Anomaly

There's a difference between some character growth and what TPTB have done with Howard, Sheldon and (now looking to be) Raj. Howard is nearly unrecognizable as the same character. Sheldon often does & accepts things that are way out of character for him. Now, with Lucy, I can almost guarantee that Raj slowly (or maybe quickly) becomes a completely reworked character as well. As I said in another thread (I believe the Howard Wolowitz thread), it would have been fine to grow the Leonard & Penny relationship as this was an obvious story arc from the get-go. It would have also been completely logical, as Leonard was the least geeky and the most desiring of wanting to be more average. There however was no reason to mess with Sheldon, Leonard or Raj (even as much as I don't like Raj). The people behind TBBT created some great, memorable characters, and for no good reason destroyed them all. Like I said, growth is one thing... What has happened on this show is a whole 'nother level. It's getting to the point where it might as well be an entirely different show... Oh wait, it is an entirely different show. It's Friends 2.0. Never have I seen a show fall from such a great heights & potential to such a pit of mindless, bubble-gum mediocrity.

That's how the show should have developed. Unfortunately, TPTB have decided to take every one of the guys down the exact same predictable path... Become involved in a romantic type relationship, get their particular geekdom "fixed" and come out normal (AKA: boring). This would have been okay had it been Leonard's path with Penny. but it's also Howard's path with Bernadette, (probably) Raj's path with Lucy and (extremely unfortunately) Sheldon's path with Amy. Is that as creative as these "writers" can get... To do the same story 4 times (ruining each unique character in the process)? Howard has already been destroyed. Leonard was never that "different" to begin with, yet he was the one who realized he was somewhat nerdy & wanted to be more "normal". This is why his & Penny's story arc was logical. My guess is that Raj will eventually find his mate (if it's not Lucy), lose his mutism and become as normal & boring as Howard has. Then there's Sheldon... Probably the most unique & well liked TV character of the last decade. TPTB are well on their way to fixing (ruining) him as well. Seriously, I've come to hate this show. I wish I weren't already so invested in it & the characters.

It's funny, but on a show that started out about geeks... It's starting to give the message that geeks need to be "fixed" and turned into average people.

Personally, I think all of this relationship focus needs to be thrown out the window, so the show can get back to the geek oriented sit-com that it started out being. This isn't drama, the characters don't need to grow too much, Unfortunately, that's already happened and The Big Bang Theory has become another Friends. The next thing you know, Bernadette & Howard will have a baby, because there was a baby on Friends. Just watch. All that said, Priya had already moved back to India when Leonard met Alice. In fact, Priya had already hooked back up with her ex when Leonard went out with Alice. If you want to turn TBBT into a relationship driven drama, Alice was a much better fit for Leonard than Priya or Penny.

Being a guy, i don't know nor couldn't care less if Leonard is a stud, but I do know he is (or at least was until Howard got "normalized") the least geeky of the four. That said, I wish every now & then, things wouldn't go the safe, predictable Hollywood route. I wish Leonard would have said to Hell with Priya and hooked up with Alice, rather than the typical, predictable & oh so boring ending up with the girl across the hall. Everybody knew this was the main story arc from the get-go... How boring & predictable is that?

Fantasy

I agree... Simon is great. It's just too bad he's now playing a very typical rom-com Husband. He's making the most out of it, but even though he's made lemon-aid out of lemons, we've all had this same lemon-aid over & over before.

I will admit that there is the occasional episode that gives me some hope, but they are the exception rather than the rule. In all honesty, I can only think of two or three episodes in the last two seasons that I actually liked and/or thought lived up in any way to the first three seasons. The last one, with Bob Newhart was one, although I found the whole Raj's dog subplot just as bad as any other recent episode.

TPTB are far more interested in turning TBBT into Friends 2.0 than exploring any of their own creativity or letting the show evolve along it's own course.

The even bigger problem is that they're doing it (albeit more slowly) to Sheldon as well. Hell, the entire show is becoming plain, boring, too normal, domesticated & submissive.

That's an interesting point. Maybe it does? I've never seen Jim in anything else, so I don't know what he's like as any character but Sheldon. It's funny, but in the few interviews I've seen with Jim... My Wife also pointed out that she thought Jim was very much like Sheldon. In fact, she said she thought they were so close, she didn't even consider Jim playing Sheldon as acting. Not in things like intelligence or habits, but in the general way he carries himself, the way he speaks, facial expressions, etc. I'd only ever seen one interview with Johnny, and to be honest, at the time had never even seen TBBT, so I can't comment about him. I do know in watching Kaley play Penny, she looks like she's acting to me.

I just find her acting to be hamish... Almost as if she's just delivering lines & standing there. I see very little emotion in her acting and even less follow through after a line is delivered.

The Moms Kind of agree. I like Howard & Leonard's Moms. Mrs. Cooper is kinda unimaginative though. Howard & Raj Disagree. To me, their bromance is nothing more than a watered down rip off of Turk & J.D. from Scrubs. The Games Agree. Their games are a defining part of the characters. Unfortunately, this aspect seems to be getting lost. The Swag Agree. I have a few Sheldon t-shirts and the Wife has a custom license plate frame, among other stuff. The Comic Book Debates Agree. The whole comic book aspect is also a defining geek trait. Sheldon's O.C.D. Agree. Unfortunately, this too is being left behind. They created a great character and now they are slowly destroying him... Why? The Costumes Agree. But like many other aspects, it feels as though they're being used only to throw fans of the earlier seasons a bone. BAZINGA! Disagree. It used to be okay, but I am no fan of catchphrases. I feel like we are all meant to sit there & wait for it, like when Arnold used to say Wachoo talkin' 'bout Willis? on Different Strokes. Just cheesy IMHO. Penny Kind of agree. She's the "normal" one of the bunch, so she's needed. That said, I think from an acting standpoint, Kaley's the weak link. Sheldon Agree. Even in a watered-down state, Sheldon IS The Big Bang Theory, period. Now, more-so than ever. Amy This is a tough one. I actually like Amy's character. I just don't like her as Sheldon's girlfriend. I think the way she is being used is a mistake.

This. Because TBBT sure as Hell isn't the nerd version of TBBT anymore.

I concur.

The thing is, if you (or I or anyone) watches episodes from the first three seasons, then watches newer episodes, it's like two totally different shows. Admittedly, season 4 was transitional, but 1-3 and 5-6 are worlds apart. Sure there is still some nerdy humor, but the characters are barely nerds/geeks anymore. The geek culture references and escapades are dwindling, being replaced by extremely (not in a good way) typical rom-com humor. The geek references that remain are usually over-explained to cater to a new, more casual viewer. IMHO, changing the show from unique to mainstream is ruining it (has already ruined it actually). I just fail to see how going from characters that were creative and even somewhat edgy to average (albeit intelligent) 20-somethings that have been seen a zillion times before is in any way good, except to draw in a larger, yet more throw-away audience. TBBT has gone from geek to bubble-gum. Anyone who can't see that is (with no intended offense) either wearing blinders (probably intentionally) or is simply part of the bubble-gum culture.

Okay, maybe a lot of nerdy guys that you knew mature & settled down. TBBT is not real life, it's a TV show, and a comedy at that. Characters don't fundamentally change on sit-coms, especially ones that were originally well-conceived. When they do change, it's usually at the end of a show's run and it's not done across the board, fundamentally changing the dynamic of the entire show from that of a sit-com to a rom-com. With that, the type of viewer it appeals to will also change. TPTB having done that is what doesn't make sense to me. I can accept that the show no longer appeals to me personally. Again, it's only a TV show. I also understand they wanted the show to be more popular than it already was, so they watered it down, homogenized it and made it more mainstream. The thing is, TBBT was generating a lot of buzz and growing. I truly believe that had TBBT started out in it's current form, it would have been passed off as just another rom-com and failed. I consider that selling out & ruining something that was at one time special. Maybe their plan was to hook a smaller, buzz generating type of audience, then switch to something more typical? At this point, TBBT feels more like a bait-n-switch to me than anything else.

Oh dear. I didn't bother watching it when it was on, but I did DVR it. After reading this comment, I may simply erase it now.

As I said, there are relationships in all shows. Unfortunately, relationships now define TBBT. Yes, Howard's obsession was getting into girls' pants. How he went about trying to accomplish that was what made him funny & interesting. Now that he is in a relationship, his character is boring, and extremely typical. And yes, Sheldon was (partly) defined by his view of relationships. Now that he is in one (as dysfunctional as it may be), his character is also becoming more typical. TBBT used to be about four geeks and their "hot" ungeeky next door neighbor. As you've said, it was about relationships... Many different relationships. Relationships at work, between the guys and their toys, the characters and their idiosyncrasies, the characters and the different people they were trying to have relationships with, etc, etc, etc. The overall story is now stagnant and the characters are being transformed into plain, run of the mill people. Everything that takes place on the show anymore is tied into the aspect of the relationships the guys are in. TBBT is now about one thing and one thing only. It has become boring, predictable and has been seen many, many, many times before.

Just because there was the possibility of one single relationship does not mean the show was about relationships. There has never been one show that didn't include some type of relationship aspect as any interaction constitutes a relationship, even if it was how one single character interacted with him/herself. TBBT has become too narrowly focused on the actual relationship aspects of characters that were built around not wanting or being able to have (romantic) relationships. Penny very easily could have remained the object of Leonard's desire without ever having become his girlfriend. IMHO, that would have made for a far better show in the long run.

It all started with Bernadette though. We all know that Leonard & Penny were always meant to be together (or at least she was meant to be the object of Leonard's desire), but the whole relationship/rom-com thing started with Bernadette. She is definitely the cause of Howard's destruction as a character. You are correct that Amy is destroying Sheldon, but the (semi-recent) relationship additions in general are what is ruining TBBT.

Because she's annoying, not funny and has been the primary device that has destroyed one of the show's better characters (Howard Wolowitz). Enter Bernadette... Enter Friends 2.0.

The Priceline commercials provide a perfect tie-in to William Shatner. Imagine the story TPTB could come up with if Penny was actually working with Bill... Then again, I don't exactly have much faith (none at all really) in TPTB.

Because TPTB at some point decided to start transforming the characters from nerds/geeks into ordinary guys. You are absolutely 100% correct that it doesn't make sense, but (to paraphrase Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments) so it has been written, so it has been done. It made no sense, it was a bad move and it has destroyed one of the show's better characters. There really is no reason for the upcoming Friends reunion, considering TBBT has transformed so completely into it's almost exact duplicate.

At least he had a note... And what an entertaining one it was. Now, he's a no-note... A watered down background character in comparison. While he does still have the Raj bromance, I always looked at that as a very poor Turk & J.D. (Scrubs) rip-off. If that's what TPTB are relying on to tie the new Howard with the old, they chose the one device that was never done particularly well to begin with.