Our whole universe was in a hot dense state then nearly 14 billion years ago expansion started. Wait!

If by some miracle you are not humming the tune to “The Big Bang Theory” already, you are in the minority. The CBS sitcom will begin its eighth season tonight and, second to NFL Sunday Night Football, is the most watched television program in the United States. It’s most watched episode pulled in 20.44 million views. Its next closest live action comedy rival, “Modern Family,” pulled in nearly 10 million less.

In a time that has been coined as TV’s second coming, there are more options of quality programming than ever before. TV shows are opting for different formats, complex storylines and serialized drama. The Big Bang Theory has none of that. It has simple formulaic plotlines, the jokes are eye-roll worthy and it’s not doing anything that hasn’t been done before. But it has what other shows don’t: simplicity.

While everyone else is going niche, CBS is staying old school. “The Big Big Bang” is the vanilla ice cream of programming; it’s the most popular but not the most exciting.

The “Big Bang Theory” has all the charms of the sitcoms from yesteryear. It has a multi-camera format, is based in an apartment building and the couch is a centerpiece. This allows the characters to interact directly with the audience, casually join the group and to face the fourth wall — think “Seinfeld” and “Friends.” Sheldon’s catchphrase, “Bazinga” is a recurring joke that can be traced further back in the history books to Urkel’s “did I do that?” and The Fonz’s  “ay.” It also airs on Thursday nights, which has been the most important night for advertisers since “The Cosby Show.”

While other shows are serializing and ramping up the drama, “The Big Bang Theory” is nearly identical to where it was in its onset. There have been definite changes; jokes are no longer made at the expense of the nerds but made by them, it has introduced two main characters, both female, to help equalize the gender balance and Penny, the female lead, is now one of the guys rather than the untouchable neighbor she was at her genesis.

But the set, rituals and character traits are stagnant, and for good reason. Perhaps the show’s lead, Parsons, who has won four Emmys for his performance as Sheldon puts it best. In the May 5 edition of New York Magazine he says, “People have so many choices on TV now, so no one’s asking you to marry us. You can enjoy our show without a weekly appointment.”

And they are. In numbers that show no sign of slowing down, viewers aged 12–17, 18–34, 18–49 and 25–54 all tuned in to “The Big Bang Theory” more than any other TV program in the U.S.

But while “The Big Bang Theory” pulls in astounding numbers, it does not impress many discerning critics. Metacritic, a site that aggregates critical reviews for albums, movies and TV, could only offer a score from the first season that debuted in 2007 — when it received a 57, indicating mixed reviews. All of the subsequent seasons didn’t have enough data.

But there is a lot of better TV out there, and now with DVRs and On Demand streaming services your weekly appointment can be at your leisure. To the fans of Big Bang: try something new and expand your television taste.

Erin G. Kelly is a senior broadcast and digital journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at egkelly@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @egknew.

Published on September 22, 2014 at 12:05 am