Bazinga!

Why The Big Bang Theory (Still) Rules the Airwaves & Our Hearts

The WB.  TBS.  HBO Max.  MTV.  They all show reruns of The Big Bang Theory, the last great American sitcom that ran 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019.  It’s comforting, familiar, funny, mostly harmless, and it boasts (dare I say) the single best television character ever created – Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper. (There! I said it!) 

OK, maybe that last point’s debatable, but Sheldon’s clearly among a pantheon of TV greats that includes Archie Bunker, Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island, Dr. Frasier Crane, Ross and Rachel, and even Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz". What is it about this show that keeps it in circulation most every day, basically everywhere, 24/7? 

I thought you’d never ask, Dear Reader.  

Let me share some thoughts! 

I think the grace that holds the show together actually comes from another character besides Sheldon; namely, Leonard L. Hoffstadter (played by Johnny Galecki). In Leonard, we have an everyman – somewhat idolized to be a brilliant physicist, but also a figure very human, very vulnerable, and just plain likable.  Whereas Sheldon (played by Jim Parsons) is intriguing and quirky, Leonard is who the audience most relates to, and it’s through him and his perspective we travel most roads together throughout the show.  It’s established in the pilot that Leonard’s main journey is a love affair he has with his attractive neighbor, Penny (last name never given; played by Kaley Cuoco). Leonard’s infatuation goes from simple crush to a marriage and pregnancy by the show’s finale.  A powerful, relatable journey.  

Along the way we meet Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and they help form the crux of a powerful nucleus, combined with Leonard, Penny, and Sheldon.  Sure, Raj and Howard get wives and girlfriends, too, but they’re always background players and not the main impetus for our continued attention.  (No offense Amy Farrah Fowler or Bernadette Rostenkowski).  Penny, like Leonard, is relatable, and that’s truly her superpower (in a show obsessed with  characters who are obsessed with superheroes) – she’s struggling, makes mistakes, and is equally vulnerable like the others, but her beauty makes her idealized to both genders.  For men, she’s “girl next door” hot, but strangely pitched (believably) as somehow obtainable; for women, she’s strong, free, and empowered, but also innocent and pure – her sexuality works both ways to please most audiences. 

In the background of everything described, woven masterfully for our viewing-pleasure, is a deep, authentic love for all things “nerd culture”: Marvel and DC comics, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and even obscure fanboy card games like Magic: The Gathering (real) and Mystic Warlords of Ka’a (fictional).  The tropes and stereotypes for all these subcultures are familiar and depicted as spot-on. Cos-play at Comicon and gambling in Vegas are accurately portrayed, and the audience know this, loves it, and appreciates it for its authenticity – rewarding the show with many, many repeat viewings. 

None of this would work without the razor-sharp wit and humor from the team of writers assembled by producer Chuck Lorre, and even their magic wouldn’t land if Jim Parsons wasn’t so spectacular in his role.  His comedic timing, his diction, his pauses – all delivered reliably over 279 episodes with military precision lately reserved for bombing Central American drug boats. 

So, in a nutshell, without going on too long in this post – these are my codified thoughts on why TBBT works, and why we’ll be watching it for many, many years to come!