PEOPLE DON'T LIKE A THING THAT I LIKE! WHY?

[StBishop]

inb4 matter of taste.

So I like Big Bang Theory. I know that most people apparently don't. I don't really mind what others think but I did find it surprising that almost everyone who shares my interests (ie. the shit the protagonists of the show tend to talk about) seems to not only dislike but often hate the show.

But no one has ever said why. It's always been one of those things where everyone says it's bad and because no one disagrees (or bothers to) it's not elaborated on.

So what don't you like about it?

The portrayal of nerds? The actual characters themselves? Just not funny (I'd be interested if anyone could explain what about the show isn't funny or why it's not funny)?

I don't intend to change anyone's mind or anything like that I'm just curious why the entire gaming/podcasting/nerd/geek community seems to dislike it.

 

[Scrustle]

I'm with you on this one. I like the show. Or I used to, until I got bored of it. I don't dislike it now I just moved on from it.

I'm not really sure why people don't like it. I've heard some people say that it's basically the same joke over and over, i.e., "I said something really complicated and you don't understand, har har har!", and although they do use that joke a lot I don't think that's all it is.

I think there's also somewhat of a counter culture that's grown up around it too, like there is with Justin Beiber and Nickleback. It's cool to hate it.

 

[StBishop]

Yeah, that's what I mean. It's taken as read that it's bad in the same way as Twilight etc. But I never understood why.

 

[Nouw]

I used to like it but the magic from the first few seasons disappeared. What that magic was, I have no idea. Hence the name, magic!

 

[DoPo]

I don't think I've heard anybody say they don't like the show. I've only heard people say they watch/like it. Then again, I don't keep close tabs on what exactly everybody says about Big Bang Theory.

As for myself, I haven't seen it. And I don't immediate plans to. Not that I hate it or anything, I just don't watch many TV shows, and this one doesn't really sound exciting enough to start. So there.

 

[Jarek Mace]

"REFERENCE TO AN OLD GAMING CONSOLE"
*5 second pause whilst they insert a laughter soundtrack*
"A RESPONSE REFERENCING A MODERN ISSUE"
*5 second pause whilst they insert a laughter soundtrack*

"I'M SAYING SOMETHING THAT HAS MORE THAN 5 SYLLABLES IN, IT'S COMPLICATED, HAR HAR HAR!"
*Once again, a fucking laughter soundtrack follows*

Meanwhile, the viewers - clad in tight cheenos, thin shirts, watching the big bang theory on their iPod - are giggling away "Hurhurhur, I'm such a nerd! I watch the Big Bang Theory! I understand an obvious reference to a video game console created within the last 15 years! I'm so nerdy!"
That's why I can't stand it. It's an intolerable show with poor humour and the MAJORITY of people (note: majority) who watch it should be put into a sack and beaten with a war hammer.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Sort of with you on The Big Bang Theory, I've not watched a lot of the show but what I've seen of it wasn't terrible just a pretty average sitcom, it made me laugh once or twice but that was it. I barely watch TV now unless the football is on so not much on tv annoys me anymore.

 

[Esotera]

I hate it but watch it. It just seems to be a mediocre sitcom that is gradually getting worse, and keeps adding in love interest plotlines to spice it up. The characters also never really develop from how they're portrayed at the start. I suppose it's good for mindlessly watching a couple of the earlier episodes but it's not exactly clever or interesting.

 

[Anthro206]

I like the big bang theory and have since I watched the first episode on it's first air date. I know a good bunch of other people who like it too. I just genuinely find it entertaining and like the characters, but then again, I enjoy sitcoms and think it's nice that there's one which refers to science. I guess it's just my type of humour.

 

[Zantos]

You can't inb4 matter of taste. It is a matter of taste. There's nothing more to this than matter of taste. If you like the characters or the humour or the story or any combination enough to enjoy watching it then you'll enjoy it, if you don't you won't. Anyone saying that people that don't like it are just too stupid to get it is an arse. Anyone saying that people just watch it to make themselves look intelligent is an arse. If someone likes it, great for them, if someone doesn't like it, great for them.

 

[yuval152]

I really like the show, the references are pretty funny but the most hilarious thing is sheldon.

Although the later seasons were pretty bad .

 

[Rylot]

"REFERENCE TO AN OLD GAMING CONSOLE"
*5 second pause whilst they insert a laughter soundtrack*
"A RESPONSE REFERENCING A MODERN ISSUE"
*5 second pause whilst they insert a laughter soundtrack*

"I'M SAYING SOMETHING THAT HAS MORE THAN 5 SYLLABLES IN, IT'S COMPLICATED, HAR HAR HAR!"
*Once again, a fucking laughter soundtrack follows*

Also:
-'Sheldon is mildly autistic'
*insert laugh track*

-'They're nerds!'
*insert that goddamn horrible laugh track*

The reason I liked it through the first two and a half seasons was it had interesting characters that were definitely had stereotypical aspects but they'd play with them changing and growing out of that. Leonard and Howard both growing the emotional maturity to have meaningful relationships. Penny growing out of being a dumb blond and becoming more intelligent. Sheldon learning to be friends with Penny.

At the half way point of the third season they stopped trying to have any emotional growth in the characters. Sheldon is not a socially awkward genius who's insecurities make him aloof and push people away; now he's just a dick. I can't for a second buy into his relationship with Amy in the slightest. They have no motivation for being together. The subtext is that they're both awkwardly trying to fill an emotional need that neither wants to fully acknowledge. All I can see there is two people who's only connection with each other is that the script writers needed awkward situations to throw jokes at.

Raj is still painfully shy around women and can only talk to them while drunk. I'd realistically say %50 of jokes involving Raj are this point exactly. When it becomes that predictable it isn't funny.

The forced sexual tension and dramatic drama surrounding will Leonard and Penny get back together or break up has been used so much I don't even want to think about it any more.

It gets labeled as an intelligent comedy but I'd absolutely argue that you don't need to have anything more than a high school science level of understanding to get every single 'science' joke. Even at it's wittiest it has never required the audience to understand the theories discussed. I'm not a smart man by any stretch and I'm positively retarded when it comes to math and only a little better at science and I've gotten every single joke. It did start out with some fairly niche geek references but since the second season it's increasingly just poked fun at nerds without the audience understanding a single thing about geeks or geek culture. And after season two the jokes have gotten just so damn predictable it's sad.

But still my biggest gripe is that god forsaken piece of shit laugh track. It absolutely kills any immersion I had with the show. When actors pause for five seconds to let an invisible audience finish laughing all it does for me is remind me I'm watching a show. I honestly don't understand how laugh tracks are still around.

Every one is absolutely entitled entitled to their own opinions; this is why I can't stand that show.

 

[Stasisesque]

Let me preface this with the assertion that I very much enjoy TBBT. It's one of the better sitcoms on TV, though I wish it had more of a story arc - the only progress the show has made has been between Howard and Bernadette, and I don't foresee them showing us much of their married life.

A lot of my friends dislike TBBT, and I've come to the conclusion they think it's a 'nerd show'. Now, my friends are nerds, so the problem they have with TBBT is the lack of anything sufficiently nerdy to latch on to (it focuses much more on popular culture, just the geekier side of pop culture), or the played-for-laughs attitude the show takes towards geeks. Despite being the main focus of the show, the men are shown as something to laugh at, rather than laugh with; so, my friends take offence. It's understandable in a way, but TBBT has clever humour, not because of the geek references but because it has clever writing, and just enough character development to fit into multiple tropes.

TBBT misses out on two huge demographics by being too nerdy (I don't mean smart, I mean Treky) for some and too silly for others. It's a surprise it has any fans at all, really. But hey, Frasier was worse for highbrow humour and mocking the arrogant, and that had tons of fans (and was the best sitcom ever).

But still my biggest gripe is that god forsaken piece of shit laugh track. It absolutely kills any immersion I had with the show. When actors pause for five seconds to let an invisible audience finish laughing all it does for me is remind me I'm watching a show. I honestly don't understand how laugh tracks are still around.

It's not a laugh track, nor an invisible audience. It is actually filmed in front of a live studio audience. You see them in the outtakes, and someone posted a photo of the audience on imgur.

 

[SckizoBoy]

snip

Eh... the jokes were good and while no show is really innocent of rehashing their lines, tBBT did it a bit more than usual. I 'nothing' the show... so you find neither praise nor contempt from my corner. One of my sisters quite enjoys it, the other quite disdains it, thus you find me, a not so happy compromise.

snip

Dude... talk about waste of a war hammer... they already have an implement for shit like that... they're called baseball bats.

 

[Kermi]

I hate it but watch it. It just seems to be a mediocre sitcom that is gradually getting worse, and keeps adding in love interest plotlines to spice it up. The characters also never really develop from how they're portrayed at the start. I suppose it's good for mindlessly watching a couple of the earlier episodes but it's not exactly clever or interesting.

This is actually a pretty ignorant assessment of the show and the characters that indicates you've watched, at best, two seasons. The characters have actually developed a fair amount, and while they're still all basically the same people, the interplay between the various people has evolved rather well.

Or maybe you think you've experienced a complete revolution from the person you were five years ago?

It's not a laugh track, nor an invisible audience. It is actually filmed in front of a live studio audience. You see them in the outtakes, and someone posted a photo of the audience on imgur.

I think the producer (his name slips my mind) actually inserted a shot of the audience into one of the title cards in response to people bitching about the "laugh track" online. Not that it'll prove anything - people determined to hate something always will, and will claim that picture wasn't of an audience and keep whining about the laugh track, but still.

 

[Sebass]

First two seasons were good, then they changed the show. Less sciency/nerdy jokes, more 'generic' jokes and most of the jokes are always the same: Penny gives a stupid comment. Sheldon gives an arrogant comment. Leonard makes a sarcastic comment. Howard gives a pervy comment. Raj doesn't comment but whispers something into Howards because he can't say anything when there's a woman nearvy. Penny makes an insulting comment.

Also, during season 3 they realised the show had succes because Sheldon was funny so they exagarated his slightly autistic personality to embarassing extremes and completely ruined the character. They did reverse this however so that's good. Same thing with the Raj-Howard bromance; the subtle gay jokes were fine but when you make it so obvious and in your face that it just screams "LOOK, THESE GUYS ARE STRAIGHT BUT THEY DO BORDERLINE GAY SHIT AND DON'T REALISE IT! NOW LAUGH" it's not funny anymore.

The laughing is just way too long and completely takes the pacing out of the dialogue, ruining the jokes. It feels less like a sitcom with a story where there's jokes in between and more like a recorded stand-up routine where the comedians set up a joke, make the punchline and pait for the audience to stop laughing. Cue next joke.

Speaking of which, the pacing of the jokes themselves became a lot worse too. It doesn't help that the jokes are now all so generic, bland and recycled that you they're coming before you've heard them, the set-up for most jokes is so obvious you can now even see exactly when which joke is going to be made.

Also, blablabla making fun of instead of making fun with nerds. That can still be funny if the jokes are good. But this isn't the type of self-deprecating humor anymore that most nerds would enjoy.

Anyway, that's just my take on it. I just to love the show during the first 2 seasons but during the 3rd season I lost interest very fast and haven't watched it since. (The real killing blow for me when was Sheldon had this nightmare about a time-machine, some monsters came in and he started screaming hysterically.)

The show isn't bad, it's just a lot of wasted potential that gets a lot of credit that isn't due. It's not smart or nerdy, it's a run-of-the-mill generic sitcom with some unique characters and an interesting idea. Sadly those characters and ideas are wasted by jokes and relationship-subplots that were made to appeal a broad audience (lowest common denominator). I have a friend (well, more like an acquaintance) that absolutely adores that show. She owns a mac, doesn't know one single fuck about computers, science, nerdy hobbies or anything the show claims to stand for but she does love shopping, clothes, fashion, parties etc .. She's the type of person Sheldon would spit on if he wasn't so disgusting by all the germs in saliva. And yet she loves it, while I don't. And my interests do lie in those areas.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

I like the big bang theory.

Idk, I generally have a go at people if they hate on something I like without giving any good reason to, or when it's clear they've never actually bothered trying the thing I like. For example, somebody just tried to say that South Park relies on swearing for all of its humour. That's true for maybe... bits of the film and perhaps 1% of shows where swearing is a plot point. Anywhere else, that statement is just hilariously wrong and makes it look like the guy never actually watched South park at all.

If someone says they don't like whatever my 'thing' happens to be, and they give an understandable reason - 'I don't like Top Gear because Clarkson is an arse' - then I'll say fair enough.