Fall TV Preview - The Big Bang Theory - Pilot Training
The Big Bang Theory - Pilot - directed by James Burrows, written by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
Premieres Monday, September 24th, 8:30pm on CBS (No Premiere Date on CTV yet)
The premise sounded cute enough when I first heard about it during pilot season, but then the hate seemed to pile up on this show, probably because it's from Chuck Lorre who also gives us the lame Two and a Half Men, so to my surprise, I actually really enjoyed the pilot and laughed out loud several times.
Much of that credit goes to the underdog storyline as it seems like this year, nerds are in (Chuck, The IT Crowd, Aliens in America) and though they play up a bit on the stereotypes, I'm a bit more forgiving since it's a four-camera sitcom anyways and to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. That, and well, some of the stereotypes are still funny because it's true. Johnny Galecki (who still has a bit of the gay lisp and mannerisms left over from The Little Dog Laughed) and Jim Parsons make a winning nerd duo as Leonard and Sheldon, who encounter their new neighbour, hot girl Penny (a suprisingly lovely Kaley Cuoco, who must have learned a thing or two from her former TV parents Katey Segal and the late John Ritter). Rounding out the cast is Kunal Nayyar as Koothrappal and Simon Helberg as Wolowitz, two fellow nerd friends who almost make Leonard and Sheldon normal by comparison.
The pilot has a breezy feel to it, and with James Burrows at the helm, seemed to have the same flow as the early Will & Grace's. While I expected good things out of Johnny Galecki, the big revelation is Jim Parsons as Sheldon (below with Cuoco), who is just fantastically funny in the pilot.
3 stars (***) for now though I'm holding back a bit for now, if only because of the Two and A Half Men association, but it has the potential to be a fun guilty pleasure comedy and I'd almost lean towards 3.5 stars but I'll wait until the next few episodes just to make sure.
Johnny Galecki
Jim Parsons
Kaley Cuoco
Simon Helberg
3 comments:
I couldn't agree more. I wasn't expecting much either, but I think it's pretty hilarious. I went to a taping of the 3rd episode last week and it gets even better. The writers have moved away from the cliches a bit. Kaley's character doesn't come off nearly as dumb. She's just a sweet normal girl living across the hall from 2 socially awkward, but lovable, geniuses. Jim Parsons is incredible as Sheldon. Why have we not seen this guy before?
I was totally wondering that too. Who IS this guy who plays Sheldon? HILARIOUS!
And yes, I didn't really feel Kaley played it dumb in the pilot anyways, but just sweet nice girl. There was a nice glow about her.
You might enjoy this entertaining audio interview with Bill Prady, co-creator of "The Big Bang Theory." Prady's other writing and producing credits include "Gilmore Girls," "Muppets in Space," "Dream On," and even an episode of "Star Trek Voyager." You could also subscribe to Mr. Media's RSS feed.
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