We all know what a typical nerd looks like; it's a uniform that ranges from sweater vests and orthopedic shoes to t-shirts emblazoned with obscure comic book or cult film characters, depending on where the wearer sits on the academically gifted to pop culture fanaticism ratio. Add terrible haircuts, glasses, social anxiety and a 90% chance of being male to the mix and you've got your textbook example. The fashion and fandoms may change, but the core stereotype remains.

At least, that's what The Big Bang Theory would have you believe.

On the surface, the mega-popular CBS sitcom about a gaggle of Caltech scientists who are experts in their respective academic fields but clueless about social cues and women wouldn't look out of place hanging out with other irritating and dated oddballs like Family Matters' Steve Urkel; The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Carlton Banks or Boy Meets World's Stuart Minkus. But as the show is set to come to an end after its 12th season in 2019, we have to take a moment and realize that its impressive run, lasting over a decade, really is something of an anomaly.

RELATED: Jim Parsons Is the Reason Why The Big Bang Theory Is Ending

This has nothing to do with the fierce debate that has raged for years between fans and critics over whether or not the show is actually funny. As of May 2018, TBBT has pulled in between 18-20 million viewers in the US alone from its seventh season onwards. Comedy is subjective, but no one can argue that a lot of people haven't found the show entertaining enough to keep tuning in. Plenty of things have been adored by the general public and reviled by critics. The irregularity of TBBT's longevity has to do with the evolution of the TV nerd -- from geek freak to geek chic.

RELATED: Thank God The Big Bang Theory Is Nearly Over

Though it does have fans in the self-subscribed nerd/geek community, TBBT was fundamentally never made for the people it poked fun at, which is why Sheldon Cooper and co often come across as live-action cartoon characters that have stepped out of an era where "poindexter" was still a legitimate insult. At best, they're silly caricatures -- wind-up toys that spout out things about string theory or Star Trek for your amusement. You don't have to understand the references, because they're just decorative -- like the posters and action figures that cover the set -- but the canned laughter will tell you that, for some reason, babbling on about the science behind the Tardis or the Flash's powers is a joke. And, back in 2007 when the show first started airing, these name-drops were still just about niche enough to be a novelty.

Unfortunately, even as its viewership grew and the general public's knowledge of the topics Sheldon spoke about expanded, The Big Bang Theory never evolved.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='Th%20Big%20Bang%20Theory%27s%20Casual%20Misogyny%20Has%20Always%20Been%20Problematic%20']



At worst, The Big Bang Theory's characters bring to the surface a toxicity that has long been at the heart of male nerd archetypes since George McFly won over a girl he'd barely spoken to by punching Biff in Back to the Future. While jockish bullies like Biff are rightfully painted as chauvinistic pests, romantically-ineffective dorks like TBBT's central foursome have somehow always been allowed to cloak their blatant sexism and objectification of women under the guise of adorkable inexperience and desperation to become the tolerable alternative.

We know Howard Wolowitz is a creep, but the turtle necks and bowl cut tell us he's a pitiable pervert, even when he anecdotally describes "relentlessly" pursuing his victims potential girlfriends and pepper spraying them. We know Sheldon doesn't really "get" women (or anyone else), but when he tells one that her "ovaries are oozing so much goofy-juice into [her] brain that [she doesn't] know which way is up," the audience's laughter tell us we're supposed to find his disregard for human empathy endearing.

RELATED: Jim Parsons Writes Tribute to Big Bang Theory Cast & Crew

It's not that there isn't room for misogynists and sexual predators in the TV sitcom, even in these more enlightened times. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's Dennis Reynolds has been doing a horrifyingly great job at both of these roles for years. But, what makes TBBT's endurance such a misnomer is that, prior to and during its time on air, our TV landscape has been steadily filling up with more believable and positive representations of nerds that prove toxic masculinity, stale cliches and geekdom aren't synonymous for comedy -- and haven't been for the past decade or so.

Likable television nerds are everywhere. 30 Rock gave us cheery, NBC page, Kenneth Parcell, a pure-of-heart, country-bumpkin whose love of TV trivia outlasted the cynicism (and lives) of his colleagues. Parks and Recreation's Ben Wyatt proved that accountants who invent cone-based, strategy board games and binge-watch Game of Thrones on their days off could have personalities independent of their nerdy past times and a healthy attitude towards women. In Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon's Community, Troy and Abed's brotherly bond was built on a shared passion for building robots, pillow forts and fighting off hordes of zombie-fied classmates. The pair recaptured the innocence of make-believe to strengthen a friendship, rather than exercises in geeky one-up-man-ship or hollow referencing. Fans with learning disabilities also found nuanced and honest representation in Abed.

Currently, The Good Place's ethics professor, Chidi Anagonye ticks many of the stereotypical nerd boxes -- along with a very Urkel-esque pair of glasses. But he also demonstrates that the comedy of social ineptitude doesn't have to be tied to a fear of the opposite gender or intellectual superiority.

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='The%20Big%20Bang%20Theory%27s%20Approach%20To%20Female%20and%20LBBTQ%20Nerds%20Is%20Sorely%20Lacking']



To its credit, The Big Bang Theory has ensured it always includes nerds who aren't men, but really, Amy Farrah-Fowler and Lesley Winkle exist merely as female reflections of the boys. Ironically, the realest (and nerdiest) fangirl currently on TV isn't on TBBT at all -- she's a cartoon character. 

Bobs Burgers' Tina Belcher is a true weirdo who shines a light on the strange, hormonally-charged fascinations of teen girl geeks. From her "erotic friend fiction" to fantasizing about kissing zombies, Tina unashamedly embraces all of the pleasures that nerdy girls are made to feel guilty about, as did Gravity Falls' boy band-obsessed, Mabel Pines.

RELATED: Big Bang Theory Star Reacts to Show Ending: 'Am I Happy? Of Course Not'

The most underserved group when it comes to TV nerds is (as usual) the LGBTQ community; home to some of the most creative and passionate geeks of all. Queer, peppy heroines like Wynonna Earp's Waverley Earp and (until her unfortunate fridging) Supernatural's Charlie Bradbury fill this gap, and also provide a refreshingly gay twist on the Sexy Hacker Chick trope -- Felicity Smoak-types, whose "whole package" blend of tech-savvy hotness feels suspiciously like hetero-male wish fulfillment than they do an sort of genuine female empowerment.

TBBT has brought a lot of joy to a lot of people over the years, but as far as nerd representation goes, the show ranges from the two-dimensional to the grossly offensive. What was just about passable in 2007 began to look hopelessly past its sell-by-date as fast as the rate at which geek culture exploded into the mainstream a few years later. At their current rate of growth, it seems inevitable that the geek shall inherit the TV world -- just not wearing sweater vests or carrying restraining orders anymore.