Someone
recently asked me whether I watched the TV programme Big Bang Theory.
Their surprise at my “no” reply got me thinking. Why don't I
watch it? Cos all the ingredients seem to be there. You know, their
references to pop culture, video games, technology, superheroes! So
I've thought about it & here's why:
Delivery
is bland and formulaic.
Despite
all these interesting references thrown in, they are usually
delivered in a tedious formulaic fashion. Mostly it seems, from
their sofa, lines dribbling out of their mouths “blah blah
blah” - laughter track. There's no punchy (Do we still say
punchy?) editing or camera angles/shots, just static shots of people
sitting/standing on their x - spot plodding through their lines,
yawn.
Aaaghhh
there is a laughter track!!!
I
detest laughter tracks with every fibre of my being! Most people
with an actual sense of humour realise these exist to disguise the
vacuum of real comedy. Even if it's filmed in front of a studio
audience the result is the same - a laughter track telling you when
to laugh.
The
characters are stereotypical geeks All the main characters are
bi-dimensional stereotypes: geeks lacking social skills, and frankly
pathetic. I'm a geek, and sure I share some of their
characteristics. I do however, have more facets than a coin. As do
any other geek types I know and so...
I
can't help comparing it to Spaced The
vastly superior British comedy. A programme that projectile
vomited surreal tasting creativity in your face. It threw in
relevant up-to-date references - sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle.
It credited us with the intelligence to work them out. It respected
the interests of the characters. These characters were into comics,
video games, quoting Sci-fi films. But they weren't painted as just
“geeks” but as complex people who happen to have particular
interests. This programme was relevant to the age group it
portrayed. This was of course because the programme was written by
the two young leads, unlike BBT which was created by two middle- aged
men. This was similar for the thankfully forgotten “Game on”
(one of the writers was born in 1936!) I still get angry about that
offal even now . BBT doesn't seem to like it's main characters, it just appears to be taking the piss out of these people. It's like it's
saying “look at these people's unimportant interests, look how
foolish they are, they are complete gits for playing LAN games, see
intelligent people aren't threatening, they're just sad inadequates”
Just think - Spaced predated BBT by around 7 years and yet it's light years ahead (that's about 6 trillion miles x a lot)
Just think - Spaced predated BBT by around 7 years and yet it's light years ahead (that's about 6 trillion miles x a lot)
I
love you Spaced! and I always will! I'm
bored of moaning so will just concentrate on my profound love of
Spaced before I retire for the evening
