• Shardikprime@lemmy.world
    13·
    12 days ago

    In my mind, I still picture this as the archetype of an office’s boss inside a boss’s office. If it doesn’t have the 4th breaking wall picture, then it’s a fake boss

  • ikidd@lemmy.worldEnglish
    131·
    12 days ago

    I’ve watched IT Crowd half a dozen times.

    I haven’t managed to finish an episode of BBT before I switch it off in disgust.

  • Ceedoestrees@lemmy.world
    8·
    12 days ago

    I’ve only seen the one episode of BBT, I think the first one, where a goddamn theoretical physicist spends a whole day forgetting the basic properties of light.

    My family stared at me the whole time, expecting me to find it funny. Then THEY got mad at me when I said that was the dumbest shit I’ve seen in a while. Later I found out that Sheldon uses Ubuntu and brags about it.

    But, okay, dumb jokes aside - the show doesn’t explore any concepts or situations in new and interesting ways And THAT’S why it’s bad.

    Shelden uses linux. Hahahaha. That’s it. A good writer could make a whole episode about that, alone, and it would be hilarious. Imagine him on internet forums. Imagine him fumbling during a talk because his laptop wouldn’t work with whatever vidchat/system/software his hosts used, and getting haughty about it. Imagine Sheldon traveling across the country to “fix” an entire auditoriums tech to run on Arch after his failed remote speech. Walking away all “You’re Welcome” as the staff can’t figure out how the fuck to use it.

    • Lucky_777@lemmy.world
      4·
      12 days ago

      Funny, but now you’re talking about the layman being cut out. Ratings won’t survive and it dies after one season. But that would be better lol

      • Trainguyrom@reddthat.comEnglish
        4·
        12 days ago

        I mean, the IT Crowd ran for 5 seasons while actually being funny to people working in the field it portrays, unlike Big Bang Theory which many nerds (not just physicists) find un-funny

        • Lovable Sidekick@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          12 days ago

          As a science nerd I think BBT is very funny, even when the writers make such glaring errors as having Sheldon stop his self-destruct device just before its countdown reached zero - even though he modeled it after Star Trek, specifically referenced a TOS episode the self-destruct was featured in, and even used the same password. Any true Trek fan knows the Enterprise self-destruct was unstoppable after the countdown reached 5 seconds - a fact that comes up in the very episode Sheldon mentioned. A deplorable writing error, to be sure, but I think such things are amusing in their own way.

          The only remotely objective measurement I know is that enough people enjoyed the show to make it last 12 seasons. Y’all are welcome to your own opinions, but all the absolutist pontificating is pretty silly. There’s no Kelvin scale of funny.

          IT Crowd is hysterically funny as well, but it’s written differently (not correctly or wrongly, just different) and was written and performed for a different audience, in a different country. There’s really no point arguing which was funnier.

    • Lovable Sidekick@lemmy.worldEnglish
      21·
      12 days ago

      “I’ve only seen the one episode…”

      Sheldon: “You certainly put a lot of effort into expressing an opinion you’re woefully unqualified to form.”

    • Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      1·
      13 days ago

      I wouldn’t say dumb people. It’s a caricature, much like Dennis the Menace is a caricature of small children in a quiet, suburban neighborhood. Only Big Bang Theory wasn’t based on an existing comic. So more like Friends being an unrealistic caricature of a late-20’s/early-30’s group of people living n NYC.

      Entertainment doesn’t always have to be authentic.

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        1·
        12 days ago

        So more like Friends being an unrealistic caricature of a late-20’s/early-30’s group of people living n NYC.

        Actually a pretty good comparison given how awful Friends is.

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
      01·
      13 days ago

      Big bang theory is about nerds.

      Also, BBT stayed entertaining for the most part throughout the 8 or so seasons it was on. IT started great and then dropped to “meh”.

  • MY_ANUS_IS_BLEEDING@lemm.ee
    7·
    12 days ago

    If BBT was made today it would be accused of being written by AI. Fully flanderised characters, and endless filler episodes.

    • Simulation6@sopuli.xyz
      2·
      12 days ago

      I believe this is what happened to Dr Who. When it started it was for science and history nerds, science sounding gobble-de-gook, cos play outfits, very low production values (the infamous duct tape boots). All just good fun.
      When it was rebooted the focus had shifted. The Doctor as the cool guy, a Jesus figure, became more and more pronounced. They started to make fun of nerds on a regular bases. Amazing writing and production values, but at some point during the Tennant era I stopped watching in disgust.

      • JcbAzPx@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        12 days ago

        The original Doctor Who was an educational show mostly aimed at school aged children that used a sci-fi gimmick to teach history lessons (much of which are a bit outdated now). They would alternate storylines between future and past settings through most of William Hartnell’s run.

        Towards the end of classic Who it was already much more like modern Who than those first seasons.

      • Dasus@lemmy.world
        2·
        12 days ago

        I only started with NuWho, watching it as it came out in 2005.

        I found it magnificent, exactly because it shied away from glorifying violence, made emotions be the focus of things and there was clearly some large over-arching thing with “Bad Wolf”, but it wasn’t like in the American shows, where if there’s a clue to be seen, the camera zooms in on it, making sure you can’t miss it.

        I gather you are right, and NuWho is way more American and hero-centric than Classic Who — but because it was and I was a teenager enjoying shows like Prison Break at the time — I got into Who, and then into better British shows, better shows in general, chasing that sort or good pacifist writing. Star Trek is ofc prolly the best franchise when it comes to actual philosophy. Doctor Who elicits emotions more than thought when compared to the Star Trek Ethos, albeit in a more profoundly British way.

        Uuh there’s actually a new episode of Dr Who tonight that reminded me.

        Oooh, it’s out already. And I have a few glasses of rum left. And a steak. And a pint of red. Ooooooh. This is turning out to be a nice day.

        Anyway tldr completely agree with you, but I think going a bit American with NuWho was a crucial step in luring in more watchers to start appreciating the good things. Kinda how for a kid, it’s easier to learn to eat a new dish when you introduce it bit by bit or with copious amounts of ketchup or something — slowly teaching them that the bitterness is what makes it tasty.

  • mlg@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    12 days ago

    No no IT Crowd is a show about sysadmins, not geeks lol. There’s a very clear difference.

    • SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
      4·
      12 days ago

      And Moss was a nerd not a geek. He wasn’t obsessing about comics, videogames etc. like the characters in BBT.

      • Camelbeard@lemmy.world
        2·
        12 days ago

        I also think this is a cultural difference. The comic book obsession seems more like an american thing. In the Netherlands and Belgium there is also a big comic book appreciation, but it’s much less about heroism and more humorous.

        • SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
          1·
          12 days ago

          Okay but he didn’t obsess about the British equivalent of comic books either. Geeks obsess about consumerist pop culture whether it’s comics, LEGO or Harry Potter. And Moss did non of that.

    • BradleyUffner@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      13 days ago

      This changes my perspective on the entire show… I’m going to have to watch it again for the 152nd time with this in mind now.

        • tetris11@feddit.ukEnglish
          2·
          13 days ago

          Masking is a strategy used by some autistic people, consciously or unconsciously, to appear non-autistic. While this strategy can help them get by at school, work and in social situations, it can have a devastating impact on mental health, sense of self and access to an autism diagnosis

          Oh shit, I’m a high masker.

            • edgemaster72@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              13 days ago

              Subject: Fire. “Dear Sir stroke Madam, I am writing to inform you of a fire which has broken out at the premises of…” No, that’s too formal. “Dear Sir stroke Madam. Fire, exclamation mark. Fire, exclamation mark. Help me, exclamation mark. 123 Carrendon Road. Looking forward to hearing from you. All the best, Maurice Moss.”

  • Rose56@lemmy.ca
    5·
    12 days ago

    IT Crows was amazing, I laughed to death. Where the bigbang theory was not so funny, too much detail IMO.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      12 days ago

      IT Crowd was three British goofballs doing elaborate running gags over 24 episodes.

      BBT was four creepy bigots and a nice blonde woman doing pop culture references and calling one another stupid for 279 episodes before spinning out an 80s nostalgia prequel series.

      It was the difference between a few cherished cleverly crafted comedy routines and endless derivative slop.

  • mariusafa@lemmy.sdf.org
    51·
    12 days ago

    By far. I think that Big Bang Theory has rotten the minds of lots of highschoolers (that now are at university, or have already graduated)

  • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
    3·
    12 days ago

    I warmed up to BBT after watching Young Sheldon. all the criticisms of BBT still stand but for some reason I just wasn’t miserable watching it. had a few laughs even.

    • rumba@lemmy.zipEnglish
      1·
      13 days ago

      I would say they’re like apples and oranges but they’re more like apples and hand grenades. They only vaguely resemble each other and I love them both.

      The Brits try not to mix as much drama into their comedy. I appreciate that. BBT waxes pretentious then wains drama, I like it most when it’s in the middle.

      All that said, I’ve seen the entirety of BBT maybe one and a half times, I’ve watched ITC probably a dozen times.

      • Rhoeri@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        12 days ago

        So, image there’s a pop band that a lot of people like called “Apples.” They like them because of all the reasons a typical person generally likes a pop band. For instance, the songs are easy to understand, the members are talented, the songs are catchy, they’re not too complicated… things like that.

        Now imagine there’s another band people like, but they play rock, and they’re called “Oranges.” So, Oranges are liked because they’re a bit darker, but more relatable. Maybe they’re a little grittier, but they’re more centered and realistic with their songs and also very talented.

        Now, picture a dude named Gary.

        Gary likes both Apples and Oranges because his music tastes are diverse. He doesn’t care about falling into groups that feel the need to chastise and ridicule others for what they like when it doesn’t make a single difference in the lives of anyone other than Gary himself.