Okay, I admit I’m late to The Big Bang Theory bandwagon, but I finally realized what all the buzz was about when I watched an episode a couple of months ago. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Though the show is funny
— with what I call ‘smart’ humor’ —
one piece pulls it all together and makes it work.
Sheldon Cooper
As I thought about Sheldon’s character, I realized that it wasn’t just his idiosyncrasies that make the show really hum. It’s that he’s so fallible, and so geeky, and so just like the rest of us despite his astronomically high IQ and ADHD tendencies.
There is a bit of everyman in Sheldon that make him lovable. Something most of us can identify with. And here’s a short list of why I think he’s such a great character:
He’s honest. He says what’s on his mind and expects you to take his words at face value. Which makes him overbearing at times, but lying clearly makes him uncomfortable and it’s something he doesn’t like to do.- He believes what he believes, and he does what he believes, regardless of what anyone else thinks. Sheldon sticks to his guns. It doesn’t matter if someone disagrees with him, or sees things differently, he’s going to do it his way. That may make him closed-minded sometimes, but he’s not going to do something just to appeal to a crowd. Gotta give him kudos for that.
- He marches to his own drums. Drums that no one else can see or hear, mind you, but they’re his drums and they won’t be compromised by anyone else.
- Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr.
- When he’s overly obnoxious or rude, he tries to make up for it. In his own way, but he tries. Wouldn’t it be nice if more people did that?
- Bazinga. Need I say more?
- He recognizes his idiosyncrasies. Sometimes. Like Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Sheldon’s always striving to become more human. 🙂
Sarcasm. He really doesn’t get it. And often, neither do I.- Door knocking. knock knock knock “Penny” knock knock knock “Penny” knock knock knock “Penny” — and fyi, as Sheldon has to knock three times, I often have to repeat something I say three times. Guess we’re kindred souls.
- Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock. Scissors cuts Paper. Paper covers Rock. Rock crushes Lizard. Lizard poisons Spock. Spock smashes Scissors. Scissors decapitates Lizard. Lizard eats Paper. Paper disproves Spock. Spock vaporizes Rock. And, as it always has, Rock crushes Scissors.
And a bonus:
- Sheldon: Why are you crying?
Penny: Because I’m stupid.
Sheldon: That’s no reason to cry. One cries because one is sad. For example, I cry because others are stupid, and that makes me sad.
So, are you obsessed with Big Bang Theory and Sheldon like I am? If so, I’d love to know.
All images courtesy of/copyright to CBS
___________________________________________________
Copyright © 2012-2014 · All Rights Reserved · TerriPonce.com
Terri Herman-Ponce 
I love sheldon so much. He is unpredictably sweet, understanding, loving and kind in many situations. He says I love you before Amy was struggling to tell, lends money to Penny before she asks him. He consoles Howard in the best way anyone could when he loses his mother. So he is lovable in many ways, may be weird, but very sweet in a different way.
LikeLike
Sheldon is absolutely the most adorable character on TV! He is like a mix of a little boy with a keen intellect stuck in the body of a man. Maybe that’s why he is so naive sometimes
LikeLike
I agree!!!
LikeLike
I love Big Bang! I’ve heard that Sheldon’s character is based on girlfriend Amy’s real-life brother, who has Asperger’s syndrome. I wonder if that’s true.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hmm. Interesting but Amy didn’t come on the show until later. Still, an interesting theory. A big bang theory, if you will. 😉
LikeLike
Amy joined the cast several years into the show. And both the creators and Jim Parsons have always taken great pains to insist that they were not in anyway trying to follow the pathology of Asperger’s or any other developmental issue.
But as the mom of my own Sheldon Cooper (whom I have blogged about on more than one occasion: https://wordpress.com/post/32163334/608/), I would say they certainly based him on someone who is definitely on the autistic spectrum!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks for the link 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
He’s a character with a lot of dimension.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve watched this—and loved it—since Day One and enjoy the reruns over and over again, too. IMO, this ranks with the very best of TV comedy alongside such shows as M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers, The Andy Griffith Show and The Bob Newhart Show. I’d probably call it #1 tied with M*A*S*H.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. That’s keeping some pretty great company!
LikeLike
I enjoy listening to my husband laugh out loud during this show.
LikeLike
It’s hard not to laugh out loud at it!
LikeLike
I watched the first episode and every one since then. I love them. I usually use TV for background sound but I really pay attention when the geeks are on. I am pretty geeky myself. Beautifully written and acted.
LikeLike
I’m the same way. A lot of TV is background noise for me, too, but when Big Bang Theory is on I focus 100% on it. Don’t want to miss any nuance.
LikeLike
Wonderful post, Terri.
I love Sheldon and every other character on the Big Bang Theory.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful post, Terri. I love Sheldon and every other character on the Big Bang Theory.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I lovelovelove that other folks feel like I do. I still can’t believe it took me so long to discover this show.
LikeLike
I love Bib Bang. I turned my brother who has a PhD in physics on to the show. He can’t get enough of it.
Richard Brawer
http://www.richardbrawer.com
LikeLike
Fabulous show, Terri. I’ve been a fan since my Deputy Director talked about it a year or so ago. I keep watching the reruns to pick up the episodes I’ve missed, but I’m almost up to par for this season (gotta see things in sequence – so Sheldonesque). I see myself in Sheldon, but hopefully not to the same extent! His character is genius and I love that he’s “been tested.”
I love it that they are so geeky. They do what i’d love to do – geek out at a con, wear costumes, play games, watch the movies in order (well, I guess I do some of it). A great ensemble cast that really makes it look effortless and real. My hats off to them and to their writers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen to all of that and then some. Thanks for dropping by Claire.
LikeLike
Hi Terry,
I’m a Big Bang Theory fan, and also a fan of Sheldon Cooper. My husband points out how much I’m like Sheldon every time we sit down to watch the program, and I keep telling him I’m more like Leonard. He just shakes his head.With a science background and being an introvert, I totally get Sheldon’s (& Leonard’s!) character. I love the way he breaks things down in white board diagrams to come up with answers, and his way of dealing with a crisis (may I offer you a hot beverage) is spot on. When I first started working, I had to remember to make small talk with people to break the ice before I jumped right into what I needed to ask them. I think kids that can self-entertain aren’t always very well socialized, so that’s the part of me that LOVES Sheldon and crew. They get it.
Thanks for making me smile this evening! Maggie
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m happy I made you smile, Maggie. And thanks for stooping by and sharing. 🙂
LikeLike
Dare I confess? It’s my favorite show. So clever. Mayim Bialek as Amy Farah Fowler is brilliant, too. The perfect girlfriend for Sheldon.
LikeLike
And a real PhD in neuroscience too! Terrific characters and all unique.
LikeLike
My husband and I, a couple of old curmudgeonly retired college professors now writers, love this show. It rarely gets anything to do with academic life wrong, and that’s so unusual for a TV show. They usually haven’t a clue what the university is like. It’s one of the few comedies that uses intelligent humor and is written for more than twenty-year-olds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the post Lesley and and i agree. So so smart.
LikeLike
It’s a great show, Terri. When there was some argument about how much these actors made every episode, I stood firmly in the actor’s camp. They’re amazingly talented and I defy other actors to step into their roles and do as well. I also read that the physicist writers who consult with the script often don’t see the humor. There’s an awful lot of Sheldons out there, I suspect. And they’re not laughing. Great blog.
LikeLike
I do believe there’s some Sheldon in all of us. That he can stick to his guns despite what others think is what makes him stand out in a crowd as a person and a character. Sheldon isn’t mean…dense, sometimes, but never nasty. I agree that these guys, and Jim Parsons in particular, deserve every penny. They make it seem easy when you know it’s anything but.
LikeLike
Oh yeah, I love this show! I actually only started watching it in reruns a few weeks ago. It does make me laugh. I love when Sheldon impatiently knocks on someone’s door – knock,knock,knock – Penny – knock,knock,knock – Penny !
LikeLike
I feel like I’ve joined a secret society I’d been missing out on. It really is a great show.
LikeLike