TV GUIDE: Ask Matt: Nashville and More Cancellation Anxiety, Downton, Justified, Big Bang
Feb 19, 2013
by Matt Roush
Send your questions and comments to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com and follow on Twitter!
... Question: Like you, I'm a big fan of The Big Bang Theory. Maybe it's my own physics degree background that makes me enjoy the subtle science references and jokes. Anyway, I'm sensing a change in the basic story arcs recently that I'm not sure I'm 100 percent fond of. It seems to have gone through a subtle change from a show about four lovable geeks and their relationship to each other (and the occasional female) to a show about three females and how they deal with their geeky boyfriends/husband. Don't get me wrong, I love the added nuances the girls as regulars give to the show, but have the writers crossed a line making it more about them than the original focus (i.e.: has the show been "Urkel-ized" as Family Matters became)? — Dave
Matt Roush: It's true that Big Bang has evolved into a different sort of relationship show than when it was mostly a buddy comedy (with Penny across the hall for perspective), and that's especially true when the show tackles holidays including Valentine's Day, but it's hard to argue that the women have taken over the show like an invasion of Myrtle Urkels. Sheldon is still without question the show's breakout character and primary comic engine, but he has become funnier with Amy Farrah Fowler in his life, and any scene Sheldon shares with Penny is, as it ever was, pure gold. Likewise, Howard has his best foil in Bernadette, and even Raj is finding weirdly funny solace with Stuart this season. I admire how Big Bang doesn't just repeat itself but has expanded its world, even in those weeks when the girls are the focus. The good news is that their characters are strongly developed enough to handle it...
The BiG Bang Theory airs Thursday at 8/7C on CBS.
No comments:
Post a Comment