Not many long-running and popular TV shows have been target of such harsh criticism and hate as the CBS's sitcom The Big Bang Theory. At first, it's hard to believe that a show with 20 million viewers per episode can possibly be so hated. Yet, Chuck Lorre's The Big Bang Theory somehow managed to pull it off -- not that this is an achievement they'll be advertising. However, for every TV show there is a group of people who idealize it and another group of people who want it to disappear from the face of the Earth.

Recently, we shared with you some pretty hilarious memes showing why The Big Bang Theory is the worst TV show in recent history. In the spirit of goodwill, we thought it was only fair that we do a list of memes showing why The Big Bang Theory is actually a good show. So, in case you're among those 20 million people who tune in every week to watch the adventures of Sheldon and the gang, this is a list for you. And if not, take a look anyway, perhaps you'll have a change of heart. Now, let's take a look at 18 memes defending The Big Bang Theory.

18 ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS-LIZARD-SPOCK

TBBT Rock Paper Scissors

Rock-Paper-Scissors you say? Why not Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock? If you’re a fan of The Big Bang Theory you’re probably familiar with this little expansion and if not here’s a quick explanation. In the words of Sheldon Cooper: "Scissors cuts Paper, Paper covers Rock. Rock crushes Lizard, Lizard poisons Spock. Spock smashes Scissors, Scissors decapitates Lizard. Lizard eats Paper, Paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has, Rock crushes Scissors." Got it?

Sam Kass’ Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock gained worldwide recognition after being featured on The Big Bang Theory. And that is one of the positive aspects of the show. Like it or not, The Big Bang Theory is a show that truly has the potential to promote lesser-known nerdy stuff, such as Kass' take on the age-old Rock-Paper-Scissors game.

17 TRUE STORY

TBBT Sheldon Amy Love Story Twilight

Some would say that introducing romance into The Big Bang Theory is what essentially killed the show, while others believe it made it better. When we look at Sheldon and Amy’s relationship we can’t help but agree with the latter group, at least when it comes to this pairing. Most of us never really expected Sheldon to find a girlfriend, however, once we met Amy everything changed.

Sheldon and Amy really are made for each other. Amy is one of the rare individuals who find Sheldon’s quirks adorable, instead of annoying. In turn, Sheldon finds Amy’s bluntness enjoyable, while others see it as off-putting. Their love story may not be the most conventional one or the most romantic one, but as the meme says it’s still better than Twilight.

16 THE THEME SONG IS CATCHY

TBBT Theme Song

"Our whole universe was in a hot dense state, then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait...Why I am singing this?" A thought that undoubtedly crossed your mind while watching The Big Bang Theory. Whether you're a fan or not, after going through a dozen episodes you're bound to start singing along to The Big Bang Theory theme song. Yes, it's fast. And no, you don't know the lyrics. But it's hard to resist the need to sing along to the Barenaked Ladies' catchy tune.

Just as back in in the '90s we all found ourselves clapping to the Friends theme song, nowadays we can't stop singing along to The Big Bang Theory theme song. And while we do our best to actually sing the lyrics, most of us just yell out "we built the pyramids" and "bang".

15 SHELDON'S AWESOME LINES

He may be borderline sociopathic, but Sheldon sure has some of the most awesome lines on The Big Bang Theory. While after almost 11 seasons some of his catchphrases have become washed up, his iconic lines from earlier seasons are still hilarious.

In the second episode of season one, Penny asks Leonard and Sheldon to let the furniture delivery men into her apartment while she’s at work. The guys agree to do her a favor, but regret their decision after the delivery men refuse to carry the furniture up four flights of stairs. Just when they managed to drag the large package up the first flight of stairs the box slides back down. As the meme suggests, Sheldon’s hilarious reaction can easily be used in real life situations.

14 UNPOPULAR OPINION

TBBT Confession

The Confession Bear meme featuring a Malayan sun bear leaning against a log is used for confessions about taboo behaviors and controversial opinions we keep secret out of fear of being ostracized from society. Apparently liking The Big Bang Theory is a big no-no, so some poor soul felt the need to confess their unpopular opinion using this meme.

And it’s not at all surprising. The internet is not the most welcoming place when it comes to The Big Bang Theory and anything positive that has to do with it. We get it, the show most definitely has its flaws. But it really doesn’t deserve the kind of hate it’s getting. Granted the earlier seasons were considerably better, but that can be said of almost any show. Certainly, the show isn’t so bad that you should feel the need to hide the fact that you like it...is it?

13 WE CAN RELATE

TBBT Cliffhangers

We’ve all gone through crazy TV show marathons that could have seriously damaged our mental and physical health. A friend recommends a TV series which has been running for five years and you decide to catch up before the new season hits. You sit down with some snacks and drinks and you watch episode after episode until you realize it’s 3AM and you should probably get some sleep if you plan to get any work done tomorrow.

However, you just can’t end the marathon now because the episode ended on such a cliffhanger that even if you went to bed you’d probably just lie awake trying to figure out what comes next. Just like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory couldn’t go to sleep before figuring out the physics graphene problem he’s been unable to solve, us normal people can't sleep when the episode ends on a cliffhanger.

12 IT'S NOT A BAD SHOW

TBBT Not A Bad Show

If you spend a lot of time on the internet, which you probably do, you know that memes against The Big Bang Theory are extremely popular. In fact, if you go looking for memes defending the show you will have quite a daunting task in front of you. That is not to say that there are absolutely no memes whatsoever that support The Big Bang Theory.

Just as there are those who go out of their way to point out just how much they hate The Big Bang Theory, for both valid and ridiculous reasons, there are also those who are willing to defend the show. One fan turned to The Ultimate Insult Man meme to send a message to those who dare insult their beloved show.

11 THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE TEAM

TBBT Zombie Apocalypse Team

The Big Bang Theory started out as a predominantly male-led TV show, but over the years it gained two lead female characters in addition to Penny. And while the introduction of romance into what was supposed to be a show about nerds did not go over as well as the writers had imagined, it is undeniable that all three female leads are awesome.

Bernadette, when she's not yelling like Howard's mom, is tones of fun. Plus, she's an accomplished scientist and soon to be mother of two. Amy is an improved version of Sheldon -- genius, hilarious but not disrespectful to her friends. And Penny is tough as nails. A fan of the show noticed that the strengths of all three The Big Bang Theory women would come in handy in case of a zombie apocalypse and created this very cool meme.

10 WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE

TBBT Hooked On A Show

In season two episode "The Barbarian Sublimation" Sheldon introduces Penny to online gaming. Against all odds, Penny starts enjoying herself and soon becomes addicted. She literally plays the game 24/7 and asks Sheldon for advice 24/7. Realizing what he’s done, Sheldon tries to get her to stop but she refuses. Penny finally admits she needs help after her character starts flirting with Howard’s character.

This is something we can all relate to. Whether it’s a video game or a TV show, we’ve all gotten addicted to something so much that it was literally impossible for us to step away from it even for a couple of hours. And they say that The Big Bang Theory is stupid because it isn't relatable at all.

9 TAKE US BACK TO THE START

TBBT Relationships

While The Big Bang Theory may be getting a lot of hate nowadays, this wasn’t always the case. Back in the old days, it had a lot more to offer in terms of comedy and characters, but the only semblance of romance the show had was Leonard’s unrequited love for Penny. Raj couldn’t talk to women, Sheldon didn’t want to talk to women and Howard was constantly rejected by women.

But whether we like it or not, any good story needs to have character growth. At the end of the journey the protagonist cannot be the same person from the beginning because the journey would have been pointless. However, this particular direction of character growth alienated part of The Big Bang Theory’s audience because the fans felt cheated when the show started introducing romance subplots in a show about nerds.

8 WELCOME TO DR. SHELDON COOPER PRESENTS FUN WITH FLAGS

TBBT Sheldon Hello

Jim Parsons’ portrayal of Dr. Sheldon Cooper on CBS’s The Big Bang Theory has earned him critical acclaim and worldwide popularity. The actor has received numerous awards for his performance on The Big Bang Theory, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Parsons' portrayal of Sheldon is truly remarkable and worthy of the praise he's been getting.

As Sheldon, Parsons is able to make the audience laugh with a mere greeting. An honor previously held by Friends star David Schwimmer. When Sheldon is hosting his web series Fun With Flags his speech pattern is even more robotic than usually, and it's hilarious. Say what you want about The Big Bang Theory, but Parsons is without a doubt an amazing and funny actor.

7 ALL THE REFERENCES

TBBT Toy Story Iron Man LOTR Planet Of The Apes

Over the years, The Big Bang Theory has made more pop culture references than we can count. The references to DC Comics and Marvel characters are probably the most common, but the show doesn't shy away from referencing TV shows, movies and video games either. Even if you're not a fan of The Walking Dead there are plenty other television references that might be more to your liking. The show really does cover a lot of ground, even referencing anime and manga.

These homages, if you will, are usually very well executed such as the ones shown on the meme above. The guys' apartment and Stewart's comic book store may well be considered shrines to all things nerdy. Not to mention Sheldon Cooper's T-shirts we'd all like to get our hands on.

6 SIRI QUOTES SHELDON

TBBT Siri Sad

In season three episode "The Gorilla Experiment", Penny asks Sheldon to teach her "a little physics" so that she can talk to Leonard about his work. Sheldon accepts only because it gives him a chance to conduct an experiment. However, when Penny fails to understand what Sheldon is trying to teach her she starts crying because she’s stupid.

Believing his words to be consolable, or at least that’s what we’re hoping, Sheldon explains to Penny that being stupid is no reason to cry and that one should cry because one is sad. An internet comedian used Sheldon’s elaboration on sadness, crying and stupidity to create a meme conversation with Siri. Given that Sheldon’s level of sensibility is equal to that of a computer, this doesn’t seem all that unbelievable.

5 YOU KNOW YOU’RE THINKING THE SAME THING

TBBT Trailer vs. Movie

In 2017 about 20 books have been adapted into movies, including The Dark Tower, Hidden FiguresIt and so on. However, despite the overwhelming number of book-to-movie adaptations, these adaptations have proven to be somewhat of a double-edged sword. While movie adaptations of the Harry Potter books and The Lord of the Rings trilogy have been met with critical acclaim and commercial success, others have not enjoyed the same level of success.

One problem most people have with book-to-movie adaptations is change. Books tend to have a lot more content than their movie counterparts because it's impossible to fit everything in two hours of film. Aside from cutting some of the content, the original story often goes through changes to make it more movie-friendly. These changes are usually not received well, because as Sheldon says, change is never fine.

4 SHELDON COOPER

TBBT Sheldon

There are many different reasons why people enjoy a certain show. Some watch The Flash because of the comics, while others just enjoy a good combination of action, comedy and drama without really getting into the world of comic books. As for The Big Bang Theory, the audience enjoys the show for four different reasons, one of which is largely predominant.

This pie chart demonstrates quite accurately why people love The Big Bang Theory. While there are those who watch the show for the romance, the science jokes and all the references, the main reason people like The Big Bang Theory is Sheldon. A character who in real life would drive them crazy, somehow managed to get audiences all around the world to love him.

3 EDUCATIONAL THEME SONG

TBBT Success Kid

Apart from entertainment value, certain TV shows have educational value too. For example, thanks to The X-Files we now have words such as exsanguination and obfuscate in our vocabularies. And after watching 12 seasons of Bones you're guaranteed to pick up some knowledge on the human anatomy. The Big Bang Theory has also a lot to offer in terms of knowledge. No, we’re not talking about the science. Because, let’s face it, understanding the science on The Big Bang Theory is no easy task.

However, memorizing the lyrics to Barenaked Ladies’ theme song, while challenging, is doable. In order to demonstrate just how The Big Bang Theory theme song can be useful, someone created this hilarious Success Kid meme. Acing an Astronomy test has never been this easy.

2 CISCO LIKES THE BIG BANG THEORY

TBBT The Flash Cisco

Sheldon’s T-shirts on The Big Bang Theory have always been an interesting detail to keep an eye on during each episode. Over the years, Sheldon’s been seen in all kinds of superhero and science T-shirts. However, since his favorite superhero is the Flash, Sheldon is most often seen sporting a Flash T-shirt.

On the CW’s The Flash, Cisco Ramon is the one who likes to let his clothes speak for him. Cisco is often seen wearing T-shirts with pop-culture and science references, and especially The Big Bang Theory references. Apart from being a very cool homage, this goes to show that nerds do indeed enjoy The Big Bang Theory. If a hardcore nerd such as Cisco finds the show entertaining, then it can’t possible be as anti-nerd as it’s constantly being pegged as.

1 RELATABILITY

TBBT Relatability

Although The Big Bang Theory is often criticized for being completely unrealistic and even insulting to nerds, much of said criticism doesn’t hold up. That is not to say that the show does everything absolutely right, but it does make some pretty valid points and can be very relatable at times. The relatability of the characters is one of the main reasons people enjoy the show.

The concept of four nerdy guys living out their somewhat mundane lives and gushing over comic books, video games, series such as Doctor Who and superhero movies resonates with the targeted group of people. And while some nerds may not identify with the show, there are those who do. At its core, The Big Bang Theory is a show about nerds and it does a solid job at representing some of the facets of the nerd subculture.