The Big Bang Theory and the Wonders of Schrodinger's Cat

I don’t usually like many sitcoms. I think that the writing, by nature, has to be cliché, that the characters tend to be shallow, that the plot is limited to one, maybe two episode story arcs, and that laugh tracks are the most annoying things ever. Every now and then, however, there’s a sitcom that breaks all the rules and proceeds to rule my heart above all others. (“How I Met Your Mother,” I’m looking at you, even with your inconsistent writing. And your annoying but necessary laugh track.)

This leads me to “The Big Bang Theory,” which while not quite taking over a portion of my soul, is a lot closer than is probably comfortable for my cardiologist. Take two physics geeks working at a university, a young hot thing arrived in LA to become an actress, geek-tastic jokes, sci-fi references like whoa, stir well and you have a little taste of “The Big Bang Theory.” It’s a show where those on the fringes take center stage and people like us (you, me and to a certain extent Penny) get to sit back and watch them in their ‘natural habitat.’ It’s a hilarious if slightly corny show, with good actors (in the case of Jim Parsons in his role, even great ones) and a love story bound to keep us entertained for quite some time… But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t flaws.

TV is awesome

TV is still something I feel the irrational need to apologize for. It’s not really taken seriously by many people, it’s ridiculously easy to exploit, and the best stuff is usually ignored. Why?

I think there’s the perception that TV is nothing more than mass entertainment. Alas, in the case of a great deal of television, that’s definitely true. I could list off a huge list of current television shows that don’t serve much of a purpose other than to keep us glued to our boob-tubes… However if I did that I would probably upset a great many people, including my inner softy self. (I’m notoriously hard to impress when it comes to television – not hard to please, but it’s certainly difficult for a series to earn my respect. That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy them regardless!)

Glee is opening yourself up to joy...

The problem with a first post, no matter what it is that you're trying to do or in what format you're trying to do it in, is that there's just no way to encapsulate everything that you're attempting in a single entry. Plus, you also sort of have to have this grand 'mission statement' about yourself implied to boot, as if right off the bat you're supposed to have your goals, aspirations, dream date, and favorite Backstreet Boy all picked out and ready. (As if I can pick just one of my boys...)

That's the same way I feel about pilot episodes. What jerk decided that a first episode has to have everything already worked out? It's supposed to be a tester, you know? A feeler. A little mini piece of potential that may or may not come out as originally intended.

All that being said, if I really had my way pilots honestly would be the best episode of a show, and all of the kinks would be worked out and any changes that occurred there after would be simply improving upon something that's managed to be awesome instantly. Yep, that's what I want. But as a person with no power to enforce these unrealistic expectations upon poor, hapless TV writers, I get to feel indignant about it on their behalf. Wonderful, how that works out, eh?

Which brings me to "Glee."