From PopSci: Return of the (Televised) Nerds:
The show not only delivers a healthy dose of nerd-culture references, it also offers up some legitimate scientific content, something that's pretty rare in mainstream television. How many TV nerds do you see engaging in real scientific banter? It's more than the big words and convoluted sentence structure; the dialogue actually contains scientifically sound ideas.
UCLA Professor of Physics and Astronomy David Saltzberg is the science man behind the curtain, and many of the punchlines. He also writes equations on the set's white boards. "Physicists love to nitpick, so for the 100 in the 10 million people who might watch the show, I try to get it as close to 100% accurate as I can," Saltzberg commented in an interview with USA Today.
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This is my favorite show!! It's freaking hilarious.
Actually, I love this show; although because of work I haven't always gotten to see it this season, I started watching it last year and got hooked.
This looks like something worth turning on the TV for.
Ah, but is it worth buying the TV for, not to mention the monthly charges for cable or satellite?
Probably worthy buying the DVD set or from iTunes.
I haven't watched it--saw the synopsis when it premiered and it looked like another stereotypical "oh look how socially awkward the [male] nerds are, especially compared with their hot [female] neighbor." The wiki entry suggests as much: "Their geekiness and intellect are contrasted to her social skills and common sense." Is it actually better than that, cause it sounds pretty cookie-cutter to me...
Tara, I watched it once and found it pretty unbearable for that reason. Very "Beauty and the Geeks." In fairness, though, I think it was the pilot, and those are usually pretty bad.
As a geek myself, I can say unequivocally that the show is nothing short of a HOOT! I did not catch a "beauty and the geek" vibe. The show is primarily about the interactions among the four friends and Penny provides a straight man for the purpose of comic relief. She is also much smarter this season than last, providing a greater dynamic, etc etc.
Totally worth watching.
I also am a big science nerd, and have just gotten hooked on TBBT. I was initially turned off because I thought it would be another "beauty and the geek" stereotypical show, but after checking it out by chance once or twice, it's now my TV high-point of the week. The writing is very witty and intelligent, the banter is relatively good, and there are few weak characters. Overall, definitely a worthwhile 30 minutes!