Big Bang: A Teoria

I have seen a few episodes of the new CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory and to me it's one of the best written sitcoms currently on network TV. The scripts are filled with scientific references some people might not understand but they are very witty. Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons are definitely one of TV's newest comedy teams who have great chemistry and the addition of Kaley Cuoco as their neighbor, Penny brightens up the show. Let's not overlook the supporting cast with Simon Helberg as Wolowitz, who looks a little like Paul Reubens, the man behind Pee-Wee Herman and Kunal Nayyar as their friend from India.

If you watch the closing credits closely, you'll notice that there's a credit saying "Science Consultant." It's the first sitcom to employ one. It was a very good idea by the show's creator Chuck Lorre, who also is behind the CBS hit Two and a Half Men to hire one to bring scientific honesty into the show.

I hope The Big Bang Theory is around for several years. It has a solid future.

This show is definitely one of my guilty pleasures! Tuesdays are spent anxiously awaiting its posting on iTunes so I can download it, as I live in Canada & don't have cable. TBBT is a trip down memory lane for me, as it IS my high school experience (20+ years ago, I was a smarter Penny). I love the characters, especially Leonard who is adorable, and the smarmy yet surprisingly charming Wolowitz. It has the feel of "Frasier Goes To College". I do agree though that they should lose the laugh track - annoying, but not enough to make me stop watching. BTW, very smart of CBS to originally have offered the pilot as a free download or I would never have given it a look. Now I'm an addict!

While The Big Bang Theory is far from one my favorite comedies, it's still a pretty funny show that's worth watching. There's a reason it's on all the time and that's because people seem to love it. It's one of those shows where you can have it on in the background while you do other things around the house. The cast (Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Rauch & Mayim Bialik) is what makes this show so funny, there's not a bad character on the entire show and all bring something to it. Even all the supporting characters will make you laugh. If you're the one person who hasn't seen this yet all you have to do is turn on your tv because it'll be on somewhere.

What this review might have sounded like had I written it 7 years ago.

The first few seasons are, for the most part, extremely fantastic, focused, funny, fresh, intelligent and even at times, brilliant...Must see TV!

What this review sounds like now nearing the end of the shows run.

A once great show which slowly starts to diminish around season 4, unfortunately. By the 9th season it seems as though the pen and paper have been handed over to teenage fans of the show...Decent background noise.

To conclude.

This show was once incredible, and something fresh, even at times brilliant. I couldn't wait for each new episode. Now, I watch it when it becomes available on a streaming service, and, on rare occasion you get a great episode, but it's not worth devoting a weekly schedule and sitting through all the fan-fiction episodes and story lines to get to the good stuff. The show can still be enjoyable, without question, though I find it better suited as background noise while doing work instead of must see TV that you're excited to tune in as it airs each week.

I thoroughly enjoyed seasons 1 to 5 with some of the most intellectually-stimulating and subtle humour since Seinfeld. Like physicist Sheldon "embracing the chaos" or using classical conditioning techniques on his roommate's girlfriend. But you did need a modicum of (popular) science knowledge to get the jokes, so apparently by season 6 they rolled out the usual array of mindless comedy writers to turn it into a yawn-worthy series of relationship clichés and rake in more viewers. When binge-watching it, you also notice disturbing patterns like the demeaning portrayals of both the men and women scientists, for different reasons. Grew up around researchers and no, they were not men-children who spent their time at the comic book store. Actually at my Dad's university they were pretty much all stable family types with successful careers, and there were a few loners, too. Like pretty much any group of humans. Lest people think this review is unfair, I have seen all seasons, hoping for a return to the cleverness of seasons 1-5 but alas it shall not be. This is one series that unfortunately will not go out with a Big Bang, but with a fizzle.