Written Analysis 5

The Big Bang Theory

            In summarizing my findings of the Big Bang Theory, there are a few of the topics that most closely relate to the show.  Stereotypes play a big role in the show.  In fact, the show would not be what it is if the characters were not stereotyped the way they are.  The guys all fit the “geek” role very well.  The characters stereotypes are further developed in such ways as Sheldon’s OCD, or Raj with his thick Indian accent, or Howard with his overbearing Jewish mother, or Penny’s Midwest charm and good looks all play a pivotal role in the show and how well it does.

            Another aspect is the formula development of the show.  Nearly every show seems to follow one of the usual sitcom formulas, whereas a character gets in a situation in which they need everyone else’s help to get out of, all while jokes at the person’s expense are cast along the way.  One of the most common formulas is love.  ‘Geeks” or “nerds” are not usually known to have success with the opposite sex.  Throughout the seasons, each of the characters love lives has been slowly developed.  Currently, Raj is the only one without a steady relationship, but that seems to be slowly changing.

            The most interesting thing I have found in examining the show is the stereotypes of the characters.  I have seen all the episodes, but when I watch now I look for these things and seem to analyze the show more than I did in the past.  I will definitely see each future episode in a different light, given the analysis I have done up to this point.  I may even enjoy the show a bit more considering I am beginning to understand how it has come to be such a popular series!

Analysis

            In the article “I Was Just Doing a Little Joke There: Irony and Paradoxes of the Sitcom in The Office”, Eric Detweiler examines the aforementioned sitcom and compares it to others such as Seinfeld, Arrested Development and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in regards to the way the shows use irony as a vehicle to convey jokes to the viewer.   The Office is a sitcom based around a fictional paper company and the employees of mainly its Scranton, Pennsylvania office that are followed day in and day out by a TV crew.  A documentary or mockumentary as it is called because it presents a fictional subject in the form of a documentary.  Detweiler examines in particular the way in which ironic humor is translated to the viewer.

            Most television sitcoms operate on the premise that the viewer watches the lives of the characters unbeknownst to them.  The office, on the other hand, being a mockumentary, the characters know they are being filmed and eventually watched by a viewer.  This allows the characters to break what Detweiler refers to as “the fourth wall”.  This an instance in which the characters look directly at the camera, seemingly looking at the viewer.  This is one of the vehicles in which The Office delivers its humor.  The punch line of a joke or the irony of a situation is conveyed to the viewer through a glance toward the camera by one of the characters, most often Jim Halpert.  In fact, all of the characters look directly at the camera at some point, often having a confession type moment in which they explain their thoughts or actions directly to the television crew in private. Detweiler more specific implies that the character of Jim Halpert is the key delivery of most of these jokes, signaled by him smirking, nodding or furrowing his brow to the camera. 

            Being a mockumentary instead of a normal sitcom, one thing absent is the proverbial laugh track.  This absence makes it necessary for some kind of mark when a something humorous happens.  A laugh track reminds audiences that something funny just happened and gives them the signal to laugh as well.  This is replaced in the office by the look into the camera as mentioned in the previous paragraph.  All the characters in the office look into the camera at one time or another, much of the time signaling to the viewer it is time to laugh or that something humorous or ironic just happened.

            The main point of this article seems to be the way The Office delivers irony in the form of comedy.  I have seen all but the last season of The Office so I understand the point Detweiler is making.  Actually, I think it would take the average person watching just a few episodes of this show to pick up on it as well.  Detweiler does a good job of conveying to the reader his point, but I believe he over-analyses the show.  The Office is merely that, a show meant to entertain as many people that will watch it as possible.  The Office is extremely funny, cleverly written and all the characters were cast very well.  In fact, only one main character left the show before  its finale, which happened in the ninth season.

            I don’t think the article is necessarily important any more than this paper is important.  It was probably written as an assignment for school or work, which made it important for the author and whoever else assigned it. It has not given me any different perspective of the show, but only has made me want to watch some of my favorite episodes again and finishing the series by watching all of the last season.  Some may get more out of the article than I did, or may not pick up on the show’s delivery of irony through simply watching it. 

References

Detweiler, E. (2012). “I Was just Doing a Little Joke There”: Irony and Paradoxes of the Sitcom in The Office. The Journal of Popular Culture. 45(4), 727-748

Formulas

The Big Bang Formula

            The Big Bang Theory, now in its seventh season, has enjoyed great success as a sitcom.  The show

 has proven the doubters wrong and continually gets good ratings while keeping up with the times and 

making the audience laugh.  In looking closer at the show, it is easy to see that there are a few things that can 

be counted on from episode to episode.  Sheldon will always be almost unbearable with his compulsive 

ways, Raj will always pine for the love of a woman while some homosexual undertones come through in his 

words, Leonard will always be deeply in love with Penny and will be the feminine opposite to her 

masculinity, Howard will always be a momma’s boy while trying to please and new wife and will still be 

somewhat of a male chauvinist and Penny will always be the pretty girl that the audience wonders, why is she 

hanging out with geeks?  The show mixes in with these different jokes, situations, dilemmas and other drama 

that give it a fluid and humorous storyline.  One, two or even all of the elements can be found in every show, 

and it must be that combination of predictability and clever writing that keeps the audience coming back for 

more every week!!

The Big Bang Theory: Heroes and the Cult of the Celebrity

Heroes and the Cult of the Celebrity

            The Big Bang Theory often displays, through the eyes of its main characters, perfect depictions of heroes and celebrities, both of which are often interchangeable.  Being “geeks” the guys in the show often reference and look up to heroes and celebrities in the science or science fiction worlds.  Star Trek is often referenced in the show with the guys having admiration for many of the characters and actors who played them.  One such instance is an episode where penny gets a napkin autographed by Leonard Nimoy, who plays Spock in the original Star Trek series, for Sheldon.  Sheldon is beyond excited and cannot thank Penny enough.  One of Sheldon’s real life heroes is the renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.  Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, often cameos in the show.  Although most of the guys recognize him as a celebrity, Sheldon does not instead recognizing him as a foe or arch enemy who is always out to embarrass or show up Sheldon.

            At one point in the series, Howard gets the opportunity to go into space and spend time on the international space station.  This makes him somewhat of a hero/celebrity to the guys and the local community.  Howard of course overplays this recognition thinking he is much more famous than in reality.  The guys promptly bring him back down to earth, no pun intended.

            As some schools of thought may dictate, people of lesser stature in life such a nerds and geeks often have heroes and celebrities that they look up to.  The show plays on this well, often referencing sci-fi movies, characters and actors, comic book characters and real life scientists as the guys’ heroes or idols.  In some way, almost all of the characters are rendered a hero at the rest of the group in some way or another, giving them a superior, if only temporary status among the group.

Pop Culture Timeline of historical events from 1900-1920

From 1900-1920 many significant events took place that have helped shape the world into the way we know it. The following list outlines many of these which are still a part of pop culture today!

IN 1920 John Pierpont Morgan formed the US Steel Company.  His company would be become what we know today J.P. Morgan Chase.

 

1902 saw the playing of the First Rose Bowl game between Stanford and Michigan!



In 1903 The Ford Motor Co was founded  and the Wright Brothers made their first powered flight.



The Federal Bureau of Investigation is formed in 1908.

                                       

The running of the first Indianapolis 500 was in 1911 and the Titanic sinks on her maiden voyage in 1912... 

                

In 1914 the first Mothers Day is celebrated!!
                                                              

The US entered WWI in and 1917, which ended in 1918.
                        
                


Although this list does not include everything significant event that happened in that time period, it does illustrate a few of the key happenings in that era that resonate today!

My Favorite

How I Met your Mother

            My favorite television show is How I Met Your Mother.  This show centers around the character Ted Mosby, his search for the woman of his dreams, and his four best friends, Barney Stinson, Robin Sherbatsky, Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin Eriksen.  There are many stereotypes contained within the show pertaining to each main character and some reoccurring characters. 

Ted Mosby

            Ted is a Midwesterner from Ohio who teaches architecture at a college in New York.  Ted feels he is a true New Yorker, often voicing his hatred for “that place across the river”, New Jersey.  Most stereotypical about Ted is his constant search for love and how sappy he can be when he meets a new love interest, often professing his love way to earlier in a relationship and thus the romance faltering.  He often speaks of destiny, signs and fate and believes “the one” is out there and he is determined to find her.  In flashbacks to their college days, Ted portrayed as a somewhat hippie stoner.  Instead of a blatant reference to marijuana, the group calls it eating a sandwich and when the flashback is supposed to depict them getting high, it instead shows the group sharing a submarine sandwich. 

Marshall Eriksen

            Marshall is Ted’s best friend and they attended college together in Ohio.  He is from Minnesota.  His family is of Nordic descent, hence the last name, and the entire family is stereotyped in such way.  Marshall is the tallest of the group standing well over six foot but is actually the smallest of his siblings.  Flashbacks often depict he and his brothers rough housing in extremely physical ways.  The flashbacks also show them playing ice hockey or even ice fishing as one might think someone from northern Minnesota might do.  When visiting his family, his mother is the typical “make sure everyone has enough to eat” type of mother.  She is often shown making outrageous dishes such as multilayered salad with several layers of mayo, gummy bears, cookies and other outlandish ingredients.  Marshall has a goal of saving the planet through his profession as an environmental lawyer and is shocked by blatant industrial pollution and waste.

Lily Aldrin Eriksen

            Lily and Marshall are college sweethearts who are married.  She attended college with Ted and Marshall as well.  She was at one time a kindergarten teacher and has a very overbearing motherly persona.  She often moderates the group members’ problems and is often intervening in their personal issues. She can very manipulative like most mothers when they want to get their way.

Robin Sherbatsky

            Robin hails from Canada and is heavily stereotyped in this way.  She loves most things Canadian like hockey and Tim Horton’s and had a huge crush fellow Canadian Alan Thicke.  Canadian slang often slips through in her everyday verbiage as she tries to hide it with a “normal” accent.  She is also stereotyped as the career minded female who does not want kids but chooses to focus on work and leisure time.  This disdain for having kids negatively affects most of her relationships. 

Barney Stinson

            Barney is probably the most stereotypical of all the characters. He is portrayed as a womanizing New Yorker who will do almost anything to sleep with as many women as possible.  He even has a play book with scenarios and ruses for tricking women into sleeping with him, often times portraying himself as another person in order to achieve this goal.  He always wears suits and has even been seen wearing pajamas that resemble a suit.  His apartment is the typical bachelor pad with a life size star wars storm trooper, very modern décor, hidden cameras and everything else a successful bachelor could want.

Conclusion

            The shows stereotypes draw mostly on the social and cultural aspect of what many people believe is the typical New Yorkers life. The characters are always busy doing something fun or entertaining and are often seen together as a group or a partial collection of the group in their favorite local pub “Maclarens”.  They live in the city, take cabs everywhere, don’t own cars and can be seen going to places like The Empire State building or Times Square.  They all have chic jobs such as environmental lawyer, art curator, new anchor, architecture professor or, well they never say exactly what Barney does except for the fact that he has a successful career with GNB(Goliath National Bank).  The show plays off all these stereotypes very well which may be one reason it has made to a ninth season and has never had to change time slots.  Most people can find some element of themselves in one or more of these characters which would explain why the show has been so successful.

The Big Bang Theory: Rituals and Stereotypes

 Stereotypes

            In the Big Bang Theory, all five main characters fit a specific stereotype very well.  The four guys (Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj) fit the stereotype of a nerd or a geek very well.  Wikipedia defines the term “nerd” as “a person, typically described as being overly intellectual, obsessive, or socially impaired. They may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, obscure, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities.^[1][2][3] Additionally, many nerds are described as being shy, quirky, and unattractive,^[4] and may have difficulty participating in, or even following, sports” (2013)  All four of these characters are highly intelligent with all but one possessing a PhD.  They all work for Caltech University in the field of science.  Most episodes reference some sort of science fiction associated with “Nerds” such as Movies, comic books or computer games.  Raj is especially shy, so much that he cannot speak directly to women unless he has consumed alcohol.  All four of the guys would rather spend an afternoon playing dungeons and dragons at home rather than a game of basketball or Frisbee at the local park.

            Penny is quite the opposite of the guys and is a stereotypical pretty girl form the Midwest.  She knows very little about science, but rather is well versed in terms of pop culture such as music.  She works as a waitress and aspires to be an actress.  She knows more about sports than all four guys combined and is more likely to go out bar hopping than to a Star Trek convention.

Rituals

            In the show, many rituals are followed by guys, much of which are the direction of Sheldon who is somewhat obsessive compulsive.  According to Wikipedia, the week goes as follows: Monday is Thai takeout night, Tuesday they eat at Cheesecake Factory, Wednesday is Halo night, Thursday is pizza night at Giacomo’s with every third Thursday being “anything goes night”, and Friday is Chinese food and vintage game night (2013).  The gang follows this schedule for the most part with Sheldon being the one most affected by any change in the routine.

Conclusion

            Although the main characters are stereotyped in what some might consider a negative light, the show seems to be put a positive spin on the characters making them very endearing and likable. I don’t think the Big Bang Theory would be as popular as it currently is if these stereotypes were deviated from as they ring true for many of the viewers.  I believe it has in fact enlightened some people’s attitudes toward “nerds”, “geeks” and “the pretty , dumb blonde”.

 References

Wikipedia.com. (2013). Nerd. Retrieved June 4, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerd

Wikipedia.com. (2013). Big Bang Theory: Schedule. Retrieved June 4, 2013 from

            http://wiki.the-big-bang-theory.com/wiki/Schedule

The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is a popular sitcom on cbs that is currently in its sixth season.  The show is centered around 5 main characters, four male and one female.  The males (Sheldon, Leonard, Raja and Howard) are mid twenty somethings and are what society might consider nerds and are highly educated yet socially awkward.  The fifth main character (Penny) is an attractive blond female working as a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory who is pursuing her dreams of becoming an actress.  Sheldon and Leonard are roommates who are neighbors of Penny.  Howard and Raj work for the same university as Sheldon and Leonard and hang with them socially.  The show centers around the interactions of these five and a handful of other characters and the situations they get into.

            As the four males in the show are stereotyped as “Nerds” or “Geeks”, many Icons brought up in the show would be considered “Nerdy’ or “Geeky”.  They often reference Star Trek or Lord of the Rings, can be seen playing Dungeons and Dragons or video games, frequent the local comic book store and are often going to Sci-Fi conventions.  They are rarely heard speaking of popular athletes or musical groups, or going to play a sport or out for a drinks at the club.  For Penny the opposite is true.  She is pretty and popular and often cites popular music or is going out to a local club or bar.  She likes and understands sports and is not the least bit shy like the guys.  When the five are together the guys often talk about science or physics, which Penny rarely understands.   Penny portrays the “dumb blond” very well but is often quick witted, thinks fast and often has a clever retort for the guys.  The guys are super smart but lack any amount of physical or athletic ability as one would assume. 

            The show plays on the fact the people believe “nerds” and “pretty girls” will act certain ways and do 

certain things.  Somehow, through all of their differences, the Penny and the four guys hang out often, which 

is something not usually seen in society, pretty girls hanging out with nerds.  What to me sounded like a bad 

idea for a show when I first heard of it, has turned into a wildly popular sitcom which has won me over as a 

fan.