"Bang," Zoom!

[DToTheJ]

In only its first year of off-network rerun syndication, "The Big Bang Theory" has displaced "Two And A Half Men" as the most watched syndicated sitcom. "Family Guy" is third; "How I Met Your Mother" and "Seinfeld" (yes, it's been off the air for a dozen years or so) round out the top five.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ar...tings_Big_Bang_Takes_Over_Top_Sitcom_Slot.php

 

[FreddyE1977]

My kids who are in their early 20's are big fans of Big Bang Theory.
Seinfeld is a work of pure genius though. There are episodes of that which
I've seen at least 30 times, but they still make me laugh.

 

[LKellerIII]

My kids who are in their early 20's are big fans of Big Bang Theory.
Seinfeld is a work of pure genius though. There are episodes of that which
I've seen at least 30 times, but they still make me laugh.

Me, too. I've never been a rerun guy - generally speaking, one showing and I'm done, so I've rarely watched shows when they are stripped in repeats to local channels or the cable networks. The one exception for me is Seinfeld. I've seen many episodes 3 or 4 times over.

Having said that, I've only watched one or two episodes of The Big Bang Theory in first run on CBS, and didn't find it particularly compelling. Maybe I'll check it out in reruns to see what all the fuss is about, and to see if I was wrong...

I like your little tribute to Jackie Gleason there, D to the J.

 

[landtuna]

This isn't surprising. 2 1/2 has been in syndication for a number of years now AND the stations seems to be focusing upon the last several years of the original show (as opposed to the much funnier early years). I am a big 2 1/2 fan (at least through Season 6) but I've given up watching it because (a) I've already seen the funniest episodes multiple times and (b) Season 7 was worthless. Needless to say I don't watch original broadcasts (the "Kurcher" episodes) as these don't represent the original show in the least.

BBT started off slow with way too much emphasis upon Jim Parsons (who can grate on your nerves easily). After the show calmed down a bit and spread out the humor into the whole cast it was a much better show. To be honest I thought the premise was a bit thin but the writers have made it work with only a couple missteps along the way. And, although I am an old coot, I think the younger set would appreciate the show (my 20-somethings like it although they aren't big TV watchers).

 

[ansky212]

One problem I see with Big Bang in syndication is the repetition of episodes. The show has not been around long enough to build a large library of episodes, so I often see the same episode being aired multiple times in the same week. I like the show, but it's not nearly as good as shows like Seinfeld where you can watch the same episode over and over.

 

[landtuna]

I like the show, but it's not nearly as good as shows like Seinfeld where you can watch the same episode over and over.

But then there are those of us who never watched "Seinfield" due to its boring, Noo Yawk-centric humor.

 

[Al Timiter]

The fact that Seinfeld is New York-centric is an issue to you but not to most others. There is a morning radio show that I've heard in the south where the hosts go on and on about how good it is.

 

[LKellerIII]

I like the show, but it's not nearly as good as shows like Seinfeld where you can watch the same episode over and over.

But then there are those of us who never watched "Seinfield" due to its boring, Noo Yawk-centric humor.

Really? I would think the humor in Seinfeld would be considered quite universal. I was born and raised in Southern California - I never visited 'Noo Yawk' until my late 20s, and since then, have never spent more than two weeks at a time in NYC - but the show totally works for me.

My coterie of friends growing up in the San Fernando Valley was heavily Jewish (though I wasn't), and as an adult I lived for a few years in Westwood and West LA (affluent and highly Jewish), so maybe that made a difference. ???

 

[landtuna]

There is a morning radio show that I've heard in the south where the hosts go on and on about how good it is.

One of our local morning shows blabs continually about how good X-Factor and American Idol are.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[brian4]

Sticking with "Seinfeld Hijacking This Thread" theme...

I first started watching Seinfeld in syndication around 1997. I never saw the NBC shows. However, when the last season started, I watched those episodes. My friend also loved the show but didn't like "the new episodes" preferring to watch the syndicated ones. He didn't watch the series finale until syndication.

Lastly, both of us are Black. I grew up in Detroit, he in Baltimore. Never been to New York. We thought Seinfeld was a great program.

 

[landtuna]

Really? I would think the humor in Seinfeld would be considered quite universal. I was born and raised in Southern California - I never visited 'Noo Yawk' until my late 20s, and since then, have never spent more than two weeks at a time in NYC - but the show totally works for me.

My coterie of friends growing up in the San Fernando Valley was heavily Jewish (though I wasn't), and as an adult I lived for a few years in Westwood and West LA (affluent and highly Jewish), so maybe that made a difference. ???

You may have a point. I spent four years in Noo Yawk as a 20-something just getting started in the IT world. The most positive aspect for me was the number of unattached females - more in 15 minutes on any street corner than I could have seen in a lifetime in my home town BUT - what I remember are the subway strikes that made getting to work very painful, the high cost of living, garbage and filth all over the place, crime beyond belief and some of the most obnoxious people (and proud of it apparently) on the face of the Earth. Noo Yawk looked very good to me - in my rear view mirror.

I am continually reminded of Stuart Margolin's timeless quote to Charles Bronson in Death Wish - "New York is a toilet".

Perhaps my experience in Noo Yawk is why I enjoy the old Law and Order series and the movie The Out of Towners so much. ;D I just never did get Jerry's comedy - stand-up or on the program.

 

[LKellerIII]

Really? I would think the humor in Seinfeld would be considered quite universal. I was born and raised in Southern California - I never visited 'Noo Yawk' until my late 20s, and since then, have never spent more than two weeks at a time in NYC - but the show totally works for me.

My coterie of friends growing up in the San Fernando Valley was heavily Jewish (though I wasn't), and as an adult I lived for a few years in Westwood and West LA (affluent and highly Jewish), so maybe that made a difference. ???

You may have a point. I spent four years in Noo Yawk as a 20-something just getting started in the IT world. The most positive aspect for me was the number of unattached females - more in 15 minutes on any street corner than I could have seen in a lifetime in my home town BUT - what I remember are the subway strikes that made getting to work very painful, the high cost of living, garbage and filth all over the place, crime beyond belief and some of the most obnoxious people (and proud of it apparently) on the face of the Earth. Noo Yawk looked very good to me - in my rear view mirror.

I am continually reminded of Stuart Margolin's timeless quote to Charles Bronson in Death Wish - "New York is a toilet".

Perhaps my experience in Noo Yawk is why I enjoy the old Law and Order series and the movie The Out of Towners so much. ;D I just never did get Jerry's comedy - stand-up or on the program.

Interesting and historical info, Landtuna. I only visited New York very briefly as a tourist in the 70s (maybe a day or two) - when it was widely maligned as a crime-ridden cesspool. Then once in the late 90s after the Giuliani era, and again last summer for two weeks. I really enjoyed it, and the main impression I was left was - of a very enjoyable and affluent place. I live in the Bay Area (also very affluent), but I couldn't help but notice that Manhattan seemed even more affluent - most of the cars on Manhattan streets were BMWs, Mercedes, and Lexi (plural for Lexus). The local marketing keeps reminding people about how dangerous New York used to be, and how safe it is now. But only wealthy people can afford to live there now, so this is not surprising.

 

[Markxxx]

I think "Seinfeld" has simply held up better. Some shows like "I Love Lucy" or "Dick Van Dyke" don't have a lot of political or dated material. Yes it looks dated but the themes still apply. "Seinfeld" has a bit more dated stuff but holds up. Of course that rule isn't hard and fast. I know quite a lot of young people love "All In The Family," and it's hard to find a show more dated than that. But if you get the references the characters are talking about, it's funny.

I do disagree with the title of this thread, "Bang Zoom" should only be used when referencing "The Great One" ;D

 

[FreddyE1977]

I spent four years in Noo Yawk as a 20-something just getting started in the IT world. The most positive aspect for me was the number of unattached females - more in 15 minutes on any street corner than I could have seen in a lifetime in my home town .

If this is your motivation, head for Washington, DC. That area draws in thousands of unattached females every year to take
clerical jobs with the Federal Government and it's related contractors. The single female-to-male ratio in D.C. is quite high.

My first twentysomething job by contrast was in a very small town in Ohio, where 85% of the females over 18 were already married, while it seemed 98% of them had at least one child regardless.

 

[justpassingthough]

I spent four years in Noo Yawk as a 20-something just getting started in the IT world. The most positive aspect for me was the number of unattached females - more in 15 minutes on any street corner than I could have seen in a lifetime in my home town .

If this is your motivation, head for Washington, DC. That area draws in thousands of unattached females every year to take
clerical jobs with the Federal Government and it's related contractors. The single female-to-male ratio in D.C. is quite high.

My first twentysomething job by contrast was in a very small town in Ohio, where 85% of the females over 18 were already married, while it seemed 98% of them had at least one child regardless.

I think someone is stuck in old episodes of "All in the Family", if they assume that the women folk are flocking to DC to take clerical jobs. "Can I freshen that coffee for you, Mr Senator?" Seeing as women now attend college at an almost 2 to 1 rate over men, its highly unlikely that they're taking "clerical" jobs in DC. Thats just semantics, though.

Its understandable that "Big Bang Theory" is doing well in repeats. Its ratings on CBS having been increasing year after year, so there are probably many fans who never saw the earlier episodes. Also, as others have pointed out, the show took on more of an ensemble dynamic, and has brought in and strengthened the female characters, and it has become a better show. What could have been a one-note traditional sitcom about dorky scientists that tired after a few seasons, has transformed into a show that speaks well to being a twentysomething/thirtysomething. Plus, 'geek is chic' has been all the rage for a while now (see "the New Girl", as the most recent example), so even the obscure science references and constant "Star Trek" babble don't turn off fans such as myself, who have no interest in science and have never seen an episode of "Star Trek".

 

[FreddyE1977]

hey, I'm just passing on the stats, man.

The percentage of single women to single men is higher in the DC Metro than in any other
part of the country.

If you are a woman looking to meet guys, Anchorage, Alaska is at the opposite end
of this spectrum.

 

[justpassingthough]

hey, I'm just passing on the stats, man.

The percentage of single women to single men is higher in the DC Metro than in any other
part of the country.

If you are a woman looking to meet guys, Anchorage, Alaska is at the opposite end
of this spectrum.

I wasn't arguing the facts- just the way you presented them. In a thread about which sitcoms stood the test of time versus those that fizzle out, it was funny that you presented such an outdated assumption that single women were all working in clerical fields. I guess we're all guilty of watching too many sitcoms...

(Except for "Murphy Brown", some of her clerical staff was male, but we all know how long they lasted)

 

[FreddyE1977]

I am fully aware that all single women are not working as clerks/secretaries/nurses/teachers in this day and age.
But of the subset of people in DC holding clerical jobs, I'd be willing to bet my next paycheck that the vast
majority are women. (largely because the US Census data says it's so)

 

[mjlarochelle]

I've tried to watch Big Bang Theory twice, and I just cannot get into it. I much prefer Two and a Half Men.

 

[LKellerIII]

I am fully aware that all single women are not working as clerks/secretaries/nurses/teachers in this day and age.
But of the subset of people in DC holding clerical jobs, I'd be willing to bet my next paycheck that the vast
majority are women. (largely because the US Census data says it's so)

I went back to college in the 90s, so I can confirm that the majority of college students are now women. I'm sure it's even more true now - 15 years later. I was in the Psychology department (probably 75% women), but the Business department was still probably about 70% men.

I now work in Human Resources at a fairly large company (2000 employees). We're a very diverse company in terms of ethnicity and gender, but some of the stereotypes do hold. Interestingly, most of our top executives are now women, including our CEO. But generally speaking, the vast majority of clerks are women, the largest number of Asian Americans are in the IT department, most of our tradespeople are still men, etc. Stereotypes exist for a reason - that being that there is some truth to them.