Sheldon spanking Amy - has Big Bang jumped the shark?

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10,019
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    it's been rubbish since amy was turned into a major character.
    the best scenes were always sheldon and penny, now you hardly get those.

    if they were going to 'pair' the characters up they should have got a girl for raj and left sheldon as a 'floater' between the 3 couples.

    or maybe bring in 2 new women, one for raj and one for leonard thus meaning sheldon and penny become a 4th 'couple' by default.

    amy ruins the show and sheldon having a girlfriend is too weird and ruins the character.

    I agree when they introduced amy and bernadette as main characters the show has gone downhill, am surprised its lasted this long, I dont find it that funny anymore and clearly the writers are running out of ideas.
  • AmbassadorAmbassador Posts: 22,329
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    You mean the "laughter track" supplied by the live studio audience they film in front of ?

    American audiences would laugh at anything, I've been to a few and it's like clapping seals. They feed them (clap) give 'em soda (clap) the cast come out (clap). I'm not saying it isn't funny but if Sheldon sat and read the Alphabet that audience would be rolling in the aisles
    Community isn't popular, and Fraiser isn't that funny...

    Frasier not that funny?! :eek:

    It's one of the most successful and revered comedies of all time. It makes TBBT theory seem childish a lot of the time!
  • wolfticketwolfticket Posts: 913
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    Ed Sizzers wrote: »
    D'you know what's actually jumped the shark? The phrase 'jumping the shark'. Even when it started, it was always a pretty vague concept - essentially that the writers of a show had run out of ideas within it's usual parameters and so came up with a gimmick or completely changed an aspect of the show in an effort to keep people watching.

    Over the years though, it's essentially watered down to a generic description used when a show is perceived as decreasing in quality. And sometimes, as is this case, it can also be applied to a scene that people don't like.

    So, no, BBT hasn't jumped anything (except up in the ratings!) And Sheldon spanking Amy was not even in the same ballpark as the Fonz on skis.
    I agree that the term has been watered down to a point where it's often use just to mean a decline in quality. However, I actually think in this case OP has a point.

    Jumping the shark generally means a scene or moment, not necessarily a fundamental change, that makes you suddenly think "what the hell happen to this show?", distinct from any more subtle, gradual decline in quality.

    Ignoring Amy for a moment: The very idea of that a sober, rational Sheldon thinking spanking his girlfriend is a reasonable way to behave is so massively out of character. The whole thing about Sheldon is that he has/had a working knowledge of the way human interaction works, is utterly lacking any nuance.

    It was clearly a prominent memorable scene played for shock/broad comedy value irrespective of character, so I don't think it unreasonable to see it as a jumping the shark moment (which is after all a subject thing anyway).

    Btw, I think my post jumped the shark around "...utterly lacking any nuance." :)
  • Agent KrycekAgent Krycek Posts: 39,269
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    Ambassador wrote: »
    Try watching it without the laughter track. Painful.

    Blossom needs to go. All this relationship tat. Its turning into a poorly written friends.

    I'd have to agree, I did love this show, but for a little while now it's gradually been loosing me. They seem to have lost the lovely geeky humour that made up a good part of it and was interwoven as part of each of the geeks character make up, now it's just the odd throw away line, but most of all they've lost the relationship that had built up between Penny and Sheldon, which is a real shame for me.

    For me that heart of the show seems to have gone
  • RorschachRorschach Posts: 10,818
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    Aaron1995 wrote: »
    Popular comedies nowadays like The Big Bang Theory, HIMYM, Modern Family, Community etc fail to capture the magic of the comedies in the 90's, Frasier, Friends, The Simpsons (pre season 11).
    Firstly I can't see how Modern Family tries to be like Friends at all? It's narrative structure is nothing like friends at all, there's no "celebrity boyfriend/girlfriend of the week" or "date with an odd quirk" routines. No "will they or won't they", no unrequired love (well maybe Phil and Gloria...well not "and", Phil for Gloria :p).

    It's had the same family set-up since the beginning.

    And secondly, it's a hundred times funnier than Friends ever was so it really shouldn't try. :D
  • RorschachRorschach Posts: 10,818
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    I'd have to agree, I did love this show, but for a little while now it's gradually been loosing me. They seem to have lost the lovely geeky humour that made up a good part of it and was interwoven as part of each of the geeks character make up, now it's just the odd throw away line, but most of all they've lost the relationship that had built up between Penny and Sheldon, which is a real shame for me.
    But it would surely be poor story telling if, for example, Leonard and Howard were the same people they were five seasons ago?

    Leonard has had sexual relationships with three or four different women in that time, Howard is married. If they were still awkward and ill-informed around women it would make no sense at all.

    They have still maintained their geek interests and their love of science, but some part of their personality has to have changed from their experiences. They have to have discovered by now that there are more fun ways to spend a Saturday night than a Halo tournament. :D

    Personally I think Bernadette should have sorted Howard's wardrobe out by now. :p
  • solaresolare Posts: 11,573
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    Rorschach wrote: »
    But it would surely be poor story telling if, for example, Leonard and Howard were the same people they were five seasons ago?
    But does a comedy show need to "tell a story"? There are popular comedies that have run for years and don't tell a story (e.g. Dad's Army, One Foot in the Grave).

    Each episode was basically a one-off well-written scenario based around the quirkiness of the main characters (as was TBBT in the earlier series).

    I think the TBBT scriptwriters could have added variety by introducing "short-term" relationships and recurring characters without losing the originality of the show or its main characters.
  • orangeballoonorangeballoon Posts: 10,944
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    i dont mind the character wobbles at all.
    it isnt a soap opera, its a comedy, so can have the slight inconsistency - but it hardly has any of them. people do compromise in real life and they have done little more than that without the 10 minutes of explaining to camera how they got to that

    but you really cant read too much into it, after all penny would not live opposite the two geeks, they would be living in very different value areas - so from the first bit, its wrong.
  • SandgrownunSandgrownun Posts: 5,024
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    solare wrote: »
    But does a comedy show need to "tell a story"? There are popular comedies that have run for years and don't tell a story (e.g. Dad's Army, One Foot in the Grave).
    But many other popular sitcoms do tell the story of the characters and allow the characters to grow and their circumstances to change. On the whole TBBT does this well imo.
  • degsyhufcdegsyhufc Posts: 59,251
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    wolfticket wrote: »
    I agree that the term has been watered down to a point where it's often use just to mean a decline in quality. However, I actually think in this case OP has a point.

    Jumping the shark generally means a scene or moment, not necessarily a fundamental change, that makes you suddenly think "what the hell happen to this show?", distinct from any more subtle, gradual decline in quality.

    Ignoring Amy for a moment: The very idea of that a sober, rational Sheldon thinking spanking his girlfriend is a reasonable way to behave is so massively out of character. The whole thing about Sheldon is that he has/had a working knowledge of the way human interaction works, is utterly lacking any nuance.

    It was clearly a prominent memorable scene played for shock/broad comedy value irrespective of character, so I don't think it unreasonable to see it as a jumping the shark moment (which is after all a subject thing anyway).

    Btw, I think my post jumped the shark around "...utterly lacking any nuance." :)
    THe ball pool moment in an earlier series was almost a turning point for me.
    As they did it at the end of the episode I let it slide.
  • Joe_ZelJoe_Zel Posts: 20,832
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    Ambassador wrote: »
    Try watching it without the laughter track. Painful.

    Pretty hard to do considering it's filmed in front of an audience.
  • orangeballoonorangeballoon Posts: 10,944
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    actually whats really good about america comedy series, is they will have a xmas (and easter and thanksgiving) special at some point... and it will be a regular show with an xmas tree in it.

    when british comedies have a xmas special, it has to be much darker and have character extensions. its really annoying, its a fast light comedy show it isnt a play
  • Joe_ZelJoe_Zel Posts: 20,832
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    ^^^ That's not the same, Americans don't tend to do a lot of Christmas specials.

    The show will see which episode will air closest to Christmas and might make it Christmas themed, or as you say put a Christmas tree or reference into it.

    Whereas in the UK specials are often commissioned outside of the regular series and purposely scheduled to air on Christmas day. US shows are on a break and not shown over the Christmas period.
  • orangeballoonorangeballoon Posts: 10,944
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    which is why we shouldnt do xmas specials, and only do themed xmas episodes.

    people want to watch the programme they like, at xmas, so themed is fine.
    its completely ruined when they turn light laughs into dark moral plays.

    for example.
    a comedy show will get a dark storyline, often extending the characters well away from bit parts of a joke

    yet top gear, will have a xmas special, which doesnt in anyway change the idiot laugh format.

    so why mess up the comedy when they wont mess up top gear?
  • Joe_ZelJoe_Zel Posts: 20,832
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    What comedy goes all dark?
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    Joe_Zel wrote: »
    What comedy goes all dark?

    Ones about power cuts?
  • RorschachRorschach Posts: 10,818
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    solare wrote: »
    But does a comedy show need to "tell a story"? There are popular comedies that have run for years and don't tell a story (e.g. Dad's Army, One Foot in the Grave).

    Each episode was basically a one-off well-written scenario based around the quirkiness of the main characters (as was TBBT in the earlier series).

    I think the TBBT scriptwriters could have added variety by introducing "short-term" relationships and recurring characters without losing the originality of the show or its main characters.
    But the characters in those two shows appeared fully formed; they had their relationships with each other, their families, their jobs (or lack of in the case of One Foot) and so on. Very little changed in the run to affect the way the characters acted. That's not the case in TBBT when the long term single geeks who could only dream of seeing a woman naked are, in some cases, a world away from those seen today. Yes the writers could have chosen never to have introdcued female characters and kept all the leads single and hopeless for ever, but having chosen not to the characters have to change.

    If for example Elizabeth had died Captain Mainwaring should have altered in some way. There was some character development of course, such as when it was revealed that Private Godfrey had won the Military Medal.

    Similarly if Margaret had died, or ran off with Ben, then Victor would have had to alter.
  • orangeballoonorangeballoon Posts: 10,944
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    Joe_Zel wrote: »
    What comedy goes all dark?

    loads do. the xmas special is often extended with a sad storyline, bits of the characters we have never seen before, they become sad dramas with jokes.
  • AmbassadorAmbassador Posts: 22,329
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    Joe_Zel wrote: »
    Pretty hard to do considering it's filmed in front of an audience.

    Already covered above. Clapping seals
  • SandgrownunSandgrownun Posts: 5,024
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    Ones about power cuts?
    Like when Rachel met Paolo, Ross got attacked by a cat that Heckles tried to claim and Chandler got stuck in a bank with a famous model ;)
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