Poll: The worst offender of "geek" themed entertainment.
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This is apparently where people go to take inane internet banter too seriously.rbstewart7263 said:
I also have a thread about how Lando pronounces Han differently than the other characters in SW. You should stop there and call me a racist too.
While we're at it, I actually volunteer and give money to help underprivileged people. What do you do?
I don't know it makes me thank god for game journalism (which is basically just the other side of the coin from this) but that certainly did make me laugh; especially at the end when that guy who looks like Ray Stevenson on drugs admits that he didn't like it because he doesn't know how to play it.Casual Shinji said:
I think Spaced was a much more accurate look into the life of geeks then shows that are marketed as such. Most people like us are not super geniuses, it's more about being different from what society deems to be normal.
The Big Bang Theory is kind of fun, some of the jokes are well found actually, and I do like that they poke fun at some of the things my friends and I enjoy a lot, but I just can not stand the characters. Some of them are just downright nasty, and get no sympathy for me, witch is why I don't enjoy it very much.
I have not seen any of the other films and/or shows, so I can't possibly comment on those.
The Big Bang Theory is kind of fun, some of the jokes are well found actually, and I do like that they poke fun at some of the things my friends and I enjoy a lot, but I just can not stand the characters. Some of them are just downright nasty, and get no sympathy for me, witch is why I don't enjoy it very much.
I have not seen any of the other films and/or shows, so I can't possibly comment on those.
I can't see how BBT is any worse then any other Sitcom in the same vain. I also can't see how it can offend anyone... it's a generalised and caricaturised depiction of geek culture, not a serious representation (though, seeing them get all worked up over other folks lack of understanding of their interests is very much the modus operandi at the "core" of geek culture).
Like all sitcoms, they aren't going to appeal to everyone (there is a noticeable divide between folks who like "Seinfeld" and those who like "friends", simply because the themes and characters of both shows don't have much overlap). I think folks need to check their insecurities before calling BBT (and most geek themed entertainment) as offensive.
Jeeze, it's like scoffing at Friends because of how Joey represents Italian Americans. They are CARICATURES. That is the case for ALL sitcoms.
EDIT: As others have said, TESTER is by far the worst offender. They cherry pick the most colourful of people and then edit the fuck out of their show to make them seem obsessive, bordering on the insane. This is the formula for most Reality TV shows, and we can all agree that when Reality TV is given a core theme, no one who it represents comes out looking good (see what people think of jersey as a result of jersey shore, or the British/Irish equivalents).
Like all sitcoms, they aren't going to appeal to everyone (there is a noticeable divide between folks who like "Seinfeld" and those who like "friends", simply because the themes and characters of both shows don't have much overlap). I think folks need to check their insecurities before calling BBT (and most geek themed entertainment) as offensive.
Jeeze, it's like scoffing at Friends because of how Joey represents Italian Americans. They are CARICATURES. That is the case for ALL sitcoms.
EDIT: As others have said, TESTER is by far the worst offender. They cherry pick the most colourful of people and then edit the fuck out of their show to make them seem obsessive, bordering on the insane. This is the formula for most Reality TV shows, and we can all agree that when Reality TV is given a core theme, no one who it represents comes out looking good (see what people think of jersey as a result of jersey shore, or the British/Irish equivalents).
I'm willing to give comedy a wide berth as far as being offended because, well, it's comedy and every decent piece of comedy offends someone. Every now and then BBT does something that crosses a line for me though. A great example is the very last scene of season 6 episode 6 (can't seem to find it on Youtube).gmaverick019 said:
Oh my stars, someone else on here that doesn't instantly crucify the Big Bang Theory and knows how to take a joke.Calibanbutcher said:
Thank you.
And yeah, "I hit it with my axe" was pretty shit.
Problem is it's a Chuck Lorre show, so then you know what you get. Laugh track out of this fucking world that drowns out everything else and keeps on going for ten seconds between the hilariously bad jokes which in TBBT is based around Penny: what is that geeky thing? Sheldon: It's a N64, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Penny: LOOK AT MY BOOBS THEY ARE MY CHARACTER!Calibanbutcher said:
Chuck Lorre cannot write female characters for shit, they are all there to show their tits and when they finally introduced someone written good, she got scrapped because, and I quote now "She was too hard to write for".
On The Big Bang Theory: The show is crap now, I agree, but in all honesty it wasn't always so bad. Yes it always used stereotypes, but that's because its a god damn comedy, it did it to be funny. In the beginning of the that show, they did it right, all the little details and references about video games and movies and stuff were completely accurate and I got some enjoyment out of that. But somewhere along the way they just started making shit up. I remember the first episode I saw that actually pissed me off had a scenario where Howard's girlfriend was mad at him because he made his WoW avatar have sex with another WoW avatar which you CAN'T FUCKING DO in WoW. So yea instead of having all their references to games be accurate and funny, they instead started making shit up to make "geeks" and the like seem like fucked up perverts.
Spike TV?
They have a few dedicated geek centric shows and they are awful. Deadliest Warrior and the VGA's may be a wee bit fun but I don't fool myself into thinking they're good.
If you hated attack of the show, or more relevantly X-Play, Then you would have despised GameTrailers on TV. GT on TV told me shit about anything featured on it because at 30 minutes the segments were too short. Also, I don't remember what games I'm thinking of but they had some extremely bad reviews on there.
They have a few dedicated geek centric shows and they are awful. Deadliest Warrior and the VGA's may be a wee bit fun but I don't fool myself into thinking they're good.
If you hated attack of the show, or more relevantly X-Play, Then you would have despised GameTrailers on TV. GT on TV told me shit about anything featured on it because at 30 minutes the segments were too short. Also, I don't remember what games I'm thinking of but they had some extremely bad reviews on there.
We did an experiment in my Communications class. The class was asked how many of them liked TBBT. Majority raised their hand. The prof then showed a clip from the show, but with a twist; the laugh track was removed.
No one laughed at a single thing. And I mean, NO ONE.
Honestly, I hold TBBT at the same low standard as Two and a Half Men.
No one laughed at a single thing. And I mean, NO ONE.
Honestly, I hold TBBT at the same low standard as Two and a Half Men.
I've never even heard of any of them aside from TBBT 0.0
Not a fan of it though - it's just not that funny. I'd watch it every now and again if I've nothing better to do but I by no means associate myself with any of the walking stereotypes in it.
I wouldn't conclude from it "The Big Bang Theory isn't funny" but more so "Laugh tracks are able to make people enjoy almost anything that's supposed to be funny", which is unfortunate since it means that writers don't try near as hard as they could.
Don't get me wrong, I still don't like TBBT - what I just said can't argue that it IS good but it could be if editors would stop using laugh tracks altogether.
Not a fan of it though - it's just not that funny. I'd watch it every now and again if I've nothing better to do but I by no means associate myself with any of the walking stereotypes in it.
I've seen a couple of those on Youtube as well but I don't think it's entirely fair to just rip the laugh track out and say "This is what it really is". If they opted to not use a laugh track in the first place, then jokes may not change all that much but the delivery certainly would. At the very least you wouldn't have all the awkward moments of them standing around staring at each other or at the floor until the "laughing" stopped.shadyh8er said:
I wouldn't conclude from it "The Big Bang Theory isn't funny" but more so "Laugh tracks are able to make people enjoy almost anything that's supposed to be funny", which is unfortunate since it means that writers don't try near as hard as they could.
Don't get me wrong, I still don't like TBBT - what I just said can't argue that it IS good but it could be if editors would stop using laugh tracks altogether.
Oddly enough I've never watched the IT crowd, seems like generic British comedy to me from the ads though.
The Big bang theory, is an abomination that should have been snuffed years ago.
Revenge of the nerds, was bad but it had its moments.
Hackers was a film made by people who had no idea how computers work, but it was hilarious because of that.
I liked attack of the show, it made me laugh sometimes. Except the last few years of it, they were just terrible
This thread makes me wanna stab someone, not sure why but it seems a huge offender for some reason.
OT: can someone send me a link of the strippers playing D&D, that sounds hilarious.
The Big bang theory, is an abomination that should have been snuffed years ago.
Revenge of the nerds, was bad but it had its moments.
Hackers was a film made by people who had no idea how computers work, but it was hilarious because of that.
I liked attack of the show, it made me laugh sometimes. Except the last few years of it, they were just terrible
This thread makes me wanna stab someone, not sure why but it seems a huge offender for some reason.
OT: can someone send me a link of the strippers playing D&D, that sounds hilarious.
I have watched every episode of TBBT to date. Some are funny, some are kind of awful.
They certainly do have a serious problem of misrepresenting the nerd/gamer/scientific community, such as the Warcraft episode. Also, why are the girl scientists not nerdy? Even Amy seems to look down on things like DnD and comic books.
What always bothered me was the fact that Leonard likes Penny, despite the fact that she is very much unlikable.
She constantly belittles him and the things he loves as nerdy and unimportant.
Is she nice? No. Almost never.
Smart? Bahahahah! No.
Sexy? I actually don't think so, even if she is painted that way.
He should have dumped her for Alex, the sexy scientist.
They certainly do have a serious problem of misrepresenting the nerd/gamer/scientific community, such as the Warcraft episode. Also, why are the girl scientists not nerdy? Even Amy seems to look down on things like DnD and comic books.
What always bothered me was the fact that Leonard likes Penny, despite the fact that she is very much unlikable.
She constantly belittles him and the things he loves as nerdy and unimportant.
Is she nice? No. Almost never.
Smart? Bahahahah! No.
Sexy? I actually don't think so, even if she is painted that way.
He should have dumped her for Alex, the sexy scientist.
I'm gonna say... King of the Nerds. Haven't actually watched it, but it strikes me as an even worse The Tester.
And, because this morphed into a pseudo-Big Bang Theory thread, I'm gonna throw my two cents in about that show.
I'm a fan of it. I watch it every week, it makes me laugh. I feel like people who find the show in some way offensive either haven't watched it, or are watching it with the predisposition that it will offend them. Yes, the characters are massive stereotypes. But that's what a sitcom is. Beyond that, many of the traits shown in these characters, and many of the jokes involving those traits, have been done time and again in other sitcoms. The only difference here is that they put a fairly-superficial coat of geek paint on top.
Also, the other three lady characters sort of counterbalance Penny, who I personally think is a better-written character now than she was at the series' genesis. Who was the character that got scrapped?
And, because this morphed into a pseudo-Big Bang Theory thread, I'm gonna throw my two cents in about that show.
I'm a fan of it. I watch it every week, it makes me laugh. I feel like people who find the show in some way offensive either haven't watched it, or are watching it with the predisposition that it will offend them. Yes, the characters are massive stereotypes. But that's what a sitcom is. Beyond that, many of the traits shown in these characters, and many of the jokes involving those traits, have been done time and again in other sitcoms. The only difference here is that they put a fairly-superficial coat of geek paint on top.
The Big Bang Theory uses a live audience, actually. Take that as you will. And everyone uses that goddamned N64 example. I wish that'd stop happening.TwiZtah said:
Also, the other three lady characters sort of counterbalance Penny, who I personally think is a better-written character now than she was at the series' genesis. Who was the character that got scrapped?
Here ya go. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe] 36 episodes. How did it even last that long? I tried watching it once when it was fairly new. It uh... wasn't... I didn't really want to finish the episode.Anti-American Eagle said:
Yes, TBBT uses a live audience, but they add a fuckton upon that live audience, you can hear this yourself because some laughs repeat exactly the same over several episodes but also because a guy on reddit had an AMA on it, gonna try to find it. The N64 example I used perfectly describes the "humor" in TBBT. Watch this and then come back and say that the jokes are good at all http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKS3MGriZcsThe_Echo said:
Bernadette is also used as cleavage material and Amy is a grab to extend the jokes of Sheldon, she has no character except as a female answer to Sheldon. The character I was talking about was the woman that worked on the university with the guys, don't remember her name.
The Big Bang Theory, because it's so popular and still ongoing. Some of that other stuff is technically worse, but it isn't all that much remembered by anyone outside of movie nerds.