The Big Bang Theory 'The First Pitch Insufficiency' Review: More of The Same

I had a conversation with a coworker recently about The Big Bang Theory, one of the most watched shows on television. I pointed out that CBS should probably never stop making this show, because it brings in approximately 20 million viewers a week and its structure allows the writers and producers to churn out episodes for seasons to come.

He, however, is not a fan, and for a legitimate reason. He watched a few episodes during the show's first seven seasons and when he did, he saw a show that did glorify or condone the so-called "nerd culture," but instead belittled it. And as much as I might enjoy watching this show, I couldn't disagree with him.

The Big Bang Theory has changed over the years from a show about four nerdy guys and the absurdly hot girl that moved in next door to a show that included a more balanced cast with more female members and true relationships. This undoubtedly helped grow the show's audience and bring in more casual viewers who didn't want to hear (or didn't understand) jokes about Lord of the Rings and Star Trek each week. The show made the right move in rounding out the cast and toning down those types of jokes, at least in terms of gaining more viewers.

But then we get episodes like "The First Pitch " that just outright point and laugh and say "nerds are losers." And I'm not sure if it's worse that the writers feel the need to denigrate their own creations or that the writing is just plain lazy.

Yes, we get it. Nerds can't play sports. It's a joke that's been beaten to death, brought back to life and killed again. So the entire subplot of Howard trying to perform the Herculean task of throwing a baseball 60 feet was just tired. There were a few funny sight gags, sure, but the whole thing played like a jock laughing because the skinny kid couldn't throw the ball.

I will say, however, that I enjoyed Howard's seemingly clever idea to use the Mars Rover backfired on him. For whatever reason, the sight of the machine slowly rolling toward home plate made me chuckle.

The main plot was more interesting, as Sheldon tried to prove through a scientific model that he and Amy had a better relationship than Leonard and Penny. On the surface, this seemed insane because Sheldon is...well, he's Sheldon. But the more he presented his evidence, the stronger his case became. He didn't share his sandwich with Amy not because he's selfish, but because he knows she's allergic to avocado. The funniest line of the night was easily Sheldon asking Leonard, "Are you so jealous of our relationship that you want Amy to die?"

I cringed at the thought of more manufactured drama between Leonard and Penny, especially when she walked away in a huff. The two have been in such a good place, so to create more unnecessary drama between the two would have been the wrong move. But the writers played this one properly, as it all boiled down to Penny just being scared about marriage. Leonard sweetly revealed to her that he's also scared, but that just makes him want to take her hand and go through it together. If you didn't say "aww" at that, then I don't know what to do with you.

But even in this plot, we got more unnecessary nerd bashing. I don't know if the writers realize that, but Harry Potter spawned seven books and eight movies that made a preposterous amount of money. This is not niche, nerdy stuff. It's mainstream entertainment. So playing quidditch might be a bit odd to some, but it comes from one of the biggest franchises of the last two decades. There's even a Quidditch World Cup! The jokes about the four main characters' playing the game were simply lazy and offensive.

"The First Pitch Insufficiency" had some tender moments, but it relied too much on ridiculing its own characters. Hopefully the show kicks this bad habit in the near future.