I’ve commented in this thread previously about my love for BBT, but I’ll swim against the tide here and say it again. Generally, I hate sitcoms. BBT is the first one I’ve enjoyed in more than a decade–the first few seasons of Frasier were the last to qualify–and I love almost everything about it. The nerd humor is genuine and the science humor (particularly the biological sciences that Amy and Bernadette study) is spot on–and I’m speaking as a nerd who spent 15 years in the biological sciences. Stuart and the comic book store crowd also match my own experiences. The only character I really don’t like is Raj, who’s just not believable. I’ve known plenty of guys like Sheldon, Howard, and Leonard, though. In fact, my wife says I pretty much am an amalgam of Sheldon and Leonard, which causes her to enjoy the show even more than I do.
Then my comment wasn’t directed at you, obviously. I was speaking in general, with a nod towards Kedaha, who seems to be trying to scientifically prove that laugh tracks are Bad and Artificial and Wrong.
Where’s the topic on Mike and Molly? THAT’s some offensive, unfunny shit. “Ha ha, fat people making jokes about food.”
And she is so insanely smart and funny in most other things I have seen her in.
I am one of the few that likes it, as I probably mentioned upthread. Sheldon particularly entertains me as I knew a kid just like him in JHS. At gym class I’d essentially act as his translator and keep him from getting beat up.
Okay, look, I don’t normally “get” the feeling that BBT hates nerds and “sides with Penny” and the like. I normally fall in the camp that feels it’s all good natured fun and everyone is in on the joke.
Last night’s episode proved I was wrong, I guess.
Episode Spoilers follow
[spoiler]It started out pretty great, actually. The idea that the lady’s wanted to learn more about why the guys loved comic books so they tried them, then fell into a full on nerd-argument about Thor’s hammer and under what circumstances it could be picked up, it was great. Perfectly done, I thought.
And the Star Trek stuff was fun too! The photo shoot was pretty damned awesome.
But then the show took a shit on itself when the car was stolen, and it seemed like the ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD hated them so damn much. Really? No one in that diner had a TOUCH of sympathy for a bunch of kids whose car was stolen while on their way to a costume contest? They must hate Halloween, too, I guess. Garbage getting thrown on them, the glares from the diner patrons, the snarky remark from the waitress, the eye-rolling from the cop taking their information, and the final nail was the dejected way the guys decided to just retreat back home, feeling miserable about themselves and their life choices. The final scene with them re-embracing Star Trek to burst through the door was just pitiful by then.
Worst. Episode. Ever.[/spoiler]
Eh?
Please quote where I stated laugh tracks are bad, BBT is bad, or laugh tracks are wrong.
You seem to be doing that thing again where you make shit up because you don’t actually have anything to back up your regurgitated nonsense (It’s a not a laugh track, it’s a real audience laughing naturally!!!111). It’s one thing to be deluded, it’s another to be so aggressive about it.
You mean, like this?
So if I’m trying to defend the use of laugh tracks and making arguments in their favor, and you’re trying to debunk my arguments. So that means you think laugh tracks are…?
Whatever you think I’m “making up” isn’t as bad as your insistence that opening comedians aren’t there to warm up the crowd, or that alcohol isn’t provided so that people laugh more, or that comedians don’t want the audience to laugh often. All of those are easily disprovable if you talk to any competent comedian.
Vindication! The Big Bang Theory wins the People’s Choice Award for Best Comedy Series! And as we all know, the people are never wrong.
<delurk> And Supernatural won for Favorite Sci-Fi Fantasy Show. Yay! (What, I’m happy about it. ;) </delurk>
I don’t disagree with your basic point that laughter is contagious, but I did want to pop in on the bolded bit. People laughing more while drinking is a side effect that benefits the comedian. Most clubs don’t serve booze primarily to give comedians a leg up. They do it to make money. In fact, the comedian is there to attract people to the club.
Good point, and of course that’s true. I don’t think it’s an either-or situation: Alcohol gets people in a good mood, which increases the chance they’ll enjoy the show, come back again, buy more alcohol, and so on. I’ve just heard comedians talk about things that make their job more difficult, and one complaint is clubs that either don’t serve alcohol (rare), or clubs that cut off alcohol sales early (more common).
It is hard to genuinely annoy me, but BBT succeeded at it every time I tried to watch it. I used to work in science, so that could explain as to why.
Dear god its a sitcom, and I live in Bakersfield and yep those are the looks you would get around here. Dress like that and go the Kern County Fair, good luck.
I never realized how much I disliked BBT until a week or so ago, when an old college friend of mine mentioned how much she loved it, and that prompted a 30 minute long rant about how terrible it was. The thing was, I couldn’t stop myself; there was this river of vitriol pouring out of me as I dismantled a show she genuinely enjoyed. It was like I was suffering from PTSD and something innocuous had managed to set me off in the supermarket one day, and the next thing you know, I’m on a belltower somewhere with a high powered rifle.
When my rant was finally over, she just said in a quiet voice, “Well, my other favorite show is ‘Finding Bigfoot’.”
I felt immediately vindicated.
I agree here. Seemed a bit much on the hate for guys going to a con.
It is CA, so I feel folks would be “Oh, more folks dressed oddly”.
I still liked the episode. The hammer argument is funny.
No, not really. Large sections of CA are the reddest of red regions. Don’t make the mistake many non-natives make of assuming that California is homogenous. Vast swathes of the state are as conservative as the Deep South. San Francisco and Venice Beach exist, but so do Orange County and Bakersfield.
And I enjoyed the episode too. It wasn’t one of their best, and it wasn’t one of their worst, but I got some good laughs from it.
Sadly. :/
Yeah, how sad that there are people who don’t think exactly the same way you do.
The main problem I have with BBT is that I knew someone very similar to Sheldon in many ways. And those parts of his personality weren’t funny, endearing, or quirky. He was just an asshole. He had other redeeming qualities and I considered him a friend, but there’s something to be said for social skills, even among nerds.