The Master of All Theories

Apurba Jahangir

	Photo Source: Internet

For some people, laying back and watching tv is a favourite pass time. And don't you just love a good sitcom when there's nothing else to do? Well in Bangladesh, Star World is a popular television channel amongst the youth, particularly for well known American comedy series' like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and others. However, one of the funniest and most watched series has always been The Big Bang Theory, which undoubtedly has caught the attention of thousands of young people all over Bangladesh.

The show is mostly centered on five characters who are all close friends. Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper are two Physicists employed at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Penny is another character who is Leonard's ex-girlfriend living across the hall and is a waitress by profession aspiring to be an actress. Apart from the trio, there are Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, Aerospace Engineer Howard Wolowitz and Astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali. The show's comic effect reflects on four guys for their social awkwardness and geekiness with Penny's social skills and common sense. There are also other supporting characters who have been a major part of the show like Leslie Winkle, a Physicist colleague at Caltech and, at different times, a lover of both Leonard and Howard. Bernadette Rostenkowski, Howard's newly wed wife, a Microbiologist and former part-time waitress; and Neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, who joins the group after surreptitiously being matched with Sheldon on a dating website. Bernadette and Amy became prominent characters after Penny and Leonard stop dating.

The show has produced one of the funniest characters of the time, which is Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons. Sheldon exhibits a strict adherence to routine, a total lack of social skills, a tenuous understanding of irony, sarcasm, humor, and a general lack of humility or empathy. He is vocal about his own superior intellect compared to everyone around him. These characteristics ingrained in the character of Sheldon Cooper, provides the majority of the humor, which has caused him to be described as the show's breakout character. There's always a character in all the tv shows that everybody loves to watch and Sheldon is undoubtedly one of them.

The Big Bang Theory is filmed in front of a live audience and is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Bros Production. When the third session was premiered on September 21, 2009, The Big Bang Theory was ranked as CBS's (an American TV channel) highest-rated show of that evening in the adults 1849 demographic with 12.83 million viewers. On September 27, 2012, celebrating their 100th episode the sixth session was premiered with a shocking twist in the story. The show also received a lot of awards too. In August 2009, the sitcom won the best comedy series TCA award and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) won the award for individual achievement in comedy. In 2010, the show won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy, while Parsons won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. On January 16, 2011, Parsons was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series Comedy or Musical, the award was presented by co-star Kaley Cuoco (Penny). On September 18, 2011, Parsons was again awarded an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

The show has been a massive hit with the Bangladeshi youth. Bored from all the Hindi soaps going all around, the young individuals these days are relieved by watching something funny and entertaining like The Big Bang Theory, especially those who have a keen interest in science. Yasin Anam, an A Level student from Chittagong says, “A sitcom revolving around a group of nerds is simply an amazing concept. The outstanding acting and superb scriptwriting, makes it stand out among the other sitcoms these days.” Well, nerds or no nerds, The Big Bang Theory has stood up to its reputation as a sitcom. Those who didn't know about it, go to the nearest DVD store, buy all five seasons that have come out and be sure to tickle your brain and laugh your heart out!