CBS' hit comedy The Big Bang Theory recently came to an end after 12 seasons. Many fans were sad to see it go, but there was much rejoining in some corners of the internet, where the comedy has long been hated. The show’s central premise—4 nerdy male scientists meet one dumb blonde, laughs ensue—was beloved by many for bringing nerd culture into the main stream. But the haters reviled the way the show made being a nerd the joke.
Whether you loved it or hated it, the The Big Bang Theory certainly wasn’t a perfect show, and since it was released in 2007 there are certainly moments that have aged awfully. Here are five of those, as well as 5 ways the show is timeless.
Aged Poorly: Raj’s Inability To Talk to Women
Thankfully, Raj gets over this pretty early on... only once Penny starts feeding him alcohol. He teeters on the edge of alcoholism for a season while he uses drinking as a crutch to talk to women.
The joke that Raj can’t talk to women is the trope that nerds can’t talk to women taken to its most extreme point. Obviously all comedies rely on stock characters, but usually those characters gain depth over time. The Big Bang Theory allowed many of its main characters to grow, and probably none more so than Raj. But he started from such a low point that there was no where to go but up.
Timeless: Sheldon’s Reaction When Professor Proton Dies
Everyone struggles when someone they love dies. Sheldon’s denial phase of Professor Proton’s death is so relatable. He pretends that he doesn’t care, that there is no point in mourning death when everyone knows death is inevitable.
But his subsequent dreams about Professor Proton returning as an Obi-Wan Kenobi-like figure betray his real feelings. A man he considered a mentor has died, and he is having trouble assimilating that knowledge. But Sheldon realizes that he has internalized enough of Professor Proton’s that he can remember him accurately and therefore will never really lose him. It’s a heartwarming way of mourning someone.
Aged Poorly: Sad Stuart
Stuart, the owner of the comic book store and human equivalent of Eeyore, is an exhausting character. Real people deal with depression, sadness and anxiety, but they’re not pathetic, which is how Stuart is depicted. When he’s in the room, the joke is almost always a play on how pitiful his life is because he’s single, lonely, and owns a comic book store.
The pessimistic gloominess of his life, and the way the main characters are callous about it is one of the weaker points for several seasons of the show. Stuart’s entrepreneurship and love for comics could have been a strength for him, but all is got him was an extra room in Howard and Bernadette’s house.
Timeless: Soft Kitty
Who that loved the show could ever forget Sheldon’s Soft Kitty song? Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur…
Everyone gets a little needy when they’re sick. No matter how self-sufficient we grow up to be, sometimes we just really want someone to take care of us. Sheldon asks this of Penny and she gives it to him, making him feel better several times when he’s sick or sad. Eventually even hard-hearted Leonard joins in to take care of his friend. The Big Bang Theory is often strongest when it’s focusing on the friendships of the lead characters.
Aged Poorly: Penny Was A Walking Dumb Blonde Joke
We haven’t actually counted, but it seems like Penny says “huh?” or “what?” more times in season one more than any other word. She’s presented as an air-head, a pretty blonde from the South who wants to be an actress. And of course, because she’s an actress, she’s also a waitress, and dumb too boot.
Penny’s character gets redeemed in later seasons, but the Dumb Blonde Aspiring Actress/Waitress is such a boring and exhausted stereotype. It’s like the writers couldn’t think of anything more “opposite” than Leonard, so they just stuck in the laziest possible stock character and let the stereotype do the work for them.
Timeless: Raj’s Love For Howard
The other men in the group have a crippling internalized homophobia that makes it difficult fo them to connect with one another on an emotional level, but not Raj. He openly loves and supports each one of his friends, but especially Howard. He can be possessive of Howard at times, but he usually genuinely wants what is best for his friend. We could all aspire to be so good to our friends.
Is he often the butt of jokes about his sexuality for this? Yes, and that’s frustrating and gross. But Raj often rises above these jokes, showing that he is the most secure of the entire group. It takes a lot of strength to love like Raj does.
Aged Poorly: Making Nerds The Butt of The Joke
For 12 years, the most common source of laughs in The Big Bang Theory was that the guys were these hapless nerds who didn’t understand how “the real world” works. It seemed as if mentioning any nonsensical stream of nerd culture references was enough to elicit the laugh track.
However, it’s pretty hard to argue that comic book and nerd culture is worthy of being mocked when the Marvel Cinematic Universe is possibly the highest grossing franchises in history. Loving comic books might have been funny when the show started in 2007 and the first Iron Man movie hadn’t been released yet. But the basis of the joke expired once the MCU kicked off in 2008/2009 to such huge success. Loving comic books and comic book movies has been main stream for a while now, writers. This joke should have been disappeared early on.
Timeless: The Group Giving Howard “Options” For the Card
The show is at its strongest by far when it focuses on the relationships in the group. One of the most emotional moments is when the group discovers that Howard has been keeping a card he received from his absent father when he turned 18, but has never opened it. Sheldon opens it and reads it, and proceeds to tell the rest of the group what it said, but not Howard.
They decide to help Howard maintain knowing-but-not-knowing what his father wrote; a Schrodinger’s card, if you will. They give him several possible options of what was inside, and tell him that one of them is true. It’s enough to let Howard know he is loved, which is what he needed most.
Aged Poorly: The Show’s Treatment Of The Female Characters
Howard’s pathetic and gross attempts to pick up women is the source of much humor in the show's early seasons. Even after he meets Bernadette, he never quite gives up his gross ways. But he’s not the only problem.
The show ends with a sudden about-face from Penny: After saying repeatedly for years that she doesn’t want kids, she’s finds out she’s pregnant and is happy about it. Her change of heart isn’t explained, and we never see her consider her options. Further, Amy suddenly decides to get a huge makeover after winning the Nobel Prize, which undoes years of her growth. It all reads like a teen boy’s fantasy coming true. But what else should we expect from a show that never even bothered to give us Penny’s last name?
Timeless: Penny’s and Sheldon’s Friendship
If you’re judging just by their stereotypes, Penny and Sheldon seem like they shouldn’t be friends. But Sheldon and Penny develop a deep and genuine friendship that often brings out the best in each other. From Sheldon trying to help Penny with her Penny Blossoms business to Penny helping Sheldon every time he messes things up with Amy, their friendship is one of mutual support. They lift each other up even when they’re driving each other crazy.
The rest of the group struggles to understand their friendship, but that’s okay. It’s one to aspire to, and will always make the show worth watching.