The Big Bang Theory Season One Review
The American show The Big Bang Theory is about two genius scientists, Leonard and Sheldon, who live together. When a beautiful new neighbor, Penny, moves in she is enfolded into their lives along with their two other friends, both of whom are genius scientists as well. Each episode is 18-33 minutes without commercials. The show that first aired in 2007 and is expected to run through to at least 2017.
I fell in love with The Big Bang Theory after just a few episodes. For a situational comedy, I feel the characters are new and fresh. We see geniuses often portrayed in TV shows as awkward or egotistical, but they are generally used as the Sherlock Holmes in a group setting and usually on crime shows. Very rarely do we see so many of them interact and being the focus on a sitcom. Based on the fact that it is a sitcom, it is accepted that much of the show will focus on the relationships of the characters, specifically the romantic ones. It is also assumed that most of the character development and real plot will be minimal and dominated by the antics of the week. If you are okay with the basis for these types of shows, then I would suggest this one. It's funny and light, but does have some great characters. Plus, you'll learn something new every episode, unless of course you are actually a genius.
A few other perks include a great cast. We have some fairly new faces including Kaley Cuoco and sheldon along with TV veteran Leonard. The supporting roles of Howard and Raj are acted well by x and x as well. It's a sitcom, so don't expect a lot of great music. However I appreciate a great theme song and it doesn't get better than this one written and performed by The Barenaked Ladies. The show has the "performed in front of a live studio audience" quality you would expect and is known for its bright colors and interesting props.
My Top 8 Favorite Moments of Season One
- S1.E1: Leonard "Our babies will be smart and beautiful."
- S1.E1: Sheldon's distress over Penny sitting in his spot.
- S1.E4: Sheldon's mother to Raj "I made chicken. I hope that isn't one of the animals that you people think is magic."
- S1.E11: The introduction to the soft kitty song
- S1.E?: Sheldon singing at the Cheesecake Factory when he was intoxicated because of Penny
- S1.E14: The boys enacting the fast forward time sequence when they play with the time machine.
- S1.E16: Howard's allergic reaction to the peanut granola bar in the hospital
- S1.E17: Sheldon using Shrodinger's cat experiment to help Leonard and Penny decide whether they wanted to go on their date or not.
Major Story Arcs
Leonard and Penny's relationship: Even though Leonard is instantly attracted to Penny, she does not seem to notice either because she thinks he is just being friendly or is used to the attention. She eventually becomes aware that he has a crush on her. Leonard spends the rest of the season strengthening his friendship with her while being jealous of her dating. He tries several times to ask her out before finally clearly doing so in the final episode. As Penny has decided that she wants to start dating nice guys who care about her, she agrees to the date.
Sheldon and Penny's relationship: In the pilot episode Sheldon is attracted to Penny, something that we disregard after this episode due to its incongruity with the rest of the series. He is also unsupportive of Leonard's attraction to her and her general prescense in their lives as it upsets his routine. Eventually he becomes more accepting of her place in their lives as she is also integrated in his routines. By the end of the season, she is his friend though they often do not understand each other.
Major Character
Leonard Hoffsteder, played by Johnny Galecki, is a thoeretical physiscist working at CalTech. He lives with Sheldon and regrets it most days. He is also friends with Howard and Raj. He spends the season growing increasingly infatuated with Penny and being reduced to an idiot in front of her most of the time.
Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons, is a X physissit working at CalTech. He lives with Leonard and is friends with Howard and Raj. While he may be occaisionally attracted to women, such as Penny, he is generally opposed to the idea and is upset with Penny interrupting the extremely strict regimine of his daily life. He is extremely egotistical and incapable of interacting with people in socially acceptable ways due to his lack of empathy, social IQ, and generally unpleasant personality. While he could be used to wonderful effect as a psychopath murderer in other series, luckily he is used as comic relief here.
Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco, is an aspiring actress from Omaha, Nebraska who has moved to California to pursue her dream. In the meantime, she is working as a waitress at The Cheesecake Factory to pay the bills and moves in across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon. She is perky, optimistic, and very pretty, immediately attracting Leonard, Howard, Raj, and many other characters throughout the series. She also has a string of muscle-bound ex-boyfriends and lovers who provide any hilarious opportunities for comedy and embarassment throughout the series.
Howard Wolowitz, played by Simon Helberg, is a mechanical engineer working at CalTech. He is the only member of the main four male characters without a Ph.D, instead having a Masters Degree. Because of this, he is routinely picked on about not being as intelligent. He is also a wannabe serial-womanizer with a nearly 0% rate of success and the tendency to be creepy anywhere near women. He still lives with his overbearing and overprotective mother and is very close to Raj who is his best friend.
Rajesh Ramaya Kuthrapali, played by Kunal Nayyar, is an astrophysisic also working at CalTech. His best friend is Howard and is often seen whispering in his ear due to his inability to speak in front of women without being drunk. He is also routinely ribbed by many people, including his parents, over his close relationship with Howard instead of a woman. His inability to speak also partially masks his sarcastic and often cocky personality.
Fun Facts
- The theme song, written by The Barenaked Ladies, has an extended version running over one minute. It also has a music video to accompany it.
- Chuck Lorre has a vanity card at the end of each episode. Each is unique and many are long enough to fill the entire screen. To read them all, you can go to his website here.
- Laurie Metcalf, who plays Sheldon's mom, Sara Gilbert, who plays Leslie Winkle, and Johnny Galecki, who plays Leonard, all acted together on the hit show Roseanne.
Where to Watch
New episodes of The Big Bang Theory show air on CBS. Unfortunately, episodes are not on Netflix streaming, Amazon Prime, or Hulu yet, but you can buy The Big Bang Theory: Season 1
on Amazon.
Want more? Click below to read more Big Bang Theory seasons.