Strangely, I never got a chance to watch The Big Bang Theory even once, during its first season on CBS. However, I was excited to watch the first season on DVD for several reasons: I’m a big fan of Johnny Galecki and anything with him in it has a chance for success, the premise of two twenty-something physicists who live across from a blonde waitress/wannabe actress has undeniable comic potential and Sarah Gilbert rejoining Galecki as a recurring character seemed like a good idea. They had such good chemistry as Darlene Connor and David Healy on Roseanne; I was excited to see the two actor’s team up again. So, I guess it’s safe to say that I popped The Big Bang Theory – The Complete First Season into my DVD player hoping for some pretty solid entertainment.

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Cast of The Big Bang Theory.
Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. The series, created by Chuck Lorre (Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady, had me laughing almost immediately. After watching ten minutes of the first episode, it was clear to me that Johnny Galecki is one of the most underrated actors working today and he should become a star immediately. Galecki plays Leonard Hofstadter, PhD; a physicist from Cal Tech, Leonard shares an apartment with Sheldon Cooper, PhD (Jim Parsons). Leonard’s genius is primarily focused in math and science, but he also excels in the areas of literature and history.
As nerdy, yet normal Leonard, Galecki looks great in a pair of Clark Kent glasses and effectively conveys a sense of cluelessness when it comes to everyday activities. He just doesn’t seem comfortable unless he’s in his physics lab or leading a session of Halo with his fellow geeks. I’ve always thought there must be a very difficult side to be a prodigy; Galecki covey’s that with a real sense of humor and a big dose of uneasiness.
I knew Johnny Galecki would be good because of my familiarity with his previous work. The real breakout talent here is Jim Parsons. I had seen him a couple of times on Judging Amy back in 2005 but none of those appearances prepared me for his portrayal of Sheldon Cooper. He steals almost every scene with what appears to be battery powered energy. He lacks any understanding of basic human interaction or emotion. Perhaps because he has spent most of his life immersed in academic pursuits, Sheldon has no sense of humor and gives new meaning to the phrase, “can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.”
Kaley Cuoco, best known for her role as Bridget Hennessy in 8 Simple Rules, plays a ditzy blonde from Nebraska who lives across the hall from the boys. She’s simple minded and doesn’t understand all the analytical and mathematical stuff that fascinates her neighbors so much. Leonard develops a mad crush on her, which sets up a whole seasons worth of nervous geek scenarios and will they, won’t they romantic tension that’s surprisingly real for a couple on such extreme ends of the social scale.
Besides Sarah Gilbert as Leonard’s co-worker Leslie Winkle, The Big Bang Theory has an impressive supporting cast of comedic actors. The boys’ best friends, Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) of Jewish and Indian heritage respectively, are obvious targets for traditional ethnic jokes. More importantly though, Harold’s endless reserve of self confidence and Rajnesh’s severe social anxieties make them fun additions to the group, especially when interacting with Penny and her friends. There are a couple of episodes where Rajnesh overcomes his anxieties with the help of alcohol and drugs. I know it’s not politically correct, but those episodes are a hoot!
The first season of the show is loaded with great episodes, which are fun to watch even in repeat viewings, mainly because the cast is so perfect in their roles. Some people might find Penny’s level of “blondeness” a bit hard to take but Cuoco has infused her with a kind of adorable sweetness that makes it hard to really hate her. Leonard’s continued pursuit of Penny is the focal point of many of the first season’s episodes. He attempts to impress her, while she dates a group of centerfold worthy hunks.
In my opinion, The Big Bang Theory was one of the best new shows of last year’s television season. The acting is great, the writing is solid and it seems like the show has set itself up for lots of funny new plotlines in season two.
Here’s one other thing to watch for: along with Johnny Galecki and Sarah Gilbert, Roseanne alum Laurie Metcalf joins the fun as Sheldon’s mother Mary in “Luminous Fish Effect” as a fundamentalist Southerner. Since series creator Chuck Lorre worked on Roseanne for awhile back in the early 1990’s it’s like a reunion. Here’s hoping a guest appearance from Roseanne Barr won’t be far behind.
For the most part, the anamorphic widescreen transfers on this set are excellent, with nice, bright color and a solid level of detail. There were no obvious issues with digital artifacts.
A dialogue-driven comedy doesn’t get a lot out of a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but the mix, which puts the speaking voices in the center channel, using the sides and rear to bump up the music and position the studio audience, is appropriate for the series and sounds good. There are no audio options, though subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Thai. There is no closed captioning.
The Big Bang Theory – The Complete First Season has only one real special feature:
• Quantum Mechanics of the Big Bang Theory (17:03) – Your basic behind-the scenes documentary, the clip features interviews with cast and crew.