The Media Thread Emanation

[Chaos Theory]

Penny was emotionally intelligent.  From day one she could have a deep conversation with Sheldon that even Leonard his best friend couldn’t have with him.  She was Street Smart.  One of my favorite early episodes was the Panty Piñata Polarization  where she went toe to toe with Sheldon and didn’t back down to him.    What she wasn’t was book smart.  She didn’t understand string theory but there was that episode when she asked Sheldon to teach her and she was able to learn.  

So when the show went the other way and made her sooooo dumb that she ate glue it kinda annoyed me.  

I honestly didn’t mind when the others made fun of her past.  It was all in good humor.  There was an episode Bernadette after finding Penny’s old prom dress made a comment about assuming it was balled up in some barn somewhere.  I thought that was kinda funny. 

I actually think it would be interesting for the final season to head to Penny’s highschool for a reunion.  A whole big Penny full circle how far you have come story.

Edited August 24, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[Edmond83]

Not going to lie if the Deadline article is correct (it has a detailed timeline, one I can imagine must have come from a source in that studio) then I am pretty disappointed in Jim.  I think the shock nature of revealing as described in the article was pretty unfair to them, they have been on this journey as well with the show and they deserved better.  He IMO should have handled it better if the article is correct and I believe it likely is.

[DrSpaceman]

Glad they are ending up. 

And surprised.  Given the continuing popularity of the show despite the decline in quality, I figured the network would pull out all the stops to milk it to the very end. 

I don't blame Jim Parsons for wanting to move on, but I haven't read the article with the details how it came about.  Not sure I care that much really, not at the top of my list of concerns. 

4 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Penny was emotionally intelligent.  From day one she could have a deep conversation with Sheldon that even Leonard his best friend couldn’t have with him.  She was Street Smart.  O e of my favorite early episodes was the Panty Piñata Polarization  where she went toe to toe with Sheldon and didn’t back down to him.    What she wasn’t was book smart.  She didn’t understand string theory but she there was that episode when she asked Sheldon to teach her and she was able to learn.  

So when the show went the other way and made her sooooo dumb that she ate glue it kinda annoyed me.  

I honestly didn’t mind when the others made fun of her past.  It was all in good humor,  there was an episode Bernadette after finding Penny’s old prom dress made a comment about assuming it was balled up in some barn somewhere.  I thought that was kinda funny. 

I actually think it would be interesting for the final season to head to Penny’s highschool for a reunion.  A whole big Penny full circle how far you have come story.

I would love that, to see Penny at a high school reunion. 

[rmontro]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I suspect an underlying reason for many resenting the Dumb Penny moments is because there are also Smart Penny moments, and that inconsistency just annoys the crap out of a lot of viewers.

I'm more annoyed by the inconsistency of the Smart Penny moments  :)  Seriously, there are plenty of smart people on the show already.  Penny is socially smart.

Even though the quality has gone downhill, it still makes me a little sad to hear the show is ending.  Maybe it's for the best.  At one time, I thought The Simpsons was the best sitcom on TV.  Now I can't stand the thought of watching an episode.  

Anyway, the cast is still pretty young.  Maybe they can be convinced to come back and do the occasional reunion special.   

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

Anyway, the cast is still pretty young.  Maybe they can be convinced to come back and do the occasional reunion special.

Isn't it more typical to do a movie or two? Some, like The Simpsons, didn't even wait until they were done on TV.

[rmontro]

20 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Isn't it more typical to do a movie or two? Some, like The Simpsons, didn't even wait until they were done on TV.

Better yet!

And maybe some of the cast would think it could help jump start their movie careers.

[Reality police]

On 8/24/2018 at 8:23 AM, Chaos Theory said:

Penny was emotionally intelligent.  From day one she could have a deep conversation with Sheldon that even Leonard his best friend couldn’t have with him.  She was Street Smart.  One of my favorite early episodes was the Panty Piñata Polarization  where she went toe to toe with Sheldon and didn’t back down to him.    What she wasn’t was book smart.  She didn’t understand string theory but there was that episode when she asked Sheldon to teach her and she was able to learn.  

So when the show went the other way and made her sooooo dumb that she ate glue it kinda annoyed me.  

I honestly didn’t mind when the others made fun of her past.  It was all in good humor.  There was an episode Bernadette after finding Penny’s old prom dress made a comment about assuming it was balled up in some barn somewhere.  I thought that was kinda funny. 

I actually think it would be interesting for the final season to head to Penny’s highschool for a reunion.  A whole big Penny full circle how far you have come story.

Just remember, that with great power comes great responsibility. 

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, Reality police said:

Just remember, that with great power comes great responsibility. 

And Penny has only gotten more powerful. She can handle Beverly now too.

[jeffwildstar]

Hello, I am the artist that does the robot girl images featured in Stewart's comic shop on the show "Big Bang Theory". I Just did a bunch of new images for the final season. Plus they will be featuring my comic books as props, next season as well. I also do art for the show "Mom" also on CBS. You can see my imdb page I'm listed as Jeff Brennan (III). If anyone is interested in prints they are available.

 

[Sarah 103]

On 5/17/2018 at 5:11 PM, LoneHaranguer said:

He can get her a job, like Sheldon did for him. Or, he could get his citizenship first; he satisfied the residency requirement a long time ago. I'm sure they could build some humor around studying for the citizenship tests and  going to the oath ceremony, but they could just skip to the latter, saying that Raj didn't want anyone to know until it was certain.

That works for me. 

[Frost]

Quote

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) remains the best university in the world for a seventh consecutive year, according to the latest ranking from education research firm Quacquarelli Symonds.

Oh no!  Whatever will Sheldon make of this?  I'm still dying to know where Sheldon's degrees are from.  And yes, that's NOT how you say it, but I don't care....

[LoneHaranguer]

44 minutes ago, Frost said:

Oh no!  Whatever will Sheldon make of this?

Not much once he knows more. Apparently, the ranking is on "graduate employability", and MIT has a top notch reputation for making sure its students will have a job when they leave, thanks to the school's connections with tech firms on 128 and local government.

[Frost]

This is how QS describes it: 

Quote

Every year QS ranks universities around the world using a methodology that evaluates academic reputation, employer reputation, student-to-faculty ratio, as well as international reputation.

It sounds like it's more than just employability.  Not that I know how 'good' their methodology is.  Just passing it on.

[displayname]

On 10/2/2018 at 11:25 PM, Frost said:

 I'm still dying to know where Sheldon's degrees are from. 

Caltech? Wasn't this already "proved" using evidence from within the show?

[Driad]

R.I.P. Stan Lee.  Kaley Cuoco's tribute.

[illdoc]

Hmm. Surprised no one posted this yet. Crossover news: https://tvline.com/2018/11/26/young-sheldon-on-the-big-bang-theory-season-15-iain-armitage-season-12/ 

Now personally, I'm hesitant to call YS a hit, when, to my knowledge, it has never aired (either new episode or rerun) without following BBT (either new episode or rerun). To me, that just says it's able to hold onto BBT's audience. I don't watch it, mainly because of what I see in any commercials makes me realize that I actually don't like Sheldon, I like Sheldon's BBT friends. I also think it's just a way to pay JP more money (since he'd gets money to narrate YS) without having to pay everyone else on BBT more money. But for those of you who actually like YS, you're probably happy that "worlds are colliding". I couldn't care less about the crossover.

[BlossomCulp]

I was very reluctant to watch YS, not because I dislike Sheldon, I can't imagine BBT without him to be honest.  But I just couldn't see where the humour was going to come from based on what we'd been told about Sheldon's childhood and adolescence.  Well colour me shocked but I love YS and my only concern for the show is wondering how they will eventually address the issues raised throughout the years on BBT.   I do take your point though about wondering if the show would be a big hit if it didn't follow BBT.   Not because it's not a great little show in its own right but because I do wonder how many viewers  watch it as a standalone show who aren't already watching BBT.  But on the other hand lots of shows have had spin offs and some of those spin offs ended up being even more successful than the original show so who knows!

I'm looking forward to the crossover myself.  Maybe a few who have had reservations about YS will be converted :). 

Edited November 28, 2018 by BlossomCulp

[Bort]

Young Sheldon being able to hold onto BBT's viewers is what a network considers a hit. It's not just about the shares or total viewers, it's also the retention. It'll have to stand on its own next year without BBT as a lead-in and that'll be the real test, but it'll have had two years to build an audience and I think it'll do fine.

[Nordly Beaumont]

I was on a plane and a little girl about 7 years old was with her mom. Mom suggested a kid's movie for her to watch and the little girl said "Noooo, I want to watch Young Sheldon!" I wonder if it's a "hit" with younger kids who would be bored by the grown ups of Big Bang?

[shapeshifter]

12 hours ago, illdoc said:

To me, that just says it's able to hold onto BBT's audience. I don't watch it . . .

That's a reasonable assumption, however, having watched a handful of YS episodes, I can give it credit for having a talented cast—not a dud in the bunch, including the kid actors, which is pretty rare from what I've observed on other shows. The dialog is also tight, so I think it will thrive on its own.

Regarding  https://tvline.com/2018/11/26/young-sheldon-on-the-big-bang-theory-season-15-iain-armitage-season-12/:
Considering that this could also be an introduction of the individual Young Sheldon actors to the vast TBBT audience, I'm disappointed that none of the fantastic female characters are going to appear, especially the character of Missy, played by the young, (and talented, IMO) previously unknown Raegan Revord, but also the more middle-aged Annie Potts (young Sheldon's Memaw) and Zoe Perry (young Sheldon's mother, and real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who plays Sheldon's mother on TBBT), both of whom are fantastic on YS.

I realize the entire YS cast can't appear effectively in a single TBBT episode, so since this is the final TBBT season, and therefore this will be the only cross-over, and that it's still arguably more difficult for talented, mature female character actors to get acting breaks than their male counterparts, I think the optics of this choice kind of stinks a little bit, even if Zoe Perry and Annie Potts are not unknowns.
OTOH, none of the three male YS actors who will appear on TBBT are hunky young men, so I'm probably overthinking this.

Edited November 28, 2018 by shapeshifter

[HazelEyes4325]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Regarding  https://tvline.com/2018/11/26/young-sheldon-on-the-big-bang-theory-season-15-iain-armitage-season-12/:
Considering that this could also be an introduction of the individual Young Sheldon actors to the vast TBBT audience, I'm disappointed that none of the fantastic female characters are going to appear, especially the character of Missy, played by the young, (and talented, IMO) previously unknown Raegan Revord, but also the more middle-aged Annie Potts (young Sheldon's Memaw) and Zoe Perry (young Sheldon's mother, and real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who plays Sheldon's mother on TBBT), both of whom are fantastic on YS.

 

I was also disappointed to see that Raegan Revord wouldn't be in the "crossover," but I'm waiting to see how exactly these characters are going to appear.  I can imagine a memory scenario that only involves (young) Sheldon, Georgie, and George and to add other characters into that mix would be overkill.

[anna0852]

I think the crossover comes from this:

https://bigbangtheory.fandom.com/wiki/The_VCR_Illumination

Sheldon finds an old home movie of himself, his brother and his father.

[Winston Wolfe]

Wasn't sure where to post this, but since Neil DeGrasse Tyson is a periodic guest star on BBT, I thought the Board might be interested in this:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/nosacredcows/2018/11/two-more-women-accuse-neil-degrasse-tyson-of-sexual-misconduct/

Aaargh...I guess he's not just pretending to be a creep.  Bummer.

[mikeb]

Seems odd to devote time to a recurring story line involving Zack and his new wife during remaining episodes.  I guess more evidence they don't know what to do with Leonard and Penny.   https://deadline.com/2018/12/the-big-bang-theory-lindsey-kraft-brian-thomas-smith-cbs-chuck-lorre-1202521950/

[CherryAmes]

1 minute ago, mikeb said:

I guess more evidence they don't know what to do with Leonard and Penny.

Maybe but this could make for an awesome storyline!  And a bit of a callback to the pilot episode and that visit to the spermbank!  Wonder if they can work Vernee Watson into at least one more episode to close off the run of the show!

[AnnaRose]

5 hours ago, mikeb said:

Seems odd to devote time to a recurring story line involving Zack and his new wife during remaining episodes.  I guess more evidence they don't know what to do with Leonard and Penny.   https://deadline.com/2018/12/the-big-bang-theory-lindsey-kraft-brian-thomas-smith-cbs-chuck-lorre-1202521950/

It doesn't seem odd to me since Zack has been a reoccurring guest throughout the series and is very well liked by the audience.  I think most shows make an effort to bring back popular guest stars before they end, if they can.

Edited to Add:  Plus he's funny and I bet the writers like writing for him.

Edited December 18, 2018 by AnnaRose

[anna0852]

I think this storyline has potential. Leonard has always felt *very* insecure compared to Zach, even after he and Penny were married. Zach represents every high school bully Leonard crossed paths with growing up, embodying all those things he wasn't (athletic, handsome, confident, etc...). And yet, Zach has always liked Leonard even when Leonard was being unkind (and he was!). I think Zach truly considers Leonard a friend. He certainly admires his intellect and is seeking it out for his own child. The ego boost from being asked to uh, donate must be immense.

It also occurs to me what Beverly's reaction might be if/when she finds out (provided Leonard goes through with the request). Her biological grandchild being raised by someone she would most certainly be *very* judgemental about. I can hear the icy tones already!

Incidently the actor playing Zach looks and sound almost exactly like my sister's fiance. Like if I had the two them in front of me I might mix them up. It's weird when I see Zack on screen!

Edited December 18, 2018 by anna0852

[MaryMitch]

Maybe they're planning to do a spinoff with Zach.

[roamyn]

On 12/19/2018 at 6:47 PM, MaryMitch said:

Maybe they're planning to do a spinoff with Zach.

I said way back in (whatever) season, that they should do a spinoff w/Zack & Dmitri (the Russian cosmonaut).

[CherryAmes]

On 12/19/2018 at 6:47 PM, MaryMitch said:

Maybe they're planning to do a spinoff with Zach.

I hope not!  I love Zach as a once in a while character but no way would I watch him as the centre point of a show!

[MSterling]

I was just listening to this week's Hollywood Babble On and Kevin Smith said

Spoiler

he's going to be in another episode, on screen this time, playing D&D at Wil Wheaton's house. He said that William Shatner, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Joe Manganiello are also in that episode.

Episode 344

[Driad]

Stephen Colbert said that on May 16 after the BBT finale, the cast will be on The Late Show.

[biakbiak]

15 hours ago, Driad said:

Stephen Colbert said that on May 16 after the BBT finale, the cast will be on The Late Show.

Hopefully they all get drunk like the Cheers finale!

[sigmaforce86]

BBT finale is one hour followed by Young Sheldon finale at 9pm (which we knew already).............. but at 9:30 they're going to air a half hour BBT retrospective hosted by Johnny & Kaley.  It's supposed to have tours of backstage and set, remembrances from the cast and scenes from their favorite moments.

Edited April 30, 2019 by sigmaforce86

[Artsda]

Kunal Nayyar Drank His Weight in Tequila, 'Cried a Lot' After Wrapping The Big Bang Theory

Kaley Cuoco Is 'Thrilled' with Penny's Ending on The Big Bang Theory ...

[Friendly kitty]

What are touching articles about the ending of the TV series. Immediately it is clear that the actors are akin to their characters and each other. I can imagine how sad they are to part ... I hope they will sometimes come together in the future to sit at the bar and remember happy days ...😍

And yes, Kaylee's words about the spin-off make me happy. Of course, I can’t imagine what it will be dedicated to, but if there is a spin-off, I’ll certainly watch it.😎

[anna0852]

 I don't have the link to post right now since I'm on my phone but apparently JG and his girlfriend are imminently expecting a baby!

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, anna0852 said:

 I don't have the link to post right now since I'm on my phone but apparently JG and his girlfriend are imminently expecting a baby!

Here's one: https://pagesix.com/2019/05/03/johnny-galecki-and-girlfriend-are-having-a-baby/

At first the picture reminded me of Johnny's/Leonard's season one line about Penny, "Our babies will be smart and beautiful," but then I realized: And frickin' rich!
With the show ending, JG will be able to be there for their kid, which is probably more important, but money is helpful too.

[Yeah No]

This article is a spoiler on the fate of Raj and Anu's relationship:

https://tvline.com/2019/05/09/big-bang-theory-recap-raj-anu-breakup-season-12-episode-22/

[shapeshifter]

Here's part 2 of the cast appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert filmed after they had filmed the finale but before it had aired.
About a third of the way through (2:27 and following) we learn that Kaley Cuoco has a talent for quick script memorization that Jim Parsons respects and envies: 

They all looked great (Kaley's outfit, Mayim and Johnny's weight, etc.).

[Friendly kitty]

Wow ...
Our beloved men here are overgrown, unshaven ... It is immediately clear that this is not Raj, Leonard and Volovitz, but the actors who play them.😱
I'm very shocked, to be honest! Such a striking difference from those images that I used to see on the screen .

[Driad]

Article: Sheldon and Amy’s fictional physics parallels real science

[shapeshifter]

17 hours ago, Driad said:

Article: Sheldon and Amy’s fictional physics parallels real science

Cool. 

Quote

“The Big Bang Theory” ends, but the message from the most gifted couple on television remains: We do live in a “perfectly imperfect universe."

[anna0852]

I loved the Colbert interview. It was a nice counterpoint to the episode and for me it helped reinforce that the actors are not the characters. Sometimes I have problems with that concept.

I snerked hard at JG admiting to getting busy with someone in his dressing room while Kaley was very quick to say it wasn't with her!

[Roaster]

The finale got 18 million viewers on first viewing and 23.44 million viewers in the "Live+3 day" ratings  That's pretty good by today's standards, but of course even the highest rated shows in 2019 get many fewer viewers than they did years ago.

By contrast, the finale of Friends got 52 million, Seinfeld 76 million, Cheers 84 million, and MASH 105 million.

This shows are iconic in the history of TV in a way BBT is not, but even the mediocre Home Improvement got 35 million.

It's a different world now.

[TigerLynx]

20 hours ago, Roaster said:

The finale got 18 million viewers on first viewing and 23.44 million viewers in the "Live+3 day" ratings  That's pretty good by today's standards, but of course even the highest rated shows in 2019 get many fewer viewers than they did years ago.

By contrast, the finale of Friends got 52 million, Seinfeld 76 million, Cheers 84 million, and MASH 105 million.

This shows are iconic in the history of TV in a way BBT is not, but even the mediocre Home Improvement got 35 million.

It's a different world now.

It is.  When MASH went off the air, the three networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) still had a majority of the viewers and not that much competition.

1 hour ago, AD35 said:

Well she did mention once that she was going to put his love of repetition to good use.

Amy has actually been pretty good at dealing with Sheldon.  I still think all of them put up with way to much from Sheldon, and their enabling didn't help Sheldon either, but Sheldon has made a few compromises for Amy.  Sheldon also told Penny he and Amy had had sex more times than Penny realized.

[PentaHookUp]

6 hours ago, TigerLynx said:

It is.  When MASH went off the air, the three networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) still had a majority of the viewers and not that much competition.

Yeah.  What was it--like a total of 7 other channels?

[FinnishViewer]

Quote

Yeah.  What was it--like a total of 7 other channels?

Also, no internet, and no streaming services which have tons of content.

[shapeshifter]

23 minutes ago, FinnishViewer said:

Quote

18 hours ago, TigerLynx said:

When MASH went off the air, the three networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) still had a majority of the viewers and not that much competition

Yeah.  What was it--like a total of 7 other channels?

Also, no internet, and no streaming services which have tons of content

Plus, in 1983, there weren't as many decades of TV shows to rewatch (or watch for the first time if they were before your time), not so many ways to rewatch them, and not (IMO) too many worth watching.

But with competition, production has improved. And today TV arguably has as much caché as theater and film, so it continues (to date) to attract better writers, actors, and directors.

Speaking of nerds, kudos to those who compile all the facts and fact-check the data on Wikipedia. MASH ended in 1983. Here's a page of what else was airing that year: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_in_American_television#Television_stations

And here's a very thorough yet readable (and, of course, clickable) table of contents to all things TV Programming History on Wikipedia, including international: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_years_in_television

Note TBBT is listed first for shows premiering in 2007, and that was just before the writers' strike.

[Magnumfangirl]

On 5/28/2019 at 8:07 PM, PentaHookUp said:

Yeah.  What was it--like a total of 7 other channels?

Depends on where you lived.  Some areas had very few independent stations, but by 1983 a lot of people were getting cable.  We got it in '83, but probably later in the year than February.