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Validity of the Big Bang Theory
18 June 2012
By Tennie Videler
Several of my colleagues avidly watch the Big Bang Theory and maintain this is really to get an insight into researchers' lives. I am not much of a telly person so have only cottoned ontot watching this very recently. i find it mildly amusing but am not at all sure it does researchers any favours.
Do people identify with the scientist characters? (I feel torn between identifying with the blonde andwith the nerdy scientists...).
Do people think this is so discipline specific that although the series may be a true (ish) refelction of physical scientists, it is not of researchers in other disciplines?
Lookign forward to your views...
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Sandrine Berges20 June 2012 at 03:09 PM
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Like you a lot of my tv watching friends love this show. I watched a couple of episodes and was put off, frankly, by the fact that the researchers are all men, and the woman is a waitress. How about a show featuring three not very attractive female researchers, fantasizing about the hot waiter who lives downstairs? Now that I may watch. For research purposes, you know.
Blanka Sengerová26 June 2012 at 10:46 PM
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Sometimes I wonder whether I should get a TV. Having just been on holiday, I saw some of the football (once it was past bedtime, which sometimes extended for quite a long time) although probably not worth it. But I wonder when I'd ever have time to watch TV at home. Is the Big Bang theory something worth finding on iPlayer or similar?
Kat Dawes06 July 2012 at 01:22 PM
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I love The Big Bang Theory! I think that some elements of it are spot on — the institutionalised environment can often breed people who make you think, do they live in the real world?!
I love the geekery portrayed, though clearly Sheldon has some undiagnosed issues! The losing people with long-winded explanations, big words and obscure theories is funny, though sometimes overdone. I don't talk to people outside of uni in that way because their reactions would, I'm sure, be similar (but it can be amusing to do it sometimes;-).
My dad has a PhD in Physics, he loves it too and says yes, there's a lot of truth in it, but it's totally hammed up for the laughs.
I also identify with Penny, the waitress, because I work as a waitress and I can be just as dizzy. I don't look that good, though!
There ARE female researchers in it, for example the wonderful Leslie Winkle, who manages to outsmart the super-smart Sheldon at every turn, and confuses the boys with her straightforward means-to-an-end attitude to sex.
Harmless fun with some truth in it! I'm on season four…
Tristram Hooley11 July 2012 at 06:09 PM
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It is of course one of the best shows on TV! The comment about it having no female characters is way off. Amy Farrah Fowler is easily Sheldon's equal in both intelligence and disfunction. There is also a side plot where Bernadette spends her time teasing Howard about his lack of a doctorate.
Is it a good representation of researchers? No not really, they are far more eccentric than most researchers I meet (which is a shame as I could do with a few more Sheldon's knocking about the University). They also have a far more developped social life and hinterland of hobbies than most researchers I know who mainly just work endless on their latest funding application. However the obsessions with status, office space, publication etc are all drawn from real life.
My only problem with the show is that I've now seen every single episode which means that I've had to move on to 2 Broke Girl$ for sit com fun.