How to make The Big Bang theory genuinely geeky

[Lilani]

The mistake the Big Bang Theory makes is that it seems to think that "geek humor" is achieved simply referencing "geeky" things. The very act of talking about geeky things is the punch line, and that's why it's often so insufferable. As others have said, shows like The IT Crowd or Psych or Futurama achieve "geeky" humor better because their punch lines occur in funny situations that just happen to involve geeky themes, like technology or sci-fi and whatnot. The geeky stuff is in the theme or setting of the joke, but not the punchline.

 

[Willinium]

In all honesty, I think that the show is just fine. A simple sitcom with slightly more intelligent joking material then most others that I have been introduced to. Nor do I see the often made remark that it is insulting geek culture rather just having the focus being on the exacerbated facets of their characters. Overall a funny sitcom with a few missteps every now and again.

 

[Scarecrow1001]

I just find the show boring. Not offensive, just dull. The only way to fix it would be to stop making it. Having said that, I don't care strongly enough about it to advocate it. I am content to let it just... exist.

 

[Rariow]

I don't think you can really do what you're suggesting, not without making the show impenetrable to large chunks of the audience. A "geek" can have many, many interests, and by making it reference stuff that isn't baseline level, like Star Trek, you'll not only be excluding the general, non-geek audience, but also a vast majority of geeks themselves. If there was an episode about Homestuck, as you suggest, I wouldn't get it, because, despite being what would typically be considered a "geek", I know barely anything about Homestuck beyond the fact that it exists and is anime. Or is it manga? Similarly, if the show went and referenced Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, I'd be psyched, but I bet a large amount of even the kind of people who go on forums like this wouldn't understand.

Despite liking the show just fine, I feel that the way to make it truly "geeky", they'd just need to portray what being a geek entails. From what I can tell through my own experience, being a videogame geek entails lots of long, drawn out discussions about discrimination online with people who insist on calling you a "social justice warrior", as well as hating on EA. I'm sure every pocket of nerdom (after all, there's also film nerds, book nerds...) has its own particular "thing", and even within communities dedicated to particular works within those mediums there's their own social norms and principal issues. I was a pretty active member of a few communities dedicated to The Elder Scrolls back in 2009, and the behavioral norms in those communities is completely different from the feel of the community dedicated to Katawa Shoujo that I briefly hung around with last year.

The problem with that, is even focusing on a slightly more narrow group (say, because we all know how those are), videogame nerds, reduces the material the show's got to work with, and makes it considerably more difficult. You go from everything that pop-culture has labelled as nerdy to just being able to talk about videogames, and to properly reflect this you'd have to find ways to make fun of discussion of sexism, bitching about business practices, and other such things. It's just a lot more difficult to work with. Sure, we may occasionally mention Skyrim, Call of Duty or Mass Effect on these forums, but despite being "videogame geeks", that's really not the brunt of interactions within out sub-culture.

Besides, I feel like defining oneself as a "nerd" or "geek" of any sort is nothing but damaging. You're a person who happens to be geeky or nerdy, not a nerd. That's probably my biggest problem with the show. The protagonists aren't people who happen to like Star Trek, comic books and Halo, they're NEEEEEEEEEEERRRRDSSSSSSS.

tl;dr There's way too many kinds of nerds/geeks to make anything truly "geeky" without loosing a large chunk of your audience (nerds and geeks included) and having to work with material that's next to impossible to make fun of.

 

[michael87cn]

I think Big Bang Theory is for people who -don't- understand nerd/geek culture. It makes them think they do, and they enjoy that.... for some reason.

 

[FPLOON]

You want to watch a show for geeks? Watch Community (the first 2 seasons) or Rick and Morty.

Or The IT Crowd... or Warehouse 13, I think...

OT: Uh... Obscurity?

Honestly, that's the only thing I can think of where the "geek references" would truly be considered "geeky"... and, even if the "geek reference" doesn't seem that obscure at first, then the punchline afterwards makes that one "geek reference" seem obscure enough for the common viewer to go "uh... should I look up if that's true or... what?"

So, yeah... the whole process would turn a "mainstream" sitcom into a "niche" sitcom, thus leading to a quicker cancellation due to "very low ratings"...

Edit: Added "geeky" suggestion...

 

[Parasondox]

Yeah sorry that I have to echo what many have said here. It's a mainstream sitcom aimed at a wider who assumes this is what the "geek culture" is like.

Like recently I saw an episode where Sheldon couldn't decide, and for some reason torn, between getting an Xbox One or a PS4. Assuming once again that geeks/nerds main gaming utility device is a next gen console because those are what "geeks/nerds" talk about and love right? Right? Do you know what many (some not all) geeks/nerds would go for when it comes to gaming? Come closer I'll tell you.

THEY WOULD GO FOR A PC!!!

Why? because those who have a high knowledge of gaming would know that next gen isn't really what it's hyped up to be and would rather just upgrade their PC for a fraction on the price. More powerful than a gaming console and runs smoother too. So writers of the Big Bang Theory, YOU FORGOT THIS POINT, seeing as I always see them using Alienware on the show.

 

[Zontar]

I think Big Bang Theory is for people who -don't- understand nerd/geek culture. It makes them think they do, and they enjoy that.... for some reason.

I don't know, I know plenty of geeks and nerds who like it (hell, I even enjoy watching it at times, but I don't know where the line is for being a nerd these days, since though I love Trek, B5 and SG-1 (last being my favorite sci-fi show) and I can't get enough anime and X-universe videogames (except Rebirth because fuck that one in particular) I don't know if I'm what you can actually call a nerd given my short time in the military, my blue collar summer job and the fact I was part of 2 sports teams in high school (leader of one of them, though it was a 4 man team).

 

[Madame_Lawliet]

Observe...

In all seriousness, the creators are clearly just trying to capitalize on the fact that nerd culture is considered kind of cool now, by creating a show that both celebrates nerd stuff whilst also making fun of it. It's not really written for nerds, atleast not entirely. The reason the references are pretty lax and relatively common knowledge is because if they started referencing hardcore nerd shit, half the audience wouldn't understand it, and they might lose viewers.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

Eh, it's a show that people can watch and think they're nerds because of it. They're not gonna start using more obscure things as references because then most of their audience won't get it.

 

[leberkaese]

You want to watch a show for geeks? Watch Community (the first 2 seasons)

Totally agreed. (Season 3 and 5 are still great, though - Season 4 doesn't exist.)

Also, putting in a Homestuck reference? That would speak only to a very small audience. Even among geeks only a few people would understand that or would think it's funny.
Also, this won't happen, because BBT has turned into your average sitcom like Two and a half Men, How I met your Mother etc. etc. First season still had somewhat geeky jokes, but it has lost those and became a normal boring and romantic sitcom. So the part of the audience that could laugh because of a Homestuck reference has become even smaller

 

[Eamar]

On a more serious note (Though I seriously doubt I count as a geek at this point), it's pretty cool that there's a resurgence in interest in science. Are people actually remaining in the programs? I only ask because I know a lot of people signed up for forensics when CSI got popular, then dropped out when they found out CSI was more sci-fi than anything ever seen on Star Trek.

I don't have the exact figures to hand, but yes it seems they are. Physics departments are no longer shutting down, anyway (seriously, it was a really bad situation - every other week you'd hear about a Physics or Chemistry department shutting down due to lack of students, even at quite prestigious universities).

 

[elvor0]

I never got the hate either. But as a Rhinelander I am big on self-deprecating humor, too. Besides, I am able to accept the characters as fiction and don't see them as insults targetted at me or as jokes about me. Seriously, that comparison to minstrel shows is just... I don't even have words for that kind of... Nevermind, I'd only get myself warned.

I've always had the feeling that the hate comes from the mean narcissism and arrogance that you only dare to let out in the safety of your own room that I sometimes seem to see in the so called geek community. Like jokes with the premise of a guy having trouble talking to girls making someone think: "I can't talk to girls, either. This show is about me! And I hate it because I'm not shown as a flawless hero!!! I will go now write snide rants about it on the internet!"

Or as you put it in much fewer words: "Lighten up!"

Perhaps I'm not quite the correct person, as I don't /hate/ it, but I certainly have a strained relationship with it. I try to like it, then it throws a cricket ball at my nuts. And being British, I'm certainly not aversed to self defreciating humour.

I'm sure there /are/ people who hate if for the reason you mention, but I'm pretty sure that's the vast minority; the borderline psychotic "nice guys". Some people hate it because they don't find it funny, which for long stretches of episodes it isn't and it annoys them that it's so popular.

Example: Sheldon saying "My new computer came with Windows 7" *guffaws of laughter* That...isn't funny, that's not even a joke, it's just a statement. That's just like me saying "my trousers are black" and expecting a laugh. Or there's "jokes" that wouldn't be funny to geeks because it's not a joke, and the expectation to laugh is lost on the people it /is/ aimed at, because they don't understand the "joke" in the first place.

And some people hate it, because it was really mean spirited in the earlier seasons, the guys are serious punching bags for most of the first seasons, it wasn't very nice, the idea that the show pretended to revel in geek culture when it was really just firing at it instead.

It's actually one of those shows that bucks the trend and has gotten miles better now that all the characters (except Raj of course, though again, they could've ended that joke a looooong time ago) have girlfriends, not only because the writers can't be quite so mean, but also because it's genuinely gotten funnier and gotten better writing. Amy and Bernadette are proper characters and they're funny, they have their own distinct personalites and get properly fleshed out, they haven't just been thrown in for quotas sake.

Still think Lennard and Penny is the most forced romance ever though.

 

[RoonMian]

I never got the hate either. But as a Rhinelander I am big on self-deprecating humor, too. Besides, I am able to accept the characters as fiction and don't see them as insults targetted at me or as jokes about me. Seriously, that comparison to minstrel shows is just... I don't even have words for that kind of... Nevermind, I'd only get myself warned.

I've always had the feeling that the hate comes from the mean narcissism and arrogance that you only dare to let out in the safety of your own room that I sometimes seem to see in the so called geek community. Like jokes with the premise of a guy having trouble talking to girls making someone think: "I can't talk to girls, either. This show is about me! And I hate it because I'm not shown as a flawless hero!!! I will go now write snide rants about it on the internet!"

Or as you put it in much fewer words: "Lighten up!"

Perhaps I'm not quite the correct person, as I don't /hate/ it, but I certainly have a strained relationship with it. I try to like it, then it throws a cricket ball at my nuts. And being British, I'm certainly not aversed to self defreciating humour.

I'm sure there /are/ people who hate if for the reason you mention, but I'm pretty sure that's the vast minority; the borderline psychotic "nice guys". Some people hate it because they don't find it funny, which for long stretches of episodes it isn't and it annoys them that it's so popular.

Example: Sheldon saying "My new computer came with Windows 7" *guffaws of laughter* That...isn't funny, that's not even a joke, it's just a statement. That's just like me saying "my trousers are black" and expecting a laugh. Or there's "jokes" that wouldn't be funny to geeks because it's not a joke, and the expectation to laugh is lost on the people it /is/ aimed at, because they don't understand the "joke" in the first place.

And some people hate it, because it was really mean spirited in the earlier seasons, the guys are serious punching bags for most of the first seasons, it wasn't very nice, the idea that the show pretended to revel in geek culture when it was really just firing at it instead.

It's actually one of those shows that bucks the trend and has gotten miles better now that all the characters (except Raj of course, though again, they could've ended that joke a looooong time ago) have girlfriends, not only because the writers can't be quite so mean, but also because it's genuinely gotten funnier and gotten better writing. Amy and Bernadette are proper characters and they're funny, they have their own distinct personalites and get properly fleshed out, they haven't just been thrown in for quotas sake.

Still think Lennard and Penny is the most forced romance ever though.

Last time I zapped in Raj had a girlfriend played by Kate Micucci (who is really awesome: http://youtu.be/6C6CzEEKaXQ ). I'm not a fan of the show either, mostly because I watch hardly any TV whatsoever. I disagree with you that just not finding a show funny and not watching it gives you any basis to hate it. Not watching it is totally fine, I don't follow it myself. But if you have such a strong emotion towards it then there's something more going on and I am sure it's what I described in my post. If you read it again I wrote strictly about people who actively hate it and rant about it on the net.

 

[Strain42]

I'm gonna be yet another guy tossing in my "if you want good nerd humor, watch Community" vote.

To compare the two, I once saw an episode of BBT where characters said they were going to play Dungeons and Dragons. There wasn't a joke here, it wasn't delivered in some over the top comedic way. It was simply stated, no differently than if someone said they were going to get Pizza for dinner or watch Netflix. And yet it was followed by a laugh track. The very idea of someone playing Dungeons and Dragons was treated as a joke.

Whereas Community did an entire episode about the characters playing dungeons and dragons and never once made it feel like a big joke, in fact it celebrated them for it. Even Jeff didn't really make fun of it all that much, and he's usually the one who rolls his eyes at the nerdy stuff.

I don't like BBT, so my stance is pretty strong right now. I don't think it's an offensive as some people claim. I've seen the term "nerd blackface" thrown around a lot when it comes to BBT, and while I don't think it's that bad, I do think it's pretty clear that nerds are not the intended audience, and the show DOES make fun of them for being nerds. I know some of you are saying "I don't think it's that mean spirited." and it's fine if it doesn't really bother you, but BBT is hardly the bastion of nerd uprising and culture that some people seem to think it is.

 

[Saltyk]

You don't. You just leave it as it is. Don't like the show because its not as geeky as you think it should be? fine, go watch something else. Its from the dude who made Two and a Half Men for crying out loud, its lowest common denominator.

I've watched a bit. Honestly, it seems like FRIENDS, but with "geeky" people. I could even name characters based on their FRIENDS counterparts. Take out the geeky things and it's literally the same exact show.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

When I saw this in the little box on the front page I thought it said genuinely good. I have plenty of ideas for that. Like scrapping the entire show and doing it over from the top with a decent writing team who actually understand who and what they're supposed to be writing about. And shoot the "live audience". Because this "live audience" laughs at things that just simply aren't funny.

 

[P.Tsunami]

What the show needs certainly isn't more geeky references. Leaving aside that the show is built around mocking nerd culture, the show's biggest problem is that it is an absolute crime against comedy. I doubt that's easily fixed.

 

[elvor0]

I never got the hate either. But as a Rhinelander I am big on self-deprecating humor, too. Besides, I am able to accept the characters as fiction and don't see them as insults targetted at me or as jokes about me. Seriously, that comparison to minstrel shows is just... I don't even have words for that kind of... Nevermind, I'd only get myself warned.

I've always had the feeling that the hate comes from the mean narcissism and arrogance that you only dare to let out in the safety of your own room that I sometimes seem to see in the so called geek community. Like jokes with the premise of a guy having trouble talking to girls making someone think: "I can't talk to girls, either. This show is about me! And I hate it because I'm not shown as a flawless hero!!! I will go now write snide rants about it on the internet!"

Or as you put it in much fewer words: "Lighten up!"

Perhaps I'm not quite the correct person, as I don't /hate/ it, but I certainly have a strained relationship with it. I try to like it, then it throws a cricket ball at my nuts. And being British, I'm certainly not aversed to self defreciating humour.

I'm sure there /are/ people who hate if for the reason you mention, but I'm pretty sure that's the vast minority; the borderline psychotic "nice guys". Some people hate it because they don't find it funny, which for long stretches of episodes it isn't and it annoys them that it's so popular.

Example: Sheldon saying "My new computer came with Windows 7" *guffaws of laughter* That...isn't funny, that's not even a joke, it's just a statement. That's just like me saying "my trousers are black" and expecting a laugh. Or there's "jokes" that wouldn't be funny to geeks because it's not a joke, and the expectation to laugh is lost on the people it /is/ aimed at, because they don't understand the "joke" in the first place.

And some people hate it, because it was really mean spirited in the earlier seasons, the guys are serious punching bags for most of the first seasons, it wasn't very nice, the idea that the show pretended to revel in geek culture when it was really just firing at it instead.

It's actually one of those shows that bucks the trend and has gotten miles better now that all the characters (except Raj of course, though again, they could've ended that joke a looooong time ago) have girlfriends, not only because the writers can't be quite so mean, but also because it's genuinely gotten funnier and gotten better writing. Amy and Bernadette are proper characters and they're funny, they have their own distinct personalites and get properly fleshed out, they haven't just been thrown in for quotas sake.

Still think Lennard and Penny is the most forced romance ever though.

Last time I zapped in Raj had a girlfriend played by Kate Micucci (who is really awesome: http://youtu.be/6C6CzEEKaXQ ). I'm not a fan of the show either, mostly because I watch hardly any TV whatsoever. I disagree with you that just not finding a show funny and not watching it gives you any basis to hate it. Not watching it is totally fine, I don't follow it myself. But if you have such a strong emotion towards it then there's something more going on and I am sure it's what I described in my post. If you read it again I wrote strictly about people who actively hate it and rant about it on the net.

Oh okay, fair enough, I haven't watched it a while, I did find Kate Micucci pretty good, but I don't know if she was there to stay or not, she'd split up with Raj for a while last I watched it.

You certainly can hate something for not being good though. For a personal example: I hate The Transformers movies. They're terrible in every way, bad design, bad cinematography, bad acting etc etc. In itself fine, it's a shit movie, move along. But the general populace love them. This leads to Michael Bay getting more work, and the terrible actors atatched to them getting more work, which lowers the quality of other movies. Then I have to deal with Megan Fox and Shia Lebouf turning up in other movies and ruining them. It also sets the bar lower so rather than make a decent movie with any decent movie making techniques, you can churn out any old rubbish and it wins the box office over decent movies, effecting the chances of more decent movies being made, because it's safer to stick out rubbish.

 

[ExtraDebit]

You want geeky, funny and smart? Go watch Silicon Valley. Geeky jokes in silicon valley: "he is as point less as mass effects 3 with multiple endings".

Big Bang Theory is absolute garbage that I have no idea why so many people is still watching it.