The Big Bang Theory: Seasons 1 to 6

The triumph of the show lies in how it simultaneously glorifies and makes fun of its oddball characters, and embraces them in a warm way

​Geeks have become the zeitgeist in recent times, and this entertaining TV show definitely has played a role in getting their stocks high. The show essentially revolves around the diffident Leonard Hofstadter and the brilliant but socially awkward Sheldon Cooper, both of whom are physicists in the same university and room mates. The other major characters are their friends, Howard Wolowitz, a Jewish aerospace engineer who fancies himself as a ladies man (while actually creeping them out), and Rajesh Koothrappali, an Indian astrophysicist, who is metrosexual but extremely shy. Their lives begin to change when Penny, an aspiring actress and a waitress, moves into their apartment. Leonard is smitten with Penny and the first two seasons are all about whether he gathers the courage to admit his love to her. In the next couple of seasons, the creators introduce love interests to Howard and most importantly, Sheldon. Howard ends up marrying his girl, the microbiologist Bernadette, while Sheldon has a bizarre relationship with Amy, a neuroscientist, who is a somewhat better sociable version of Sheldon. The show is a superb mix of smart and low comedy, and there are guest appearances by people from various walks of celebritydom — from scientists like Stephen Hawking to real-life astronauts (Buzz Aldrin), comic book legends (Stan Lee) and more. The triumph of the show lies in how it simultaneously glorifies and makes fun of these oddball characters and embraces them in a warm way. And in Sheldon, the showrunners have created a character that is inimitable, and Jim Parsons makes the character distinctly his own. Not surprisingly, the best — and funniest — bits of the show often are the ones that have Sheldon in them. But the romance between Leonard and Penny is undoubtedly its beating heart, and Galecki and Cuoco play perfect foil to the eccentric Sheldon. The geeky portions, especially in the first couple of seasons, bring to mind the cult UK TV show Spaced while the relationship angles at times give the Friends vibe. One major niggle in the series is the laughter track, which a show this smart could have easily done away with. The DVD boxset comes with loads of ‘Extras’ (including the usual cast and crew interviews and gag reels) and most of them are worth checking out. Special among these are ‘Houston, We Have A Sitcom’, in which astronaut Joe Acaba video chats with the cast and crew from the International Space Station, ‘Physicist to the Stars’, which has real-life physicist professor David Saltzberg talking about being a consultant on the show, a set tour which gives us a peek into the behind-the-scenes activity that goes into the show, the Barenaked Ladies performing the theme song with the stars, and ‘The Big Bang Theory at 100’, a well put-together featurette on the show’s 100th episode.

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