"Hey look! They're nerds, they act all goofy! Real people don't act like that"
*laugh track*
To be honest, it's not really that bad of a show, but it's not particularly funny either. I've only laughed at very few instances during a viewing of the ENTIRE FIRST SEASON!!!
I guess the people who would consider themselves to be nerds like it....because they can relate to it? I honestly don't get where the appeal comes from. Maybe it's really for a specific kind of audience. One that's a little more familiar with science....maybe.
One of the few times I actually found it to be funny was when a couple of the characters were going to see an extended edition of Raiders of the Lost Ark, with a whole 20 seconds added to the movie. "It's like watching a completely different movie" *laugh track* And they were talking about how the 20 seconds fixes the plot hole, and I knew which plot hole they were talking about. So, it was funny because that dry sarcastic remark....well, I really like dry humor for some reason. Also, I find it funny that anybody even cared about the plot hole in the first place.
I think the real question is "Why do you like it?" Well, not you specifically, just you reading this and if you happen to like it.
For me, it's really not that funny and even with all of the scientific references in this show that I'm probably missing, I'm not sure how it does add on to the joke. References do not equal funny. It's how the reference is played out.
But, this is just where I'm coming from, I'm pretty sure there are perfectly valid reasons why people like this show, but this show is just really not for me!