The Big Bang Theory (Season 3)

Starring: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar
Creator: Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
Genre: Sitcom
Rating: A

Up to this point, the third season of The Big Bang Theory is in my opinion the best yet; overall I think it’s actually very nicely tied with the fourth season.  The focus in these two seasons seems to be more along the lines of pairing the characters up romantically than their more typical exploits, which I enjoy in itself and find helps expand the show.  Even with this pairing up, however, there’s still a huge will they-won’t they element to the show, as well as the more typical confusions and challenges that exist as the result between the differences of the way that Penny sees the world and the way that the guys see it – this is enhanced further in season four.

The primary overlaying plot this season is the relationship between Leonard (Galecki) and Penny (Cuoco), and the many trials that they’re faced with – including, as usual, the fact that Leonard over thinks things and that he’s more emotionally invested than Penny is. It’s in this season that the difference in age between the two really comes to play; Penny’s only in her (presumably) early twenties, while Leonard is in his thirties. Furthermore, she has dated a lot while Leonard is a bit starved for affection. As a consequence of the relationship between Leonard and Penny, Howard finally gets a girlfriend – Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), a friend of Penny’s and a microbiologist who is set up with Howard mid-way through the season. Rounding it up is the end of season introduction to Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), Sheldon’s apparent match, after the guys put Sheldon on an internet dating service.

So, my favourite part of this season is the addition of  Bernadette and, later on, Amy Farrah Fowler.  The two really serve to humanize their male counterparts and, in the case of Bernadette, make him a lot less creepy.  I'm not too sure how I feel about some of their later development, particularly as it pertains to Amy, but for now it's great.  I also really like the development of the relationship between Penny and Leonard.  At tthis point in the game their struggles really make sense, and both the progression and digression are great.  The will-they-won't they isn't yet about to push on being ridiculous and overdone.  It's still really rather tight and understandable.  While I wasn't a huge fan of how things went for them throughout the entire season, I did really love how it played on her development with the other characters - notably Sheldon.  My favourite episode of the season is probably "The Spaghetti Catalyst" just because of the way that it looks into the friendship between Penny and Sheldon.  It's great.

Where the season kind of lost me a bit was with its treatment of Raj.  The "is he gay" thing can only last for so long, as can the general awkwardness around women.  As they're clearly pairing up the other characters in the series it kind of feels like they're just leaving the foreigner out of things.  I would really like to see them do more with him in the future, to develop him more, to give him the same kind of archs that they're giving the other cast.

The Big Bang Theory (Season 2)

Starring: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Sara Gilbert
Creator: Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
Genre: Sitcom
Rating: B+

The second season of The Big Bang Theory develops the characters a lot more, leading to the formation of a lot of the things that become key elements of the show.  We get to really know Sheldon (Parsons) as more than just a jackass; it’s in this season that he really becomes a neurotic asshole who could easily be diagnosed with a number of different disorders – although whenever anyone says that he’s crazy, Sheldon is always quick to deny it and say that his mother had him tested.  In rather weird way, Sheldon becomes loveable in this season – he is as infuriating for the viewer as he is for his friends, but in a way that makes him rather endearing and loveable.  Adding to Sheldon’s growth is the growth of Penny (Cuoco) and Leonard (Galecki), their friendship, and their feelings for each other.  I really enjoy the development of this relationship, and the way that gradually over time Leonard becomes less awkward around Penny and, in turn, Penny becomes a bit more… understanding of the men in the show.

The season opens and closes in a sort of opposites; at the start, Leonard and Penny have just completed their first date, which results in a very short lived and somewhat disastrous relationship as Leonard begins to over think things and the difference in intelligence between the two comes into play.  The bulk of the remainder of the season shows Leonard trying to move on and get over his feelings for Penny, although he isn’t exactly successful at this and even as her friend still winds up questioning the nature of their relationship and over thinking the meanings of things that she says.  By the end of the season, however, his over thinking seems to be in line, as Penny becomes rather distraught at the idea of him, and the other guys, going to the North Pole for three months.  In between the two events, Leslie Winkle (Gilbert) briefly dated first Leonard then Howard (Helberg), making one question just how the hell Howard managed to get laid.  Leonard also dates Stephanie Barnett (Sara Rue), proving that it is possible for Leonard to date someone that Sheldon approves of.  We’re also introduced to reoccurring characters, including Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie), a co-worker and antagonist of the guys; Beverly Hofstadter (Christine Baranski), Leonard’s mother; and Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) and Captain Sweatpants (Ian Scott Rudolph), the owner of the comic book store and a regular patron, respectively.

I think some of the humour in this season is my favourite of the show's course, at least so far.   The guest stars that they have this season are amazing - I especially like the episode where Summer Glau appears as herself, and the guys all try to hit on her.  This is really the last season where the focus is more on the random antics of the male characters in the show and not on their romantic entanglements, although the romantic entanglements do have a part.  I was a bit disappointed in the part that Gilbert played; while I enjoyed Leslie Winkle in the first season, I didn't like how they used her in the second season and found her to be rather one-dimensional.  This is definitely also the last season where the characters really are as they were at the start of the show, each one makes some form of growth in this season, however subtly, and even more growth in the later seasons.  You can definitely see here the ways that this show is evolving.

Leslie Winkle wasn't the only additional character that I disliked.  Barry Kripke never ceases to annoy me, both in his character and his speech.  While I enjoy Stuart overall, he tends to be a bit too depressing for my tastes - I'd like to see something good happen in his life for once.  He provides a great foil to the group, but is really kind of pathetic.  Not as pathetic as Captain Sweatpants, but that's a whole other issue.  I did love Leonard's mother, but so far I've loved all the parental introductions and would like to see more from the character's extended families.

The Big Bang Theory (Season 1)

Starring: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar
Creator: Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
Genre: Sitcom
Rating: B-

This wasn’t my favourite season of hit comedy The Big Bang Theory.  I think a big part of that is the characters; a lot of this season feels more like it’s trying to introduce you to the characters and the themes that would encompass the show, than anything else.  There is very little overlaying plot to the season, beyond the character’s sexual relationships, and a lot of the episodes can really be summed up by “this is the one where we meet Howard’s mother” or “this is the one where Raj tries alcohol.”  The jokes are still good and the reoccurring themes that the viewers have come to love are definitely here, they’re just not to the full speed of the later seasons.

The Big Bang Theory follows experimental physicist Leonard Hofstadter (Galecki), theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper (Parsons), aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Helberg), astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali (Nayyar), and Penny (Cuoco) the blond waitress and aspiring actress that lives across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon.  Leonard is the straightman of the series and the show's one source of a continued plot at this point in the series, his crush on Penny.  Sheldon is a former child genius with an eidectic memory, who is very neurotic.  Very, very neurotic - it is believed by some that he has Aspergers, OCD, and asexuality, and a lot of the show's jokes are based on him not really getting typical human interactions. Howard is... well, really at this point Howard is just a Jewish pervert who lives with his mother and makes inappropriate sexual advances towards everyone woman (other than his mother) who will talk to him.  Raj, on the other hand, is completely unable to talk with women, unless he's drunk.  Penny, meanwhile, provides the everyman to the four geeks.  As I already mentioned, this season is primarily about introducing the characters and getting the audience familiar with some of their quirks.  Not all of the later reoccurring gags appear in this season, but we do see "Soft Kitty", Sheldon's spot, sarcasm, and Howard's mother.  The season isn't as good as later seasons, but it definitely shows the promise and genius of the show.