I have mixed feelings about the show. On one hand, it's pretty funny and I like the subtle references. On the other hand, it's not so much a sit-com for geeks, as it is a sit-com for people who think that's what geeks are like.
I find this line of thought odd, coming from a very geeky workplace (software company with multiple Ph.D. and Master's in math, computer science, or applicable biosciences). The show is pretty well-loved here. (Among the programmers and lab dwellers, anyway. I haven't surveyed the marketing and MBA folks.)
EDIT: Added in the survey thingie:
1. On a scale of 1-10 do you like the BBT (with 1 being hate it).
Maybe 8ish.
2. Do you enjoy comics?
Once a long, long time ago, but I don't think any comic out there right now is worth $3-4 for 32 pages. Though, I am a Pathfinder Comics subscriber. Wish the art was better, but love the little game inserts.
3. Do you enjoy gaming?
I don't really tabletop game much, but I love reading the books, both texture and flavor.
As for online gaming, I'm a two-time realm first fishing master on my WoW realm. I think I spend too much time there.
4. Do you enjoy science fiction?
Yep, except for most of the drivel on SyFy.
5. Do you enjoy fantasy fiction?
Yep, for the most part.
6. Are you a scientist?
No, but I used to teach math at a public university. Now I write software to help improve agricultural processes and feel like I contribute more.
1. On a scale of 1-10 do you like the BBT (with 1 being hate it).
About 8. Its not perfect, but I enjoy it a lot.
2. Do you enjoy comics?
Yes, though I dropped the big 2 in response to Civil War and the New 52.
3. Do you enjoy gaming?
Very much!
4. Do you enjoy science fiction?
Yes.
5. Do you enjoy fantasy fiction?
Yes.
6. Are you a scientist?
Yes, I'm a physicist.
BBT: Indifferent.
I found the show to be amusing but couldn't stand most of the characters. I haven't found it to be more offensive than a lot of other sit-coms.
So, I never understood the hype and I don't particularly get the rage either.
Almost every physicist I know is fairly odd. Most of them know how to turn on social niceties to blend in but once you get close to them you find out how weird they are. For example, one of my colleagues is in his twenties but he dresses and speaks like he is from the 1940s. He lives in an apartment with a mattress on the floor, an oil lamp, and books stacked everywhere and that is it. He is quick to dismiss people and even though he understands normal social conventions he thinks they are all absurd and refuses to partake in them.
I don't think I've ever been turned on by the Paizo boards before. I need to know if the first guy is single and into dudes. This is urgent. If he's not into dudes, does he accept worshipers?
Ok so I'm kidding about the second part of that.
And another who is so out of touch with reality that myself and a group of concerned people have to check up on him from time to time because he forgets to pay his bills and gets evicted and instead of getting a new place he just sleeps outside on the streets.
The presumed thought process behind that is supposed to be disturbing, right? I ask because that makes way too much sense to me.
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Almost every physicist I know is fairly odd. Most of them know how to turn on social niceties to blend in but once you get close to them you find out how weird they are. For example, one of my colleagues is in his twenties but he dresses and speaks like he is from the 1940s. He lives in an apartment with a mattress on the floor, an oil lamp, and books stacked everywhere and that is it. He is quick to dismiss people and even though he understands normal social conventions he thinks they are all absurd and refuses to partake in them.I don't think I've ever been turned on by the Paizo boards before. I need to know if the first guy is single and into dudes. This is urgent. If he's not into dudes, does he accept worshipers?
Ok so I'm kidding about the second part of that.
The presumed thought process behind that is supposed to be disturbing, right? I ask because that makes way too much sense to me.
And another who is so out of touch with reality that myself and a group of concerned people have to check up on him from time to time because he forgets to pay his bills and gets evicted and instead of getting a new place he just sleeps outside on the streets.
Well it isn't so much disturbing as it is odd. He just doesn't seem to care about those things. However, when it happens he stops taking care of himself, gets robbed or mugged, or worse.
Well it isn't so much disturbing as it is odd. He just doesn't seem to care about those things. However, when it happens he stops taking care of himself, gets robbed or mugged, or worse.
I do see the problem, yeah. But even reading it a second time I'm thinking "Oh right, obviously that's what you do."
I'm ready for my rubber room now.
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I'd rather watch a show about Asphere's friends then BBT.
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Wow, color me surprised at the level of dislike.
I don't really find the show that much of a stretch. People that socially maladjusted gravitate toward one another in real life...why is it so far-fetched on a show? Also, Sheldon makes perfect sense to me -- he doesn't get it because he simply doesn't care. People that smart often don't.
*shrug*
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I also met a guy at a conference once who makes sound effects while he eats. So before he eats a chip he will say "crunch". I asked him why he does it and he told me he just wanted to see how long he could do it before someone asked him why he did it and I was the first person that asked. We have been friends ever since.
I would see him every now and then and once while in his town I stopped by his University and we were on our way to lunch talking when he told me he had to pick something up. He goes into a classroom just as people were flooding out and walks up to a desk where a teddy bear wearing a kippah sat with a notebook. A student was packing her bag and said something along the lines of "cute bear is he Jewish" to which my friend responded "no but his lord was" picked up the bear and walked out with a deadpan look on his face. As soon as we got out of the room he had a giggling fit (so did I actually) and he told me he had been doing that randomly around campus and so far the other professors pretended not to notice.
He would also walk into upper level biology courses before class started and pretend he was the professor and start teaching about creationism and argue with the students and when the professor would finally come in he would run out laughing hysterically. He is not a creationist at all.
Lastly, a fellow acquaintance of ours sent me some link to some young democratic newsletter that interviewed a group of republicans on his campus and my friend was apparently one of the republicans and he kept trying to divert the conversation to be about eugenics and how it was good for America while the other Republicans kept trying to shut him up. I asked him about it and he told me he wasn't a republican and that he wanted to see how crazy he could get before he got kicked out of the club.
Remembering this stuff makes me want to give him a call. We were slightly younger then...now we are older and much more boring.
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Explaining my dislike far more eloquently than I ever could.
Most excellent - I agree 100% with the article.
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Explaining my dislike far more eloquently than I ever could.
Also agreed. I suffer from social disorders myself, and am tired of negative portrayals.
That blog-post was good. It made me think of a couple things.
1.)In a way it seems unscrupulous to write Sheldon with so much textbook asberger or autistic spectrum traits and then sort of refuse to admit that's what's going on with him. At best that's ripping off a character idea from a disorder, at worst it's almost like making fun of the disorder without admitting it?
2.)The insight about reference as joke blew my mind. What a cheap way to get a laugh, knowing people will go "hahaha" just to let everyone in the room know they got the reference.
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Explaining my dislike far more eloquently than I ever could.
An interesting editorial, of sorts. However, I disagree with the writer's premise; in fact, I think it's really quite the opposite.
I'm not interested in writing my own counter-editorial, but having reviewed a couple episodes tonight:
-The laugh-track plays at every punchline, including the ones where Penny, one of her boyfriends, another professor, a delivery boy, the (rather normal in my experience) comic store owner, et al, screw something up or do something patently stupid. It's definitely an equal-oportunity laugh-track.
-Penny may be seen as the average Joe (or Josephine), the show's Everyman that all viewers might relate to, but she's definitely the real loser of the cast: she actually has the most issues of anyone and experiences the most ill luck of them all. She's a failed actress, undergoes constant emotional turbulence, makes consistently poor relationship choices, and is the stereotypical dumb blonde. She, in fact, is the one we're laughing at and pitying--if she even merits pity. If this were a real-life social circle, I'd have to wonder why she seems so glued to the four nutty professors--is she living a pseudo-intellectual life, vicariously, through these men?
-Reference for reference's sake...hmmm. My experience is that most people laugh when the laugh-track plays whether or not they find the joke or situation funny. Laughter breeds laughter.
I don't believe there are really that many people watching the show in a group setting going, "Ha-ha-ha! Zelda and Link; those were the days!" with some weird internal monologue of what the f!!@'s a Zelda?
Vendor - Fantasiapelit Tampere
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1. On a scale of 1-10 do you like the BBT (with 1 being hate it).
8. Some episodes are really great, other just good.
2. Do you enjoy comics?
Yes, I collect many different series.
3. Do you enjoy gaming?
Very much. It's my primary hobby.
4. Do you enjoy science fiction?
Yeah. I have not watched any sci-fi tv-series, but I have watched many films.
5. Do you enjoy fantasy fiction?
In almost every form.
6. Are you a scientist?
Nope :D
I really like the series.
Explaining my dislike far more eloquently than I ever could.
Good article. While I might disagree with the magnitude of the issue with it (I'm more blasé than actively offended by the show), I do agree with the general highlights. Especially the parts about Community were very insightful.
Hmmm....still not seeing it. Of all the characters, I definitely identify with Sheldon the most, a fact which I find more flattering than insulting -- he is a brilliant man. Penny, the subject of Leonard's ill-advised (but plausible) obsession, is an uninteresting and inconsequential nitwit.
Hmmm....still not seeing it. Of all the characters, I definitely identify with Sheldon the most, a fact which I find more flattering than insulting -- he is a brilliant man. Penny, the subject of Leonard's ill-advised (but plausible) obsession, is an uninteresting and inconsequential nitwit.
You and me both. I have an easier time being sympathetic to Howard, who has a real nasty side that substantially eclipses Sheldon's, than I do with Penny a lot of the time.
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Just finished the first half-dozen episodes of Community (I've never seen even a few minutes of this show before): what a completely unfair comparison, holding it against The Big Bang Theory.
They're not remotely similar enough for a valid comparison on any level.
Oh, and yes, Community is probably the better TV show.
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Now that the Great and Wise Andrew has spoken so definitively on the subject--and indicated that because he enjoys both shows, all of you may happily enjoy both shows--, we may all rest easy and retire this thread; there's simply nothing else left to say on the topic.
What a douche.
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Now that the Great and Wise Andrew has spoken so definitively on the subject--and indicated that because he enjoys both shows, all of you may happily enjoy both shows--, we may all rest easy and retire this thread; there's simply nothing else left to say on the topic.
What a douche.
I assumed he was stating an opinion? Your reply is a bit harsh.
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I assumed he was stating an opinion? Your reply is a bit harsh.Now that the Great and Wise Andrew has spoken so definitively on the subject--and indicated that because he enjoys both shows, all of you may happily enjoy both shows--, we may all rest easy and retire this thread; there's simply nothing else left to say on the topic.
What a douche.
Heh heh ... check out who 'Renrut Werdna-Bizzaro' is an alias for :)
Like Sheldon likes to say ... BAZINGA!
Just finished the first half-dozen episodes of Community (I've never seen even a few minutes of this show before): what a completely unfair comparison, holding it against The Big Bang Theory.
They're not remotely similar enough for a valid comparison on any level.
Oh, and yes, Community is probably the better TV show.
I figured the comparison was based on the fact that they're competitors.
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I assumed he was stating an opinion? Your reply is a bit harsh.Now that the Great and Wise Andrew has spoken so definitively on the subject--and indicated that because he enjoys both shows, all of you may happily enjoy both shows--, we may all rest easy and retire this thread; there's simply nothing else left to say on the topic.
What a douche.
Heh heh ... check out who 'Renrut Werdna-Bizzaro' is an alias for :)
Like Sheldon likes to say ... BAZINGA!
Yes I got bazingad for sure.
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The best thing that has come out of this thread is that I found out about Community.
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I am personally apathetic towards the show. As a socially awkward physicist working in a university lab, I do not wish to come home from work to watch a show parodying my life. My wife (a librarian) does enjoy the show, however.
Culturally, I think that most folk in my world-sphere (western and central U.S.) hold technical and academic folk in a weird mixture of reverence and isolation. The skill set is valued, but as social entities most of the "true-seekers" of knowledge are considered to be living in a different, isolated, plane of existence. Their opinions and feelings are not to be considered as normal, but rather as outliers. Perhaps the stereotype is self-enforcing; technical or academic disciplines often lead to hyper-specialization at the expense of social skills and activities. On the other hand, I imagine any statistical analysis of this group would likely show a full range of interests, activities and foci.
I have often thought that many folk feel more comfortable when people of great intellect also have flaws in equal measure, be they social or physical; Stephen Hawking immediately springs to mind. The idea of a highly intelligent, well-rounded folk is intimidating. Yet in history, brilliant people often excel in many areas: Niels Bohr enjoyed sports, Einstein was a violinist, etc.
I do enjoy how the noteworthy scientific folk featured in the show often come across as more well rounded and better grounded then the main characters.
I've seen a few episodes, and haven't really see anything that would offend me more than any other sitcom would. The biggest thing to me is that when it strikes the right chord, it's truly hilarious, but it's very much a hit or miss, both for the show and the individual jokes. You either get it and really enjoy it, or you have a hard time seeing anything even potentially amusing to it. Never seen Community, but it sounds like a more stable show humor wise; not trying to be ultra funny, but because of that, it also avoids the pitfalls of failing to land that big joke. At least, that's the impression I've gotten. Where Big Bang Theory really emphasizes the humor and the comedy, Community goes more for the story.
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Never seen Community, but it sounds like a more stable show humor wise; not trying to be ultra funny, but because of that, it also avoids the pitfalls of failing to land that big joke. At least, that's the impression I've gotten. Where Big Bang Theory really emphasizes the humor and the comedy, Community goes more for the story.
Community may be more stable, humour wise, but it's also more intelligent, I think. Instead of relying on a series of World of Warcraft jokes, Community instead relies on subtle cinematographic clues beneath the overall witty banter. Like that one episode where Abed is only ever seen in the background, seemingly having his own adventure completely divorced from the actual happenings of the episode (and how he later refers to what he did in that episode, and goes 'but where were you guys?'). Or the actual meaning of the 'cards' in the western-inspired paintball episode, which it took me a couple of see-throughs to grasp.
Community has a lot of layers, and through Abed, is very 'film-techinque' nerdy. I suppose that appeals to me more.
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Community may be more stable, humour wise, but it's also more intelligent, I think. Instead of relying on a series of World of Warcraft jokes, Community instead relies on subtle cinematographic clues beneath the overall witty banter. Like that one episode where Abed is only ever seen in the background, seemingly having his own adventure completely divorced from the actual happenings of the episode (and how he later refers to what he did in that episode, and goes 'but where were you guys?'). Or the actual meaning of the 'cards' in the western-inspired paintball episode, which it took me a couple of see-throughs to grasp.Community has a lot of layers, and through Abed, is very 'film-techinque' nerdy. I suppose that appeals to me more.
Precisely what I like the most--the writers expect me to get the joke because they wrote it for me (the geek); they never explain it to me. I laugh because the moment was funny, not because a laugh-track queued me.
Never seen Community, but it sounds like a more stable show humor wise; not trying to be ultra funny, but because of that, it also avoids the pitfalls of failing to land that big joke. At least, that's the impression I've gotten. Where Big Bang Theory really emphasizes the humor and the comedy, Community goes more for the story.Community may be more stable, humour wise, but it's also more intelligent, I think. Instead of relying on a series of World of Warcraft jokes, Community instead relies on subtle cinematographic clues beneath the overall witty banter. Like that one episode where Abed is only ever seen in the background, seemingly having his own adventure completely divorced from the actual happenings of the episode (and how he later refers to what he did in that episode, and goes 'but where were you guys?'). Or the actual meaning of the 'cards' in the western-inspired paintball episode, which it took me a couple of see-throughs to grasp.
Community has a lot of layers, and through Abed, is very 'film-techinque' nerdy. I suppose that appeals to me more.
For better or for worse, that kind of layers has never had the appeal of a raw laugh that Big Bang Theory can invoke at it's best, and that is ultimately why it will never be as successful. Big Bang Theory appeals to the lowest common denominator, and for all of it's faults, succeeds the vast majority of the time. While there will always be those that prefer Community, it will simply never have the same potential viewer base; too many people watch sitcoms, or really tv in general, to avoid thinking, not to stimulate their thinking.
Community is also pretty damn funny even on a "turn your brain off" level. I find it superior to TBBT on pretty much any level that you can judge the two.
The fact that you are here also is highly suggestive that you already more inclined then the general public to give it a chance.
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Sitcoms in general are a problem for me. Occasionally they have some clever stuff, and I'll laugh, but generally the humour is at the level of someone saying "You know I'm handy, watch while I fix this machine" only to have the machine blow out a big cloud of smoke as they claim they are done. Wheeeeee. Laugh tracks I find somewhat tolerable because I mentally edit them out or something like that, but it certainly isn't a plus to a show.
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First, I have to disagree with the premise of that review. I don't think the show is asking us to laugh at the geeks for their interests. I think the laughter is supposed to be more related to the shared awkwardness. We laugh when Howard says he plays Dungeons and Dragons because we remember the looks we get when we tell non-gamers, or when we casually mention cosplaying.
The humor, itself, though can be very predictable.
1. On a scale of 1-10 do you like the BBT (with 1 being hate it).
7. The jokes are very hit or miss for me, but I have a soft spot for the program because I lived with a guy exactly like Sheldon for a couple of years. (Coincidentally, when the show premiered.) Yeah, those people exist, trust me.
I know it's unrelated, but Community is way better. But also way too smart. I'm not surprised it only lasted three seasons (ish). It's the Arrested Development of the tens or teens or whatever you call this decade.
2. Do you enjoy comics?
I don't really love comics, but I love the mythology. I can probably tell you just about everything there is know about the DC-Universe right now, despite not having read an actual issue in years.
3. Do you enjoy gaming?
I love tabletop gaming excessively and consider my one great disappointment that I do not now nor will I probably ever get the opportunity to work in the industry.
Video games are okay. I love RPGs (of course) but can take-or-leave most genres, and HATE sports games. (You can PLAY sports. IN REAL LIFE.)
4. Do you enjoy science fiction?
Meh. I read the occasional short story.
5. Do you enjoy fantasy fiction?
Very much.
6. Are you a scientist?
No, although I am interested in it. I don't think I'm smart enough to work in any of the major scientific fields, but I like to read about it and I give to causes that encourage scientific literacy.
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I know it's unrelated, but Community is way better. But also way too smart. I'm not surprised it only lasted three seasons (ish).
The way too smart part is probably why, sadly enough.
While Big Bang Theory has, like, the entire cast from Roseanne, except John Goodman, Community has... John Goodman. John Goodman makes everything better. This is known.
:)
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I just got told about this thread. I love the show, I'm surprised that people are actually offended by it, I'm okay with different people liking/disliking different things, and everybody is stupid in sit-coms, even the smart ones!
What I find strange is that people keep saying 'laugh track' when it's not a secret that the show is recorded before a live studio audience....!
It's okay. I watch it sometimes since it's on on like 3 channels.
I don't watch many sitcoms though, and when I do it's usually How I Met Your Mother.
I just got told about this thread. I love the show, I'm surprised that people are actually offended by it, I'm okay with different people liking/disliking different things, and everybody is stupid in sit-coms, even the smart ones!
Make that "Everybody is stupid once in a while." The matter is how the show treats its characters while they do stupid things.
What I find strange is that people keep saying 'laugh track' when it's not a secret that the show is recorded before a live studio audience....!
I don't think that studio audiences find everything happening on set consistently funny. The show relies on laughs to be successful (so that everyone knows when they are supposed to laugh), therefore they add a laugh track in post production.
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I just got told about this thread. I love the show, I'm surprised that people are actually offended by it, I'm okay with different people liking/disliking different things, and everybody is stupid in sit-coms, even the smart ones!Make that "Everybody is stupid once in a while." The matter is how the show treats its characters while they do stupid things.
I don't think that studio audiences find everything happening on set consistently funny. The show relies on laughs to be successful (so that everyone knows when they are supposed to laugh), therefore they add a laugh track in post production.
What I find strange is that people keep saying 'laugh track' when it's not a secret that the show is recorded before a live studio audience....!
If they didn't add the laugh track there would be odd pauses in the dialogue when the audience does laugh. Hundreds of shows have done this - but this show is singled out for it.
Hundreds of shows have done this
And it's annoyed me every time. It's hardly limited to BBT for those of us complaining about the laugh track. It's simply another black mark against it.
The problem is that the show isn't entertaining enough to overcome the irritation caused by the laugh track. Some shows with LTs do manage to overcome this handicap. Many do not.
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I give the show a 10+. I find nothing offensive about it. I love the Sy-fi and comic book references. Sveral time i have paused the show to see the D&D miniatures displayed or other collectibles on walls. I love Penny's reactions to the groups gaming habits as i get those same reactions from my wife and family. I love how the show has evolved over the years and new cast members to the show. I believe its one the highest rated shows on tv?
For those offended by it i say ohh well. Comedy is always going to be offensive. i bet there were people who were offended by the Three Stooges or Bill Cosby.
I would say the show helps gamers image. For many older people "D&D" has a negative image. Once people see what it is and how its played many will probably change it to a "neutral" reaction. I'm an older gamer and i still have trouble telling people i play roleplaying games.
Love BBT! So much that I bought the first 5 seasons on DVD, and I never buy sitcom season boxes.
It's funny that I know what they are talking about with every comic, vid game, sci-fi/fantasy reference they make. It reminds me just how much of a closet nerd I am. Except the CCGs they play, I never got into those.
Love the show, 'Nuff Said!
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Hmmm....still not seeing it. Of all the characters, I definitely identify with Sheldon the most, a fact which I find more flattering than insulting -- he is a brilliant man. Penny, the subject of Leonard's ill-advised (but plausible) obsession, is an uninteresting and inconsequential nitwit.
Is Sheldon really THAT brilliant, though? Almost all examples of his "brilliance" are informed attribute...his actual career and accomplishments don't seem to be any more impressive than that of the others. Maybe the others just long ago accepted that its easier to deal with him if they let him think he's so much smarter than they are.
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Hmmm....still not seeing it. Of all the characters, I definitely identify with Sheldon the most, a fact which I find more flattering than insulting -- he is a brilliant man. Penny, the subject of Leonard's ill-advised (but plausible) obsession, is an uninteresting and inconsequential nitwit.Is Sheldon really THAT brilliant, though? Almost all examples of his "brilliance" are informed attribute...his actual career and accomplishments don't seem to be any more impressive than that of the others. Maybe the others just long ago accepted that its easier to deal with him if they let him think he's so much smarter than they are.
Well a theory position at a prestigious university is harder to get than an experimental position. They tend to be more selective due to how hard it is to get funding for theoretical projects. You see top notch theorists end up at mid to low level universities all of the time. That is not to say that theorists are smarter than experimentalists. Sheldon seems to have done something early on to get tenure I think (though I haven't seen much beyond the first season). Do they all have tenure? I think it would be funny to have a few episodes on what they would do to get tenured or funding. People get crazy at my work when those two things rear their ugly heads.
Hmmm....still not seeing it. Of all the characters, I definitely identify with Sheldon the most, a fact which I find more flattering than insulting -- he is a brilliant man. Penny, the subject of Leonard's ill-advised (but plausible) obsession, is an uninteresting and inconsequential nitwit.Is Sheldon really THAT brilliant, though? Almost all examples of his "brilliance" are informed attribute...his actual career and accomplishments don't seem to be any more impressive than that of the others. Maybe the others just long ago accepted that its easier to deal with him if they let him think he's so much smarter than they are.
From what little I've seen, that seems to be one area that the show pretty much asks you to accept without delving much into it. I think it's probably less that he isn't as brilliant as he thinks he is, but more that his area of expertise isn't one that can easily be shown and made understandable to a sitcom audience in the time they have for an episode. The others are in much more quantifiable fields.
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I have to weigh in on the "love it!" side myself. I'd not watched it until a friend recently showed me one of the episodes and I was instantly struck.
In this day and age, people are offended by a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich; afraid it no longer registers on my give-a-#### meter.
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It feels like it celebrates anti-social behavior that we should really be discouraging, given what little I've seen of it.
Then again that exact complaint could apply to a ton of shows on the air right now. "Jerkass who is always right and never suffers for being a jerkass" is practically a genre unto itself these days.(not that BBT falls into that category necessarily)
It's funny because people use BBT to refer to Blackbloodtroll too.
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Funniest show currently running on the air.
2nd Funniest TV series ever after WKRP in Cincinnati.