So, caught the latest episode and it was enjoyable enough but...the original charm of this show was a bunch of social misfits confounded by the world around them and that is no longer the case.

Their characters have grown, which is great, but as a result, all of the fun 'nerd' stuff is being replaced with 'How I Met Your Mother' style relationship based comedy. Any geek references are just tacked on in a tokenistic sense as opposed to being major plot points.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a fine show, but in my dorky eyes, it's lost a bit of it's edge.

I have no idea if I'm watching old ones or new ones but I go to E4 I think it is quite a lot now just to watch this sitcom. Each time I'm glad I did. It keeps being very funny, pretty good after a hundred odd episodes, if these are the latest ones. Sheldon is one of the funniest and best sitcom characters of all time, imo. He's bloomin hilarious. OTT maybe but brilliant, and virtually every classic sitcom character is a bit OTT anyway, they aren't normal.

This sitcom cleans up in the nerdcom sector, it does what The IT Crowd completely failed to do, although it started before and therefore had its chance. While TITC just wallows around casually, even lazily, TBBT really works hard for its humour and delivers it in spades. They are completely different beasts, TBBT being a conventional studio sitcom, just a very busy, very good one. The bird episode's possibly my favourite so far. I wish it wasn't quite so choppy with its multi scene changes, but it's a minor quibble really.

I've been watching the latest series online and unlike previously, the number of stand out episodes has really dropped.

My personal analysis suggets that as they've become more comfortable as a unit, the show suffers because of the lack of conflicts - especially the whole nerds against the world philosophy.

Plus with so many characters fighting for air time, the Sheldon centric episodes have been few and far between and let's face it, he is the show.

For me, Leonard and Penny are the show. Sheldon's a hugely entertaining character who stokes, powers, underlines the differences and conflicts.

There are still some great episodes coming out IMO. It's true that the focus has shifted slightly, currently focussing on the notion of geek romance rather than geeks in general, but for me it still works and it's still highlighting a very real aspect of the geek/rest-of-world clash.

It's fallen into classic Chuck Lorre territory, lazy writing. If you want to know what his original vision for it was check out the very original pilot of it on YouTube (spoiler Sheldon was not a virgin). Still the best American sitcom ATM

It must be more difficult for American sitcoms to keep coming up with great stories

most British sitcoms are only six to eight eps - whereas all the American ones are twenty or more eps

Can't be easy!

Sheldon's favourite Chelsea player?

Bosingwa.

Quote: lofthouse @ March 14 2012, 9:36 PM GMT

It must be more difficult for American sitcoms to keep coming up with great stories

most British sitcoms are only six to eight eps - whereas all the American ones are twenty or more eps

Can't be easy!

View original

Yeah but at the same time they have a writer's room full of talent, whereas our shows are generally written by one or two people.

Quote: Tony Cowards @ March 15 2012, 12:09 AM GMT

Sheldon's favourite Chelsea player?

Bosingwa.

View original

Well I liked it!

Quote: lofthouse @ March 14 2012, 9:36 PM GMT

It must be more difficult for American sitcoms to keep coming up with great stories

most British sitcoms are only six to eight eps - whereas all the American ones are twenty or more eps

Can't be easy!

View original

Plus writing twenty-one minutes is a lot different to twenty-eight -- it can change the whole dynamic of the show.

I'd equate our six episodes to 9 or 10 US episodes rather than like-for-like. Based on no knowledge whatsoever. But confidently, so it seems like I know what I'm talking about.

Dan

Talk of 'lazy writing' and losing its edge etc. just do not make any sense to me. But then I do not know which order I'm watching these in, as I pressed the info button the other day and it said an episode from series 2. Then a week later I watched one and it said the 100th episode is coming up. So I don't know what's going on there unless I'm watching it on different channels without realising it - quite possible!

This show is consistently brilliant, whatever order I'm seeing them in. I'll possibly have to get them on DVD to work out the order but I'll be happy to fork out for it, unless it's a fortune.

Ed. Potential spoiler deleted, windy post de-winded, well as much as I can.

When is the weekend of TBBT, with the two behind the scenes documentaries? I thought it was this weekend, and there are a lot of episodes on, but I can find no mention of the docs. in any listings.

I think it's tonight!

Is it? Oh. Then you've let me down. https://www.comedy.co.uk/schedule/

Lol. Since when is Big Bang British comedy?

*grumbles*