uptight nerds being engaged with everyday life and all the entanglements that come from that. Key word being 'uptight' as in its a special kind of joy to see self-important smart people get knocked down a peg.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

snip

You know what the joke is, normal people value jewellery etc but he values gaming more, the joke being why would anybody value that? His opinion is why are precious metals with neatly arranged carbon atoms valued so much?

Not exactly a thinker of a joke

No that's stupid.

You're point is valid, but the game consoles alone are worth couple hundred dollars. It doesn't seem out of line at all to list the property that was stolen, especially when the cop asks for it.

 

[omega 616]

snip

I's not stupid.

We know that some old school consoles and games can be worth hundreds, if not thousands but the average guy who at most has a passing interest in gaming wont know that. All they hear is a a socially awkward guy say to the cops my gaming stuff got stolen, when all they are expecting to hear are watches, tvs and other commonly stolen items.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

snip

I's not stupid.

We know that some old school consoles and games can be worth hundreds, if not thousands but the average guy who at most has a passing interest in gaming wont know that. All they hear is a a socially awkward guy say to the cops my gaming stuff got stolen, when all they are expecting to hear are watches, tvs and other commonly stolen items.

first off, socially awkward? Please Sheldon is clearly a dig at High Functioning Autistics which actually makes the show grossly offensive.

So the joke is literally "ERMAHGAWD! LOL! THEY SAID NINTENDO 64!"

That is not a joke, that's a reference. Maybe if Sheldon then went on a list of games like "Grand Theft Auto, Thief, Payday 2" ya know games about stealing, that's at least funny cause theres an element of irony there.

 

[Paddy the Second]

Let me explain using two other sitcom examples, all three of the shows have had some part based around Dungeons and Dragons.
BBT: "We are playing Dungeons and Dragons." *audience laughs for ten minutes* The joke is lol look at these fuckin nerds playin their dumb pretend baby game.
IT Crowd: Moss uses a Dungeons and Dragons parody to help Roy get over the emotional fallout of his girlfriend dumping him while also placating a group of boorish businessmen who he has been told to 'entertain'.
Community: The most ridiculous things that can actually happen within the game (riding a dragon naked, the Drow elf player blacking up, it's been a while since I watched this).

The difference is in BBT the nerd things ARE the joke, you laugh because they are there. In my other two examples the nerd thing is the catalyst for actual jokes.

 

[Naeras]

I haven't really watched much of it, but from what little I've seen, I quite simply didn't think it was funny. I could see every single joke and punchline a mile away, and the delivery of said jokes was uninteresting at best.

After finding out that the show was something I didn't want to watch, I then magically proceeded to not watch any more of it. Go me.

 

[Zen Bard]

Yeah...I have to agree with the other posters: It's just not funny.

Look, I'm Indian, played AD&D as a kid, have a degree in mechanical engineering AND worked at a high energy physics project. This show is practically tailor made for me!

And yet, I didn't crack a smile once when I watched it. And believe me, I've given it several chances.

As I said in the OTHER thread about this topic: This is NOT a "nerd" show - it's a "hot girl and the misfits" show. That's not exactly a new premise. And despite trying to cash in on "Nerdmania", it falls into every typical sitcom cliche.

I'll pose a counter-question: Do people who like this show feel obliged to as a way to support the so-called "Nerd culture"?

 

[omega 616]

snip

Look, it's all perception, you can say it's grossly offensive, boring, unfunny etc but that doesn't make it true. To be honest I don't find the show all that great, I will throw it on if there isn't anything else but I'm not crying laughing.

It's like with people, one person says "that person is open and honest" and another says "that person is a loud mouth two faced *****" ... You don't like it fair enough but a lot of people do.

And as Fatman said "Laugh and grow fat!" *BOOOOM!*

 

[Arslan Aladeen]

In addition to the blatantly obvious (and rude, might I add) monetization of nerd culture and further downgrading of nerd-kind, the bloody laugh track.

Oh my god, I think I'm a terrible person because now I want that exact laugh track in everything, regardless if it's a TV show or comedy.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Put simply, it isn't funny in the slightest and the writing is astoundingly lazy.

I'm one of the biggest proponents of the "humor is subjective" point of view, but considering how widely and pasionately despised it is, it must be doing something truly wrong.

This video is a good example. If you still find it funny, good on you. Most of us do not.

Using the no laugh track as proof it's not funny doesn't work if you think about it for any amount of time.

The most important element in humour is timing. Even low-brow humour can be made funny if the timing is done right. With the no-laugh track, you're just adding awkward pauses between the sentences. That doesn't prove that the show isn't funny because it doesn't have a laugh track, it suggests any sitcom without a laugh track won't work as well because of the timing.

Timing is an aspect of comedy, but it isn't everything.

Also, any writer that builds the timing of their jokes around audience laughter is crappy anyway. Laugh tracks/live audiences are the bane of good comedy.

I have seen this done to other shows and the shows are still funny. I wish I could remember where the video was.

Besides, even if you're completely right, the show is still a terribly written piece of garbage.

The video is a demonstration of how you can ruin a piece of work by editing it to be what it was never intended to be.

Like it or not, it's a very polished presentation. That's something that goes a long way towards making something watchable, and something that's completely buggered by terrible homebrew editing that's intended to make a point.

It's not even a prime example of bad television. The writing in 'How I met your mother' is far worse (to my mind) but still enjoys a cult following and affectionate memes around these parts. I had the displeasure of watching an episode of '2 broke girls' the other night, for the first time. The overall quality of that show is miles below that of 'The big bang theory'.

Is the geek motif really that upsetting?

Its a good show. I kinda can understand why people might see it as disparaging to 'nerds' but honestly its no where near anything like 'blackface'. I find it funny because of the base premise of uptight nerds being engaged with everyday life and all the entanglements that come from that. Key word being 'uptight' as in its a special kind of joy to see self-important smart people get knocked down a peg.

I like it too. I don't think it is necessarily disparaging to nerds. The show promotes the idea that you can expand the parameters of who you would be willing/able to cast as a friend. Whilst I have been likened to Sheldon more times than I'd like (not even for being 'geeky' so much as well spoken and direct) I think it's largely been good-natured teasing... as well as eye-roll inducing. It might be ignorant on their part, but I don't think it's fair (or doing yourself a service) to assume the worst in people when these things crop up.

The point being that they wanted to be my friend, not shoot me down using the show as ammo. I reckon that a fair amount of this "issue" comes down to social paranoia that people often seem to develop after being bullied (oh God, I'm doing amateur psychology... shoot me).

Fuck it. Ignore me.