Am I the only one who enjoys both Community and Big Bang Theory? I'm only into season 2 of BBT but I don't see a major difference in quality between the shows. (One makes pop culture references. The other makes science references.) If I had to pick one, I may go with Community and I hope the shows don't enter into competition but I do think both are good.
― Sundar, Monday, 21 June 2010 20:30 (thirteen years ago) link
I enjoy them both, community has a slight edge but I like BBT especially as my partner is an academic and I think most academics have a little bit of Sheldon inside them.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Monday, 21 June 2010 20:36 (thirteen years ago) link
xp they're going to be in the same time slot next season, where BBT will undoubtedly thrash Community in viewership and drive it towards extinction, hence the anticipatory hate
― Nhex, Monday, 21 June 2010 21:38 (thirteen years ago) link
I hate pretty much any sitcom with a studio audience. Just don't like the format.
― no turkey unless it's a club sandwich (polyphonic), Monday, 21 June 2010 21:45 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh, they're definitely going to be in the same slot? Bastards.
― Sundar, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 00:01 (thirteen years ago) link
"BBT will undoubtedly thrash Community in viewership"
Is there a demographic breakdown of who watches BBT and who watches Community?
― Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 00:10 (thirteen years ago) link
― no turkey unless it's a club sandwich (polyphonic), Monday, June 21, 2010 5:45 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
if you mean of current shows I might be like OK that's defensible but if you mean of all sitcoms ever then you're just nuts.
― neal page (some dude), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 00:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Whats that weird new show that comes on Thursday in the time slot that Parks and Recreation used to have that is shot in a Community format but has canned laughter anyway? That combination creeps me out really bad. The show is a terrible second attempt at "Friends" by the way.
― Evan, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 00:53 (thirteen years ago) link
100 Questions or something like that. Historically awful.
― Mordy, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 00:59 (thirteen years ago) link
is shot in a Community format but has canned laughter anyway? That combination creeps me out really bad.
That does sound comically creepy and depressing.
― Cunga, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:10 (thirteen years ago) link
we have a thread about it, it's amazingly bad: Is "100 Questions" the worst show in recent history?
― neal page (some dude), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:18 (thirteen years ago) link
7 BIG BANG THEORY, THE CBS Mon VAR 23 5.3 14,14370 COMMUNITY NBC Thu VAR 24 2.1 4,990
From the 2009-10 primetime season rankings. Last two numbers are 18-49 rating and total viewers in millions. BBT is #7 OVERALL - the #1 scripted show, which is kinda nuts already, going up against Community which is #70. (BTW, Community ranks even worse when you compare it by overall viewers, instead of just the 18-49 demo, unsurprisingly - less old folks watching).
― Nhex, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:40 (thirteen years ago) link
whaaaaa?! this data has to be wrong! there's got to be some diebold shenanigans.
― Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:46 (thirteen years ago) link
The only reason BBT is such a runaway success is because half the cast of Roseanne are in and out of there on such a regular basis that people are confused and think they're watching something that's good.
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:48 (thirteen years ago) link
Also, it's funny.
― HI DERE, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 01:57 (thirteen years ago) link
I'll concede there are many less funny shows currently on television than BBT. Anything with Tyler Perry's name on it for starters. Oh, and The Office.
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 02:00 (thirteen years ago) link
Whatever you think of these shows, they all lost to UNDERCOVER BOSS. WHA?!
― Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 02:14 (thirteen years ago) link
BBT is weird because it contains a lot of smart and seemingly well researched references, but the plots themselves are lowest-common-denominator sitcom schlock. Raj gets drunk and sleeps with a fat lady! Penny's friends don't like Leonard because he doesn't understand football! Howard and his mom yell at each other a lot!
I still watch it and enjoy it, but Community is the better show and it pisses me off that they're going head to head.
― it sucks and you all love something that sucks (reddening), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 02:14 (thirteen years ago) link
really, what else can you expect from the genius creator of Dharma & Greg and Two and a Half Men?
GET READY AMERICA
Police officer Mike Biggs knows his way around the streets. As a cop, Mike’s not scared of anything—except dating, so he’s joined Overeaters Anonymous® to lose those extra pounds and gain some much-needed confidence. When he meets Molly at a meeting, the attraction is immediate, and suddenly Mike is excited about the prospect of a new life. But now he must find the willpower to give up his beloved junk food for the apple of his eye.
― Nhex, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 03:02 (thirteen years ago) link
LOL, it's funny becuz he's fat.
― ô_o (Nicole), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 03:03 (thirteen years ago) link
The show is a terrible second attempt at "Friends" by the way.
a worse and more brazen attempt at being Friends than HIMYM?? the mind boggles, and then shudders...
― Worth waiting for the fannypunch at 4.02 (stevie), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 07:38 (thirteen years ago) link
It actually reminds me a lot of Couplings.
― Mordy, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:02 (thirteen years ago) link
shows like this and modern family are STREETS AHEAD of Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, both of which I think are truly charmless and terrible.
― Worth waiting for the fannypunch at 4.02 (stevie), Sunday, June 20, 2010 11:32 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark
modern fam is blah, HIMYM is aces
― ultra nate dogg (history mayne), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:03 (thirteen years ago) link
u rong, dog
― HOME OF CHALLENGE PISSING (stevie), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:05 (thirteen years ago) link
allyson hannigan = charisma vaccuum
― HOME OF CHALLENGE PISSING (stevie), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:06 (thirteen years ago) link
i think she's the weakest of the five principals and that's still wrong
― ultra nate dogg (history mayne), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Allyson Hannigan being the ultimate nerdfox makes up for a lot, but I still am not into HIMYM
― HI DERE, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:09 (thirteen years ago) link
At its best, HIMYM is a contender to Arrested Development for best developed sitcom universe, with a million callbacks, well-planned arcs and charming actors (who doesn't like Jason Segel, Allyson Hannigan or Neil Patrick Harris off the bat?). At its worst, it's just another Friends clone with one of the most unlikeable main characters I've ever seen in a sitcom.
― Nhex, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:14 (thirteen years ago) link
NPH is almost never funny on that show. Most of the humor comes from the women and Jason Siegel.
― HI DERE, Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:18 (thirteen years ago) link
― Johnny Fever, Monday, June 21, 2010 9:48 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
ah yes, the famous 'Roseanne effect' that made shows like Twins and Charlie Lawrence into long-running ratings juggernauts.
― neal page (some dude), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 17:36 (thirteen years ago) link
Also, it's funny.― HI DERE, Monday, June 21, 2010 8:57 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― HI DERE, Monday, June 21, 2010 8:57 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
epic rongness
― flapjackin (gbx), Tuesday, 22 June 2010 22:34 (thirteen years ago) link
Dan Harmon spent the entire day playing with his new iphone and posting the results:
http://yfrog.com/emschz
an example
― Don Homer (kingfish), Thursday, 24 June 2010 06:08 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't know why that's funny, but it is.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 24 June 2010 06:14 (thirteen years ago) link
NBC now has lots of Community schwag
Let;s see if ths works:
http://www.nbcuniversalstore.com/img/product/resized/00265504-797636_500.jpg?k=422fb45c&pid=265504&s=catl
― Don Homer (kingfish), Friday, 25 June 2010 02:04 (thirteen years ago) link
can you get that at best buy?
― ultra nate dogg (history mayne), Friday, 25 June 2010 08:36 (thirteen years ago) link
ask jason
― flapjackin (gbx), Friday, 25 June 2010 13:54 (thirteen years ago) link
Just noticed that one of the tranny queen nominations is one ms. danielle harmon. injoke lol.
― samuel :D (a hoy hoy), Saturday, 26 June 2010 06:41 (thirteen years ago) link
I am going to guess the ratings thing has a lot to do with cbs generally getting higher ratings, ppl putting it on the channel for the night, etc., and that I think a lot of community's views are web or dvr rather than primetime on the air and ratings don't usually account for that. Like, I watched all of this season on hulu and saw maybe one episode live on air, while I've never seen an ep of BBT opr HIMYM.
― tehresa, Saturday, 26 June 2010 13:23 (thirteen years ago) link
well, Big Bang Theory definitely had a leg up in that it was put in an already successful comedy block alongside the highest rated sitcom on TV, but it's an actual popular show in its own right that people actually like. don't know why that's so hard to understand or why people on any thread about a show on NBC or cable have to be totally condescending toward less hip types of shows, frankly.
i don't think online viewing factors into ratings but now that networks have figured how to monetize that stuff i think shows that do get lots of views on hulu or whatever are probably helped by that in terms of not getting cancelled, etc.
― ~athdouspart (some dude), Saturday, 26 June 2010 18:22 (thirteen years ago) link
Wasn't trying to be condescending, just contributing, dude.
― tehresa, Saturday, 26 June 2010 18:27 (thirteen years ago) link
i guess, it just seemed to hand in hand with JF's "people don't actually think that show is funny, they're just confused, bless their hearts!" comment upthread.
― ~athdouspart (some dude), Saturday, 26 June 2010 18:39 (thirteen years ago) link
tbf, I'd much rather watch BBT than about 100 other sitcoms that have come and gone on the networks over the last several years. So, I don't hate it by any means.
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 26 June 2010 18:46 (thirteen years ago) link
I think it's legit to be upset that a show you like isn't as popular as another show, especially if you feel like what's rewarding about a show is that it takes a little attentiveness (at least as far as television goes) to enjoy, while other really popular shows seem to be spoon-feeding really well-tred sitcom ground. Which isn't to say there's anything wrong about just wanting to see something familiar (arguably that's what the mimetic impulse is anyway), but that I definitely get frustrated when shows like Party Down, Community, 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny or whatever are way less popular than Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory. Chuck Lorre is really good at making shows that people find instantly accessible and enjoy easily, but sometimes I don't want to just watch something instantly accessible. (Obviously this is very YMMV, as even the shows I mentioned aren't particular dense, none of this is like cracking your teeth on Pynchon or whatever.)
― Mordy, Saturday, 26 June 2010 18:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Right. I love king of queens, but it's something I'd rather watch as syndicated reruns than in primetime.
― tehresa, Saturday, 26 June 2010 19:01 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah, King of Queens works when you can watch two episodes back to back when nothing else is on. It's utilitarian in its funniness. I couldn't imagine scheduling time to watch a new one each week, though (but millions of people did, so what do I know!).
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 26 June 2010 19:06 (thirteen years ago) link
don't know why that's so hard to understand or why people on any thread about a show on NBC or cable have to be totally condescending toward less hip types of shows, frankly.
not being condescending, just think HIMYM is execrable
― Ghia (stevie), Sunday, 27 June 2010 13:37 (thirteen years ago) link
TBH, both Community and Big Bang Theory strike me as relatively straightforward sitcoms with a twist, especially compared to something like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (or HIMYM on the other end of the spectrum). A sitcom about physics professors actually seems like a pretty bold concept to me. An episode like the one where Sheldon devises an algorithm to understand friendship seems as clever to me as some of the things that Community does. (I can totally believe that the later seasons of BBT may have gotten worse though.)
― Sundar, Monday, 28 June 2010 21:22 (thirteen years ago) link
just think HIMYM is execrable
― Ghia (stevie), Sunday, June 27, 2010 2:37 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
rolling my damn eyes and shaking my damn head
― my weekly race thread (history mayne), Monday, 28 June 2010 21:23 (thirteen years ago) link
its the Happy Shopper brand Friends, dude.
― Ghia (stevie), Monday, 28 June 2010 22:00 (thirteen years ago) link
gonna have to severely disagree with you there, but can we keep this thread on topic? BBT is only relevant because it's competing directly next year
― Nhex, Monday, 28 June 2010 22:02 (thirteen years ago) link