Spider Star
The human colony on the planet Argo has long explored and exploited the technology left behind by an extinct alien race. But then an archaeology team accidentally activates a terrible weapon...
Read More.Praise for Star Dragon
"Seldom does a storytelling talent come along as potent and fully mature as Mike Brotherton. His complex characters take you on a voyage that is both fiercely credible and astonishingly imaginative. This is Science Fiction."
-- David Brin"Star Dragon is terrific fare, offering readers a fusion of hard science and grand adventure."
-- Locus Magazine"Star Dragon is steeped in cosmology, the physics of interstellar travel, exobiology, artificial intelligence, bioscience. Brotherton, author of many scientific articles in refereed journals, has written a dramatic, provocative, utterly convincing hard science sf novel that includes an ironic twist that fans will love."
-- Booklist starred review"Readers hungry for the thought-provoking extrapolation and rigorous technical detail of old-fashioned hard SF are sure to enjoy astronomer Brotherton's first novel."
-- Publishers Weekly"Mike Brotherton, himself a trained astrophysicist, combines the technical acuity and ingenuity of Robert Forward with the ironic, postmodern stance and style of M. John Harrison. In this, his debut novel, those twin talents unite to produce a work that is involving on any number of levels. It's just about all you could ask for in a hardcore SF adventure."
-- Paul di Fillippo, SCI-FI.COM
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The Big Bang Theory on TV: A Step Forward or Backward?
July 1st, 2009
The issue of the TV comedy, The Big Bang Theory, came up in comments earlier this week.
Pros: the show is funny and gets its science and geek culture very correct. Here’s a scene about the problem with teleportation:
Cons: for the most part, the characters are stereotypical nerds who lack social skills, dress oddly, and have trouble getting dates, let alone getting laid. Here’s a scene with the one guy who is portrayed as having a small clue and does get laid sometimes:
I have degrees in engineering, physics, and astronomy, and have hung out in the nerdiest of places doing the nerdiest of things (at the level of the show, if not nerdier). I’ve also gone to trendy clubs in big cities, played drinking games with students (but no keg stands for at least four years), and ran marathons. I know some really attractive social geeks of both sexes who can blend in with lawyers, baseball fans, or the roadies at a Marilyn Manson concert.
There’s truth in stereotypes, however. My roommate in grad school once got set up to meet a girl for a workout date. An athletic date, how could that go wrong? Well, when he got to the gym, she took one look at him and asked, “Math or physics?” He had been a physics major, but had switched to math…
So, what do you think about the show?
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Well, I voted for the brain in the jar. I saw the show several times in the first season and enjoyed it. I also used to watch “Numb3rs”, to which many of your same comments could be applied. But now I pretty much just don’t watch TV anymore! Better to read…
I suspect that Leonard will get the girl (and I don’t mean Leslie Winkle) in the end, which would be one small bit playing against the cliche, anyway. And if Leonard doesn’t get the girl in the end, I suspect fans will revolt.
I wonder if all sitcoms are cliches. There are the working class family sitcoms (Roseanne, King of Queens, Still Standing), the dysfunctional friends who can’t maintain a decent relationship to save their lives (Friends, Will and Grace), and so on. I can’t stand any of those, or the cliched dramas (police procedurals and medical dramas) so I’m grateful that there’s one show a week that is guaranteed to make me laugh.
I voted “Bad for reinforcing negative stereotypes”. Doing geek humor and avoiding stereotypes (like Chuck) is more challenging and rewarding, and this show takes the easy way out. Plus it’s just not *that* funny.
Then again, I’m a geek.
Yeah, I agree, I watched it a couple of times but never could stand more than about 15 or 20 minutes.
Its just not that funny. I’ll take Chuck over TBBT anyday.
Amy, they’re certainly shooting for that sort of dynamic with Leonard and the cute girl across the hall (Penny). Except I wonder about that message, too. She’s attractive and social, but she’s a waitress at the Cheesecake factory without anything deep going on in her head and the guys are still overwhelmed. Penny is a simple, normal pretty girl, and so far beyond the reach of most nerds…except she shouldn’t be. I mean, normal and pretty is being held up as the be all and end all prize here, all a smart guy can aspire to have in his life.
I think she needs to be deepened considerably to be worth Leonard’s long-term affection, to have something going for her beyond being pretty and socially normal.
But I suspect for a more general audience, the part that identifies with Penny, this message boosts ratings even as it reinforces something I don’t like in society. Reading People magazine isn’t much of a virtue.
I wouldn’t want to suggest that the show is getting all deep or anything, but I do think Penny is something beyond normal, pretty, and not too smart. Even with Sheldon and Howard’s egregious behavior, by and large she treats these guys with a great deal of kindness and tolerance. (That doesn’t make her a saint, but putting up with Sheldon and Howard…. easier said than done.)
In any case, I like the show. I feel like it’s laughing with me (and me with it) instead of at me. And although I’m not as brainy as those guys are, I certainly do consider myself a geek or nerd or whatever the term is on any given day.
I think TBBT is an excellent show, the best comedy import to Britain for some while.
It doesn’t portray all the Geeks in a negative way: Leonard is quite a sympathetic character, particularly in later episodes. Sheldon is not meant to be typical but a unique misfit. The other two highlight the cultural constraints (through stereotypical parents) coupled with being a Geek as the dysfunctional factor. If anything, the most negatively portrayed character is the musclebound rival for Penny’s affections.
Also, if it brings science to a wider audience, how can that be a bad thing?
Mike, as a fan of TBBT, I considered what you wrote earlier about Penny. And see the point that she might be portrayed as lacking depth. But as she is the most normal character, probably makes a good counter-point to Leonard, rather than the uber-geek Leslie who would frighten most men with her reductionist analysis of them (too much like Leonard’s mother in fact).
But as purely a comedy i think it works brilliantly!
Adrian, you’re right. Penny is intentionally very normal to play counter point to the guys, and it works well for comedy. Just whining a little about the subtext, because I’m a geek…
Thinking about this more (I think too much), Leonard is really sympathetic and I suspect viewers all root for him. While it’s easy to laugh at Sheldon or the others, Leonard is the seductive nerd, the one that everyone can identify with, physicist or not.
And I do find the geek culture discussions interesting and fun, and maybe a more general audience does, too.
I’m feeling more positive about the show after all this.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of the show. I guess I could be a brain in the jar, but I’d rather be a head in the jar. Judging from the few clips of the show, I really didn’t care for it. The major turn off for me is the laugh track/studio audience format of a traditional sitcom. I’ve just gotten used to the format of Arrested Development, Scrubs, Malcolm in the Middle, Reno 911 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and other shows that ditch the live audience/laugh track format.
The second problem I had was that the dialog was a little too verbose. I understand that’s the point, nerds over analyzing the situation making it more complicated that it should be and that equals funny. Oh well I don’t even watch enough TV to really keep with any show.
I think the writing is great on The Big Bang Series. It does helps to know about computer nerds, science fiction, science geeks, comics, etc., because of all the in jokes. It’s not nearly as funny to my ordinary friends. I hope this show doesn’t get canceled because I’ll be flat out of sitcoms in my life. It’s always nice to have one sitcom to look forward to each week.
i think if it were an hour long show, the characters would definitely have to be more varied or subtle, but since it’s a half hour comedy, it’s almost designed to be throw away entertainment. almost.
i was talking to my wife about sitcoms, what makes them good, bad, or really good. big bang theory is almost really good. it’s in that “everything is filmed on a set and has a laugh track” vein of sitcoms that used to be the only form of sitcoms. same with 3rd rock from the sun. really, the only two things that hold (held) both those shows back from being really good is the laugh track, the excessively “witty” repartee, and the fact that the show ever only has a single story line happening at the same time. really good (great even) shows like malcolm in the middle and arrested development seem to do everything a sitcom should: absurd situations, strong contrasts, clever (though not cheap) writing, and multiple story arcs in a single episode.
at any rate, i’ve been thinking, and i’d give the show a C+. it’s clever enough, though it does take some shortcuts. definitely recommendable, and it’s almost a comfort show for me. while it might reinforce “negative” stereotypes, i never expect nerd culture to be mainstreamed. if it gets mainstreamed, then a new nerd culture forms farther away from the stream.
Nice Post, better still I’m able to view it on my new iPhone.
In hindsight, what’s great about Penny is her tolerance and the fact that she doesn’t write off smart people with poor social skills. She is exceptional that way!
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