FinalGwen
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Particularly fond of muffins.
Posts: 16,432
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Post by FinalGwen on Jul 29, 2014 16:19:24 GMT -5
I like the show. I don't take the humor on it personally. The fanboy-culture circlejerk folks here would dig wouldn't get ratings. I have this perspective. First it's a sitcom, characters are exaggerated. Second, when about almost everyone on the show is Skreech/Urkel you are going to get proportionately more nerd jokes. Finally, Sheldon is not autistic, those involved in the show have said so. His quirks are comedic fair game. No he's not the most likeable character but hell Archie Bunker was quite possibly the best sitcom character ever and he was a grumpy bigot. On your first point, The IT Crowd exists and had a really successful run, and is generally beloved by geeks and nerds alike, with none of these complaints. While on the fact of it you could describe it in much the same way premise wise, Moss and Roy were three dimensional enough not to seem like flat stereotypes and the jokes could go in different directions rather than "hello I am nerd".
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Post by Danimal on Jul 30, 2014 5:49:29 GMT -5
I like the show. I don't take the humor on it personally. The fanboy-culture circlejerk folks here would dig wouldn't get ratings. I have this perspective. First it's a sitcom, characters are exaggerated. Second, when about almost everyone on the show is Skreech/Urkel you are going to get proportionately more nerd jokes. Finally, Sheldon is not autistic, those involved in the show have said so. His quirks are comedic fair game. No he's not the most likeable character but hell Archie Bunker was quite possibly the best sitcom character ever and he was a grumpy bigot. On your first point, The IT Crowd exists and had a really successful run, and is generally beloved by geeks and nerds alike, with none of these complaints. While on the fact of it you could describe it in much the same way premise wise, Moss and Roy were three dimensional enough not to seem like flat stereotypes and the jokes could go in different directions rather than "hello I am nerd". IT Crowd had success in Britain, an attempt at a US version didn't even get off the ground. I wouldn't say that proves your point. Plus I don't see the characters or jokes on Big Bang as one-dimensional. Outside of being a nerd each character is vastly different from the next and has their own humor. I know it strikes a nerve with some here but it doesn't with me, and while it's not a favorite of mine I do enjoy the show.
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Post by Gravedigger's Biscuits on Jul 30, 2014 5:57:04 GMT -5
On your first point, The IT Crowd exists and had a really successful run, and is generally beloved by geeks and nerds alike, with none of these complaints. While on the fact of it you could describe it in much the same way premise wise, Moss and Roy were three dimensional enough not to seem like flat stereotypes and the jokes could go in different directions rather than "hello I am nerd". IT Crowd had success in Britain, an attempt at a US version didn't even get off the ground. I wouldn't say that proves your point. Plus I don't see the characters or jokes on Big Bang as one-dimensional. Outside of being a nerd each character is vastly different from the next and has their own humor. I know it strikes a nerve with some here but it doesn't with me, and while it's not a favorite of mine I do enjoy the show. It just seems like the same note being struck constantly. We get it, Wolowitz is a pervy Jew, Raj is lonely and Indian, Penny doesn't understand "nerd" things, Sheldon doesn't understand "social" things, Amy wants to f*** Penny. Play a new tune already.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Jul 30, 2014 7:15:31 GMT -5
IT Crowd had success in Britain, an attempt at a US version didn't even get off the ground. I wouldn't say that proves your point. Plus I don't see the characters or jokes on Big Bang as one-dimensional. Outside of being a nerd each character is vastly different from the next and has their own humor. I know it strikes a nerve with some here but it doesn't with me, and while it's not a favorite of mine I do enjoy the show. It just seems like the same note being struck constantly. We get it, Wolowitz is a pervy Jew, Raj is lonely and Indian, Penny doesn't understand "nerd" things, Sheldon doesn't understand "social" things, Amy wants to f*** Penny. Play a new tune already. That's a standard sitcom format. You have set character types, and derive the comedy from that. Look at Friends: Joey basically stayed as the idiotic Casanova through all ten seasons, and the single season of his own show. Monica was a neurotic control freak from start to finish. Ross was the socially awkward nerd in season one, and just about the only change by season ten was he dialled up the crazy. Pretty much the only significant character development was Chandler changing from a commitment-phobe to a happy family man.
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Post by Throwback on Jul 30, 2014 7:49:13 GMT -5
You know, I never understood all the BBT hate. It's certainly not the greatest show on Earth, but I never thought it was the worst. I can catch an occasional episode here and there and enjoy it well enough. I have no interest in watching it religiously, but it's at least a good, random time killer. 1. It makes all people who are interested in science, mathematics, comic books,science fiction, toy collecting etcetera as anti social freaks who can't relate to other humans. 2. Sheldon is horribly unlikeable and the character is written in such a way where he is never shown any growth. 3. Sheldon displays vaguely autistic like anti-social behaviors and they are written as jokes instead of as a serious matter. Ha it's funny because he can't read social ques and said something in appropriate! That's not funny, that's mocking people that really have those issues to play it for laughs. you obviously haven't seen the show in a long time. Sheldon has had more growth in the last season than almost any other TV character I've ever watched. The main core cast are a very likeable bunch with close friends and relationships on the third point I do agree with what you are saying, but as somebody who actually has the social issues Sheldon portrays. I find them funny and not the least bit insulting and in fact, Sheldon has at many times had quite thought provoking explanations to how and why he acts the way he does which in turn shows the views that people like us really aren't all that crazy. In conclusion, this show has done more to help fight the common misconception that "geeks" and "nerds" are social inept losers than it has to build up that notion.
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Post by Surfer Sandman on Jul 30, 2014 8:25:03 GMT -5
I *hate* Sheldon.
Makes this show damn near un-watchable. I like Leonard though. Nice to see that David got work after "Roseanne".
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Post by Gravedigger's Biscuits on Jul 30, 2014 9:10:24 GMT -5
It just seems like the same note being struck constantly. We get it, Wolowitz is a pervy Jew, Raj is lonely and Indian, Penny doesn't understand "nerd" things, Sheldon doesn't understand "social" things, Amy wants to f*** Penny. Play a new tune already. That's a standard sitcom format. You have set character types, and derive the comedy from that. Look at Friends: Joey basically stayed as the idiotic Casanova through all ten seasons, and the single season of his own show. Monica was a neurotic control freak from start to finish. Ross was the socially awkward nerd in season one, and just about the only change by season ten was he dialled up the crazy. Pretty much the only significant character development was Chandler changing from a commitment-phobe to a happy family man. Yeah but I don't like that type of sitcom very much, which is what I'm talking about. I think there's a clear difference between having character traits and having every joke regarding that character being about the same thing. Look at something like 30 Rock. Liz is neurotic and lazy and poor with men and loves food. Jack is narcissistic, suave, insecure. But not every damn joke in your average episode is about those things. The jokes are about the situations the characters are in and their interactions together. If 30 Rock were written like Big Bang Theory it'd be: Jack: "OMG LIZ YOU'RE SO BAD WITH MEN, YOU SURE YOU AREN'T A LESBIAN?" *uproarious crowd laughter* Liz: "WELL YOU CARE A LOT ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK, MAYBE YOU'RE GAY!" *uproarious crowd laughter*
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