Most of you don’t watch <em>The Big Bang Theory</em>. It’s not hip like <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</em>, it’s not heartfelt like <em>New Girl</em>, it’s not sweet like <em>Parks and Recreation</em>. In fact, <em>Big Bang</em> is not particularly <em>anything</em>. When I retraced the archives and found my first writings on the show, my thoughts were similar:
“I can characterize most comedies with one word — <em>30 Rock</em>, clever; <em>Louie</em>, honest; <em>Community</em>, idiosyncratic; <em>Veep</em>, cynical; <em>Whitney</em>, terrible — you get the point. I’m unsure of TBBT’s word. It’s not ‘smart.’ Despite its science references, the humour isn’t intended to hit PhD audiences.”
That column, dated November 2012, praised and criticized <em>Big Bang</em>. I loved the female trio’s full integration and the show’s overall effort in humanizing nerd culture. But problems percolated: occasionally the tone is disdainful toward nerds and several characters were going nowhere in their lives.
Fifteen months later, my feelings remain mixed — mostly because they haven’t changed. Among the negatives: the nerd humour is still misguided. Stereotype and sex jokes are deployed too often, though the latter has (thankfully) been dialed down this season. These are serious problems (that I won’t go into).
Overall, <em>Big Bang </em>is low on ambition (the anti-<em>Community</em>). In this wonderful age of inventive television, low ambition isn’t welcome — TV should always be breaking down creative barriers. It’s why the show lacks acclaim — people dismiss it as near-formulaic.
But the show is far from poor; despite its detractors, <em>Big Bang</em> has several strengths. “Closet Configuration” and “Romance Resonance” demonstrate the remarkable growth of Howard Wolowitz from immature pervert to a (mostly) responsible husband. In seven seasons, <em>Big Bang</em> has done little to advance its characters’ lives — both personally and professionally — but Howard’s trek into space and marriage has greatly benefitted the show from his character’s standpoint.
Others — Leonard, Raj, Sheldon — are still defined by one thing (relationship to Penny, failure with women, Sheldon-ness). While .250 is hardly an admirable batting average, Howard’s journey was unexpected, given his place in early seasons.
“Scavenger Vortex,” meanwhile, showcases <em>Big Bang</em>’s most underrated feature: despite the shallowness of its characters, the writers are masters of their voices and can pair any two characters together in a scene. The usual pairings persist (Leonard-Penny, Amy-Sheldon, Bernadette-Howard, Raj-loneliness), but they’re flexible if the show needs to hit a certain tone.
“Scavenger” is a fun episode to watch. Competition episodes tend to be a thrilling change of pace in sitcoms (see <em>Friends</em>: “The One With The Embryos”), and “Scavenger” follows this trend. Leonard gets swept up in Bernadette’s competitive side; Amy and Howard simply have a gay old time; Sheldon and Penny result in their usual collision of opposite personalities.
I don’t feel <em>Big Bang</em> is an awful show, but it no longer surprises me. It’s improved these past two seasons — the female integration plays a major part — and occasionally it delivers a stellar episode. A clear dividing line exists though — those who excoriate it and those who watch it.
I’ve thought about the determining factor, and have a theory: how annoyed are you by Sheldon? The studio audience laughs, but his antics are often rude and insensitive. The threshold for Sheldon-tolerance exists somewhere for each person, and I think the moment he crosses the line for you, the show loses 80 per cent of its humour.
I probably haven’t convinced you to watch <em>Big Bang</em>, but I haven’t convinced myself either. Something about its 20 million viewer audience compels me to analyze it though. I can’t explain why it’s the most-watched comedy on TV. I rarely hear praise for it. I hardly laugh at it. I think my Sheldon theory has some truth, but I can’t confirm it. How do you find <em>The Big Bang Theory</em> funny?
<em>Andrew Koo (@akoo) usually doesn’t end columns so abruptly.</em>
