Every man on The Big Bang Theory was awful…

[DorasSisterDrostitute]

…and every woman who ended up with them could have done so much better.

Has there ever been another sitcom with such awful depiction of men?

@BikeRunSki

Wasn’t that kind of the point? That they were all socially inept science geeks?

But being a socially inept science geek doesn’t mean you’re a misogynistic narcissist with commitment issues and a cruel streak.

Howard was the worst of all. Played Bernadette and his mother against each other. In early episodes, I think I remember some reference to him using sex workers.

All the women changed personalities to make themselves more acceptable to the men.

Amy could have done so much better.

Leonard was probably the least awful of all of them, but you’d still tell a friend to run a mile.

You have said what I was trying to say far more eloquently. As a physics graduate, and engineering PhD graduate, the BBT characters are not unlike some of the people I studied with.

But if they were paragons it would have (and any sit com would be) dull.

The whole point of comedy is to expose the human condition. We can do that in the most simple form by showing exaggerated characters and characteristics.

They were all awful! I don't think they would have been able to write as many comedic moments if they'd all been well grounded, well rounded individuals who were devoid of character flaws and traits.

Why do you think the women changed personalities?

@coodawoodashooda

Why do you think the women changed personalities?

Penny is probably the best example.

She never wanted children and was vocal about it. Leonard wanted children. At the end of the series, she’s pregnant.

I hung with a science-geek-physics student crowd in the late 80s.
They played a lot of laser-tag & had diverse sex lives.

Back in about 1996, Me & my ex-boyfd had brief keen idea of writing a tv sitcom about a bunch of geeks house-sharing. If only ...

ex-boyf was A LOT like Leonard.
For me the women in BBT are as flawed as the men.

I like Bernadette but no one else especially.

As someone with family roots & many living relatives still in Pasadena I want to throw things at the telly about how wrong the lifestyle shown is. But only I care about that.

My cousin still lives in Pasadena. Her eldest just got a degree in physics, He's trying for a job at Caltech.

He also had a sports scholarship (Quarterback, I think) at college (some private Uni you all never heard of). He's artistic, sociable & lovely. The characters on BBT really are 2-D caricatures.

Ted in How I Met Your Mother is awful. And useless.

@cariadlet

I like Leonard. Caricature of a nerdy, science geek who doesn't know how to talk to women but a decent guy and a good friend to the others.

Same, he was my favourite. I think the premise was they were all crap w women/geeky etc.

They’re quite ridiculous stereotypes that aren’t representative of most people even “social inept science geeks”. Like most American comedies they start of as semi-decent characters but each season a character’s attribute is magnified so they become ridiculous and semi offensive caricatures of what they once were.

@lljkk - As someone with family roots & many living relatives still in Pasadena I want to throw things at the telly about how wrong the lifestyle shown is. But only I care about that

What's wrong about the lifestyle? Genuinely interested

I remember the episode when they went to Las Vegas and Leonard and Raj hired a prostitute to pretend to be flirting with Howard. He was delighted as it meant she was a 'sure thing' I think that tells me all I need to know about the writers attitude to women.

All the male characters were awful. The women were better but all changed to accommodate whichever man-child they were dating

@Fluffymule

Howard, particularly in the first few series before he met Bernadette, was awful. A truly terrible character.

He objectified women, pushed boundaries and was stalkerish with virtually any women he had contact with.

So many reg flags he could have had a whole episode of 'Dr Sheldon Coopers Fun with Flags' to himself.

I agree with this but I think once he settled down with Bernadette he got better. I imagine the writers had to pull back on some of the massively creepy parts because otherwise it made zero sense that Bernadette would ever be with him - it was a stretch to believe it even once they made him better.

Friends.

I don't think any of the characters are very likeable once you break it down. They're the kind of people you hear about and everyone tell you what good folk they are and then you see or hear actual details of how they carry on and think

Howard was surely supposed to be awful though? A piss take on men like him rather than an attack on women?

It struck me as the same as old sitcoms of my youth, seeing quite ugly men perusing and getting quite beautiful women, thinking of Woody Allen, Benny Hill etc.

It struck me as the same as old sitcoms of my youth, seeing quite ugly men perusing and getting quite beautiful women, thinking of Woody Allen, Benny Hill etc

I always thought Raj and Sheldon were good looking - Raj/Kunal Nayyar esp. Howard and Leonard aren't exactly ugly, are they

Now I'm questioning my taste and eyesight

Leonard and Penny dated in real life.

[quote MaMelon]**@lljkk* - As someone with family roots & many living relatives still in Pasadena I want to throw things at the telly about how wrong the lifestyle shown is. But only I care about that*

What's wrong about the lifestyle? Genuinely interested [/quote]
Ok.... it's southern California. We dress casual, informal. Summers are hot. How often do they mention AC, triple glazing or wear shorts and sandals?

They must go to a Frye's type place at some point, right? In fact, it might be the only place they ever shop for anything. Tell me that that aspect of California geekery is right, surely. The main shopping place = Fryes.

We have pool parties and California eating habits. How many swimming pools on the show, or beach visits, or visits to Vegas or Palm Springs. How much salad, avocado, lemons, pomegranites (*) get consumed?

(*) fresh off a local tree, obviously

Any In-n-Out Burgers?

is there ever mention of the Rose parade, the smog, the Rose Bowl, the peacocks? Possoms & coyotes in the San Gabriels, maybe? How about house prices. Californians are as obsessed with house prices as anyone.

They live in a building with brickwork. WTF building would that be? California houses are wooden, with stucco often. A California appartment building most often has an outdoor concrete stairwell.

L & S each earn > $100k each but flat share in a building with an out of work actress...ok.

The staff canteen is weird. Indoors with no windows?? Real canteen would be mostly outdoor seating. Year-round.

Sheldon is from Texas but doesn't drive. Or have any interest in football. Ok, whatever. In later series does he Uber at least?

Sheldon's mum was sharper and wittier in the early episodes. They really dumbed her character down later.

I think they are all flawed characters, but loveable in their own way.

Bernadette I like least of the women because she can be quite cutting, and doesn't seem bothered by the side effects of her products.
I like Leonard the best, he is incredibly tolerant of Sheldon, even when he knows he is being manipulated. He adores Penny.

They can't do outside shots as that would blow the budget.

(Sheldon doesn't have any interest in football, but knows all about it.)

Another vote for the blokes in How I Met Your Mother.

Trying to think of a sitcom with decent male characters tbh!

For a comedy to work you need a sane relatable character to act as a foil to the bonkers characters. The contrast is important because it gives the viewer an "in". So Leonard plays straight man to Sheldon, Penny plays straight woman to Leonard etc.

In a good ensemble they rotate characters as sane or bonkers depending on the situation (awful Howard understands why Bernadette hides in the Wendy house after work rather then come in to wrangle small children).

Friends did the same.

I suspect that it's generally the male characters that have the most unpleasant characteristics because there are more men are writing these sorts of long running comedies.

It is also why Miranda, Pulling, Fleabag etc were so brilliant and interesting.

So we need more women writing comedies.

I'm putting off packing to go on holiday, can you tell?