A (Half-Hearted) Defence of The Big Bang Theory
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- ...Bazinga?
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Wisecrack - The Big Bang Theory, What Went Wrong? • The Big Bang Theory: W...
Wisecrack - Is Right Wing Comedy Funny? • Is Right Wing Comedy F...
Cheyenne Lin - • The Women of the Big B...
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:27 Wisecrack's thesis
3:35 Sheldon at the DMV
9:11 The point
11:14 Conclusion
#thebigbangtheory #videoessay #tbbt
The Big Bang Theory originally centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), both physicists at Caltech, who share an apartment; Penny (Kaley Cuoco), a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's similarly geeky and socially awkward friends and coworkers, aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar). Over time, supporting characters were promoted to starring roles, including neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), and comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman). - Zábava
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I know that TBBT isn't as funny as the writers of that show thought it was, but some of the jokes are real bangers. Like how Howard admitted that he banged hi cusin, and Raj making fun of him for it.
I enjoyed the show.
@@jobymanuel1353 the reality is if you want to, you can come to any conclusion you desire, if you word it it anyway you want too. did the show had continuity of character more than anything else? did it have character development?
You can admit government bureaucracies are far from perfect, then in England you have plenty of those so it would come from experience. Hopefullt NIH Is run well like the DMV Actually is there just usually overwhelmed.
@@carlosrivas1629 that is the interesting thing about most sitcoms : Due to casting errors , it will have many disconnected points of growth . Even religious books have this same problem.
My favorite bit in the big bang theory is when they do science and Raj says "let's buckle down and work" then they just stare at white board while Eye of the Tiger plays.
Mine too!
I can't get enough of the exuberance of the Leonard Nimoy gift.
"With a healthy ovum, I could grow my own Leonard Nimoy!"
"I'm only giving you the napkin."
I agree
Yes
I saw that when I was in my first year of grad school, and it was so relatable to my experience. I think it was one of the best representations of STEM in the show.
The dmv scene is actually even more funny if you’ve ever taken the written drivers test in Southern California, because in reality, every single question is unintentionally a trick question because they’re all so badly worded. Sheldon’s explanation to the DMV clerk is probably a more scientifically worded conversation that everyone taking that test has at least had internally when reading the questions on that test. There are questions about stoping without stopping, coasting without breaking, looking left while turning right, and oh so much more. Sheldon’s confusion is a bit more focused than most, but it is right up the same alley as what we’ve all felt.
Useful context - thanks for adding it!
Exactly. There are two questions about which direction your tires should face when you park on the right side of the hill, one referencing the curb on the left side and one referencing the curb on the right (the curb you theoretically parked on). Now why the fuck does it matter which direction my tires are facing from the OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE STREET!!!!! I had to pay for my test twice because of that stupid shitty question
Oh that i appreciate.
I'm not at all from the US, but yes, written driving exams are horrendous around the world at clarifying what exactly is the point of their questions, or even formulating them as something that you could reasonably call a question.
Literally failed mine at least once specifically because I guessed wrong on wtf their question was even trying to ask, or because it straight up contradicted itself.
Dude you're so right though
Media literacy is so freaking bad on social media. The joke was that Sheldon is very awkward in social situations and uses his knowledge to navigate the situations. The humor comes from the absurd situation of her lying with a wrecked shoulder, naked in the shower while he is talking about science. The reference is just a tool to show that.
Wow… hilarious 🙄
@@gregbors8364 It's not funny at all if you examine the joke.
It's just a joke about how she is lying there in pain. A normal human would maybe ask a dumb question like "are you okay?"
Sheldon opines about adhesive duck stickers for the bathroom.
@@kinyutaka Sorry, this video popped up in my recommendations so I thought I’d take a peek at it even though I don’t like the show. I shouldn’t have commented. This show has its fans and it’s not my place to judge
@@gregbors8364 I can totally get that it isn't for everyone.
@@gregbors8364 The point isn't to make it funny for everyone, but to analyze that It isn't the single least funny TV series ever,as the internet might lead you to believe.
Here's the thing about The Big Bang Theory: It WAS responsible for mainstreaming a lot of nerd culture elements during the late 2000s pre-MCU/superhero boom. Especially with all the cameo appearances from various stars. So call it the geeky equivalent of Will and Grace or Glee in retrospect.
What exactly is Will and Grace responsible for turning mainstream?
Considering our current state of affairs I fail to see this as a positive.
Totally agree. Here’s a show that lasted for 12 seasons, ended as the most watched scripted show, and arguably played a comparable role to Game Of Throne and The MCU in turning nerd culture into mainstream culture, and yet it’s generally hated by its own target demographic. As both a nerd and someone who watched the show, I have say that it is no way the abomination that some corners of the internet treat it as, and I feel that the big criticisms basically stem from the show doing what you could call “nerd face”, depicting sometimes exaggerated forms of nerd culture for the non-nerd characters and the audience to get laughs out of.
Is it, though? It's credited with as much, but did it really have *that* much of an impact? It came out a year before Iron Man and definitely wasn't a hit in its first year (ranked 68th, didn't really pop off until 3rd season). The MCU did way more than BBT. It's a paint by numbers sitcom that makes fun of nerds way more than it actually props them up while also having some really creepy f'n characters.
@@HOTD108_ the will and grace and glee things were referencing cameos. Will and grace often had famous gay characters on it (I assume from context) and glee likely had cameos from famous singers. (Haven’t seen that either)
I would also argue that the joke isn’t usually the fact that "they’re talking about smart things, which means they’re dweebs.” Not to say there are never any empty jokes/references, or jokes just to point out the nerds’ social inadequacies, because there’s definitely more of that than there should be. But the joke is more often the fact that the characters are over-analyzing and overthinking situations and scenarios that don’t necessarily call for such complications, and/or the fact that they’re doing this to people who 100% don’t understand/don’t care about their analyses. It’s not Shakespeare, but it‘s a mostly cute and pretty inoffensive style of humor.
Exactly
Bazinga. The joke is more often that they aren't applying normie "common sense" or have missed a social rule or signal that the average neurotypical non-nerd takes utterly for granted.
Scientists often have trouble explaining things in layman terms, it's very parallel to that.
It's also something that many successful standup careers have been built on - take something relatively mundane that people rarely question, and analyse it in order to draw out the inherent absurdities
Literally what the video says but ok
The Big Bang Theory is the Nickelback of TV where people think performatively overhating an easy target makes them appear smart and cultured. They become more obnoxious than the content itself.
They also have to explain why such a hated show won so many Emmys. Or garner millions of viewers
Same with Twilight
@@benwasserman8223 Why? Popularity doesn't equal quality, especiallyyyyy with meaningless awards. This seems to be the only thing BBT lovers lean on when saying it's good which is pretty flimsy to me. Plenty of dogshit shows, music, and movies are popular... they're still dogshit.
@@benwasserman8223 I've talked to plenty of people who like this show, and the invariable response when they find out that you don't like it is that you just don't get the smart references. I've seen similar reactions from _Rick and Morty_ fans. There are just some shows that are like that in this world.
That might be true if either example were redeemable in anyway.
Sometimes people are just right and the fans of the show either have poor taste or a stunted sense of humor.
The first 5 seasons of the show are actually quite clever and funny. My only issue with it was that the writers seemed to have a deep seated dislike of nerds and nerd culture, and so the show always struck me as inherently mean spirited.
"If you don't like your audience, then why are you making something for them?"
---- Reasonable people everywhere
I dont know if I caught on to the deep seated dislike of nerds, but they were pretty on the surface homophobic and is my main annoyance when rewatching.
@@lucaleone4331 that too. Plus the way they treated ethnic minorities on the show was often not very positive. Both Raj and Howard embody numerous very negative stereotypes regarding Indian and Jewish people.
This was always my take. The show is for "normal" people, to make fun of the nerds, geeks, and fandoms. It's not a show for those people. Anyone actually interested in any "nerd" things, science, or niche hobbies is insulted by the show.
You're telling me ethnic minorities are not excluded by humour my god what a drama!!!!
While it's true that a lot of the jokes can be summed up as "he made an obscure science or pop culture reference isn't that dumb?", most of the time the joke is that the characters (mostly Sheldon) make those references at the most inappropiate times. The DMV scene for example can be interpreted as Sheldon being really pedantic in a situation that doesn't call for it.
RIght; but then that also means the comedy follows a specific formula for the most part without much variance, and that in and of itself, neuters the impact or ingenuity of the joke overtime, especially if the comedy is unable to find inventive ways to tell the same joke, which BBT can be criticized for being unable to in a sufficient fashion
@@sonicsenryaku6205 Sure, but that's not what people generally criticize it for (and that's what the video is in response to)
@@user-es7ui5mc1m The general criticism around BBT is an amalgamation of a bunch of things; what I mentioned is in fact a general talking point of the show's failures at comedy. The video isn't in response to the "general criticism" of the show, but moreso WiseCrack's critique of its comedy structure. PoG attempts to disprove WiseCrack's thesis of the show's humor to support his claim that BBT has functional jokes, which therefore gives it a reason to be enjoyed by others even if it's not "the best comedy out there." And yes, while there are groups of people who feel the way WiseCrack do/did, their criticism is one of many of the general critiques this show receives
But that’s still not funny unless you think a common autistic trait is worth making fun of …
@@hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195 If you don't think unexpected/inappropriate behavior is funny then there most likely is almost nothing you find funny. Subverting expectations is the core principle of humour. That's why a lot of stuff autistic people do is extremely funny. But that doesn't mean you have to make fun of THEM. There's a difference.
I watched the big bang theory when I was in my mid 20s, single, lived alone, and worked a lot. It was comfort TV. The group reminded me of my friends (a lot!) and being a single nerd and dating a lot I found the show cathartic and education - mostly on how NOT to be as a nerdy single guy. I don't think its a great show, but it was fine and comforting the way, well the way most sitcoms are. Though I did always wonder who the show was for... it felt too nerdy to be for non-nerdy people, too anti-nerd to really be for nerds, too liberal to be for conservatives and yet too conservative to be for liberals. It both made feminist statements whilst could also be misogynistic, it said racist things whilst also lifted up marginalized cultures. It was weird. It wasn't until I realized that it treated everyone with the same kind of respect (ie. anyone can be loved and made fun of) that I understood why it worked. It felt quite real to the kind of life I lived and the experiences I had and saw in the world. Yes, there are nerds who are misogynistic assholes and the show represented this, who can't talk to women, and who can only share their thoughts through nerdy references and the show taught how to change that and be a healthy human whilst still enjoying nerd things. Yes it praised nerd culture, but it also showed why this special interest can be just as goofy as sports fandoms to people who don't understand it. Yes, it dived into science jokes that do work (As this video explains) but it reminded us that these terms mean nothing to people who don't understand them. It did both things and I think this is why it was so detested by a lot of people who felt themselves the butt of the joke -- which I can understand, but again having watched all of it, nerds weren't always butt of the joke. They were quite respected a lot in the show too - I don't think Will Wheaton (prince of nerds) would have consistently come on the show if he truly felt it made fun of nerds.
I do think this show has the hate it has because it won so many awards, ran for a LONG time, and was continually so popular, whilst other nerd shows like Community failed. I go back to BBT every now and then and still find comfort in it. The characters remind me of my friends (and more importantly the growth of my friends as we matured - along with the characters) and relationships feel oddly real, and the situations are also quite real and perhaps this is the key to its success.
Where Community is a fantasized version of what Nerds wish life was like and believed ourselves to be, BBT shows how life is and often how are can come across to non-nerds: both the good and the bad. (and I can understand why a nerd wouldn't want those realities retold on a TV show -we'd want to escape into the world of Community instead.) I learned a lot from big bang theory and, like the characters, I've grown a lot. Season 1 is very different from later seasons. The characters change, become kinder, warmer, nicer, still nerdy but they mature and I feel like I and my friend group has too. Anyway, I get why people don't like the show and thats fine. But since watching it in full Ive had a comforting connection to it that will always hold a special place in my heart.
Same thing. Watched it in my early to mid 20s. Reminded me a lot of my friend circle although we were a good bit more socially calibrated. But it was relatable enough.
Thing I love most about BBT is a thing most people hate about it. Usually, first criticism i hear about show is that in later seasons it changes and becomes too much about interpersonal relations. But, as you said, it is nice depiction of character development. They start out socially inept, awkward and geeky. But they get older, more mature, develop social calibration, find love, form families and in the same time, they keep that inner geek. Just like my friend group. Yes, we are still geeks in our mid 30s to early 40s. But most of us are married, have kids and we are now mature adults. But we still play D&D, 40k, video games and such, just lot less since we have more responsibilities.
In most other sitcoms, characters don't really change. They are pretty static throughout the whole show.
#Community is where 4chan's #NPC meme came from . It also had a unfortunate obsession with turning every Asian character into a villain .
If truth where a comment on youtube, this would be the best example of how truth looks like. ❤
@@Mikewee777 I don't think the Asian thing was the intention. Especially since Chang went back to being a protagonist
TBBT never got the credit it deserved for its portrayal of bullying.
Yes, the show portrayed the stereotype of the smart kids getting bullied by the bigger jocks. But one of my favorite scenes involved Penny calling out the guys for bullying Zack, a dim but good-natured pretty boy who genuinely wanted to hang out with the Science Guys.
Penny’s harsh words to the guys made everyone realize that you don’t need to be a muscular jock to be a bully and they had misjudged Zack just as much as they had been misjudged in their lives.
I've never watched it before, and my partner convinced me to give it a shot. I always deemed sitcoms boring and stupid for some reason. But it really hooked me. Currently at S10, can't give it a stop. Tbh, character development did catch me here, it somehow stays slow-paced enough for a long-running tv show, but also not too self repetitive to become tedious, probably really close to a real life dynamics. Main characters may be in some regard too far fetched for a real people, but they remind me a lot of my childhood friends thus making it easier to empathize. And i really love the cultural imprint reflected on the show and how it has evolved over the years. It may been a show for my parents, but i found in it a time capsule of my childhood years, and i adore it in all it's silliness. Can't say it's a great show, but i will certainly treasure it.
yeah i watched the whole show and for the most part really enjoyed it
That's the thing right: Everyone complains about the show. But everyone I watch reacting to it, absolutely loves it and feels sad when it's over because it's just a nice good sitcom and we know we won't have more of these.
To me, TBBT is the last time a huge hit like Friends will every happen on TV since Sitcoms with laugh and audience is dead.
That last joke with Sheldon and the diet coke did get me to to breath out if my nose a little harder and made my face contort in a way traditionally described as "smiling".
And it disproves Wisecrack's thesis as well. Sheldon asked for a "diet coke," Penny told him to ask for a cocktail, so he rephrases his request to technically be a cocktail, but he's ultimately asking for the same thing. It wasn't a nerdy reference; a bit of a niche reference maybe because I've never heard of a Cuba Libre, but Penny knows what he's talking about so the obscure reference is not the humor. The humor is that he creates a loophole in her request, frustrating her. A lot of people say that comedy is based on misery, and the misery here is Penny's frustration at Sheldon doing what she asks without doing what she asks.
your comment accurately describes my reaction to said comment
I went from quite liking big bang theory as a teenager to quickly hopping on the 'big bang theory is the worst show imaginable' bandwagon. I recently rewatched it after years expecting empty references and was surprised as how layered and funny some of the jokes were. Not groundbreaking comedy gold but fairly entertaining light TV.
I think the hate for the Big Bang Theory shows what sheep so many people on the internet are and how they ignore everything that isn’t confirmation bias. The big bang theory wasn’t bad, some seasons are better than others.
As somebody who's nerdy but not socially paralyzed, I find Sheldon's thinking adapting to the world insanely funny and on point.
My biggest issue was that the writers never felt like nerds to me. I never saw a joke you couldn't make after googling it. I'd had liked a more obscure pop culture joke now and again. Like a Hoolovoo or Deeter or the Nimon.
I actually really like the show and even still rewatch it regularly. But this is actually a really, REALLY good point
There is one reference joke I genuinly appreciated. At some point in the first season, someone (I think it was Leonard) was doing some weird chemical experiment, and when asked what this was about, he sarcastically answered "I am doing my Rachni research".
A Mass Effect joke. A single one. I don't think they ever again referenced the game series, and while Mass Effect is a prety famous game saga, I wouldn't call it mainstream at all. Anyone who isn't into "nerd shit" will know what Superman, Star Wars or the Hulk are. But Rachni? A background race from some video game series that has like 2 appearances in it? That felt slightly more "inside", so to speak.
But yeah, that is one lame joke among a dozen seasons. Still liked it's existence
To my mind, they were making fun of geeks, from a "what stupid people think smart people are like" point of view.
@@xtsdagger6956 That was exactly how I felt about it. Making fun of nerds, and also making fun of people on the autistic spectrum.
That last example sounds kinda horny...
While there is a lot to criticize about TBBT, I think that the delivery/execution of their humor is one of the better qualities of the show
Pop Culture Detective is totally right to call out the misogyny and interpersonal toxicity of the main characters throughout the show, in their smart and perceptive videos on it; but I'll happily admit that BBT is not the worst sitcom ever created. Good vid 👍
Agreed
I have a hard time seeing how the show is misoginistic. Sure, they do sexist jokes here and there, but they always show they don't have to be taken seriously. It's like having a french friend and making jokes about frogs and cheese, it's fun to taunt them, but everyone knows you don't believe the unplausible stereotypes you spout. On the other hand, it's one of the only shows I've seen where the female characters make more than their husband/boyfriend and it's shown to be ok. They also put forward things like the role of fathers when raising children, etc.
@@GothPaoki I never mentioned BuzzFeed, I was referring to a CZcams video by the channel Pop Culture Detective. You should check them out, they're really very good 🙂
@@GothPaoki Are you strifing to be the textbook definition of intellectual dishonesty? You say PCD wasn't right (at least that's what I'd assume your first sentence is referencing), yet you clearly haven't watched the PCD videos on the subject, otherwise you'd know that the ridicule against the main characters is a major part of the entire ecosystem of crap.
The show itself calls out the misogyny and interpersonal toxicity of the main characters in the show. It’s only when they figure out how to tone it down that they experience success in their personal lives.
Two things
1. My father watches the Big Bang Theory and I admit I used to always watch it too, he also watches 2 broke girls and two and a half men. I use to watch these these shows when I was younger but overtime I just stop watching, nothing particular I just wasn’t really a big fan of the shows themselves anymore.
You’ve helped me realize something, comedy doesn’t have to well written or particularly clever. It can just be for dumb laughs and giggles and that’s fine, comedy sitcoms can just be junk food.
2. I really love your channel and the unique way in how you approach topics with either
A) topics that really haven’t been discussed much before.
Or
B)you bring a new side to a topic that you’re discussing that not many bring up.
I don't mind dumb humor sometimes, but I honestly don't get what is supposed to be funny about _The Big Bang Theory._ I've seen a couple of episodes, and bits and pieces of enough to make one or two more, and I literally only ever heard one thing that I thought was funny: when Penny was getting upset at not getting something that Sheldon was trying to teach her, and he said something to the effect of "you not getting it isn't sad, the fact that people can't get something so obvious is what is sad." A few years ago, a coworker had a calendar that had quotes from the show, and that's the only quote that I ever saw that I thought was even mildly amusing. Admittedly, there's not really much of anything produced by Chuck Lorre that I do like (the only character I ever liked on _Two and a Half Men,_ which my then-wife insisted on watching was Bertha, and I liked the episode or two of _Mike and Molly_ I saw, but not enough to want to watch it regularly), but I really, honestly do not understand what is supposed to be funny about this show.
100% agreed, I've seen so many people even get aggressive, sometimes attacking me personally, because they're on their holier than thou throne, an honor granted by the University of Reddit®, because they only read the finest scriptures in their original forms in their free time, with a monocle, overpriced neat bourbon and a massive whiff of superiority of course. Dick jokes are funny, I enjoyed the hell out of 2 Broke Girls (and TBBT), I don't get why people always have to feel superior even with entertainment, something made for the main purpose of switching off your brain for a while, the activity literally the furthest away from an IQ contest
Well put on the “junk food “ comment. I think on a show like this, you just end up enjoying watching them live their lives versus waiting for them to make you bust out laughing.
Seriously, we need more level headed CZcamsrs like you. Someone who calls out excessive criticism of media and brings to light that so many content creators overreact or unnecessarily doubles down on being critical to ride online opinions.
I have fond memories of TBBT's first 2 seasons because I watched them with my post-grad friends. It's a show we watched together to bond. I personally grew weary of it and I didn't watch it anymore when I graduated from my masters and parted ways with my friends. But it definitely has its funny moments for me. I get why it's popular back then. And I also get why it's hated by some. But it's not the worst show out there. And it's not as offensive as some might make it out to be.
have you considered giving it a ye olde rewatch? I tried to get into it after I scored a 6 month amazon prime trial, I hated the beginning, it was so incredibly awkward and the characters hadn't really found their place yet (writing-wise). I've found that over the seasons, as things settle down, I got less annoyed at Sheldon, which was a major sticking point for me, and really enjoyed the chemistry between the actors, the finale was a happy/sad mix as the show and its cast had pretty much nested themselves into my daily life by then
Just as I'm watching the episode where Sheldon is trying to scientifically understand humor, Pillar of Garbage uploads a video in an attempt to defend the humor that conceptually sustains Sheldon's universe... out of all humors, Irony is the best.
Irony is not coincidence.
@r0bw00d Ooooh calling me out. Well this is the internet and I suppose it is my obligation to retaliate.
Whilst you would be right that my rewatching of an episode of Big Bang Theory that tries to dissect humor, happens to coincide with a CZcamsr I'm subscribed to uploading a video about Big Bang Theory's humor, isn't necessarily ironic, the following statement is:
Many could say that there's no point in Sheldon trying to understand humor because his universe is built on bad humor, therefore he will never see humor as a whole, or "good humor", however, because Pillar of Garbage uploaded a video defending the Humor of the Big Bang Theory sitcom (Sheldon's universe) it gives his universe new meaning to me (the veiwer) _which is ironic._ Especially because Sheldon's universe is designed to be observed.
@@StoryGameArtist Irony isn't new meaning, either.
My favorite of all the Humors is yellow bile.
I'd like to see a side by side of Sheldon, vs some of the artificial life characters on sci-fi shows with trying to understand jokes. Although I'm human and also don't understand a lot of jokes, but laugh more at references, so I feel like some of the show is laughing at me.
Also I've always felt that a lot of the bigotry that the show has been criticised for could also have been lobbied at a lot of other sitcoms at the time. Not that it excuses how valid a critique it is towards The Big Bang Theory but many make these critiques as if it was the sole perpetrator of these insensitive jokes.
Yeah I think this is pretty true also
I also think that the bigotry kinda shows a dark side of nerd culture. Especially nerd culture on the 90s and early 2000s. Just like the misogyny does.
@@ChristofferAndersson Oh definitely. It's true that The Big Bang Theory was guilty of nerd-centric bigotry which has rightfully been called out.
Instead of making things up like bigotry i suggest you make an effort and actually hear what the creators have to say about nerd culture and the show. Nowadays it seems everything is offensive..
I think the big bang theory isn't necessarily the worst show but it is the most hatable, partially cause of its quality and the messages it conveys but also because of how goddamn popular it was
What messages?
The message of what that two very different people could have a functional relationship, Penny isn't out of Leonards league she just isn't someone he could have long intelligent conversations with
@@themarsman5155 I was more referring to the rampant misogyny baked into the show but sure whatever you say
Sure because it was easy to guess that, okay so have seen two opposites attract because I highly doubt it. What was the misogyny in the show
@@themarsman5155 there’s a great video by Pop Culture Detective that goes in detail if you’re genuinely interested.
I’m mad at you for showing me a clip of the Big Bang Theory that actually elicited a hearty chuckle out of me (the Diet Coke joke)
There are a lot of jokes in this show that are pretty smart and funny (not the ones about science or nerd culture but yeah)
@@zyaicobMost of the "science/nerd culture" jokes are more about how outsiders react to such referejces
@@lyokianhitchhiker because they're written by said outsiders at the expense of the scientists and nerds. They fail at 2 jobs simultaneously
I didn’t know this show was so hated. I really like it
It's not really heated. Social media doesn't really represent the real world.
@@sabinea3144 yea it makes opinions or thoughts that wouldn’t be usually expressed to the extent that it is on here really really evident. Both a blessing and a curse
Given how many viewers it had, I don’t think it was really that hated. There’s just a lot of people going “look at me, I dislike the bad thing” by people in specific internet circles that makes it seem disliked. Was it brilliant? No, not really. But, I think people get far too far into the weeds trying to find reasons to criticise the show.
@brendanfoster5320 it's hilarious because for such self-declarrd smart people (mostly cheerio dust-covered reddit warriors), well you'd think they'd have a grasp on basic concepts like entertainment not being a smartypants competition, but instead being for relaxation and dumb jokes, to settle down and not require solving field equations to understand a joke. Funny how that so closely resembles one of the main characters of the show, specifically the one that can't have fun and also usually ruins it for everyone else.
Honestly, I think the media criticism scene needs more half-hearted defences. Devil's advocate isn't a useful tool in many situations, but this is one of them,I think.
I like this stance. Half-hearted defenses are nice, like the half hearted defense of Fifty Shades of Gray
You're fast becoming one of my favourite youtubers. Keep up the great work my dude.
Thank you :D
I thought with the DMV scene, it wasn't Sheldon that was so funny, it was the clerk's reaction to him.
True story two years ago I ended up in a psych hospital and as it was the height of covid we couldn’t really do much but watch tv in our free time. For the most part it was on tbs which basically only shows big bang. It was ten o clock I was wearing comfy clothes and grippy socks and eating cereal while watching and quite enjoying the show. My watching habits at the time was mostly drama and oddball creative sci-fi. It was soothing to just turn my brain off and watch the show. If I liked it I could tune in with little effort if I didn’t I’d zone out. It was enjoyable and I think in revisiting the show sense I’ve realized it’s quite good at being itself. It not trying to be anything other than a prime time sitcom to zone into while decompressing and eating cereal.
A good test to see if a Big Bang Theory joke is actually bad is "would you still be complaining if Abed said this line in Community" both the DMV and diet coke scenes could play word per word and feel clever enough for that moment.
I've tried watching a few times, never was able to actually enjoy it because... well it's a bad show. But there's a reason it's the 4th highest grossing tv show of all time.
But to be clear, Abed absolutely shits on Sheldon
Pop Culture Detective probably did the best criticism of tbbt, because they actually pointed out the genuine problems that the show had rather than just the typical “this show is bad and unfunny”. I think it should really just be considered one of those sitcoms that’s easy to watch. It’s not deep or anything, it’s just something you watch when you want to switch your brain off and listen to familiar characters say familiar jokes. Even though I do get annoyed at a lot of the problems in tbbt’s writing, I can never bring myself to actually hate it because I just don’t think the show is deep enough to warrant any kind of strong reaction to it.
The one thing I will say, though, is that the specific episode “The Scavenger Vortex” is probably the one episode I can safely say is a genuinely good episode of a TV show. Like… if I were to ever review tbbt I would most definitely use that episode as an example of when the show is actually entertaining and fun to watch, not least of all because the dynamics between the characters explored in it were unparalleled by any other episode. It doesn’t really have much to do with what you’re saying, but I agree that tbbt doesn’t fully deserve the label of “worst tv show ever made” because there are actually some great moments, jokes and even full episodes that debunk this claim.
Pcds critique was like it was made in cop with buzzfeed. It's simply ridiculous
I never knew people thought The Big Bang Theory was so bad. I absolutely love it. Just like Friends, it is my go to comfort show.
I always enjoyed Amy and Shelton’s relationship. It was nice to see a romantic relationship on TV where two people loved each other but that relationship was mostly asexual (I know they did eventually bang).
Oh they BIG banged… I’m sorry I’ll see myself out
They big banged
It's not a bad show. It's mildly amusing. It has it's moments.
I really appreciate your channel because you bring the exact same level of critique and analysis as any other good video essayist, but don't always focus on tearing something down. A lot of my favorite channels do a very good job, but it's always seeing what went wrong or why something was a bad idea. That's good and useful, but it's very nice to have some positivity sometimes. Thanks for the vid!
My word a sit com being hyperbolic? That's insane.
*Miranda Priestly voice.* A sitcom? Being hyperbolic? groundbreaking.
great video, and honestly I used to enjoy watching big ban theory and have good memories of the show, I always thought the internets attitude of acting like it's the worst show ever made was just a bandwagon a lot of people jumped on to fell smarter and make fun of out of context clips :P
Great points!
I found pop culture detective’s essay on TBBT points out the problems I have with the show. Specifically misogyny, homophobia, racism, and transphobia. Imo, the show’s potential and the good performances of the cast were undermined by propagating all the usual bigoted viewpoints of society framed within the “adorkable” subculture of nerdiness. And there are some solid jokes in there being overshadowed by the relentless “making fun of each other for whatever perceived unmanliness” tropes.
True, I think that video was a way more solid critique of the show. Its definitely not the worst show I've seen, but it was full of that kind of "humor" so its never appealed to me when I gave it a shot
Yeah, the Cheyenne Lin and Pop culture detective videos are really good on TBBT in terms of going into how deeply embedded the misogyny is in the show and how fundamental it is to almost every aspect and so much of the 'humour' (not that the show is that funny anyway and is also pretty racist and offensive in a lot of ways and is very heteronormative, mean-spirited and pretty uncomfortable to watch in terms of how it tries to half-heartedly deal with more serious moments.)
What? All those "problems" you named have nothing wrong with them
You don't think that there's anything wrong with sexism and racist and/or homophobic 'jokes' and plotlines?
@@heatherstephenson3559 they're being purposely obtuse for the sake of trolling. Leave them to try and defend bigotry to themselves. Its clear whats wrong with all of these things, so this person is just being an edgelord. And a very uncreative one at that
I always thought this show got a bad rap and I stuck with it for well into the 7th or 8th season because my parents liked it and even back when I was just starting to decide it wasn't for me anymore, I thought the Wisecrack video was a bit much. The show was just a bit too mean spirited for me and I felt really bad for Raj and most of the side characters really.
Also, Young Sheldon is actually very good and I will die on this hill.
Well yeah TBBT’s issue wasn’t that it was never funny. It’s that the show went on for too long and all the classic comedic bits petered out. What changed was how the geek culture landscape evolved around the show.
I also like Young Sheldon. I do think it has its flaws, especially in later seasons, but mostly I think it's quite good.
I feel bad for people missing out on Young Sheldon because they didn’t like TBBT. Same universe, but couldn’t be more different. I really enjoy it.
I'm from Spain and I was surprised when I learned some people thought this show was bad in other countries
the big bang theory is ok. I feel like 99% of the criticism of the show is in reference to sheldon's character as if either he's the only or main character, or as if all the other characters act the same way he does. Sheldon is really the only character whose humor is based entirely around references, which is on purpose because Sheldon's characterization is not only that he's socially awkward but he's kind of a douchebag who needs everyone to know how smart he is (the other character do it sometimes but not nearly as much). he's also the only character that is routinely mocked for being a nerd. All of the other characters are generally functioning normal adults who happen to be nerdy and no one really cares most of the time. They get ridiculed sometimes but its not "because they are nerds". Also the show has alot of genuinely sweet and funny moments. it's not perfect, I hate Howard and Raj for example, but this show is no worse than anything else that's been on TV. i've always found the hate pretty curious
It’s a guilty pleasure show for me. It’s dumb but it makes me laugh and for something with its reputation it’s a lot funnier than one would presume. I find it humorous but I won’t be jumping to its defence.
me 2
The only essay I found good on this show is pop culture detective to me, mainly becuase it went beyond this show was unfunny? It actually analyses it charcters and their relationships
This show is such a huge part of my childhood, I get why people hate it, but I love it more than a lot of other shows I've seen
I think it's popular to hate on the Big Bang Theory, but there are easily dozens of sitcoms that are much, much worse. To its credit, BBT has genuinely made me chuckle on occasion, which is more than I can say for shows like King of Queens and Two Broke Girls. (I particularly like Amy Farrah Fowler!)
I'd argue the show's humor was much more character-driven than many critics have given it credit for, so it wasn't just "any ol' character just said a funny science thing that was funny because it was a science thing." Much of the humor can arguably be interpreted as either "laugh at the nerds" or "laugh sympathetically with the nerds" depending on your perspective, and of course people rightly and legitimately object to the former. I think it's entirely true that the show was often mean-spirited, sexist, and (in retrospect) backwards/problematic in its handling of assorted social issues, though, and thus has not aged well in those respects.
I still think it's a fantastic show. It's easily one of the best sitcoms ever and it's just a good thing to leave on. After a while the characters become really lovable, I've never understood the hatred for it.
People think TBBT having difference in characters is mean. The woke people literally hate diversity of character we must all be equally average on emotion, brains, politics. Instead we get Raj who embraces art and drama, Sheldon who hates it, Leanard who lacks most skills to do art, Penny who due to no education can't even notice art, this is range of difference that does exist in real life. But to show this on TV is seen as mean . . . But the show is a diverse group getting along, and stronger for having differences. Plus show let's the asian be very Asian, the jew very Jewish, it doesn't makee them act like middleincomewhite as 99% of tv characters do... Sorry to ramble but these are great characters and great actors, to give show hate is so weird, it's so umAmerican to hate difference....
Yeah, I think you're right. I freaking hate TBBT, but mostly because of the misogyny 😂 If I'm honest with myself, it has funny moments once in a while, specially with Leonard, Sheldon and Penny and actually wholesome moments between Penny and Sheldon.
Perhaps we've been treating TBBT too harshly.
I always thought that Sheldon was the only one of that group I'd ever want to spend time with. Example is when Penny gives him the napkin with the signiture on and he appreciates it's value so highly he sees every gift he had bought as contingencies incase his first gift wasn't correct still not adding up to the thought and value of that napkin. He is ment to be the least "normal" of the group yet shows the greatest humanity.
My problems with TBB were the misogynistic tones and enabling. For example, Penny apologizing to Howard for rightfully calling him out for his creepy behavior. Also, I felt the jokes tore down their own characters, especially the ones about Raj’s fluidity with non-traditional tastes.
As someone who never liked the show I can say now that I'm a little less of an angry nerd some of the jokes are funny. It's never made me belly laugh but I do get a good chuckle from some clips I see. Also I was surprised as I saw clips.from later seasons how much better the characters became as friends compared to when they were sitcom friends who didn't seem to like or respect each other
I think I adore the “Adorkable Misogyny” video essay more than I ever liked or appreciated The Big Bang Theory as a show
I love the show, its pleasant, has good long term storylines, likeable characters, and good for a couple chuckles.
I had no clue that The Big Bang Theory had a bad reputation. I think the show is genuinely funny.
What's interesting is that people attack it for having a laugh track, but the entire reason why it has one probably has to do with TV's requirement for episodes to be 19+ minutes. In order to fill in what is otherwise awkward silence that shouldn't need to exist, they put in a laugh track so that people don't get bored. If 19+ minutes weren't a requirement, then perhaps it wouldn't need a laugh track to extend the time.
Honestly I used to love this show and yes, it got pretty bad as time went on... but that doesn't mean there weren't ANY good jokes or plotlines in it. I personally love that DMV joke of Sheldon's because he IS absolutely right and as someone who likes to get things exactly right, I completely relate to him there (though I wouldn't have made a stink about it hah). It just should've been cancelled after a few seasons and not dragged out so badly
Personally, TBBT is the only show that I enjoy watching, and end up asking for moreafter every episode. I understood most of the references, and I learnt quite a lot too.
This may be a hot take online, but in all honesty, big bang theory is a pretty good show. The writing isn't as dull as people make it out to be, and has some pretty solid jokes, most of which won't land out of context like the breakdown videos portray them. Over everything else, it's a comedy, and comedies are outlandish to a degree. Yeah the characters exhibit some negative personality traits, and some things may not have aged well, but overall the show is good for what it is... a sitcom
Honestly, I love this show. These days the misogyny in it hits hard but overall this show is great. It was a show I watched when I was a teenager when I acted and felt exactly like Sheldon. I needed this show growing up as the nerdy kid who felt like no one would ever like him. I needed something in pop culture to show me that it's okay to like nerdy things and you can still be happy. Yes it may not be the greatest show ever. But it's not terrible.
I feel like in general Wisecrack has ideas they want to talk about and just uses pop culture as a jumping off point for that. Sometimes that works well as a piece of media analysis, sometimes it's more of a stretch (or only a discussion of one limited aspect of the work in question); in any event, media analysis per se doesn't always seem like the primary goal. I definitely enjoy them for what they do, but they have a rather specific niche.
I agree! Most people hate it because it's a meme. I used to watch the early seasons in the same way people rewatch friends. It's just low stakes but entertaining show that does have funny bits actually.
I honestly only still care about it because of Young Sheldon and wanting to see why Sheldon ended up so effed up in TBBT.
I'm not sure you should be describing an obviously ASD character as "effed up".
I have ASD, I know people with ASD. Some of us are fucked up lol
@David Wolfish Sheldon is a cruel caricature of autistic people. Man's just a dick (at least excluding young Sheldon which is more inoffensive from what I've seen)
My memory is that the show was pretty decent for the first three seasons (by normal sitcom standards…the show was never intended to be as well written as Futurama or Community or similar shows), but then with season 4 and the introduction of Amy, the focus shifted to a more relationship sitcom that obviously was very popular with general audiences. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of season 4 onward, but that’s fine. I don’t have to watch it, but I am happy if other people find enjoyment in the show.
The Big Bang Theory is funny because of the characters; as quirky and exaggerated as they may be, they’re always grounded to an extent that the average person could understand and relate to.
When they feel ostracized by “normal” people, when they argue over pop culture, when they quip about each others insecurities; these are all types of interactions that not only produce genuinely funny lines & moments, but also feel like conversations & situations multiple groups of friends might have (some superficial differences aside).
And the criticism of their laugh track doesn’t work when it’s not only a sitcom convention that’s been enjoyed in dozens of other praised shows, but that there are many moments that’d be funny regardless of whether there was a laugh track or not; Howard’s bachelor Party episode alone has multiple moments that prove that, and I could also mention Sheldon’s first birthday party, the first appearance of Leonard’s mom and tons more episodes I guarantee could get a laugh without a laugh track.
My point is, The Big Bang Theory is a perfectly decent and enjoyable sitcom with plenty of good comedy, and the reputation the internet has tried to place on the show is largely undeserved.
My biggest beef with this show’s flack was the all-out denial that people like this exist, some going as far to call it “blackface for nerds”. It’s normified and doesn’t have the balls to just call the quirk neurodivergence, and the tempo of the comedy can get old fast, but the references themselves aren’t all that different from MST3K and newer “geek culture” that’s way more commonplace now. All that said, Community does this kinda shit way better, especially with Abed and Troy.
The difference is that Dan Harmon is actually autistic so Abed is funny and relatable whereas Sheldon is just offensive and harmful
Im glad you addressed this! Ive always been a little annoyed with people being hyperbolic about the show's downsides.
I want a sequel or a porn parody of the Big Bang Theory called the Gang-Bang Theory.
bazinga
🙏🙏🙏🙏
It's kind of ridiculous to be concerned about whether the 10% of jokes about science were good when the other 90% was just dragging women and minorities
I loved it for years and then it just kind of burned out of it. Some of the hatred is self hatred for having liking some of it.
About the dmv, and I preface that this will be even more confusing....
The DMV is the dept of motor vehicles. You register vehicles there. DPS, dept of public safety, is where you test and get licensed. Most tv and movies meld the 2 together. The vibes of each are identitical. But this just highlights the needless buerocracy and idk...i find that funny in this instance.
You are now enraged by the dmv/dps
Edit: apparently everywhere in the states aren't divided. This is a waking nightmare
Where are you that DPS is where you take your test and get licensed? Mine was absolutely the DMV
@@kazzajaxon7566 in texas! These places just keep digging a hole for themselves. Gonna add that as an edit lol
I bet the line goes faster if you get to split it into 2 locations
I tried watching Big Bang Theory but quickly relented and just played it in background while I was gaming. Every now and then some jokes would come through and I'd either groan in disappointment or breath faster through my nose
I think you misunderstood the DMV, the reason we poke fun at it is because something that should've been easy (i.e. getting government documents) is extremely drawn out.
What TBBT has given me is a outside perspective and an outlet to laugh at my own social ineptness, it has shown me a outside perspective on how I act sometimes, especially when stressed in social situations.
It has also shown, and reference, things that's important to me in my life (many aspects of nerd culture). All the while setting things in perspective and gotten me to see a higher value in other things (social relationships).
Bigotry, misogyny and other not so cute things in TBBT I view as a reference to the nerd culture I grew up in from the early 90s to the early 2000s. It has helped me understand that things we said/thought/did where not that acceptable tbh and that we can do better (like, making nerdspace an inclusive space for everyone).
The characters in TBBT represent tropes that I recognize from myself and my friends growing up.
The criticism that TBBT is mean spirited I can't see. I have never seen it. But I guess that's a nuance I lack the skills to see.
My issue with the Big Bang Theory was that it felt like the comedy came at the expense of the nerds; it was mean spirited. Considering it’s pretty recent, it felt like something that should’ve come out the same time as friends; outdated and kind of basic. I don’t buy that it was responsible for bringing nerd culture into the mainstream either.
Arguably Silicon Valley is the nerd show that is fair toward nerds.
I used to love Big Bang Theory. It was something simple my depressed brain found comfort in during a couple of dark years. As I came out of that depression I kept loosing patience with the show. New epsidoes were a struggle to care about, so I stuck with it rewatching earlier seasons. But rewatches required skipping episodes and scenes where I hadnt felt a need before, and on several occasions actively working not to think about what I was watching. Sadly Im not very good at that. Once the blinders came off about several key problems with the show I just couldnt unsee those problems. Popculture Detectives look into the show helped me to articulate some of those problems but a friend was the one who said "when you see nothing wrong with being a nerd or a geek its kind of annoying when writers are so lazy as to just present that as the joke." And, yeah, I think that is my biggest issue. That over and over for so many seasons there will be entire scenes relyin on us, the audiance, finding it funny that these characters are educated or because they are passionate about something they love? It isn't just nerd and geeks though. Over and over the "humor" boils down to expecting the audience to find it funny and look down on those who arent "normal." So its co pilation videos when Im feeling nostalgic rather than rewatches for me.
History will go down not knowing if this show was overrated or underrated.
Here's the thing: Wisecrack's video simply wasn't tackling what are the real issues with the series ( Because tbh the mostly unfunny jokes are just the tips of the iceberg ). I'd say that the real problems with it are the constant character rewrites ( In some cases so severe that a character may completely change personality multiple times ), the non-consistent plot ( often forgetting characters behind ) and the loss of a purpose after the first seasons ( wich causes the shows to go from talking about Leonard's trying to go out with penny to Sheldon's centric whacky adventures ) a
Most of that just comes down to being a sitcom. I imagine that for every season, the episodes were written at the same time, so there's not much continuity between individual episodes, only season ending events have an impact on the next season. That's why characters would sometimes act a bit different or disappear altogether. Still, if you look across multiple seasons, most characters develop in a meaningful way.
The Big Bang Theory is one of my favorite shows!! The humor is smart and clever. The characters are really likable and they remind me of me and my friends
Funny thing about the DMV is that I probably haven't been in one for 20 years. Most of the common things, like renewing a license or registration, can usually be done online now.
I actually had a pleasant time at my local DMV last time I was in. The guy taking people's photos even led everybody in a brief sing-along! They're people, too.
@@dinosaysrawr I suspect because a lot of the mundane stuff has moved online it’s freed up staff to help people who actually need to do things in person. As a result everybody is probably happier.
Sheldon was just doing a more verbose version of the exasperation we’ve all voiced at the obtuseness that is written driving tests
I like Big Bang Theory because there’s a laugh track that tells me when it’s funny
if anyone believes that TBBT or Friends are problematic, they need to receive immediately a lesson in not being ayatollahs
wrong. have you seen Howard's eye patch episode. Raj's cafe undressing moment, and Raj's neurotic behavior and Howard's weirdness in general (throughout the show)? It's absolutely loathsome and a disgusting show. Plus, Sheldon is extremely annoying.
I started watching Big Bang Theory and enjoyed it a lot. I even got friends into watching the show. I'm still surprised I liked it, as I knew Chuck Lorre created it and I was never a fan of his work. But after five seasons or so, I had started to see how hollow and formulaic the show was, with random laugh tracks thrown in at almost all of the dialogue and then began to see what was so flawed about it, and stopped watching . I feel this is a weird sentiment, as most people either embraced it or completely hated it, but there wasn't any mixture of the two in the fanbase
You know I've always kind of liked it, more of a series that I relax to and enjoy. Never thought the hate it got was ever really deserved.
My issue is how they had Maria Canals-Barrera play a stereotypical janitor.
Also, Raj and his friends played stereotypical Indians.
The one thing it's responsible for is the rise of the white nerd rage.
I think it's most odd to me that people retroactively say that "no one liked" big bang theory when it was the longest running multicamera sitcom of all time and was consistently the highest viewed show when it was on. Honestly, the show is cringe looking back, but I have a lot of nostalgia for this show because my dad worked 80hr weeks when I was younger and this was one of the only things we had that we did together, so I rewatch it not because it is good, but brings back some of the better memories of an otherwise rough childhood. And honestly, I recently started watching Young Sheldon and it really is a decent show, but I wouldn't call it a comedy. I don't take people criticizing the show(s) personally because I also know it is HIGHLY flawed, but I still indulge in a good nostalgia rewatch from time to time
When I had covid a couple months ago it gave me a terrible fever and with nothing else to do I decided to just watch the big bang theory and I actually found it funny sometimes but idk how much of that was the show or the fever
I love this show, I watch it when ( in retrospect was way to young) and loved it. This and 2 and 1/2 men were the first sit coms I watch, and are probably why I love sit coms so much
I fully agree with you. I do think all of TBBT's reputation is deserved - while the quality is not as low as most people make it out to be, my main problem with it is that it's simply... incredibly offensive.
As a trans, heavily autistic woman... yes, it is an abomination. I genuinely do not think it deserves anything. But it is not an utter *technical* failure. It is a failure in all other ways, however.
Same here, I am an Indian, the Indian stereotype was problematic, even my parents hated it. But I still watched a few episodes of Sheldon's observation of society and stuff around him.
I used to love the show, and it only soured on me after a combination of my getting diagnosed with ASD (and thus slowly realized I was being personally made fun of) and my growing distaste of the opinions of Mainstream Geekdom (which the characters often espoused). I will always give it credit where it's due for good moments, and there are far worse shows both technically and morally, but overall the show has aged incredibly poorly.
Big Bang is one of those shows I find funny and frustrating. The cast have good comedic timing, delivery, and even chemistry, but I also find their characters frustrating at times, times where I say to myself "somebody needs to speak up and explain why X is an a hole, or this character's whooping is way past due!"
But I got into it at a time when I was just getting back into comics and was really starting to pay attention to pop culture, looking back on it now every reference is surface level and sometimes, just inaccurate.
One example off the top of my head is when Leonard calls Arkham by its long name, every geek I know of calls Arkham Arkham, and it also bugs me how the writers just seem to ignore the fact that there are female geeks.
I love how people think they're the authority on funny and decide something is unfunny and a failure. TBBT was on for 12 seasons and many of those seasons was the #1 comedy on TV. Jim Parsons has won multiple awards for Best Actor in a Comedy. I believe 3 are Emmy's. I personally think it went on 2 seasons too long because I didn't like Penny and Leonard together, but that was my personal issue. But when it launched in 2007, I feel like it really made a mark because it was a time when the paparazzi was obsessed with rich, glamorous celebrities and this was the first show about socially awkward, smart guys.
I suppose I'm somewhere in the middle. The Big Bang Theory _isn't_ the worst show I've ever watched, or even the worst sitcom; it did _not_ poison our water supply, burn our crops and deliver a plague unto our houses... but the only time I've ever laughed at a scene from The Big Bang Theory is when I watched an edit that replaced the laugh track with Tidus' fake laugh from Final Fantasy X.
Regarding the DMV joke, the punchline of the joke is the DMV worker's reaction of stamping his application and telling him to go away.
That curt response is itself a "lack" to compare to his "excess"
One thing I will say about the Big Bang Theory before watching the vid is that it almost felt like one of the first "internet shows to hate on for CZcams views" before that became a whole industry.
Sure, a lot of the criticisms against it were very valid but the idea that it was somewhat popular to call it "nerd blackface" and not immediately get laughed out of the room really made the discourse seem really silly and overly defensive more than anything, and reslly kind of weakened a lot of the good critisism.
After finishing the video I agree, not much to add other thsn I do feel like sometimes people reviewing things think acknowledging something in a show could be good is losing an argument with the tv show by giving them any ground
Besides, your analysis of the DMV sequence is spot-on. Kudos
TBBT has what many successful American sitcoms has: the ability to be very watchable.
The Seinfeld rental car scene is really not doing the same thing as TBBT DMV scene. Seinfeld is joking about the bureaucracy and incompetence of the system, the joke in TBBT isn’t about the system the joke is that Sheldon is an awkward nerd who is missing the point. The DMV employee is the one we’re supposed to relate to in that scene - whereas we’re clearly supposed to relate to Jerry Seinfeld in the car rental scene.
Is it really too much to suggest that there’s more than one layer to the TBBT DMV scene?
@@PillarofGarbage Yes
for a critique from a different pov I highly recommend pop culture detective's videos on the show if you've not already seen them
If you don't go to the dmv, how you go to places that you need to go?
The thing is, the DMV scene highlights the biggest issue of of TBBT for me, and that's that it's ableist as hell. I genuinely can't get through an episode nowadays where I can't help but feel disgusted, especially as someone who grew up during its main run and did get those comparisons. Any goodwill the series could have is nullified by that for me.
yeah entirely fair
That's fear. A lot of the jokes with Sheldon are just "haha he doesn't understand social cues what a weirdo", which is pretty bad considering he's a canonically autistic character.
One could also argue that the DMV joke is about Sheldon’s excess in intelligence contrasting with his utter lack of practical knowledge. While his answer is technically true, it’s a terrible answer because it fails to acknowledge the context of being part of a driver’s test, and is therefore is meant to demonstrate that the person taking the test knows how to safely operate a motor vehicle.
That Seinfeld reservation clip is classic!
I know that in the politically correct era, people hate this show. But I consider it one of my biggest guilty pleasures.
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