BLUE MAG

There are a lot of things that don’t work about “The Big Bang Theory.” For one thing, I don’t know any actual people who could be described as super nerds but if I did I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be like these two characters. The dialogue is obviously supposed to sound super smart, and I’m not saying it was below my intelligence level or anything, but for the most part it falls flat. The peripheral nerd dialogue falls flat too–why would these guys not have seen “Battlestar Galactica” season 2 yet?

But there is a lot about it that does work. The basic premise you know already–bimbo moves in across the hall from nerds, love and hilarity ensue. This doesn’t add much to the equation (no pun intended) except that the nerds are super nerds instead of just unlucky normal guys. Regardless of what you think of “Two and a Half Men,” Chuck Lorre puts together a taut half hour, and the pacing and punchlines in “Big Bang Theory” keep you entertained. There are a few odd elements that really work; for example the building’s elevator is out, so the nerds have to walk up 3 flights, which they do several times during the episode while talking their nerd talk. I hope they continue that bit. James Burrows directed the pilot and while it’s not as well-directed as say “News Radio” or “Cheers” or “Mary Tyler Moore” (man, the pedigree on that guy) I think Burrows makes this work.

Kaley Cuoco is bland but not terrible as the bimbo character. I’m not sure why Penny would be so nice and comfortable with a couple of weirdos like Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons), but it is obviously necessary to the light sitcom setup here. Their two nerd friends add a good counterbalance to the main pair; Howard the would-be womanizer, and Rajesh the closed-off foreign nerd who pretends Penny isn’t there.

Will Penny realize that nerds R people too? Will America fall in love with Johnny Galecki again, as they did when he played David on “Roseanne”? Only time will tell. A lot of the success of this show will depend on the nerd dialogue not getting in the way. Way more of it though depends on how much people like “Chuck.” I want to say people will prefer “Chuck” but “Two and a Half Men” must be successful for a reason.

It does have a fantastic credit sequence showing the actual “big bang” followed by an onrush of the entirety of human history. Ambitious opening to a very un-ambitious show.