"Bazingood Riddance!" The Big Bang Theory is Finally Ending

All good things must come to an end. Thankfully, so do terrible things.

For every television show or film franchise that reads the writing on the wall and bows out gracefully before wearing out their welcome, there are dozens more clinging on to the niche audience they’ve attracted to squeeze ever last drop of mileage out of their own existence in a sad act of remaining relevant. Show like NCIS or even Cops went on for seasons in the double digits, and despite their place in the cultural zeitgeist (for better or worse), they made a lot of people wonder “who the hell watches this?”

This question has been lobbed over and over again toward a sitcom which has garnered millions of viewers each week despite mixed reviews and eye rolling so powerful it sounds like wet marbles writhing in an iron pipe from members of both the comedy community and the geek culture community. (A Venn diagram of these two camps would have more overlap than one of Michael Bay fans and guys who still listen to Nu-metal in 2018.) Over the course of more than a decade, a sitcom predicated upon pandering pop culture references and insufferable characters has become a cultural phenomenon, and that show is The Big Bang Theory. Now, after twelve seasons, a spin-off series, and countless pauses for the laugh track, the Big Bang Theory is mercifully ending, and we couldn't be happier.

Now before we really dig into why we’re happy to see this show go, we just want to address the fact that there is a lot of talent in front and behind the camera on The Big Bang Theory. Star Jim Parsons is genuinely a charming guy who has a lot of talent and proved himself to have acting chops in his early years in stage productions. One might be quick to chastise him for attaching himself to a character like Sheldon, but honestly, it’s hard to fault him. Parsons only did what the show asked of him, so this is not an attack on him or the rest of the cast. And despite the flat jokes that ooze out of every episode like an open sore, co-creator Bill Prady has genuine writing chops, having just come off the critically acclaimed and fan-praised series Gilmore Girls before working on the show. (The same can’t be said for the other mastermind behind The Big Bang Theory, however; Chuck Lorre created Two and a Half Men, so…)

Praising the death of a show also not an attack on its fans. In fact, telling someone there are wrong for loving a work of fiction which does not explicitly praise monstrous actions without a drop of irony is a crappy thing to do. We don’t want to promote a sense of gatekeeping. After all, there’s way too much of it going on these days, especially in the realm of comic books (everyone needs to chill, guys). So with that out of the way, why is The Big Bang Theory saying goodbye after its twelve season a good thing? Well…

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The level of lazy joke writing in any given episode of The Big Bang Theory is deep enough to drown in. The show is littered with characters referring to comic books, fantasy novels, and ‘80s cartoons in place of actual jokes. These references are often punctuated with long pauses to allow a roar of laughter from a live studio audience (presumably held at gunpoint) to fill the dark void of non humor. The whole thing feels like it’s some sort of sick Pavlovian experiment in comedy.

The laugh pauses are so rampant that there have been uncountable videos examining how not a single sentence of dialogue is uttered without one. The same has been done exploring how longer pieces of dialogue are often filled with random call outs to films, books and other television shows en lieu of a setup and punchline. It’s as if the show is saying, “Hey, do you guys remember this thing? Yeah? We do too! Isn’t that hilarious?” No, Big Bang Theory, it isn’t.

The Big Bang Theory Sheldon Cooper with Green Lantern power battery

Comedy is subjective. There’s no denying this. What one person finds hilarious, anther simply doesn’t get, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Our senses of humor are based on past experiences, cultural upbringings, points of references, and even political world views. Sometimes these jokes are presented in poor taste (and get a talented director to be fired from a major motion picture) or in an abstract manner that may need further context to make them work in any capacity. Even then, if someone doesn’t find them funny, it doesn’t mean they are wrong.

But when there is an absence of comedy, there is no debate. You can’t argue whether a joke is funny or not... if there isn’t a joke in the first place.

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Sitcoms usually have a tough first season. Early on, characters often have not found their voices and the creators behind the show are still working out the kinks. Go back and watch the first season of either the US version of The Office, or Parks and Recreations. They’re really, really hard to get through. However, by the end of the season, both shows began developing their voice. And in both of these cases, when they returned for a second season, they were rejuvenated and far, far improved.

In the case of The Office, Dwight was less malicious, Michael Scott was more likable (though still cringe-inducing), and Pam and Jim were pretty much the same because THEY ARE PERFECT. A similarly dramatic shift could also be seen in Park & Rec characters like Leslie Knope, who went from being a female version of Michael Scott to one of the strongest, most complex and amazing sitcom leads in the last decade.

The Big Bang Theory and its characters, however, never seemed to grow. Ever. Sure there were love arcs and troubles for the characters along the way, but the personalities of many of the characters were pretty interchangeable. Quick: which one is quirky and loves science? Oh, wait… There isn’t enough difference between the characters, specifically the male leads, to provide a decent answer to that question. They all seem to operate in the same stratosphere and their debates are based on the minutia of opinions instead of actual ideologies. These characters all view the world through a similar prism, so by and large, we aren’t getting any insight from one into another thought their interactions.

With The Big Bang Theory making its exit, there is a sense of trepidation with regard to what will fill the spot it will leave behind. While the show drew heavily from superior comedies like The I.T. Crowd, it never lived up to the same level of quality. (The I.T. Crowd had a laugh track and actual jokes, so you can have your cake and eat it too!)

Our biggest fear is that when The Big Bang Theory ending, it will leave a void for another vapid, pandering, unfunny show aimed at a demographic that tangentially appreciates geek culture and who is fine with their comedy being devoid of actual jokes... oh, wait. Young Sheldon is getting a second season. Nevermind.