Big Bang Theory: Worst Thing on TV or Just the Unfunniest Thing on TV? Discuss.

[Lumenskir]

Pretty much what the title says.

It Is Clearly The Worst
Exhibit A - The Problem With The Big Bang Theory

The humour in The Big Bang theory relies on the audience siding with and relating to Penny, the character coded as “normal” in comparison to the main four guys. It also relies on the audience having a sense of superiority over Leonard, Raj, Sheldon and Howard. We’re supposed to feel like we’re cooler than them and that we’re better than them. This then prompts us to laugh at the things which make them nerdy, which stop them being cool, which make them lesser. This is done, in my opinion, to stop them from seeming intimidating. It’s essentially Chuck Lorre saying “Don’t worry, these guys may have fancy degrees, they may be more successful and more intelligent than you but they like sci-fi and read comics. They’re socially awkward and can’t speak to girls. You’re much cooler than they are so you’re still better than them.”

Exhibit B - Ok, this is probably covered by the subtext of the link above, but I think a specific example speaks volumes:

So, there's an episode where the nerds get a box of movie memorabilia. In the box is the authentic ring prop used in the Lord of the Rings movies. The nerds basically spend the whole episode fighting over it.

In the middle of the episode, the girl comes over, sees them fighting over it, and asks what they're fighting over. The nerds have to explain to her what the ring is, and then what Lord of the Rings is.

So, the show wants me to believe that the girl, who is trying to be an actress in Hollywood, has no idea what Lord of the Rings is. You might remember Lord of the Rings as the movie series that made, conservatively, all of the money in the world. It eventually won every Oscar. Literally everyone saw it. But the only joke they could muster was her bafflement at "the Lord of the Rings thing."

Exhibit C - Raj

No, It Is Just The Unfunniest Show on Television

Exhibit A - I like many funny shows. I've watched many episodes of BBT. I've been able to predict exact punchlines based on the lazy setups, I've been able to comprehend why some writer thought it should be seen as funny, but I've never laughed once.

Exhibit B - My douchebag housemate loves it.

Case closed, but extra evidence welcomed.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

See the main problem with this show is that Sheldon is actually really really stupid- lots of the stuff he says is either tremendously outdated or demonstrably wrong. One time he spent the entire episode working on a solution to a problem that was solved in the 50s.
I mean there is also that their jokes aren't funny and its stupid and poorly written and the characters are all huge stereotypes but like this is the main problem.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Can't say I've watched it a whole lot but I've seen the odd episode here and there. The thing I find odd is that, most of the jokes require you to have an understanding of the context in which they're made. IE, you need to be a major nerd to get the reference. But the show itself is taking the absolute piss out of the nerd stereotype, which is somewhat counter-intuitive.

Like, is it aimed at nerd stereotype viewers, or people who view all nerdy people as that stereotype? Is the entire show an in-joke for nerd culture, or taking the piss out of it? I'm honestly not sure.

And this is before we get into the subject of whether the jokes are actually funny or not, but that's subjective anyway.

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by Hawk

Can't say I've watched it a whole lot but I've seen the odd episode here and there. The thing I find odd is that, most of the jokes require you to have an understanding of the context in which they're made. IE, you need to be a major nerd to get the reference. But the show itself is taking the absolute piss out of the nerd stereotype, which is somewhat counter-intuitive.

Like, is it aimed at nerd stereotype viewers, or people who view all nerdy people as that stereotype? Is the entire show an in-joke for nerd culture, or taking the piss out of it? I'm honestly not sure.

And this is before we get into the subject of whether the jokes are actually funny or not, but that's subjective anyway.

It's aimed at people like my parents and siblings, who are not nerds but who know a nerd quite well (in this case, me.) Through their relationship with me, they're familiar with enough of nerd culture to get some of the substance of the jokes. Because they find my nerdy hobbies and interests irritating and difficult to comprehend, they laugh at how ludicrous it's portrayed.

But really, they laugh at characters like Leonard and Howard and Sheldon because their fears regarding my lifestyle are amplified through those characters' exaggerated anti-social, dysfunctional routines. Characters like Howard and Raj could have been normal and successful, but then nerd culture got in the way and ruined them and left them laughingstocks and punching bags. While my parents find this funny, deep down inside part of the humor is that they see this trend happening to me, and they genuinely believe that they'd have an amazing son, if nerd culture hadn't interfered and completely crippled him from handling things like dating or other basic social interactions.

So it does have an audience, just not quite in the way you're thinking.

[Aerozord]

maybe it relies on the assumption that all nerds are also masochists and enjoy themselves being viewed as the underdogs and part of this elite circle of individuals "in the know" and that the normals aren't smart enough to understand things

[Professor Smarmiarty]

If you are majorly into whatever they are joking about though you will find their jokes conceptually flawed and not as funny as the shit you and your friends randomly come up with. You need a passing acquaintance with what they are referencing ie the average person- which is where the jokes are aimed.

[Lumenskir]

If you are majorly into whatever they are joking about though you will find their jokes conceptually flawed and not as funny as the shit you and your friends randomly come up with. You need a passing acquaintance with what they are referencing ie the average person- which is where the jokes are aimed.

Agreed. I'm not really seeing what 'context' you're talking about, Hawk. At most, the nerds will say something, like a theorem or scientist's name or some 'obscure' 'nerd culture' reference. Then the audience laughs.

At the mention.

Not at anything deeper or something that requires a leap from A -> B. It's just "Here is something that sounds nerdy to 'normals', laugh." Watching BBT honestly makes you awed at how other comedies manage it. "You mean you can trust the audience to be aware of basic pop culture, and then you can actually tell a deeper joke...baffling."*

*For instance, here's a simple joke that has more understanding of LotR and nerd culture (and, probably not coincidentally, laughs) than the entire BBT episode I referenced:

Tom: Well, you are a huge nerd. But I’d be sorry to see you go, man.
Ben: Thanks, Tom.
Tom: So, are you going on like, a year long walking tour of the set of Lord of the Rings in New Zealand or..?
Ben: To be honest with you, I wasn’t a fan of Peter Jackson’s interpretation so you can put that one away.

[Nique]

I suspected as much after about one episode, and also constantly hearing dumb stuff from the show being regurgitated by friends who I like but don't have good taste in entertainment.

It's nice to know that I have somewhat reliable instincts.

EDIT: I would wager that Two and a Half Men is still un-funnier, but like, I'm not saying that would necessarily be a safe bet.

EDIT II:

Originally Posted by Lumen

Tom: Well, you are a huge nerd. But I’d be sorry to see you go, man.
Ben: Thanks, Tom.
Tom: So, are you going on like, a year long walking tour of the set of Lord of the Rings in New Zealand or..?
Ben: To be honest with you, I wasn’t a fan of Peter Jackson’s interpretation so you can put that one away.

Oh, Parks & Rec! Yes, this.

[Amake]

I disliked BBT from the very first episode I watched. I didn't know anything about it, but I thought it was one among dozens of cheap, generic shows solidly targeted at the lowest common denominator - the kind where at least half the jokes are that someone says something related to sex, or has a sex life, or is awkward at the mention of something related to sex or the suggestion that someone has a sex life - with the gimmick that some characters are nerds and one is super nerdy and probably autistic (but still tolerated by everyone to a degree that to me as an Aspie screams "fake").

Then I found out it was made up by the same guy who made up Two and a Half Men and went "I'm Jack's complete lack of surprise."

Then I read the article linked above and was more like "Why don't they just put on a Goddamn minstrel show and make the characters wear blackface as well as huge signs that say 'nerd'? I'm sure at least fifteen million people would eat that up too, and it wouldn't be any more offensive than it already is."

So there that is.

[POS Industries]

Yeah, it's kind of a shitty show and all, Amake, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't pull the "nerd blackface" card since that's kinda dismissing generations of racial oppression by likening it to picking on nerds, which is totally sucky but not nearly as bad as what black people have to deal with.

Thanks!