The Big Bang Theory...

RobbingBandit · 05-04-2014 9:05pm

The Will Wheaton closing scene still has me laughing now.

Dman001 · 05-04-2014 9:34pm

Surprised to see the love for the show here. I really enjoyed it a season or two back, but felt it's gone sharply downhill since. They've turned Sheldon into a caricature of himself, whose Innocent arrogance and ignorance made him a brilliantly funny character to begin with, but have now turned him ridiculously childish. And the laugh track/audience, while was always over the top, is now unbareable that goes 90 with every little line/joke/reference.

While it may be considered to be cool to hate the show, I think it works both ways too. It is now cool to be a geek too, and so people go mad for the show.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 06-04-2014 1:36am

don ramo wrote: »

everyone hates the big bang theory since it became a big success, which oddly happens to every single show that has ever been a massive success,

Agreed...

The Hipsters of TV Land - "I liked The Big Bang Theory before it was cool to like The Big Bang Theory, but now that it's becoming increasingly popular it's no longer art and simply a money making enterprise. In conclusion it has become sh*te" :rolleyes:

Unfortunately all of these people have access to the internet, a keyboard at their disposal, and believe it's hip to point out how sh!t everything (they themselves don't enjoy) is...

V Eight · 06-04-2014 11:52pm

I've viewed many episodes now mainly driven by the fact I was drawn to Penny - Wow!. The show has however a very specific type of humour - It grows on you - but whats with the canned laughter? aggh....no need for it

kneemos · 07-04-2014 7:46am

Huell wrote: »

I used to be a huge fan of the show, but since amy and Bernadette came in i feel the show has went down hill severly

Disagree about Amy,she's got great comedic timing and is the shining talent of the show.
Bernadette doesn't have much to offer in fairness,Penny however has some good interactions but the Penny Leonard thing is boring and flogged to death at this stage.

crazygeryy · 07-04-2014 7:50am

I only just started watching this. Is it me or is the canned laughter off in a big way? It feels like they ohhhhhh awwww ahhhhh and laugh to every little thing.?

Godge · 07-04-2014 11:04am

V Eight wrote: »

I've viewed many episodes now mainly driven by the fact I was drawn to Penny - Wow!. The show has however a very specific type of humour - It grows on you - but whats with the canned laughter? aggh....no need for it

crazygeryy wrote: »

I only just started watching this. Is it me or is the canned laughter off in a big way? It feels like they ohhhhhh awwww ahhhhh and laugh to every little thing.?

http://www.tv.com/shows/the-big-bang-theory/forums/the-show-is-taped-in-front-of-a-live-audience-it-is-not-canned-laughter-76634-2315573/

crazygeryy · 07-04-2014 3:07pm

Godge wrote: »

http://www.tv.com/shows/the-big-bang-theory/forums/the-show-is-taped-in-front-of-a-live-audience-it-is-not-canned-laughter-76634-2315573/

Link doesn't work

don ramo · 07-04-2014 7:09pm

V Eight wrote: »

I've viewed many episodes now mainly driven by the fact I was drawn to Penny - Wow!. The show has however a very specific type of humour - It grows on you - but whats with the canned laughter? aggh....no need for it

crazygeryy wrote: »

I only just started watching this. Is it me or is the canned laughter off in a big way? It feels like they ohhhhhh awwww ahhhhh and laugh to every little thing.?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdLvUkLW5Jk

theres your canned laughter, the people in the live audience go to live filming sessions cause their fans of the show, so the humour is more or less calibrated to these people already,

there are times audiences dont react to to scenes, and thats when the writers and other staff will go into the audience and find out exactly why they didnt react as they expected and then they will rewrite the joke,

its not like they throw any old **** in there, there is a process, humour is subjective, and the writers in TBBT seem to have a humour that draws a large audience,

ive laughed just as much if not more to other shows like New Girl and Parks and Recreation, they pull in way less viewers, i honestly couldnt tell you why, they are just as funny, i can only put it down to the subjective nature of comedy,

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 07-04-2014 9:20pm

I was at Warner Bros Studios in December and we went down to The Big Bang Theory soundstage just to have a look around... The place is huge - they get a couple of hundred people in the audience for each episode and the waiting list to get in the audience is quite long, so the people who go there tend to be huge fans of the show, as don_ramo pointed out, so they're going to laugh once they get there... They re-write jokes that don't work for the audience on the spot, and generally create a good atmosphere, so people are enjoying themselves... It's the same as going to a live comedy gig - that laughter isn't canned, it's real...

OU812 · 07-04-2014 10:33pm

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

that laughter isn't canned, it's real...

Kind of going to disagree with you. I was at a taping of Friends years ago, hugely long drawn out process, three takes for each scene with a break between. One scripted, one rewrite & one improv.

The audience laughed at each, although they got a little tired of it as the day went on. They use the live audience, but they definitely enhance the laughter with a laugh track.

There was one scene shot in the episode I saw & the audience barely reacted & when it was screened there was a laugh track on it. (TOW Joey's Porsche if anyone's interested)

crazygeryy · 09-04-2014 8:56pm

Whatever the explanation it sounds god awful in a lot of places/episodes.

bnt · 02-05-2014 9:40am

Just watched the most recent US episode, The Proton Transmogrification. You can probably tell from the title that it involves Arthur "Professor Proton" Jeffries (Bob Newhart), and includes a couple of dream sequences not set in the usual locations (so the laughter was obviously canned there). Good episode, though - Newhart in particular responsible for several laugh-out-loud moments.

This will be the last we see of Newhart on TBBT, though: Leonard and Penny attend his funeral, while Sheldon deals with the loss in his own unique way.

Agent Coulson · 02-05-2014 4:51pm

bnt wrote: »

Just watched the most recent US episode, The Proton Transmogrification. You can probably tell from the title that it involves Arthur "Professor Proton" Jeffries (Bob Newhart), and includes a couple of dream sequences not set in the usual locations (so the laughter was obviously canned there). Good episode, though - Newhart in particular responsible for several laugh-out-loud moments.
This will be the last we see of Newhart on TBBT, though: Leonard and Penny attend his funeral, while Sheldon deals with the loss in his own unique way.

Lucas Film came down to fo the special effects for the episode. May 4th being Star Wars day.

bnt · 23-05-2014 8:35pm

And now I've caught up to the end of Season 7. Without giving anything away, the makers seem to be trying to shake things up a bit, and it's not at all clear where the show goes from here. Good - it needed a bit of a kick.

ixoy · 24-05-2014 11:20pm

bnt wrote: »

And now I've caught up to the end of Season 7. Without giving anything away, the makers seem to be trying to shake things up a bit, and it's not at all clear where the show goes from here. Good - it needed a bit of a kick.

Sadly, I doubt they'll shake it up much at all. Everyone will probably be the same person after a couple of episodes into the next season.

jack presley · 25-05-2014 12:10am

I think people are expecting too much if they think a successful, prime time sitcom with a laugh track is going to change or develop the characters significantly from what has made it popular. It is what it is and you can take it or leave it and millions in the US are taking it apparently.

Heckler · 25-05-2014 11:34am

Probably seen about 10 episodes in total. Didn't crack a smile once. Utter rubbish. That Sheldon character deserves a beating.

But whatever floats yer boat.

bnt · 25-05-2014 12:32pm

jack presley wrote: »

I think people are expecting too much if they think a successful, prime time sitcom with a laugh track is going to change or develop the characters significantly from what has made it popular. It is what it is and you can take it or leave it and millions in the US are taking it apparently.

I don't know if I'm "expecting" significant development, but I think there is the opportunity for it, should the makers choose to grab it. It can happen - I'm thinking of what happened to the characters in Friends, for example, and how they developed and their lives changed.

For the story to progress, Sheldon has to develop as a person, and already has in many ways e.g. in one of the last episodes, not only is he sympathetic to Raj's situation, he understands it, and gives Raj some genuinely useful advice. That would have been unthinkable a couple of seasons ago. I've seen Sheldon described as "emotionless", which is clearly wrong: he's very human, and doesn't know how to handle the emotions he has - but he's learning.

Going on "walkabout", as he's doing, is a huge step for him, and I don't think he'll be quite the same when he gets back.

ixoy · 25-05-2014 1:40pm

jack presley wrote: »

I think people are expecting too much if they think a successful, prime time sitcom with a laugh track is going to change or develop the characters significantly from what has made it popular.

Other shows though have progressed their characters more - "Parks and Recreation" is an excellent example of a show with character development. "The Big Bang Theory" though seems afraid to take a little risk. This storyline, with Sheldon, is a good opportunity but I'm not hopeful they'll seize it.

TCDStudent1 · 19-06-2014 6:03pm

bnt wrote: »

I don't know if I'm "expecting" significant development, but I think there is the opportunity for it, should the makers choose to grab it. It can happen - I'm thinking of what happened to the characters in Friends, for example, and how they developed and their lives changed.

For the story to progress, Sheldon has to develop as a person, and already has in many ways e.g. in one of the last episodes, not only is he sympathetic to Raj's situation, he understands it, and gives Raj some genuinely useful advice. That would have been unthinkable a couple of seasons ago. I've seen Sheldon described as "emotionless", which is clearly wrong: he's very human, and doesn't know how to handle the emotions he has - but he's learning.
Going on "walkabout", as he's doing, is a huge step for him, and I don't think he'll be quite the same when he gets back.

But he didnt realise it was helpful advice.

bnt · 19-06-2014 11:22pm

TCDStudent1 wrote: »

But he didnt realise it was helpful advice.

Sheldon always thinks his advice is useful ...

don ramo · 13-08-2014 11:18am

so the show is gonna come back with its full cast, apparently simon helberg and kunal nayyar were given a take it or leave it contract thought to be about the 500k an episode, half of what the other 3 got, and apparently the creators were so worried that they'd walk they were writing a script to cut them out of the show,

i know it ridiculous money, but thats a bit shocking, i actually dont like johnny galeckis character at all, and jim parsons character is starting the grate at this stage (he has his moments, just not as many as he used), whereas helbeg, nayyar and cuocos character have gotten better the last season or two, on top of bialik and rauch, coming into their own, you could actually cut out galeckis character from the show from the first episode and it would make no difference, hes just a sounding board for sheldon,

im delighted the two of them signed though, i still love the show and i would most likely stop watching if they werent in it,

Guy:Incognito · 13-08-2014 7:40pm

don ramo wrote: »

you could actually cut out galeckis character from the show from the first episode and it would make no difference, hes just a sounding board for sheldon,
,

So hes Indiana Jones now?

bnt · 13-08-2014 9:49pm

don ramo wrote: »

you could actually cut out galeckis character from the show from the first episode and it would make no difference, hes just a sounding board for sheldon,

Leonard and Sheldon are a comedy duo, like Laurel & Hardy, Cheech & Chong, Simon Pegg & Nick Frost, or Adam & Jamie from Mythbusters. One's the wise guy, the other's the straight man.

lertsnim · 13-08-2014 10:05pm

don ramo wrote: »

i actually dont like johnny galeckis character at all

I hate his voice on TBBT. Same goes for the character of Bernadette.

don ramo · 14-08-2014 11:04am

bnt wrote: »

Leonard and Sheldon are a comedy duo, like Laurel & Hardy, Cheech & Chong, Simon Pegg & Nick Frost, or Adam & Jamie from Mythbusters. One's the wise guy, the other's the straight man.

yeah and they have their moment, there becoming less and less frequent, but howard and raj are by far the better duo,

don ramo · 14-08-2014 11:06am

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

So hes Indiana Jones now?

yeah pretty much

:D:D

JBRowan · 14-08-2014 11:09am

Its still funny and one of best shows obn tv but I can see the ending

1 - Leonard Penny breaking up then getting back together and stay married
2 - Raj Comes Out
3 - Not sure about Holowitz
4 - shelodon wins nobel prize and "marries" amy

Guy:Incognito · 14-08-2014 8:58pm

JBRowan wrote: »

4 - shelodon wins nobel prize and "marries" amy

Is that some sort of giant mega Sheldon?:)

JBRowan · 15-08-2014 9:13am

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Is that some sort of giant mega Sheldon?:)

sorry spelling mistake, but that how I see it happening

bnt · 22-12-2015 6:46pm

Anyway - I'm surprised there have been no comments on recent events in Season 9 - or if there have been, the search function isn't finding them. (There are many threads on the show, so might I suggest the Mods do some merging in to a TBBT Megathread?)

Without spoiling anything, I'm a bit surprised at the speed at which things are happening. It has me wondering whether the talk of three more seasons is ... negotiable. :cool:

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 22-12-2015 9:00pm

bnt wrote: »

Without spoiling anything, I'm a bit surprised at the speed at which things are happening. It has me wondering whether the talk of three more seasons is ... negotiable. :cool:

3 more seasons? We're halfway through that order already. Season 10 is confirmed, but beyond that who knows...

DopeTech · 22-12-2015 9:19pm

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

3 more seasons? We're halfway through that order already. Season 10 is confirmed, but beyond that who knows...

As much as I love the show, sometimes it's good to call it a day, look at friends, if that had went on another 5 years would people still have been loving it by the end?

Ps: love the username!

mravaya · 22-12-2015 9:45pm

Heckler wrote: »

Probably seen about 10 episodes in total. Didn't crack a smile once. Utter rubbish. That Sheldon character deserves a beating.

But whatever floats yer boat.

You must have missed out when god was handing out the bit of the brain that reacts to humour

Minderbinder · 22-12-2015 10:03pm

It was a bit of a novelty when it first came out but it was never that funny. I found it very repetitive. Since the introduction of those two other women it has been appalling.

In the grand scheme of things it is closer to Keenan and Kel than it is to the likes of Seinfeld, Frasier or even Friends.

Dirty Dingus McGee · 22-12-2015 10:51pm

It's an enjoyable show.

Easy to watch, fun and it's funny as well.

I always find each season gets better as it goes along as I watch them on DVD and once you get back into the rhythm of the show and it's humour it becomes more enjoyable.

RonanP77 · 22-12-2015 10:56pm

I stopped watching it a few episodes into last season, I just don't find it funny any more, it's the same few jokes over and over.

EnergyPro · 22-12-2015 11:10pm

I think it's an excellent show, but understand why some people wouldnt be in to it. It's a very specific type of sarcastic comedy that some just dont appreciate but I love! Have seen just about every episode I think, and tbh just to have a look at penny is reason enough for me

so yeah sign it up for another couple of seasons definitely!

Dirty Dingus McGee · 23-12-2015 12:02am

EnergyPro wrote: »

I think it's an excellent show, but understand why some people wouldnt be in to it. It's a very specific type of sarcastic comedy that some just dont appreciate but I love! Have seen just about every episode I think, and tbh just to have a look at penny is reason enough for me so yeah sign it up for another couple of seasons definitely!

I thought that her hair cut and finding out she wasn't 100% real before I watched the last season would have resulted in my interest in the show dropping but I liked the last season very much so it proves to me that it is simply a quality comedy.

lertsnim · 23-12-2015 4:35am

The Sheldon Cooper of more recent episodes is a lot more annoying and completely different to the Sheldon of earlier seasons. And also those two extra women they added only made it a lot worse.

topmanamillion · 23-12-2015 4:50am

I liked the first couple of series but it's an entirely different show now which bears no resemblance to the earlier episodes. It's very close to a sketch show now with 3 or 4 stories simultaneously happening with little to no thread tying them together.
There's minimal interaction between the 4 male main characters and that's a shame.
It's day has passed but of course they'll bleed it dry for all it's worth.
Doesn't so much as hold a candle to Frazier or friends.

irish son · 25-12-2015 6:21pm

lertsnim wrote: »

The Sheldon Cooper of more recent episodes is a lot more annoying and completely different to the Sheldon of earlier seasons. And also those two extra women they added only made it a lot worse.

Couldn't agree more with this comment, they ruined the great character they had in Sheldon from the first few seasons and the show has been muck since then because of it. The only thing the two women have done is made Sheldon's and Howard's characters a lot less funny.

kneemos · 25-12-2015 7:13pm

The little blondy one doesn't do much.Sheldons bird is a fantastic talent though . Always worth watching for Penny,even if she has turned lesbian.
Think it was the first episode of the newest series I found funny,the rest were forgettable.
Still watch it,have a commitment in the characters I suppose.

the_pen_turner · 26-12-2015 1:51am

ok im going to be a hypocrite in saying that I love the show but follow with a list of flaws

I hate Bernadette, she adds nothing , Howard was a better character before her and a lot funnier ,
she grates on me , there is nothing good about her. everything she does is selfish and horrible, her voice is unnecessary.

Sheldon has lost all his oddities and became an ass. he is rude and self-centred

raj is good but they are doing nothing for his character. his girlfriend isn't suited to him at all

Howard has lost his character . his weirdness and pevertedness is what made him. now he is just going through the motions

penny. I think she can do better than Lennerd .

I am totally gone of leenerd .
he was the typical nerd that we all could relate to .he is a cheater and doesn't respect or appreciate penny
he cheated on penny , cheated on pria,

Amy I like. her character is good, I would like to see her get a bit more sexy and out of her comfort zone

I think penny should go out with raj, they would be great together, both very girly
shamy toghether
howard leave Bernadette for being a cow , then she changes and stops being a bossy manipulating cow, then rekindle their love
leave leenard alone for a while. maybe date alex for a while just to bring her into it

kneemos · 26-12-2015 3:48am

the_pen_turner wrote: »

ok im going to be a hypocrite in saying that I love the show but follow with a list of flaws

I hate Bernadette, she adds nothing , Howard was a better character before her and a lot funnier ,
she grates on me , there is nothing good about her. everything she does is selfish and horrible, her voice is unnecessary.

Sheldon has lost all his oddities and became an ass. he is rude and self-centred

raj is good but they are doing nothing for his character. his girlfriend isn't suited to him at all

Howard has lost his character . his weirdness and pevertedness is what made him. now he is just going through the motions

penny. I think she can do better than Lennerd .

I am totally gone of leenerd .
he was the typical nerd that we all could relate to .he is a cheater and doesn't respect or appreciate penny
he cheated on penny , cheated on pria,

Amy I like. her character is good, I would like to see her get a bit more sexy and out of her comfort zone

I think penny should go out with raj, they would be great together, both very girly
shamy toghether
howard leave Bernadette for being a cow , then she changes and stops being a bossy manipulating cow, then rekindle their love
leave leenard alone for a while. maybe date alex for a while just to bring her into it

It's all a bit comedy by committee.What was a good hearted piss take of the nerdy science type has become a politically correct sit com . It's a shame because a lot of it doesn't fit,Penny and the little blondy one would never be seen with their on screen characters . Sheldon has been gradually made to conform to norm and lose his character in the process . I've said it before many times,but Amy for me is the jewel in the crown.

bnt · 26-12-2015 11:11am

If we assume for argument's sake that TBBT will end after the 10 greenlit seasons, then the latest sequence of events makes a bit more sense. I don't get the moaning about changes to characters, though. I always thought a primary idea behind TBBT was to follow the progression of the characters from total nerds to at least something a bit less nerdy.

Another series that lasted ten seasons was Friends, and I think they made good use of the idea that some characters changed a lot (Rachel, Chandler), some a bit (Ross, Monica), and some hardly at all (Phoebe, Joey). In TBBT, though, all the main characters were lacking in some way i.e. there were no "normal" characters, so they're all migrating to the "centre" or "normality. (Penny now has a real future, and Leonard now has a life.)

Some upcoming changes have already been signposted e.g. I fully expect Bernadette - who's loudly proclaimed she doesn't want children - to be pregnant by the end of this season. Just as with Friends, the arrival of children is the beginning of the end for a "singles" sitcom.

Prediction: Howard will get a PhD ... a honourary one. :P

Berserker · 27-12-2015 5:08pm

Heckler wrote: »

Probably seen about 10 episodes in total. Didn't crack a smile once. Utter rubbish. That Sheldon character deserves a beating.

You trying to live up to your username? Sheldon is a very funny character, if a little predictable at times. Amy Farrah Fowler is a brilliant character. She is a neuroscientist in real life. Doesn't look like a 40 year old either.

smilerf · 28-12-2015 3:22pm

I find I'm more browsing on my phone than watching these days. It's not entertaining me much

don ramo · 29-12-2015 2:53pm

christ you'd swear guns were being held to peoples head around here and their being forced to watch it, if only people had something like freedom of choice to watch what they want, and live happy lives and not find it necessary to constantly bitch and moan about some american series there not remotely being forced to watch, especially when that show is proactively seeked out and obtained every single week,

The Big Bang Theory...

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