Top 10 The Big Bang Theory Running Gags

I keep this around to proselytize whenever I see huge nerds who are fans of this show:

http://butmyopinionisright.tumblr.com/post/31079561065/the-problem-with-the-big-bang-theory

This guy has the same opinion I have about the show. I was the butt of enough jokes in high school, the victim of enough pranks, and was laughed at rather than with, entirely too much to want to watch that kind of behavior transferred into adulthood. The show tries to promote itself as "for nerds" while still portraying nerds as "outsiders" and generally perpetuating that it's still ok to treat us like dirt as adults because we're different. The show doesn't make nerd jokes, it makes nerd *references*, and the audience isn't supposed to get them. The "joke" is that Penny doesn't get the references made by everyone else, and that's what you're supposed to laugh at, and that's what the audience is supposed to relate to.

If you want good nerd humor, watch The IT Crowd, which has actual nerd humor, or Better Off Ted which is absolutely hilarious, but does it so intelligently that it's hard to follow for non-nerd folks. Watch Community, which takes nerd references to their extremes and laughs with them because of the reference, not laughing at it. Don't support this behavior from producers. Teaching people "oh yeah nerds are still good punching bags" isn't gonna help us.

/rant.
 
I've watched the IT Crowd. Well, a good portion of it. Is it funny? Yeah, it's funny. Is it as good as TBBT? Nope.
 
Reading that article...

"We aren’t laughing with Leonard, Sheldon, Raj and Howard. We’re laughing at them"

He acts as if 100% of the comedy is focused on laughing at them. Do I laugh at them during the show? Sure. There are many times where I understand something they don't. More often though, I'm not laughing at them.

Sure, the first couple seasons might have started off like that. But the show has evolved and Penny now understands a lot more. How the hell are we suppose to relate to Penny as much as you claim? She starts off as a borderline moron.
 
I find TBBT to be awkward at best, as Reeeechard describes it as a norm, and cruel at its worst. I am on Reechard's side. I grew up similar to him with usually being on the butt ends of the jokes. I always find myself laughing awkwardly =/ Its not as good as a show as people make it out to be
 
I find TBBT to be awkward at best, as Reeeechard describes it as a norm, and cruel at its worst. I am on Reechard's side. I grew up similar to him with usually being on the butt ends of the jokes. I always find myself laughing awkwardly =/ Its not as good as a show as people make it out to be

I've tried watching an episode or two at some point because people rave about it and there was nothing else on. I don't find it funny or good either... I thought it was lame, but could never really pinpoint why. The article above sheds light on why I don't like it. I bit the bullet here - watched the video and even the stuff in there... meh. Some of them aren't even "gags" at all, they're just crutches for a cheap laugh (a catch phrase != gag)

My own personal taste obviously has a lot to with it... but most times there's something that's supposed to be funny, my reaction is "meh".
 
Its not as good as a show as people make it out to be

It's BETTER. =D

It's all good, I don't expect it to be a show for everyone. My brother got me into IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh, so I thought TBBT would be right up his ally. He had the same feeling as you guys.

As for anyone who, as Vintage says, "watched an episode or two at some point", I'd say try the newest episodes. The first couple seasons feel very awkward because, well, the cast plays as awkward nerds who play games. But as the show continues, they are much better.
 
Sometime a few months back RadioShack struck a deal with the big bang theory to exclusively sell its merchandise. There are these generic chinese bobblehead style 8gb usb memory sticks dressed up to look like each of the people from this tv show. 3 months now, when people look at it they ask me what big bang is.

fast forward to black friday, end of the day. a pasty gangly teen boy with thick black framed glasses comes running in and says "am I too late? are there any big bang theory memory sticks left?!" I played it off like it was the most popular thing ever and he bought half of them. He is the ONLY person to date that has asked for these things, let alone purchased them.
 

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