The Big Bang Theory - Season 1

THE BIG BANG THEORY – Season 1

‘The Big Bang Theory’ (‘Big Bang’ for short) is an American sitcom that charts the lives of four Caltech scientists: roommates, Leonard Hofstadler (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) plus their work colleagues Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar).  In addition the main cast is rounded off by Kaley Cuoco who plays Penny, a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory.

Since the end of ‘Friends’ there is been a huge number of American sitcoms of debatable quality, fortunately Big Bang does not suffer from this, and is instead a refreshingly inventive sitcom, though does make its viewers suffer through ‘canned’ laughter…  Nevertheless, it is worth putting up with as this first season provides many laugh-out-loud moments and some truly hilarious episodes!  Indeed Big Bang features some fantastic script writing, with jokes based around the nerd and geek culture embraced by Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj, but never attacking said culture.  Thus, instead of making its characters look like ‘losers’, Big Bang embraces its characters and makes this sitcom have a lot of heart which tends to be missing from most sitcoms.

Much of the comedy is centred on science, sci-fi, comic books and gaming, and thus feels relatively fresh as this content is not frequently used in comedy.  Indeed, the jokes hit home for all ages, so whether or not you know the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars there are plenty of witticisms for viewers.  Yet, as with all comedy shows not all the jokes ‘work’ but, with Big Bang, the humour mostly performs well.

As well as possessing excellent writing and humour the show also boasts a great group of actors who do justice to the writers.  Indeed, writing is only as good as it is delivered and in Big Bang this is excellent.  Likewise, there seems to be a great balance and chemistry to the main cast with each character feeling distinct and three-dimensional.  Of the five main cast members though, Kunal Nayyar and Jim Parsons really stand out.  Kunal Nayyar proves himself an excellent physical comedy actor, whilst Jim Parsons is a tour de force as Sheldon Cooper, stealing most scenes with his fascinating performances.  Not wanting to spoil your fun, all I shall say is that Sheldon is a reason on its own to watch this show!

Ultimately, this show succeeds because it pairs a talented group of actors with a gifted crop of writers, and thus makes it more than just ‘another sitcom’.  Big Bang offers a great selection of comedy and also has a big heart, which makes for an outstanding first season.  The Big Bang Theory has raised the bar for sitcoms, and is well worth buying.

9/10

IMDB Link:  The Big Bang Theory