4ofN Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 So, I have a question. Is TBBT about Leonard or Sheldon? This isn't a question of who you like better or who has more screen time, it is a question about the premise of the show. Is the show about a quirky but brilliant physicist (Sheldon), - who has to deal with a roommate who is only a normally smart physicist, and - who has to deal with his roommates obsession with the cute girl next door, and - who has to deal with his roommates nerdy and slightly peculiar friends? or Is the show about a normally smart physicist (Leonard), - who has to deal with a roommate who is a quirky but brilliant physicist, and - who has to deal with his obsession with the cute girl next door, and - who has to deal with his nerdy and slightly peculiar friends? The reason I ask is that, to me, Leonard always seemed to be the main character in the show. However, it seems that a lot of people think it is mainly a show about Sheldon. I understand Jim always being the one getting the accolades as Sheldon's quirky nature must require more acting skills, but that shouldn't mean that Sheldon is more of the focus. It even seems they make fun of this in The Toast Derivation, where they point out that Leonard is the focus. So, what do people think? (P.S. I think it would be too much of a stretch to say this is a show about a girl from Nebraska who comes to the big city to be an actress and ends up living next to a couple of smart guys - so I think Penny is out on this one) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien94 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I think about all of them,Sheldon is the most popular character but i think that the producers put Leonard in front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imapotato Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Leonard is the protangonist and where the show circles around. Galecki also has the toughest acting gig, to be the straight man and show the direction of the episode with mannerisms and dialogue. I think they do a good job of giving Howard and Sheldon episodes to give them their own direction and character feel. Penny and the girls are mearly a prop in any epsiode, which shows a bit of Lorre's and Prady's mysoginistic personality. Raj, they give him subplots and use him as a one trait resource (mutism) to make jokes at that expense. The one time they tried to make a Raj centric episode it involved him longing for Bernadette and didn't go over too well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master-Sephiroth Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I say it's around Leonard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomita Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 That's an interesting way to look at it. I agree more with the second outlook. Sheldon is certainly the most interesting character of the show, but I feel that the story is essentially from Leonard's perspective. He's the most 'normal' character, and hence the one who observes and reacts to all the zaniness that everyone else is up to, while handling his equation with Penny. In that sense, he's the protagonist. I think Johnny Galecki does a great job of playing straight man. I'm so glad he got a nomination, too, this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheekydevil Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I could be wrong, but it seems the show was orignally supposed to mostly be about Lenoard but as the show has gone on it seems that Sheldon is now the protagonist character. I guess as the show went on and Sheldon got more popular they decided to make Sheldon more central. Either way it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BazingaGirl Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I've always thought of it as being equal parts Leonard and Sheldon, probably because Jim and Johnny are both the leads and the other blokes are support actors. Most of the action happens in their apartment, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmouse Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 The show is kinda like a modern retelling of the original "Odd Couple" movie/tv series, but using intellect as the divider between the two main characters as opposed to sloppiness which was what originally divided Oscar and Felix in the original series. The show relies on both characters imo, so I'll go with both Leonard and Sheldon. However, Sheldon's character has clearly become the most popular amongst the fanbase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTfan Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I think about all of them,Sheldon is the most popular character but i think that the producers put Leonard in front. Yep. Remember, Leonard is what brings the group together. But Sheldon is king wierdo of the group, thus the most interesting of the lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmouse Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I don't think so much that Sheldon is the most interesting of the group. I think it's more that the general fan base can relate to his character better. I think everyone knows a real life person that can compare to Sheldon, and hence, the connection to his character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master-Sephiroth Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Sheldon's pretty quirky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien94 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 No he is Sheldonly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master-Sephiroth Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Add that to your list of technical terms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousedroppings Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I think both Leonard and Sheldon are the main main characters, but I think overall it's more Leonard-centric. Rajesh, Howard and Penny are part of the main cast but they aren't the show's focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofN Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 Its funny how different people see the show differently. I like Sheldon, and he has some characteristics that I see in myself (which I like), but I really don't see him as being the most interesting character. He always seemed like the wacky (quirky/sheldonly) roommate to me. I never understood why he was the one getting the awards, but now I see that there are other viewpoints out there. Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master-Sephiroth Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 @4ofN: Or as Sheldon would say, fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmouse Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 One might say that Sheldon is the most accessible amongst the character pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien94 Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Add that to your list of technical terms. Did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master-Sephiroth Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Add that to your list of technical terms. Did Sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomita Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Sheldon is certainly the most striking character, and hence draws attention (also it's partly JP's performance which does it). But I still think that Leonard is the main protagonist, in that the story is from his perspective. So we have the rather unusual situation of one character being the fan favorite, the one who gets the most recognition and screen time, and the other being the one around whose life experience and feelings the story revolves. @Alien - I hope 'Sheldonesque' is already there, in that list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmouse Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Hmmm... never really looked at the show from the pov of it revolving around Leonard, even though he may not be the main focus of the show at times... yeah, that works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousedroppings Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 If we look at the title of the show, it's a sexual innuendo. The Big Bang Theory. The show's main focus is how the nerdy guy trips over his own feet to try and score the beauty, which is obviously Leonard, not Sheldon. We get some Sheldon-centric episodes, but generally it's about Leonard's sex life or lack thereof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien94 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Interesting theory Mousedrop! I thought it was called ''The Big Bang Theory'' because they are geeks and physicists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomita Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Interesting theory Mousedrop! I thought it was called ''The Big Bang Theory'' because they are geeks and physicists. In one of the earliest promos of the show, they actually used this innuendo, where Leonard talks of the actual big bang (of the universe) and Penny says cheekily, ' I think they mean the other kind of bang'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BazingaGirl Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I remember that promo! And Sheldon saying that he certainly would NOT feel comfortable with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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