Comic Con 2014

[Joyzeefan23]

Agree. That was awkward. It could've been so much more but it's like they didn't want/feel like going further in much of anything. We got some little thing here and there, but in the end it wasn't much.

Again, Craig was the best part. The whole Aquaman part was hilarious. That and the Muppet babies were my lolz moments.

[Chiany]

I loved Eric at the panel, he was by far the best part of it, followed by Craig.

I think it just matters with what intend you visit/watch panels like this.

I always assume we won't hear anything "valuable" and just see it a comedy show on stage.

Edited July 27, 2014 by Chiany

[bhreg]

Just finished watching the videos of the panel, thanks for posting...I've only watched a couple of these from the past, but it seems clear they should just start every panel with a blanket statement:  "Here are the questions people ask every year...let's just answer them right now" (or non-answer more likely ;-)

 

The thoughtful questions from the audience (Yay, Michy!) got more thoughtful answers from the writers.  I would have liked to hear more about their process, especially the live audience aspect and re-writes on the fly.  Did the science consultant...Dr. Salzberg say anything or have any questions asked of him?  Just curious...

 

I think Craig Ferguson was great, he definitely upped the energy level...so funny the Aquaman dis!  Big props to Wil W (he's awesome in general!) for not letting what the creator's grand-daughter was saying get passed over.

 

I always like hearing Bill Prady talk... he seems like a genuinely nice guy with such affection for these characters...and at least we got a slight variation on the "immovable object/ irresistible force"  trope.  Eric Kaplan seems like a different sort to say the least...the remark about the hard stares in the writer's room...hmmm

 

Anyway, thanks for all who reported on the event!  Much appreciated! :-)

[tmp]

Tmp, Eric came across arrogant to that man though.  While he may be being a "Sheldon" he really came across quite in a negative fashion and you could sense the audience was not amused by him.   They were more confused and felt afraid to ask much after that.  I think that they need to work on that.  You may have enjoyed it, but I think the masses did not.   He had asked a simple question and it merited a straight forward response, not a philosophical debate.

 

I wish people would stop presuming to say they know what most people/masses/audiences think/feel/want/like.  Unless you've conducted a scientific poll, you can't possibly know.

[stardustmelody]

I think Tmp, that even when the rest of the panel and the moderator are trying to dig Eric out of a hole because they could sense the audience wasn't receiving it well spoke for itself.  You don't always have to have a scientific survey to read people.   The audience was not amused and the guy asking the question was completely confused.   It took Craig and Bill to dig Eric out of the discomfort that had been created.  

 

I like Eric and find him amusing most of the time, but I have to admit he is a lot like Sheldon and can often confuse people who are not used to him.   In an audience where there are volumes of people, you cannot assume they are going to understand nor even like Eric because he is a heady guy and comes across arrogant in a group like that.   It isn't on purpose, but it is clear that the way Bill and Craig had to bail him out that they even felt he had crossed that line and needed to be bailed out.

[Joyzeefan23]

And since wil was there he could've talked about the train scene with Sheldon and Amy. It was like one of the most touching scene ever with Wil.

Exactly, I would've enjoyed more insight on this past season. We barley got any.

[stardustmelody]

Okay so it wasn't up to snuff compared to past ones, but here are some positive thoughts about it:

 

1)  The panel was large and included the entire writing staff.  That was a big show of commitment by the team.  This is encouraging because they really were trying to show commitment to fans.

2)  They made sure to get a good moderator by asking Craig to moderate.  This again shows a commitment to the fan base and to Comic-Con event.

3)  They had both Steve and Bill there and both seemed in upbeat spirits.

4)  They came despite the uncertainty in the air about the actor contract situation, knowing they had work still to be done and yet committed to give fans a piece of themselves even though it was bad timing for them, knowing that as of Wednesday production was beginning

5)  They all showed up even though many of them are very uncomfortable in front of people and especially in front of large crowds like Comic-Con draws

 

We didn't get the best of information, but there were moments that were still amusing.  I don't think any of us expected spoilers, but they still tried to give a sense that they had some direction they were going when the season starts.   They also did make the special Serial Ape-ist piece and invited Garfunkel and Oates to perform, so they did anticipate to try and please the audience.  

While their thoughts and coordination with Craig may not have been as polished as it could have been, they still muddled through.  

 

I guess I feel like these guys should be given the benefit of the doubt even though it wasn't the best panel.  It at least showed a lot of commitment by the show and we should appreciate that and give them some grace because the timing of the event could not have been worse for them.  I am sure they all would prefer cast had been there as well and probably felt a lot of tension release when Wil took the stage because they felt Wil would get a lot of the questions after that.   So I am cutting them slack even though it was below par, but it still was better than not showing. That would have been a major snub.

[phantagrae]

I haven't watched the panel videos yet, but I think that there are often unrealistic expectations going into these things.

What the writers experience and their perspective is very different than ours as viewers.

They're not only telling a sort of big-picture narrative, but they're primarily concerned with telling things in a funny way, not just writing romance or whatever, and what may seem like important details to us may not bear the same weight to them and vice versa.

I think also that their way of expressing themselves is going to be different from how the actors do it. I think that the actors are more used to interviews and also get different kinds of questions. If people don't like a story or an episode, they're not going to blame the actors for it, nor ask the actors to explain the way they do the writers.

And we know the writers are never going to say anything all that telling about the upcoming season. And I don't know how much they're going to want to feel like they have to justify their storytelling choices for previous seasons, so I can kind of understand if they get defensive or answer in broad generalizations.

[Itwasdestined]

I must be in the minority. I actually enjoyed it except the yearly petering out near the end when the crap rushed questions come through. Eric is a required taste. I liked him. I understood the response to the Shamy question. The interpretation of 'if we give you an answer you don't like will it kill your enjoyment of the show' makes sense to them as writers. They probably don't get our obsession with spoilers. Question quality was up this year until the end - great to put a face to Michy- and while it would be nice to have some cast members to see ( have to admit I was pretty excited to meet Shirley from Community at OzComcon this year) I actually like hearing from writers. It stops the gushy fan obsession questions but they are a bit evasive.

Like everything, it's all personal opinion. I didn't mind it.

[djsurrey]

I actually prefer to see the writers on the panel because they understand the motivation of the characters better than anyone else. I actually liked to hear Eric's thoughts even when he was essentially refusing to answer a question. I think his reason for refusing to answer was sound.

 

Regarding Star Wars, it grew on me over the years but I have to admit that back in 1977 I was disappointed it was so much fantasy and not more science fiction.

 

I really enjoyed seeing the clips. Thank you so much for posing them. I was rather surprised to hear so much disappointment expressed when I found the clips entertaining and enlightening.

[CentralPerk]

The thing about Sheldon being a hypochondriac and self-diagnosing--does anyone know what that comment was about?

 

He answers at a girl's question, I don't really understand what she says, it's in this video at 7:57 :

 

http://youtu.be/JmKUDdhADYI?list=UU4e0hMc3DMMdQ47dkoP0zVQ

Edited July 27, 2014 by CentralPerk

[Lionne]

What I got out of watching 3 minutes of this panel:

 

Jim Reynolds is cute and totally my new favorite.

 

And Eric is definitely clueless. I love when Bill turned to tease him by saying, "and everything Eric said," and everyone else laughs and Eric just sits there staring into space like he doesn't even realize someone said his name. The entire jest sails right over his head like a 747. Yes, a bit like Sheldon, I think. Wow.

[3ku11]

I dont think the writers kno how som of the fanbase are fangirls who are obsessed with Spoilers. They are on the panel to project their intentions and motivations for S8. They are most likely not in the same frame of mind fans are. The writing has always been slow meticules and methodical. Slow movements like real life, so although the S7 finalie ended with alot of things up in the air, it was more to do with the character of Sheldon then any serious movements with Shamy, more to do with how Sheldon deals with the changes in his life. From my pov their awnswers were appropriate, they are not going to reveal any serious spoilers, so it makes no sense to get upset over nothing, everything well work out.

[tmp]

All I really wanted was to get to know the writers a little bit, just like last year.  IMO, they delivered.  

[frankie]

I didn't expect spoilers from panels but I at least wanted them to talk about the highlights of season 7. Not just the kiss.

And don't get me started on those awkward/forced laughs from the audience.

Can the casts just please come back if there is even next comicon for Big Bang.

Okay but star is indicating something that's pretty evident

I can now appreciate how amazing last year's panel was.

And that lady was rude after wil came out... She could've been polite about it.... I have so much respect for the people on the show. Her "no" was so rude.

Ugh, that woman was rude and her question was pointless--I think it was about a passing comment Sheldon made back in season 2 or 3. Who cares anymore? I wish they vetted the questions better.

 

I love Wil Wheaton--he's so smart and seems like he has great stories to tell. He was also really sweet to the Aquaman granddaughter. I wanted to know more about the scene in the coffee shop with Penny and Leonard about how tough the acting business is. Did he draw that from his own life? It was a poignant scene.

 

I didn't mind the non-answer about if Amy and Sheldon are ever gonna "do it". They get asked that all the time and obviously they don't want to answer. (But Jim Parsons said they will eventually, so that's good enough for me!)

 

It was an ok panel--Craig definitely made it worth watching. But the actor's panel is so much better.

[djsurrey]

I guess it all depends an what you are looking for. From my point of view the actors panels were relatively pointless. They provide no new insight. Most of them were like fish out of water at the panels in previous years since most of them really are not like the characters they portray (Wil of course is an exception since he is playing himself). The writers really are the nerds behind the curtain.

[phantagrae]

I guess it all depends an what you are looking for. From my point of view the actors panels were relatively pointless. They provide no new insight. Most of them were like fish out of water at the panels in previous years since most of them really are not like the characters they portray (Wil of course is an exception since he is playing himself). The writers really are the nerds behind the curtain.

But when they have the actors there, they usually also have Chuck, Bill, and Steve there representing the writers and questions can be directed at either group.

With the actors you can get insight into how they interpret the characters, but also you can get some fun behind the scenes stories. You can also get some BTS stuff from the writers, but they're never going to spill very much about upcoming stories or big developments. With both groups represented, you can get a bit of each, IMO.

The writers don't necessary provide all that much insight into the stories, especially if people don't ask the right kinds of questions. IMO.

[Joyzeefan23]

Agreed.

They don't usually spill what's going to happen in the following season. I don't expect much there.

Little tidbits like it took Jim multiple takes to do rock, paper, scissors, scene. Or just the actors themselves describing whatever thought process. At the end it always depends what questions are being asked I guess.

[bigbangsheldon]

Ummm... We did get spoilers last year. We basically found out the whole premiere plot and then when they did interviews we found more put about the Scavenger hunt and Howard and Amy.

So I did expect spoilers cause we did get them last year. Looks like the writers hid from interviews and went to party instead..

[Shamyyy^-^]

this is true.. last year the writers have given more anticipations.... but in every way the important thing is that they give us a season full of emotions! 

[vonmar]

The Big Bang Theory ‏@BigBang_CBS  8m

#BigBangTheory fans, this article will make u immediately start saving up to go to next year's #ComicCom:

 

 

From CBS.com:  http://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs-fall-preview-2014/news/1002876/

 

15 Reasons Comic-Con 2014 Was One Epic Experience

 

1. The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting released the trailer for the fictitious, Serial Ape-ist 2!

 

3. Jim Parsons took to Instagram to share his love for San Diego and Comic-Con.

 

10. Jim Parsons couldn't resist a stop in the EW GIF booth just like his fans can't resist him.

Edited July 28, 2014 by vonmar