When do you consider to be the biggest turning point/ shift in the overall vibe and direction of the show?

[Nostalgia2003]

I'm very late to the party when it comes to the show and have recently watched season 1 and 2. I absolutely love them! However on starting season 3 I'm noticing changes in the characters and overall direction.

Don't get me wrong I still love it. However in the first two season the characters are more toned down and dare I say realistic. There were more interactions between the main four guys, sitting round and eating takeout, paintballing, Sheldon's various different nights on his schedule.

In season 3 there are scenes such as sheldon in the ball pit, Raj and Howard at the roller rink that don't seem to fit with the rest of the show. Leonard also seems less geeky and awkward, an almost boringly 'regular guy'.

Sorry if this is an old topic thats probably been discussed before, but as I'm new to the show I was wondering when you think the biggest change occurs? Which later season shows the most dramatic shift? From what I've seen alot of people believe the introduction of Amy has a significant impact on the feel of the show. :)

[Tensor]

1 hour ago, Nostalgia2003 said:

I'm very late to the party when it comes to the show and have recently watched season 1 and 2. I absolutely love them! However on starting season 3 I'm noticing changes in the characters and overall direction.

snip…

Which later season shows the most dramatic shift? From what I've seen alot of people believe the introduction of Amy has a significant impact on the feel of the show.

Hello, first off, welcome to the forums.  Just to let you know, your first few posts have to be approved by a admin or moderator. I saw you posted this twice, probably thinking it didn’t post.  I approved this one and deleted the other.  
 

As for your topic, season three was a bit of a change as Leonard and Penny start dating.  Some of the shows were going to be about that, this might be the change you mentioned.  The addition of Bernadette and Amy were major turning points, no doubt.  
 

While their introduction was in season three, they were added to the  main cast in season four.  So the major turning points would be, in season three, episode 5, The Creepy Candy Coating  Corollary for Bernadette’s introduction and  episode 23, The Lunar Excitation, for Amy’s introduction.  For their addition to main cast in season four, episode 4, The Hot Troll Deviation for Melissa’s addition and episode 8, The 21 Second Excitation, for Mayim’s.  
 

These were major changes as it gave two other guys ( besides Leonard) regular interaction with other women.  It also opened up storylines with just the women and allowed the show to show more of Penny’s life.  But, it did change the show to more relationship based.  Now, relationships were always there before, and the geekiness was there after, but the relationships came to the forefront and the geekiness fell more to the background. 
 

Finally, while you are correct, this subject has been discussed, it’s new to you, so feel free to discuss it.  In those discussions, there were those who disliked the changes, and felt the first three or four seasons were the best.  They didn’t like the more relationship based episodes.  As these became more frequent, those folks drifted away from the show.  Others liked the change and still others just went with the show where ever it went. Everyone was drawn to the show for their own reasons and liked what they liked.
 

[chucky]

43 minutes ago, Tensor said:

Hello, first off, welcome to the forums.  Just to let you know, your first few posts have to be approved by a admin or moderator. I saw you posted this twice, probably thinking it didn’t post.  I approved this one and deleted the other.  
 

As for your topic, season three was a bit of a change as Leonard and Penny start dating.  Some of the shows were going to be about that, this might be the change you mentioned.  The addition of Bernadette and Amy were major turning points, no doubt.  
 

While their introduction was in season three, they were added to the  main cast in season four.  So the major turning points would be, in season three, episode 5, The Creepy Candy Coating  Corollary for Bernadette’s introduction and  episode 23, The Lunar Excitation, for Amy’s introduction.  For their addition to main cast in season four, episode 4, The Hot Troll Deviation for Melissa’s addition and episode 8, The 21 Second Excitation, for Mayim’s.  
 

These were major changes as it gave two other guys ( besides Leonard) regular interaction with other women.  It also opened up storylines with just the women and allowed the show to show more of Penny’s life.  But, it did change the show to more relationship based.  Now, relationships were always there before, and the geekiness was there after, but the relationships came to the forefront and the geekiness fell more to the background. 
 

Finally, while you are correct, this subject has been discussed, it’s new to you, so feel free to discuss it.  In those discussions, there were those who disliked the changes, and felt the first three or four seasons were the best.  They didn’t like the more relationship based episodes.  As these became more frequent, those folks drifted away from the show.  Others liked the change and still others just went with the show where ever it went. Everyone was drawn to the show for their own reasons and liked what they liked.
 

Spot on in the description of the show. I guess I am one of those who went with the show wherever it went. Even though the latter seasons had too much Shamy and too many arguments between Lenny. 

[NeckShotLime]

On 5/3/2022 at 4:30 PM, chucky said:

Spot on in the description of the show. I guess I am one of those who went with the show wherever it went. Even though the latter seasons had too much Shamy and too many arguments between Lenny. 

Same here. I watched the whole thing in a few weeks, I loved all the characters and wanted to see how their stories ended  but had I started watching in normal conditions when the show first aired, I honestly think I would have given up around season 6 or 7, maybe sooner. 

[chucky]

Best part for me was from Season 7 forward,  I had DIRECTV. Which meant that I could fast forward thru the parts I didn't like. That function really came in handy in Seasons 10 - 12. 😊

[WrongVerb]

Hey a question I can answer for my first ever post on this board.

"You rat bastard!"

The turming point is when Penny realized she was a sapiosexual. I think someone else mentioned the episode was The Lunar Excitation. It was also the introduction of Amy. The rest of the series evolved from this episode.

 

 

[chucky]

I think Tensor's post was more accurate. 

[Mario D.]

On 5/3/2022 at 11:30 AM, chucky said:

Spot on in the description of the show. I guess I am one of those who went with the show wherever it went. Even though the latter seasons had too much Shamy and too many arguments between Lenny. 

I think the show changed and untimately went into another direction was  season nine when Penny and Leonard got married and subsequently became secondary characters as their stories became less and less. The show segued into the Shamy show where most of the episodes centered around Amy and Sheldon and their courtship into engagement and then marriage and their quest for the Nobel prize. This was a key turning point

[chucky]

1 hour ago, Mario D. said:

I think the show changed and untimately went into another direction was  season nine when Penny and Leonard got married and subsequently became secondary characters as their stories became less and less. The show segued into the Shamy show where most of the episodes centered around Amy and Sheldon and their courtship into engagement and then marriage and their quest for the Nobel prize. This was a key turning point

Most definitely! That's when I discovered the fast forward button on my remote control. 😂

Edited August 27, 2022 by chucky