Has the Big Bang Theory turned into Friends?

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I realise that it is difficult to sustain a TV show over several series, but to me one of the major 'draws' of this show was it's difference to other sit-coms. I particularly enjoyed the scientific bias (even emphasis) of the earlier shows, but it does seem to becoming more generic and 'happy-talk' as each episode passes. Just saw the first of the latest series online and I fear Sheldon will soon become so bland that he becomes NT hahaha, perhaps he will end up 'cured' in a similar way to Raj's miraculous recovery from selective mutism............

anyone else noticed this or is it just me?

I think you're right, or at least on the right track.

After a while, it seems that most successful sitcoms take a formulaic approach to script-writing - the same stories, over and over, that have been hashed and re-hashed by every other sitcom already. This is the safe apraoch - don't break new ground, don't make waves, don't take risks, just find your safe spot and stay there.

You have to understand that the actors aren't really like the characters they play. For the latter it may be all about the science, but for the former it's now about cashing in on the success of the show. The three main cast members currently earn $325,000 per episode and are seeking a raise to $1,000,000 - per episode. That is, in fact, what the Friends actors did too. For the network and producers this is a huge financial investment, that's why they play it safe now in terms of story lines. They can't risk dropping in the ratings.

See this article: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/big-bang-theory-stars-seeking-631792

i disliked friends, and i love big bang. so there has to be some concrete difference.

personally i enjoy seeing the characters evolve, to me it's the best sign that the show is NOT stagnating, and i think it's one of the most insightful, thoughtfully written shows on TV, let alone for a sit com. for instance, i think prady and lorre are doing an outstanding job of exploring, with a light touch, sheldon's various layers, while letting him mature without making him into something he is not. at the same time, like all good drama and comedy, they deal with universal human truths.

to me it's like what COULD happen for a person with AS who had real friends who learn to accept him for who he is. it's kind of about what we can learn from each other.

for instance i love it when sheldon confronts penny about being insensitive.

I somewhat liked Friends, but I'm not sure what killed it...too much money for the actors or that it just ran out of good ideas.

BBT is going the same way. The actors are starting to show their ages. I think having Raj able to talk to women now is a sign they are getting ready to shut it down. I don't they they couldn't have kept milking his inability to speak to women for laughs, but when you foresee an end coming, you try to tie up loose ends in the story. Last season was more "blah" than WOW. Every now and then they would hit it out of the park, but other episodes left you wanting more. This weeks two-episode session was just like that. First one was pretty good...the other one felt flat.

For me, BBT jumped the shark when they added Amy Farrah Fowler. The show did not need two Sheldons.

But, yes, I agree that it's turning into 'Friends.' The comedic crux of the show initially was the fact that the central characters were all geeks and nerds who were social failures. Now they all have girlfriends - the most blatant social misfit of the bunch now has a wife, for gods' sakes - and they're even setting up the utterly Asexual Aspie Sheldon to have sex, which the character as presented so far would not only never do, he would find the very idea repulsive.

It's no longer about loners and oddballs, it's now about cute couples.

Virtually all of the Science jokes have disappeared from the scripts and the most nerdy thing about most of the nerds now is their obsession with comic books. I expect that instead of cameos from Leonard Nimoy, Stephen Hawking and Brent Spiner, we can now expect drop-ins by the Agents of SHIELD.

Last edited by Willard on 01 Oct 2013, 6:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

hey! no dissing SHIELD!! !

I can't say if its turned into "Friends", since I've never really watched the show. But I do agree with the general gist of this thread - depending on your point of view, the main characters have all steadily evolved / devolved from social misfit nerds towards somewhat normal cute couples. Sheldon still has a long way to go but even he has slowly been getting there. Raj's overcoming his selective mutism and possibly having a thing now with the HR lady and I think he's well on his way. The cheesy / typical conclusion of this series would be Leonard and Penny marrying, Sheldon and Amy marrying (or at least having "coitus") and Raj marrying Ms. Davis or someone yet to be determined. At this point I'd be pretty surprised if the actual ending is really any different from that.

I haven't seen it in aeons so I am not one to comment on the current season until Thursday evening - I missed EP VII-I.

As of now I really don't know what the status is on Amy & Sheldon but I do wonder why they don't just go in vitro and forget about the hard part so they CAN continue what I thought was an obvious and normal relationship without scaring the crap outta Parsons.

IF they completely obliterate Science Talk I will have the Personal Honor of smashing the script-writer keeping up with the Joneses, with the crew's very own Mars rover. *WOOF*

Some very interesting comments, with which I must say I concur. The show definitely seems to be approaching 'the end'. Perhaps not such a bad thing........

i predict that BBT will officially end when sheldon is actually declared on the spectrum. the final scene will be him in the doctors office with his mom. LOL she will finally get that second opinion....

I think I agree with all of what Willard has said.

But that's not all. The writing itself sucks too many times. They have one good episode here and there, in terms of writing, but the rest is complete crap. Obvious jokes that you see a mile away; cheap writing tricks, like puting Leonard and Penny fighting like a divorced couple over the Disney Land visit (This trick is rarely used well. The best I've seen it used was on Seinfeld for various times. But sometimes, even on Seinfeld, that wasn't funny!); The contrast jokes are obvious. It's all very disturbing. They had a really really great premise, and could have created an excelent quality series with a narrower fan base. Nope. MONEY!

Writing rooms are art killers.

Truth be told, I always found TBBT to be formulaic and not particularly well-written - it's always been little more than Friends with nerdy characters and humor. But at least the nerd factor made it stand out a *little* and allowed it to be entertaining at times. As others have noted, those aspects have now been significantly watered down, especially with the addition of girlfriends for the characters, basically making the show seem all the more like your typical generic mass-appeal sitcom. But I guess you can't argue with the ratings.

I don't know, I don't watch it, but if it has then I might start watching it!

Friends were great! I never liked Big Bang Theory.

yes

That's why I never got into it. I've watched a few episodes of Friends on airplanes and didn't like it at all. I dabbled in Big Bang Theory at first thinking it would be better on account of the nerdiness and it was marginally better ( a few spot-on jokes and some science) but not dissimilar enough to Friends to make it long-term enjoyable. The nerdiness and science were just superficial polish from what I saw in a few episodes and it was at heart a standard formula young-adults-living-together sitcom.

There seems to be an American way of doing the young-adults-living-together sitcom and a British way. The American way runs so deep that the thin veneer of nerd on Big Bang Theory couldn't change how similar it was to Friends. I much prefer the British way. The British take on a young-adults-living-together sitcom The Peep Show has an excellent nerd character although no science. It might appeal to those who are disappointed in the loss of The Big Bang Theory's nerdiness.