Roush on Big Bang Theory, Arrested Development and 30 Rock
Question: Well, I just finished watching the
Big Bang Theory premiere and was blown away. Yes, blown away. In my defense, my favorite comedies of the past few seasons have been
Arrested Development and
30 Rock. This is more traditional, and I got this great vintage
Frasier feeling from it. The banter between the two main geeks rang oh-so-painfully true, as my equally misanthropic friends would attest. Yes, the humor is oftentimes broad. However, it gets many of the minute details of geek life right, including living most of your life in World of Warcraft (which I thought was the funniest gag). More to the point, the pilot achieved what every pilot is supposed to do: It made me want to watch next week's episode. Did you like
Big Bang as much as I did? Actually, did you even like it at all?
— Luis S., San Diego
Matt Roush: I wouldn't say I got as big a bang out of the show as you obviously did — it took me a while to get past that opening scene in the sperm clinic — but there was plenty of funny writing in the show, and it's a fact that
Jim Parsons (Sheldon) is a real discovery. I also thought the show really took off when the other geek friends joined the party. Felt like a real ensemble at that point. Definitely worth keeping an eye on, although like everything else in the time period, it's going to get crushed for now by the
Dancing with the Stars juggernaut.
