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Jumping the shark: The problem with The Big Bang Theory

I was once a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory. It was funny. They made jokes that only geeks would get and it included cameos from Wil Wheaton (and other geeky celebrities). The first few seasons of this Bill Prady/Chuck Lorre show was a breath of fresh air: a fun, relatively intelligent sitcom that played absolutely to the strengths of the sitcom genre. We knew what to expect and we liked what we were given.

Sitcoms

Situation comedies have been a popular television staple since the BBC’s Pinwright’s Progress, gaining true mainstream success after I Love Lucy. A central element to sitcoms is their circular nature – no matter what happens in the episode, the status quo remains. Of course, this happens within reason. Characters retain their main flaws and will continue to make the same mistakes, but they might experience slight growth, most commonly in relationships with other characters.

big-bang-theory5One of my favourite phrases regarding television is ‘jumped the shark.’ Too many great shows eventually jump the shark in an attempt to revitalize a tired construct. Where does this phrase come from? Believe it or not, classic sitcom Happy Days actually featured Fonzie jumping over a shark on some water skis. The beginning of the end.

In the last few seasons, the ratings for The Big Bang Theory have increased exponentially. Some might argue that the show has found its stride. I would disagree. What once was an intelligent, fresh sitcom is now another bog-standard, uninteresting, unintelligent show for the uneducated masses. Sounds too harsh? Well, here’s why I think The Big Bang Theory has most definitely jumped the shark.

The representation of geeks

The original pilot of The Big Bang Theory failed to get picked up by the studio. Why? The original female character was not as friendly and kind to the boys as Penny. To me, it seems obvious that a set-up like that would not have worked. It would be far too easy to rely on mean humour, where the jokes were always at the expense of geeks and their interests. Penny, played by the lovely Kaley Cuoco, did tease the boys and didn’t understand or share many of their interests, but she was never mean to them (or if she was, it was only as part of the conflict within an episode, and always resolved by the end).

the_big_bang_theory_funniest_tv_show_2012While there certainly was a lot of humour centered around the boys being ‘losers’ – science nerds and geeks for anything that is usually spoken of in derogatory terms by the ‘popular kids’ (such as comic books, science fiction, video games, action figures, etc) – it was not represented negatively overall. They were good guys who tried to help Penny when she needed it (even if Leonard’s motivations were less than chivalrous); socially awkward nice guys trying to get by and make friends just like anyone else.

Unfortunately, the series is relying on jokes that laugh at the geeks rather than laughing with them far more as time has worn on. Even Penny has started to get exasperated with what she perceives as them being stuck in childhood, liking childish things, and behaving in childish ways. And the central character of the ‘geeks’ in the show? Leonard. He is by far the least stereotypically geeky of the lot, willing to allow for more ‘normalcy’ in his life, something we are told to think of as a good thing. And Sheldon? His main purpose is to be ridiculed – ‘oh, isn’t it funny that such a clever man is so socially awkward!’

The problem with Raj

Alcoholism

Raj and Howard are both opposite extremes of geek stereotypes – the slimy one that can’t pick up on social cues when people wish he would just shut up and leave them alone (completely overconfident) and the one who is shy and unable to talk to women. They made Raj so much of an extreme stereotype that he could not speak at all if there was a woman in the room (unless it was a member of his family). This, of course, proved difficult for his character to be included in the action of a lot of episodes, so they invented a new issue for the character: alcoholism. If Raj was drunk, he could talk to women. The problem with that was: a) he became an obnoxious asshole; and b) he became an alcoholic.

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Of course, the fact that this was a psychological issue was emphasized, particularly in the episode ‘The Terminator Decoupling’. Summer Glau is on the train with the boys, which Raj and Howard see as a competition. Raj starts drinking in order to participate. Raj does better – come on girls, let’s face us, Kunal Nayyar is a good-looking guy, and Raj is sweet (underneath all the psychological issues). Howard is sent away, despondent, to get Raj another beer. But low and behold, the beer is non-alcoholic. It is acting as a placebo for Raj, giving him false confidence. Once the truth is out, Raj slumps back to Sheldon and Leonard, defeated by his own insecurities.

At the end of the sixth season, it finally seems that the show’s producers have worked out how much of an issue Raj’s alcoholism has become. While torn up over a woman (the wonderful Kate Micucci), Raj is able to cry into Penny’s arms and open up to her – without alcohol. This is a good start. Where will Raj’s character go from here? Who knows, but hopefully this is a positive step.

The S.N.A.G. – A Sensitive New Age Guy

tumblr_mhq781tNqc1rc8sbto1_500The joke from the beginning of the series is that Raj is effeminate to the extreme. But he isn’t gay. For a while, these jokes centered on the pseudo-homosexual relationship between Raj and Howard.  What I liked about the Raj/Howard relationship was that they were so close and they weren’t afraid to express their emotions to and about one another. But the joke started to wear thin once Howard found himself Bernadette, and the butt of the jokes were solely focused on Raj.

What are the writers and producers of The Big Bang Theory trying to say about Raj and his effeminate ways? It seems that they rely far too heavily on a homophobic style of joke, suggesting it is very ‘gay’ to act the way Raj does… oh, but isn’t it funny that he isn’t actually gay? Hmmm, I’m just not sure how this kind of a joke is a good thing. Firstly, they are relying on the stereotypical construct of a gay man as womanlike, which just isn’t the case. And why is it a problem for a straight man to show his emotions, to like to cook and clean, to love his dog and his best friend, etc? Please, someone explain to me why these are bad things, and why we should laugh at them?

Who said growth was necessarily a good thing?

CBS_BIG_BANG_524_CLIP5_IMAGE_640x480As mentioned previously, sitcoms work because of their circular structure. The characters don’t learn from their mistakes, their flaws remain unchanged, and the equilibrium is always restored at the end of the episode. We aren’t talking about a film, or even a drama series – if Back to the Future were a sitcom, then Marty would never learn not to be chastised into doing stupid things when people called him ‘Chicken’. And a lot of the action of the show would be derived from that very flaw.

But The Big Bang Theory has changed – quite dramatically so. The guys get girlfriends, even Sheldon. This changed the dynamic and action of the show completely. It is no longer a group (or family) of geeky men hanging out with their nice but unintelligent hot neighbor, but a group of girls and a group of guys, hanging out, dating, and trying to stay friends. Hang on, when did this show become the same as every other popular sitcom?! Wasn’t it interesting that it wasn’t the same as Friends? Oh well, I guess that ship has sailed.

A lot of the reviews and puffs for the show since the third season (when the show really began to be a major ratings hit) like to emphasise how the show matured and grew into something really special. I have to downright disagree with that. What was great about the first two seasons in particular was that the show was creating comedy for a mostly unrepresented demographic (in tv comedies anyway): the geeks. Most comedy is mainstream, for middle-of-the-road audiences who don’t like to be challenged. You know the type, the Two and a Half Men fans. The Big Bang Theory could have been special: a new way to tell funny stories in a sitcom format (something that the limits of sitcom make it difficult to do).

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I still enjoy The Big Bang Theory; it has a lot of laughs. But I’m disappointed that it doesn’t take better care of the people it started out trying to appeal to… you, me… the geeks of the world. Nerd chic is happening; geeks are slowly taking over. Maybe The Big Bang Theory just came a little too early. Hopefully we will get a truly funny comedy that appeals to geeks – without making fun of them – before too long.

 

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About Megan Leigh

Writer and editor of Pop Verse. Co-host of Breaking the Glass Slipper. My special interests include publishing, creative writing, and geekery.

17 comments

  1. I still enjoy The Big Bang Theory, but I’ve been thinking that over the past two seasons, it’s begun to slide towards what the network really wants it to become, and that’s a Friends clone. It really has become less unique, and more “Friends with Nerds”. A lot of the pop culture and science references are gone, and much of the story lines tend to be just relationship problems. And the worst part, Sheldon is more “well adjusted”, at least as much as he can be.

    Friends seems to have ruined sitcoms, to the point where they’ve become formulaic; Three guys, three girls, all trying to make sense of their relationships. Well sometimes it doesn’t make sense, and it’s pointless to try and make sense out of them. Hopefully season six picks up and heads in a direction that will move the show forward, but I can’t help with the departure of Margo Harshman, who plays Sheldon’s assistant Alex, there’s a missed opportunity to bring in a character that can interact with the guys on their level, but still remain on the “outside”.

  2. I agree. My brothers and I are a bunch of geeks. Games, comic books, toys, etc. but we aren’t socially awkward. I was hoping the series would stop relying on stereotypes but it didn’t. I stopped watching when Amy started making sexual innuendos about Penny. I check back from time to time but it hasn’t recaptured my attention. It missed the mark with Amy. They could of introduced an intelligent woman but instead turned her weird.

    The list of things that bug me:
    – the origins writing of Stuart was awesome and they ruined him when hey made him a loser.
    – what’s with the elevator? A joke that won’t die.
    – why not give penny success? Plenty of opportunity there. She could be cast to play a superhero.
    – Raj jokes are lame. He was the best chance to break out and be the intelligent stud.
    – they need geeky women that aren’t super awkward.
    – the only people I know that still watch it are the people who laugh at geeks.

    Blah. I like the first 2 seasons.

    • I agree completely! As a female geek, I find it endlessly frustrating that the only female geek they thought they could portray is someone like Amy. I’ve been to loads of cons – and sure, there’s a lot of those stereotype figures who don’t wash their hair and barely know how to talk to someone at a checkout, but there are loads of normal ones too. And you know what else? There are *HOT* geek girls too. This isn’t a weird rumour told to lure in more men to the cons… it’s true! Why is it that the only time Penny delved into the geek world (with the Conan MMORPG)… the further into geekdom she went, the more she morphed into the un-washed, socially-awkward stereotype. It would have been nice to see Penny remain herself while discovering a love for something in geek culture. But then again, there wouldn’t have been any cheap laughs in that.

      • There are two types of comic book stores. Cool, modern, fun ones that immerse in geek culture and then there are the ones that have (what my brothers and I call) the dark cloud that hovers over it. I go to several and I’m never the only girl and it’s just a bunch of regular people. AND liking geeky stuff, sci fi, fantasy is very different from being a genius and into science stuff. Although there is crossover.

        What if they had a cool geek girl fall for Leonard. She equally doesn’t understand Physics like Penny, but loves Babylon 5. I WANT TO WRITE FOR BBT! Haha, though I will pause for a moment and be one of those people: A lot of BBT viewers are posers. (Big huge unqualified assumption.)

  3. It is awful what The Big Bang Theory has become! I just watched a fairly new episode after not having been a hardcore fan since season 5. Let me just say: it nearly made me puke all over my living room. If I want to watch crap like this, I’ll start recording Days of Our Lives again. Dig dong, nerd humor’s juggernaut, TBBT, is dead. :((

  4. I remember when this show started I totally fell in love with it. It was full of references that only geeks would get and I genuinely felt that it was an intelligent show that stood apart from other sitcoms. I watched it the other day after a good few years and it was total crap. The humour had become like something out of According to Jim! At one point Sheldon wakes everyone up by playing the bongos at 3.30 in the morning… I literally don’t think I can think of anything more ‘bad sitcomy’ than that. I hate the fact this show has decided to appeal the lowest common denominator.

  5. I was just saying something to the same effect and this blog post was mentioned to me. Jim Parsons does an amazing job on the show, but there has been a lot of “wind him up and watch him go” scenarios where Sheldon is treated more like a zoo animal than a human and friend, and this treatment is by his supposed friends.
    The show is seemingly trying to “evolve” the characters towards a more socialized “normalcy” through their relationships. It is saddening as a fan. There is nothing wrong with nerds dating nerds and living the lives of nerds. Leonard should not end up with Penny and Sheldon should not become physically affectionate. Raj could have traded his social dysfunction for another one rather than having him be cured. I don’t want the series I love to go the way of Moonlighting, Who’s The Boss, and Friends.

  6. I concur that the BBT has ‘jumped the shark’, it has become another ‘Friends’ show with geekish humour. That flipping broken elevator was good for one season, now it’s a lame artifact. I hated the fact that they (writers/creators) made Penny a Phmaracy slaes rep! Pure BS, Penny should have gotten a job as a TV newwoman doing wacky field stories or maybe a contract for commercials or a model for a scientific company- anything but a phmaracy rep! The other ‘girlfriends’ merely made the show a nerd version of ‘Friends’, instead there could have been more guest spots by prominent scientists and other actors as ‘guest stars’. How about have a ‘mystery’ neighbor as one of the tenants in the building? Another two more years of the BBT and it does not promise to get any better. Also, all these guys are suppossed to work as professors at CALTECH- as such they all make a pretty good salary, so no one needs to be sharing any apartments.

  7. The show was more interesting and funnier before all the relationship crap. Now it’s pure drivel. The last one I watched didn’t have one single geek reference, the demographic they were (unsuccessfully) trying to target

  8. You are totally overthinking a Sitcom. Do you really think this is supposed to have educational/social improvement content? Lighten up.

  9. It is so great to not be the only one who felt this. I swear with the ratings surging and the show growing in popularity, I thought I was the only one who saw that this show lost what made it special.

    The wonderful dialogue and flow the show once had is completely eradicated. The effortless scientific reference are gone. Now when the have a science reference they stretch it out for the episode, and it’s very contrived.

    Then Sheldon, once a being of pure intellect, having romantic relationships…psst. I can’t watch anymore

  10. Similar to jumping the shark, a lot of shows that ran out of steam tried to liven things up by having a baby. Even the Flintstones and Mork and Mindy (remember Jonathan Winters) did this.

  11. How about a final episode where Sheldon does create a black hole in a box. As long as box is shut, the hole is theoretically in existence, but not actually. Only when box is opened at end of the episode does the hole come to life and destroy the world. Who would be the one to open the box? I kinda think everyone but Sheldon would be curious enough to do it. Maybe as a group. Whatcha think?

  12. I stopped watching after Howard sang a song to Bernadette. It became about unrealistic relationships and where the women accepted these guys for…reasons. Sorry, but in the real world Penny would never fall for a guy like Leonard, a woman as intelligent as Amy would never date a jerk like Sheldon (though I hear she dumped him for a while but now they’re engaged) and Bernadette would never EVER date a guy who still lives with his mom, much less marry a guy like him.

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