Tonight, viewers in the U.S. were treated to the premiere of the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”. Portraying the lives of reclusive young scientists coming to grips with their likeable female neighbor, the show roots itself in the usual stereotype of the scientist (and in particular, the physicist). While it’s unclear exactly what kind of physicists the main characters are – their white boards suggest theoretical – what is clear is that they are socially inept but brilliant. They can crack jokes with math, discuss the fine-tuning of the human mind to stair height, and even understand the misleading nature of a sperm bank for smart men. They can’t make eye contact with their neighbor, empathize, or even get her TV back from a jerk ex-boyfriend.
I’m sure most of the physicists I know will probably hate this show. It prolongs a long-held stereotyping of the physicist as brilliant but incapable of relating emotionally, of disinterested in personal appearance but unable to handle the attractiveness of others. While I know very, very few people for whom these are exact traits, I will say this. I believe all of us have this inner nerd. I certainly have always dreaded dating, because of the complicated (and seemingly pointless) ritual involved. I love a good math joke. I’ve, on occasion, had a hard time making eye contact with a pretty woman. But I like meeting new people, and I like to understand them as people. I like appearances, and have even been known to wear a tie for no particular reason. We all possess these behavioral idiosyncracies, and in the main characters of this show we see them distilled into their purest and most humorous form.
Jodi thought that the advising of the show was excellent. There are jokes in there that most Americans will not get. In that sense, I am amazed that a show like this made it onto CBS. I will be more amazed if it lasts, for that same reason (a point my father made to me tonight after telling me he liked the show). However, we can all laugh at these supernerds, whether we understand the Hawking reference or the fact that 26 dimensions are needed in ALL of those universes. And we can all relate. Everybody has had a hard time relating to another person’s crying, or another persons smarts. Everybody knows a nice guy or a pretty girl who leads a normal life but finds comfort in the company of extraordinary individuals.
I hope the second show is as good as the first. I hope the writers keep it up, and I hope they listen to whomever is advising them. I’d rather ideas of modern physics – string theory, imaging moons of Jupiter, quantum puzzles – be delivered in a sitcom, than delivered nowhere at all on network television.
