ALARIS' REVIEWS

11th June 2010
The Big Bang Theory: Season 3 (2010)

I confess I'm surprised that I'm still enjoying The Big Bang Theory as much as I am. It isn't deeply moving or impressively cool, but it's still regularly entertaining, and nerdier than having Engadget as your home page.

Many promising series flail by season 3 (dark days for Lost, 2004), but The Big Bang Theory hasn't flagged notably. Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) are still creepy losers, but Leonard (Johnny Galecki) is still a mostly decent guy doing the best he can. Jim Parsons remains the highlight of the series, as the simultaneously hilarious and pitiable Sheldon, and his interactions with Penny (Kaley Cuoco) are always fun.

There are regular dud episodes (curiously, anything with Wil Wheaton in it), and the season 3 finale wasn't one of the better episodes, but the series is still frequently funny (the recent Firefly, 2002 reference was just tragic).

While The Big Bang Theory isn't driven by long term plot arcs, it isn't afraid to progress character relationships. The Leonard/Penny crush scenario which launched the series premise could have been bled dry over countless seasons (take a bow, Chuck, 2007). However, good series don't worry about running out of story. They make more stories. While The Big Bang Theory isn't exactly character drama, it allows relationships to evolve and characters to move on. Seriously, the audience can handle it.

The Big Bang Theory isn't a work of emotional complexity, but it's a friendly port of call for nerds everywhere.

Verdict: An entertaining sitcom about nerds. However, not highbrow stuff, and not suitable for kids.