I watched this religiously when it first came out, maybe the first 6 or 7 seasons, then kinda drifted out of it for a while. Not really sure why as I didn't stop liking it, maybe life got in the way, I had a baby around that time! Anyway, I've been catching up with it again, and finally finished it this week.
The first thing I'll say is Howard is an awful character, a stereotype of so many bad tropes and a bully with it. His behaviour towards Sheldon is, at times, beyond cruel and crosses a fairly severe line.
Sheldon is the most sympathetic character in the show because while he can be mean, abrasive, and disrespectful its true to him and you're always aware that he does seem to be trying. Like Pinocchio, and another of my favourite characters, Lt. Cmdr. Data from Star Trek: TNG, he wants to be a real life boy.
The female characters aren't treated well to begin with, but each of them gets plenty of time to shine in their own way, and grow as people. For a sitcom this is fairly good form.
Yes, the show has issues with stereotypes across the board, jewish, indian, geek, etc, but by the end of the series the characters have all grown past their introductions and the last series (the last 5-6 episodes in particular) has more heartfelt scenes then the previous 11 seasons combined.
The show has come under fairly intense criticism in the past for its depiction of geeks and nerds, and I understand that. I feel, however, its not deriding geek culture, but celebrating it. This show, this group of characters embody what it means to be a geek, what it means to be part of a fandom of something, be it Star Trek or Star Wars, comic books or sci-fi novels, there's something for all of us here. It allows us to be proud of that, to get the in-jokes between Sheldon and Wil Wheaton and sit smugly while others don't. This is a rare thing for us and I welcome it.
With repeats on television constantly, it has the potential to be like Friends and continually gain new fans and viewers over the years, and I hope many get the same satisfaction from it as I ultimately did. And you never know, I might even learn to like Howard.
The first thing I'll say is Howard is an awful character, a stereotype of so many bad tropes and a bully with it. His behaviour towards Sheldon is, at times, beyond cruel and crosses a fairly severe line.
Sheldon is the most sympathetic character in the show because while he can be mean, abrasive, and disrespectful its true to him and you're always aware that he does seem to be trying. Like Pinocchio, and another of my favourite characters, Lt. Cmdr. Data from Star Trek: TNG, he wants to be a real life boy.
The female characters aren't treated well to begin with, but each of them gets plenty of time to shine in their own way, and grow as people. For a sitcom this is fairly good form.
Yes, the show has issues with stereotypes across the board, jewish, indian, geek, etc, but by the end of the series the characters have all grown past their introductions and the last series (the last 5-6 episodes in particular) has more heartfelt scenes then the previous 11 seasons combined.
The show has come under fairly intense criticism in the past for its depiction of geeks and nerds, and I understand that. I feel, however, its not deriding geek culture, but celebrating it. This show, this group of characters embody what it means to be a geek, what it means to be part of a fandom of something, be it Star Trek or Star Wars, comic books or sci-fi novels, there's something for all of us here. It allows us to be proud of that, to get the in-jokes between Sheldon and Wil Wheaton and sit smugly while others don't. This is a rare thing for us and I welcome it.
With repeats on television constantly, it has the potential to be like Friends and continually gain new fans and viewers over the years, and I hope many get the same satisfaction from it as I ultimately did. And you never know, I might even learn to like Howard.
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