Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Laughing At you, not With you. I'm a long time fan of the Big Bang Theory, but, I'm afraid I have to report, it's really gone down hill in the fourth season or so. I deeply regret this, because when the show started out, it was hilarious, but now I find there are several causes dragging its quality down. At, Not With: Mainly, it's that the show is now laughing at the characters, instead of with them. Originally, the show was about science geeks, but done in such a way that real-life science geeks could laugh at the humor. Now, however, it's more about how the characters are freaks rather than people. Before, the show had a tone of gentle self depreciation, now it's outright derision. The characters have lost a lot of their likeability. They started out as quirky but friendly guys. Now their quirks have taken over, and the friendliness has badly faded. They spend much of their time together bickering. Science & Cameos: When the show started, they actually had a science advisor! I haven't checked the credits, but I wonder if they've fired him. They sure aren't using him. Now, what little science-fiction humor there is, is almost purely based on cameo appearances by science fiction actors and actresses. Sometimes it works brilliantly: George Takei was hilarious! The rest of them... not so much. Directionless: In the first and second season, there was a definite direction to the show. Leonard and Penny's relationship was on again off again, but there was a definite feeling that things were moving. In the third season, the romance bloomed, and in only a very few short episodes fell apart. It was disappointing that they had such a lead up, and then completely gave up on what should have been the climax. Once that relationship theme fell apart, the show really didn't have anywhere to go, and has been floundering around, directionless ever since. Every once in a while, we get an inkling that they may be moving toward something, but they quickly forget that and go off in a different direction. Penny vs Sheldon: One of the better comedy elements of the show was watching Penny & Sheldon play off each other. The two actors worked wonderfully together, the comic timing was excellent, the interaction was brilliant. Now, the two characters hardly ever speak to each other, and when they do, they have the character of Amy coming between them. Most of the time, dialog that would have been given to Penny to draw out Sheldon's character, is now given to Amy. Like Sheldon, Amy is played as a humorless deadpan. Watching two humorless deadpans delivering their lines just isn't as funny as watching Penny's reaction shots. The short skit they had with Penny attempting to teach Sheldon how to act was much more funny than anything Sheldon has ever done with Amy. The Uniqueness is gone: Sadly, with the science humor on the back burner, and less focus on the science fiction fan humor, the show has lost the niche it started out with. I assume that the writers & producers are wanting to aim the show at more of a main stream audience, but when you take the flavor out of it, you're left with just another sitcom about annoying people with relationship problems. I'm afraid I won't be buying Season 4, unless Season 5 improves and I need to complete the set. I sincerely hope that I will have cause to do so at some point. But right now, the show has become painful to watch.