At first when I started this binge of The Big Bang Theory, what was it now? -- the beginning of last week -- I thought to myself "20 minute quickie episodes, this should be a breeze." But the fact of the matter is each season has about 24 episodes and there are 12 seasons! I'm devoting about six hours a day and I'm only now on the beginning of the ninth season! This has to be one of the biggest slogs of any binge I've undertaken!
That's not to say I'm not liking it though. It's quite fun. I really underappreciated this show back when it was originally aired. I really do feel like the characters and the story arcs do get more developed and richer when you watch them in sequence from beginning to end. Of course, as I've said in my previous post, Leonard still irritates the fuck out of me but he's getting a tad easier to deal with. His nervous nelly picking fingers thing and his ever-so-punchable face not withstanding.
I've started to ease up a little on cracking open my self-imposed restriction on reading fan media including wikis, subreddits and YouTube videos. Some of the stuff I've read has been really good fuel while I'm still in the midst of my binge since it gives me more insider info to enhance my experience like the fact that the actors who play Leonard and Penny respectively actually dated IRL for a couple of years but then broke up but remained friends while they were on the show. Also, I remembered that Raj had mentioned "that girl from Blossom" in the season two episode with the Physics Bowl and it turns out that when Mayim Bialik heard that her Blossom character was mentioned in the show, it prompted her to audition for her role as Amy. Lastly, as far as I can tell, while Johnny Galecki (Leonard) and Kaley Cuoco (Penny) had a long list of acting credits prior to the show, either by the showrunners plan or by natural fan reaction, Jim Parsons (Sheldon) soon became (obviously) the breakout star of the show to the tune of more fame, more attention, more screentime, more franchise and, of course, more money. I guess his co-stars didn't quibble too much though since by the 11th season, according to Wikipedia the lead players were all making pretty much near about a million per episode.
Here's a couple of videos I found during some of my preliminary scooping of what was the phenom that was TBBT fandom...
First up is a Belarus Television rip-off of the show. With production values making you think Sheldon has succeeded in building an actual time machine and we've gone back to a 1985 Soviet TV studio as we sit in the well-behaved live audience and wait for our KGB censor to order us to laugh on cue, we behold the following first episode of "The Theorists."
Next, fans have unearthed a rare old clip featuring Jim Parsons in a 2003 Quiznos commercial doing a damn fine proto-Sheldon if you ask me. Except for the weening part. Sheldon hates dogs and, arguably, all canines including wolves so I doubt he'd do as he does depicted, even if desperate and needing nourishment.
By the way, I wasn't alone, as I saw in the comments, when I gasped not so much at the surprise of some dude sucking a wolf's teets as much as the advertised price of a sub as low as $1.99! When the fuck were prices that low?!
Oh, one last thing. This whole The Big Bang Theory binge business made me remember why I have somewhat of an affinity for these geeky characters. You see, in my younger days, I too was quite the uber-nerd. Witness the photo at the top of this post, if you will, as the proof.
That's right, there I am with my real life actual high school friends posing for the "Quiver," our school's yearbook, as the 1980-1981 Class Year's Science Club. The yearbook staff, not being the clear "geniuses" we were, listed me as "Pete Andrews" a person who as far as I know never existed. Oh but they got Steve's name right...Glasscock. He's the kid all the way on the right. Yes, his looks and his name were enough to earn him a daily regimen of ridicule from the jocks and punks but he was also the most overt geeky acting of us all to boot so he never saw the end of it.
As I look at this picture I'm reminded that of this grouping, I was already or would most become friends with John, "Mike" (in quotes 'cause like me, I don't think he liked to be called Mike, he, like me was a Michael), and Steven. The others were more acquaintances. Of the four of us friends I would equate us as such with TBBT guys: John = Leonard, Michael = Raj, Steven = Howard and Me = Sheldon