Series/The Big Bang Theory

Also, filming a weekly television show is damn hard work. We're talking 60 - 70 hour weeks for months on end. And if you already have millions of dollars in the bank, the incentive for putting in such grueling hours starts to seem less compelling.

Yeah that's the point where you go do what you want not whats adding a bit more cash on the huge pile

There is some vanity reasons too, a lot of actors don't like seeing themselves age over the course of a long-running show. Matthew Perry had a number of problems with drug abuse during Friends and his weight fluctuated a lot during the middle seasons. Steve from Blue's Clues was going bald and he didn't want children to see that happen. I've noticed Johnny Galecki putting on some weight in the last few seasons as well as Jim Parson getting some age lines, which makes for a real contrast to the earlier seasons. They don't mind moving on to new projects, but don't want that kind of scrutiny.

Also many people want a chance to focus on other roles and get known for them, instead of spending their entire career doing the same thing and not showing off the full range of their acting ability.

So, how hard do you think it will be for the cast to avoid getting typecasted?

I think Kaley and Johnny wille be fine. The rest, maybe not so much. I expect Mayim to have the most difficulties.

Most everyone has leveraged their TBBT success into other areas. Parsons has done a lot of theater, Galecki has done bit film and TV roles (including the Roseanne revival), Cuoco, Helberg and Rauch have explored producing their own indie films. Nayaar is probably the least busy but even he has a few bit parts and voice acting.

It's just the reality of weekly, iconic television. I sat down to watch The People v. O. J. Simpson and while David Schwimmer gives a good performance I still mostly saw Ross with a Skunk Stripe. Most people who break out of it do so by leaving early and finding something BIG, like George Clooney or Jennifer Lawrence.

Honestly, i'd love to see Jim Parsons play a sadistic villain.

It is so surreal seeing Teller on The Big Bang Theory, NOT working with Penn, and actually having speaking lines.

OK, so Season 12 is 1/3 out, why aren't we writing much in the recap page? Is it just general lack of interest, or is it some kind of no-spoilers policy?

General lack of interest. Episodic tv shows generally don't encourage the same obsession with troping as the serial tv shows.

It seen that after all season being slow in devolptment they finally are closing gaps already, I wonder if they are going to do that with Raj.

I thought the finale was pretty good. Not great, but I liked Sheldon's speech at the end. I notice that earlier in this thread some people were saying the writers hadn't given Sheldon enough accomplishments to justify his ego, so I wonder if giving him a Nobel was an attempt to make up for that.

The show has been hit or miss the last few seasons and it wasn't necessarily the greatest Grand Finale possible, but I'll admit I had a smile on my face watching both episodes, it helps they had the perfect start with Leonard getting to slap Sheldon. In some ways I think it is almost an anti-Grand Finale, it doesn't try dropping hundreds of character-changing events all at once or wrap up every possible story thread but just brings everyone together for one last hurrah. In that respect there is little to complain, story arcs for all main characters and cameos from most of the side characters, some drama with a heartwarming resolution.

Was Stuart in the finale?

Yes, a small bit talking to Howard over Face Time.

One recent joke that quickly became Hilarious in Hindsight was when Bernadette mentioned how much she was looking forward to seeing Thor's abs in Endgame.

So Raj ended up with Sarah Michelle Gellar?

That's a wacked bit of Crack Pairing.

Also, I'll be honest, I thought that was Kristy Swanson at first.

I really, really hate that they made Penny get pregnant. She's been so adamant throughout the entire series that she doesn't want that, so what was the point of having her get drunk off her ass and forget protection, saddling her with a kid she's made abundantly clear that she doesn't want to have? Goodness. Especially with what's happening in the world right now, that just feels in such poor taste.

So, if people have more than three hours to waste, I'd like to put everyone's attention on this video by Brad Jones of Cinema Snob and Midnight Screenings fame. In it, he reviews every episode of the show, from the pilot to the finale. It's more positive than you'd think.

^^ It's actually been largely contained to this season where Penny said she doesn't want to have kids. I was actually thinking THAT was out of character for her, because she's talked about having kids but it was mostly framed as not being ready yet and doesn't want to be pushed into it. Offhand I recall her once daydreaming of marrying Leonard while very pregnant, excited to babysit Howard and Bernadettes kids and offended they didn't think she would be good at it, and she's mentioned several times getting a house with kids as though it's a normal and expected part of life (in addition to being very maternal with Sheldon anyway). That's part of why her bringing up "no kids ever" was kind of a big deal, as up until then she showed no signs of feeling that way. And then much of the season had her forced to confront that choice and the impact it has on both her and Leonard. I would say I see it mostly as her realizing that "no kids" was a legitimate option she never considered before, but when she does end up pregnant finds herself okay with the idea of being a mom.

When it came to how to end the show I couldn't think of any other way for both the characters and the fans, although in a meta sense it could have been handled a little better and I get why some in the audience would be upset.

I'm currently reading through the Recap pages for this show and I can't help feeling that somebody really, really hates Penny. Many of the tropes paint her as being a thoroughly nasty person - one instance implies that she's one step below Bonnie Parker for stealing an onion ring off Sheldon's plate. Anyone else think this?

Is it in every recap page? Can you post a couple of examples?

This Is A Wiki, so anyone is able and encouraged to revert bad edits.

If it requires more people to fix it, it might be good to start a project thread (probably short-term projects on our forums).

Penny is entirely human, in my opinion. She can be nice and considerate, but at times she is selfish and occasionally acts like a jerk, but I don't really recall her being a nasty woman. Definitely not in every (or every other) episode.

Honestly, I always had more issues with Amy than I did Penny.

But, Amy was also involved with Sheldon who was a problematic character to me as well, so I guess it balances out.

Edited by Brandon on May 20th 2020 at 8:54:31 AM