George Beahm - Unraveling the Mysteries of The Big Bang Theory (Updated Edition): An Unabashedly Unauthorized TV Show Companion

We have a perfect life. We go to the lab, we do our research, we eat, we watch Lord of the Rings. Who has a better life than us?

Dr. Sheldon Cooper, to Dr. Leonard Hofstadter, in the 2006 pilot

M ovies and television shows about geeks are nothing new. In fact, the premise of The Big Bang Theory is simple: geeky guys meet beautiful girl. This premise has proven to be profitable through the years, but always at the geeks expense: we laugh at them, not with them. For instance, in Revenge of the Nerds, the geeks/nerds are portrayed as physically unappealing and socially awkward, and ripe for abuse at the hands of the beauties (cheerleaders) and the beastly boys (football players). Its little wonder, then, that when CBS announced yet another show about geeks, the media was skeptical. What could be said about one more show about geeks gawking at gorgeous girls as nuckle-scraping Neanderthals look on and laugh?

It depends, of course, on the show. The Big Bang Theory didnt simply serve warmed-up leftovers, but instead gave viewers new, appetizing fare. Although weve had geeks and girls aplenty, the critical difference is that The Big Bang Theory is a celebration, not a denigration, of cerebration. The good-natured humor can be found in the shows situations, not in lampooning the characters themselves.

The tried-and-true formula of mocking geeks is so pervasive that in the 2006 pilot of the show, the cocreators took the path more traveled: they, too, made fun of the geeks. Wisely, and despite their initial misstep, CBS saw the potential in the pilot and, after retooling, came up with a new twist that propelled The Big Bang Theory sky-high into the ratings stratosphere.

Set in Pasadena, California, the show focuses on four friends who work at Caltech: Dr. Sheldon Cooper, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter, Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali, and Mr. Howard Wolowitz. For years their lives have followed predictable orbits, until the presence of a new heavenly body, in the form of a beautiful young woman, fortuitously changes all their lives.

In the inevitable collision between the geek world and the real world, hilarity ensues, especially in the form of its self-appointed leader, Dr. Cooper, who stands apart from and above them all. Like his hero Mr. Spock, Sheldon Cooper is at war with himself. Though he wishes to live a life free of petty biological distractions, notably sex, Sheldon finds himself flummoxed by la comdie humainethe human comedyat every turn. Whats even funnier is that he doesnt see himself as part of the proceedings; he sees himself as an aloof, disinterested observer, though hes often at the center of the maelstrom.

Based on its own merits as a comedy, the sitcom can hold its own; however, the cocreators chose to enrich it with verisimilitude by taking special pains to ensure that its laden with scientific references, vetted by a California State University physicist. By doing so, the show celebrates real science, and appeals to the scientific community in addition to a general TV audience. In its own way, just as Star Trek led many young people into related fields, The Big Bang Theory may well have a similar, salutary effect on physics.

If The Big Bang Theory were simply standard sitcom fare, intended as a laugh-fest, it would be needless to dig deeper and look behind the curtain to examine its fictional universe, the characters that populate it, and the situations they find themselves in. But the show itself is a rich vein waiting to be tapped; like us, the characters are part of the human comedy, and we see ourselvesto a greater or lesser degreein them.