That’s why The Big Bang Theory is just plain embarrassing these days
The Big Bang Theory is one of the most successful sitcoms in TV history and still has a huge fan base. Four years after the end, however, it shows that the series has aged catastrophically.
A comment by Gregor Elsholz
The laughter is deafening. Feels like every time one of the characters says something, The Big Bang Theory’s studio audience erupts in laughter, as if none of those present had ever heard a joke before. Of course, other sitcoms have a laugh track as well, but TBBT’s stands out in particular, as many elements of the series have aged so badly that the laughter gets stuck in your throat.
TBBT: Hit sitcom is nothing but embarrassing these days
Sure, comedy is subjective and it’s debatable whether the mere mention of pop culture terms like “Star Wars”, “Spock” or “Tardis” are enough as joke punchlines. Likewise, viewers who haven’t seen a sitcom before probably won’t mind TBBT’s countless well-worn clichés, all of which have been better implemented by better shows before.
After all, humor is when you laugh anyway, but the “nevertheless” in The Big Bang Theory is still a laugh depressing mixture of sexism, homophobia and racism, which leaves a bitter aftertaste in many episodes. The four nerds Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj are said to be quirky-lovable come along, but instead repeatedly reveal toxic personalities that are either portrayed as a joke or not commented on at all by the series.
Examples of these moments are endless – Sheldon consistently takes advantage of his female assistant and refers to a black supervisor as a slave, Raj and Howard molest women in several episodes and feel offended in their masculinity when they are called homosexual. Leonard allows all of this to happen, and in turn, heedlessly participates in the racist and anti-Semitic jokes made in the group about Raj and Howard.
The Big Bang Theory: Heartless Nerds
The central problem with The Big Bang Theory is that the main characters in the series are incredibly unlikable. While Sheldon’s unbridled arrogance and egotism is raised to an art form, Howard defines himself, especially in the first seasons, as a wannabe pickup artist, who systematically lies to and tricks women. Raj, on the other hand, is a rich mama’s boy who is consistently ruthless, controlling, self-absorbed and cocky towards others. Leonard is the most socially acceptable of the four characters, but not only is he boring, he’s also extremely tearful and, in several cases, quick to get jealous.
Despite these character traits, however, the nerds consistently see themselves as victims of mainstream society, which does not understand their hobbies and does not give them enough recognition or sexual opportunities. Howard and Raj in particular use this as a pretext for their behavioral gaffes, which they act out primarily towards women. It’s sort of a blueprint for them frustrated arguments in every toxic internet troll thread.
The Big Bang Theory is an arch-conservative series
The values and beliefs conveyed across 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory are clumsy conservative platitudes. The characters often accompany their sexist and racist jokes, which are cracked about Leonard’s girlfriend Penny and Sheldon and Raj’s sisters, among others, with a knowing wink – thus avoiding the need to challenge and question them.
It’s a series that seems to look at the social status quo in America from the outsider’s point of view and makes them conclude that the system works beautifully. Non-US Americans are consistently portrayed as oddly exotic and the traditional family image as the ultimate, culminating in Penny suddenly being pregnant in the final season, despite previously insisting on multiple occasions that she doesn’t want children – but about stereotypical families – To reach the end, of course, she does not get any freedom of decision on this issue.
For a sitcom about four geniuses from an alternative subculture, is TBBT a strikingly socially narrow-minded series, which also pokes fun at the physical and mental weaknesses of outsiders, while the audience goes insane with every thigh slap. Bazinga.
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