Most people usually find that there is nothing funny about scientists. They are typically thought of as super geniuses with next to no personality or sense of humor. Scientists’ personalities are stereotypically known as supercilious and they are typically nerdy. The idea of making a television show based on nerds sounds drab and boring, but the comedic gold and hilarious humor that is on “the Big Bang Theory” continues to make it one of the best shows on the air as it makes viewers explode with laughter.
“The Big Bang Theory“ stars Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, a character well-known for his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder tendencies and his extremely stubborn personality, and Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter, a more normal scientist who is also Sheldon’s roommate. The two work together at a local university with other main characters Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and the four make up the dynamic quartet of nerds, whose personalities make the show a smash-hit.
The show also helps break the stereotype of scientists not being able to have fun and always being nerds. In the season seven premiere, “The Hofstadter Insufficiency,” Leonard leaves his long-time girlfriend Penny (Kaley Cuoco) at home while he goes on an expedition at sea for research; it is later revealed that Leonard has been partying on the boat, not doing research. This episode expressed a common theme of the show by showing the inaccuracies of the misconceptions of scientists and the many different sides to them.
One of the major draws to the show is the personality of Sheldon Cooper and how he interacts with other people in his life. Sheldon is a stubborn, asexual, puerile, germaphobic super-nerd who loves science, and that is about it. Sheldon is well-known for creating strict rules that only benefit him and saying the word ‘bazinga’ when he tries to be funny. In the episode “The Raiders Minimize,” Sheldon’s girlfriend Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) ruins one of Sheldon’s favorite movies of all time, The Raiders of the Lost Ark, by explaining to him the faults she found in the movie. Since Sheldon is very childish, he in return tries to ruin something Amy loves—Little Women—but he can not find any flaws in the book. In “The Workplace Proximity”, Amy gets a job working on a project in the same lab as Sheldon, which upsets Sheldon because Howard had told Sheldon not to work with his loved ones. This also shows his childish ways of not being able to work with his girlfriend, in a professional relationship. Sheldon continues to real the views in for the show due to his outrageous personality.
Another funny subject portrayed in this show is the way the nerds handle the subject of love. In the episode “The Romance Resonance”, Howard writes a song for his wife, Bernadette Wolowitz (Melissa Rauch), to celebrate the anniversary of their first date. Howard’s song features incredible sweet, but academic lyrics, including a rhyme of ‘hopes’ to ‘inseperable isotopes’, and a whole verse in “Klingon.” Due to the popularity of the song, it was released on iTunes the next day, for the musicares charity. Another comedic relationship showcased on the show is that of Sheldon and Amy, with Sheldon not looking for a physical-or any-type of relationship, while Amy wants them to be in a more physical and hands-on relationship.
“The Big Bang Theory” remains true to its ideals—being funny and entertaining through the humor behind the life of scientists. Its seventh season has so far been full of humor, funny jokes, and a moving plot; it has not disappointed its viewers. “The Big Bang Theory” remains as one of the best shows on television, and even an atomic explosion couldn’t keep viewers from watching.
