Seven things which are definitely wrong with the Big Bang Theory

I love The Big Bang Theory. Well, at least I used to. Now, I am pretty sick of it and hope they either stop the show or get more creative. The characters are getting a little too stagnant for my liking and I can’t help but see some major issues that need to be addressed when it comes to this show that I have religiously watched every episode of. I want to be very clear that this is an opinion based entry and would really appreciate if everyone who is nice enough to read through reads it with an open mind.

1. SHELDON COOPER IS A BULLY– It took me a while to notice this, but it is as true as it can be. He’s mean to his roommate, he’s mean to his friends and he doesn’t even spare his girlfriend. It’s not really about ‘that is what he is like’, it’s more like ‘why the hell can’t anyone stand up against him and teach him a good lesson?’ because just singing ‘soft kitty’ does not make him a young, innocent child.
2. IT FEEDS ON SOCIAL STEREOTYPES– Every character barring Penny has a surname that we are aware of. The full names and occupations of the characters are: Dr. Leonard Leakey Hofstader Ph.D., Experimental Physicist; Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper B.S. M.S. M.A. Ph.D. Sc.D., Theoretical physicist; Howard Joel Wolowitz M.Eng, Aerospace Engineer; Dr. Rajesh Ramayan Koothrappali Ph.D., Astrophysics; Dr. Bernadette Mary Ann Rostenkowski Ph.D., Microbiology; Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler Ph.D., Neurobiology. I wonder if it is because she’s under-educated in comparison or because she has an obviously dyed head full of blonde hair. Penny works at a restaurant because that is what struggling actors, without a degree do. Right?
3. IT IS RACIST– I cannot stress enough on this point. Rajesh Ramaayan Khoothrappali (really, now?) has a gynecologist of a father who lives in New Delhi with little children working as slaves for him and talks to his ugly kids on Skype with an even uglier tapestry in the background. To make things better his sister roams around in pant suits and dates a white man who can’t get enough Kamasutra. (Side note: If I ever do make a TV show, I’ll have an Indian date an American and get him to pick her from a bar every night of their relationship. Why? Because, well, stereotype is a brilliant substitute for research). Also, what is with that accent? First, no one speaks like that. Second, does it have to be so inconsistent? Now, let’s talk about Howard. A Jewish engineer who rides around on a Vespa because he is cheap. Need I say more?
4. IT’S ANTI-FEMINIST– What was the deal in that particular episode when Bernadette starts earning more and decides to buy Howard presents like a Rolex? So when women go out with men richer than them and accept presents they are ‘gold diggers’ and when they do the opposite it’s weird. There’s no winning here, right? The women can either be pretty or smart. If you’re pretty, you get a physician from Cal-Tech and you can flaunt your body parts to help him advance in his career. If you’re smart, you’re short with a nasal voice or you’re dysfunctional in many ways and get a boyfriend who is asexual among many other things. But, if you’re smart AND pretty, you’re probably a North Korean spy.
5. THE CHARACTERS IN GENERAL– It’s almost as if they’re trying to ruin almost every character in the show. Penny appears dumber and dumber. She goes to college but she can’t stop being a waitress for the rest of her life! Leonard barely stands living with Sheldon but won’t move. Sheldon’s character shows some sort of a growth only to go stop and then go back. Raj has become pathetic and whiny and the image of him in his ‘tighty-whities’ is still giving me nightmares. The girlfriend aspect would have been perfect character and story developing point but they didn’t stick to that either. Even Stewart is sillier character from the first time we saw him!
6. THE PLOT IS ALMOST LOST– There are way too many overused and tired gags. Yes, I get Howard’s mom is a loud Jewish woman, it was funny in small doses but they killed that bit. Raj’s need for liquid courage to talk to girls would again, be funny if used sparingly. Penny’s story lines are the same every episode. And even if there is any progress for these characters, it is too slow for my patience and interest.
7. SOMETIMES, IT IS JUST PLAIN ANNOYING- Can Raj just start speaking sense, please? From time to time I wish his syndrome of not being to talk to women went ahead and bracketed all of humanity. WHY does he have to be annoying? Also, just ask Sheldon to have ‘coitus’ with Amy! It wasn’t a bad start, but it’s very redundant now. Lastly, can Penny stop looking like she’s doing Leonard a favor by being with him? There was so much more to their relationship and characters which was never quite taken forward.

I wish I could keep liking the show as it started brilliantly and was so many things other shows weren’t (smart and not uselessly romantic). Without bothering to fit in, the show made a space for itself. But over the years, the level has gone down as the racist and anti-feminist content has gone up. I hope the makers of the show buy some old DVDs of their show and watch them before they write the next season. The concept still remains great, so do the actors, if only the writing wasn’t as substandard.

The problem is that this is a hugely popular show and it must continue to cater to the large audience it has. I am not getting into the social aspect of the projection and the undertones of discrimination; I am just talking about my disappointment as a viewer.

P.S- All the people who started watching The Big Bang Theory because of Star World in India, you’ll hate what I wrote for sure. Try to reconsider, think about how you and your culture are generalized and projected, download the rest of the show and then make a judgement.