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Change? They Say It's Good...


HeWolf

Is Personal Growth NECESSARY FOR Sheldon?  

8 members have voted

  1. 1. Is Personal Growth NECESSARY FOR Sheldon?

    • Yes
      20
    • No
      21


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Change is not necessary for a successful sitcom, however I would lose interest very quickly and stop watching any show where the characters remain static.

I enjoy evolution and change. Other people are fine with the status quo. There's enough of each type to make both "no change" and "change a lot" shows popular.

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I keep hearing about how far the show has fallen since season 2 and everything after has been a disappointment. I believe that I have recently read that the show has been signed for a season 6 and a season 7. It would seem that the people who really matter are happy with the changes to the show.

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I'd like to see more plots about the guys and gals' careers next season. That's one aspect that remained static (apart from Howard), time to focus a bit more on the work, careers, and evil schemes in the office.

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I keep hearing about how far the show has fallen since season 2 and everything after has been a disappointment. I believe that I have recently read that the show has been signed for a season 6 and a season 7. It would seem that the people who really matter are happy with the changes to the show.

The show was contracted for seasons 5-7 midway through season 4. So, the fact that there will be a season 6 and 7 does not necessarily imply any viewer satisfaction with the direction of the show, or character development. Ratings would be the best indicator of viewer opinion.

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I'd like to see more plots about the guys and gals' careers next season. That's one aspect that remained static (apart from Howard), time to focus a bit more on the work, careers, and evil schemes in the office.

Agreed and with "Howard" in space why not turn towards accomplishments....

Penny gets some "Real" acting gigs

Leonard has some real "Positive" research results

Raj gets fixed by Amy and she recieves scientific award

Bernie discovers cure for virus discoverd in space saving Howard and the other astronauts

And Sheldon wellllll he is just Sheldon JK finally gets to swim at Bill Gates house.

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I keep hearing about how far the show has fallen since season 2 and everything after has been a disappointment. I believe that I have recently read that the show has been signed for a season 6 and a season 7. It would seem that the people who really matter are happy with the changes to the show.

The show was contracted for seasons 5-7 midway through season 4. So, the fact that there will be a season 6 and 7 does not necessarily imply any viewer satisfaction with the direction of the show, or character development. Ratings would be the best indicator of viewer opinion.

Well the ratings for the show aren't bad, so I guess they haven't screwed things up nearly as badly as a few people seem to think.

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Agreed. I still enjoy the show as much as ever. The point of the thread was whether or not it was necessary to change Sheldon. It is the changes to him, and the way they're portraying him, that I find less enjoyable.

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I'd like to see more plots about the guys and gals' careers next season. That's one aspect that remained static (apart from Howard), time to focus a bit more on the work, careers, and evil schemes in the office.

Agreed and with "Howard" in space why not turn towards accomplishments....

Penny gets some "Real" acting gigs

Leonard has some real "Positive" research results

Raj gets fixed by Amy and she recieves scientific award

Bernie discovers cure for virus discoverd in space saving Howard and the other astronauts

And Sheldon wellllll he is just Sheldon JK finally gets to swim at Bill Gates house.

If these were to happen it would improve significantly....great ideas. :icon_cheesygrin:

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  • 5 weeks later...

Well the ratings for the show aren't bad, so I guess they haven't screwed things up nearly as badly as a few people seem to think.

It's just attracting a different audience now.

The second generation Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were vastly more popular and successful than the original, but they were changed so much that they lost almost their entire original fanbase, the very people who made them popular to begin with. They went from dark hard-core ninjas who kicked butt to a children's show about turtles who eat pizza and like to say kowabunga. Not saying TBBT is having changes anywhere near that level, but they are changing, and slowly swapping to a new type of fan base demographic.

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My thing is, The big bang theory is a relationship based sitcom. Even in season one it was. Seinfeld never was that. Second, some of the characters on the show were very unlikeable in a clearly defined way...(Howard and Sheldon) Since it focuses on relationships, it's gotta make the characters somewhat likeable for the opposite sex. They did that with Howard and are doing it with Sheldon. That said, I really truly don't feel that it has hurt the humor of the show... but that's just me.

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My thing is, The big bang theory is a relationship based sitcom. Even in season one it was. Seinfeld never was that. Second, some of the characters on the show were very unlikeable in a clearly defined way...(Howard and Sheldon) Since it focuses on relationships, it's gotta make the characters somewhat likeable for the opposite sex. They did that with Howard and are doing it with Sheldon. That said, I really truly don't feel that it has hurt the humor of the show... but that's just me.

Plutonic relationships?

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My thing is, The big bang theory is a relationship based sitcom. Even in season one it was. Seinfeld never was that. Second, some of the characters on the show were very unlikeable in a clearly defined way...(Howard and Sheldon) Since it focuses on relationships, it's gotta make the characters somewhat likeable for the opposite sex. They did that with Howard and are doing it with Sheldon. That said, I really truly don't feel that it has hurt the humor of the show... but that's just me.

I guess thats the thing. Some people think that TBBT is a relationship based sitcom. Some of us don't agree with that.

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My theory: listen to the theme song lyrics--they lay out the show's premise right there in the opening. The "whole universe" for Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard (and in her own way, Penny) was in a static "hot, dense state" until the two forces came into contact with each other and sparked a "big bang"-like social reaction. The show tells the story of the subsequent expansion and growth in those 5 (now 7) lives as each learn to strike his or own balances between being true to themselves and getting along in the wider world. The show's taken such a gradual path that it's only the last season or so that you can look back and fully realize how much all of them have grown (except Raj, and I'm pretty sure season 6 will be his turn as well as Penny's). Whether change is "good" or not (I think it is inasmuch as it protects the core of the character's personality while allowing them to grow in a realistic way), it's been built into the premise of this show from the opening verse of the theme song.


And for the record, while I mostly liked Hawkeye Pierce's character arc, somewhere toward the end, between the ep where he dated Nurse Kellye and he eulogized the nurse who died in the minefield, he got little too earnest for my taste.

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I like the idea of change because it's normal. Nobody lives in a vacuum, and the experiences and relationships you have over the years change you, even in very subtle ways. The challenge with the writers is to allow Sheldon to grow without taking away all the things that make him Sheldon. Romantic relationships, in particular, have a huge effect - you end up doing different things, hanging out with more and different people as you incorporate that other person's family and friends into your life. To ignore all that and keep the characters in a bubble where everything that happens to them has little to no effect on their personalities just isn't real.

Of course, yes, it's a sitcom, so it doesn't have to be 'real.' But if a show goes on for more than a few years, it's inevitable. The Brits seem to have figured out a way around this by having their shows end after just a couple of years. :)

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I like the idea of change because it's normal. Nobody lives in a vacuum, and the experiences and relationships you have over the years change you, even in very subtle ways. The challenge with the writers is to allow Sheldon to grow without taking away all the things that make him Sheldon. Romantic relationships, in particular, have a huge effect - you end up doing different things, hanging out with more and different people as you incorporate that other person's family and friends into your life. To ignore all that and keep the characters in a bubble where everything that happens to them has little to no effect on their personalities just isn't real.

Of course, yes, it's a sitcom, so it doesn't have to be 'real.' But if a show goes on for more than a few years, it's inevitable. The Brits seem to have figured out a way around this by having their shows end after just a couple of years. :)

Maybe the Brits are more concerned with quality than ratings. Fawlty Towers was a great show that ended at the right time- when you wanted more. Jerry Seinfeld said it's better to leave the audience wanting more than having them wanting it to end. "Seinfeld" could have gone for several more years getting huge ratings, but they recognized that the quality was declining so they did the right thing and ended it.

What I liked about TBBT was that it was a unique brand of humor that I hadn't seen before. It was refreshing to see something new. Now in the quest for ratings they've changed it into just another romantic relationship show that's been done thousands of times. Every show will now revolve around the status of the romantic relationships - Leonard/Penny, Howard/Bernadatte, and worst of all Sheldon/Amy. Are they mad at each other? Whose fault is it? Will they break up? Will they have sex? Will Raj find someone? Will they all live happily ever after? I hope so! I can't wait to find out!

And the vast audience that loves that type of stuff will ooh and ahh and coo and aww over it all. I'll continue to watch it but for me the originality that attracted me to the show is disappearing fast.

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What I liked about TBBT was that it was a unique brand of humor that I hadn't seen before. It was refreshing to see something new. Now in the quest for ratings they've changed it into just another romantic relationship show that's been done thousands of times. Every show will now revolve around the status of the romantic relationships - Leonard/Penny, Howard/Bernadatte, and worst of all Sheldon/Amy. Are they mad at each other? Whose fault is it? Will they break up? Will they have sex? Will Raj find someone? Will they all live happily ever after? I hope so! I can't wait to find out!

And the vast audience that loves that type of stuff will ooh and ahh and coo and aww over it all. I'll continue to watch it but for me the originality that attracted me to the show is disappearing fast.

Oh, I hear you. I just got into this show a few weeks ago, so seeing it devolve into "another romantic sitcom" is a little different for me (especially since the reruns are all over the place and the episodes aren't shown in order). But yeah - I watch The Office, so I get what you mean. Such a brilliant show for the first few years! But the writers inevitably tend to forget about the little things that make these shows unique, and just churn out scripts that aren't true to the characters, that force relationships where there's no chemistry or even any apparent reason for it... it's sad. I liked the episodes that had to do with the dumb stuff that happens in an office, just like this show is best when they focus on geek things like Sheldon's WoW account being hacked. (I only saw that once - please don't throw garbage at me if it was a different game :))

Ah, Fawlty Towers. What a great show that was. The one where his car breaks down and he's beating on it with a tree branch still makes me laugh hysterically.

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My theory: listen to the theme song lyrics--they lay out the show's premise right there in the opening. The "whole universe" for Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard (and in her own way, Penny) was in a static "hot, dense state" until the two forces came into contact with each other and sparked a "big bang"-like social reaction. The show tells the story of the subsequent expansion and growth in those 5 (now 7) lives as each learn to strike his or own balances between being true to themselves and getting along in the wider world. The show's taken such a gradual path that it's only the last season or so that you can look back and fully realize how much all of them have grown (except Raj, and I'm pretty sure season 6 will be his turn as well as Penny's). Whether change is "good" or not (I think it is inasmuch as it protects the core of the character's personality while allowing them to grow in a realistic way), it's been built into the premise of this show from the opening verse of the theme song.

Thats not a theory. Thats a hypothesis. One that I find to be ridiculous.

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