Big Bang Theory: S1 (DVD)

My Brother In Law is somewhat a Geek wanna be, This is his favorite show, even though he watches it every week without fail, he also backs up the episodes on the DVR, and leaves them there. My sister does not watch the show - so they get into TV wars, where she must either go upstairs, or fight for the DVR - and he huffs upstairs. So, I bought this set, along with The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season - for BIL's Christmas Present. He sat it right next to the living room TV, and waited for Sis to go off for work that evening - and open the package. I enjoy the shows when I watch it with him, but between my Computer Surfing, my DVR recordings, Netflix, and my new Kindle - I don't even have time to watch On Demand, much less this show. However, this DVD set obviously clears up SOME room on the DVR for Sis's programs. Since it isn't listed on the page, the DVD Package Contents: Disk 1: includes the episodes "Pilot," "The Big Bran Hypothesis," "The Fuzzyboots Corollary," "The Luminous Fish Effect," "The Hamburger Postulate," and "The Middle Earth Paradigm." Disk 2: includes episodes "The Dumpling Paradox," "The Grasshopper Experiment," "The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization," "The Loobenfeld Decay," "The Pancake Batter Anomaly" and "The Jerusalem Duality." Disk 3: includes episodes "The Batjar Conjecture," "The Nerdvana Annihilation," "The Pork Chop Indeterminacy," "The Peanut Reaction" and "The Tangerine Factor." Bonus Feature - Quantum Mechanics of The Big Bang Theory: Series Cast and Creators on Why It's Cool to Be a Geek (featurette). Review of show itself - I find it one of the more intelligent offerings for Sitcoms - and again, its from CBS - whom offers Two and a Half Men. Outside of The Office, these are the only sit coms I will really watch. It caters to a more higher denomination for viewing pleasure, as opposed to most offerings developed to push a bad taste in the mouth. Our group of four nerds stand outside the social and accepted etiquette, along with lack of Pop Culture knowledge. The beautiful and hip crowd don't often understand the elaborate jokes and scenes set around more literate and academic topics. This show appeals to anyone whom went to College, has ever felt a bit out of the crowd, and spreads humor among all walks of society. Enjoy, whether you equate yourself as a nerd or not. 5 Stars from the BIL. PS - I do like alpha Geek Shows, used to get into Numbers when it was being aired.

Clear the decks on Monday nights on CBS at 8:00 EST. You will not regret it. Okay, I absolutely love this show. It is the funniest thing I have ever seen on television. Every episode is a little gem. The writing is bright and hilarious and the acting and casting are superb. I cannot remember any new sitcom that I have ever watched that hit the ground running like this one did or where the cast jelled so quickly as a tight ensemble. I had almost completely sworn off network television sitcoms after those halcyon days of Seinfeld had finally passed. (May you rest in peace, beloved characters Jerry, George, Elaine, Kramer, and "Newmie.") Then a friend told me about this hilarious new sitcom, THE BIG BANG THEORY, about two science geeks named Sheldon and Leonard. When I finally got around to watching the show at the third episode, I was astounded at how unbelievably funny this show actually was. The writing was smart and creative and the acting and comic timing were simply superb. Amazingly, the cast seemed to hit the ground running and immediately was a cohesive ensemble from the very first episode (which I got to see later in reruns). Even the supporting cast choices were inspired, such as Sara Gilbert for the uber utilitarian and throroughly heartless brain girl ("Leslie Winkle), Laurie Metcaf as Sheldon's no-nonsense east Texas mother ("Mrs. Mary Cooper"), and that great character actor who played "Ray-Ray" on "My Name Is Earl" as Sheldon's fictitious cousin fresh out of non-existent substance abuse rehab ("Leopold Houston"). Everybody involved in this show--from the writers, directors, actors, set and costume designers, etc.)--have created a wonderful little world where you feel you are watching the actual lives of real people you know and care about. The writers are true masters of characterization and, as is the case with pulling off a great con, the secret is in the details. I love how references to things like Howard's allergy to peanuts, Koothrapalli's phobia about talking to women, Sheldon's anal retentive obsession with labeling everything,and Leonard being lactose intolerant keep popping up in the episodes. And, the final test for me for rating the greatness of a sitcom is is how many of the tag lines (great one-liners) I incorporate into my own conversation. I find a lot of lines from the show keep popping up in my everyday speech: "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean," "You could always power down," "Good-bye, Honey Puffs. Hello, Big Bran," to list just a few. Needless to say, I am thrilled that these wonderful comic episodes are coming out on DVD. I am going to preorder them as soon as I finish this review.

Let me preface by saying that Creationists should not be confused by the title of this show. On one of the corporate controlled network channels, tucked away quietly at 8pm on Monday evenings, is a new piece of brilliance called "The Big Bang Theory." Now most of us have stopped looking to the networks for intelligent entertainment that is based on quality writing. The only reason I saw this was because I was visiting my mother on her farm in the middle of no where where neither cable nor DSL has snaked up the mountains and across the fields. I watched Sheldon and Leonard for the first time through the snowy reception of days of yore and perhaps it is my age-perhaps it is that I work in theatre and music- that I caught onto the inside joke of our central characters first names: Sheldon Leonard was one of the pioneers of television situation comedies. The Sheldon and Leonard in our show are two men in their twenties whose combined I.Q.'s are 360. They're "Star Trek" loving, Halo playing PhD research physicists at Cal Tech. They share an apartment on the third floor of a building with a perpetually broken elevator. The two hundred pound transvestite across the hall has moved out and is replaced by a beautiful, sweet young woman from Nebraska who is a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory. Her name is Penny and she is tolerant and wise and, mostly, normal. This makes us bond with her instantly. Sheldon is incapable of dealing with anything that isn't logic based and Leonard is starting to explore the world outside of his lab and his lap-top. In a rare moment of understanding, Sheldon says, "We're not through with her, are we?" to which Leonard says, "Our children will be both smart AND beautiful." The supporting characters are outstandingly developed: Howard, a Jewish, Casanova wanna-be works as an engineer at Cal-Tech where some of his work orbits Saturn's moons and help to keep the Hubble Telescope on point. He's the black sheep of their group. Is this because he still lives with his mother (a faceless voice screaming a la Constanza from the other room)? Is it because he hits on women with sickeningly nauseating form? Because he is and engineer and not a physicist? No. It's because he only has a Masters Degree and did not begin graduate school until after he was eighteen. The fourth of their group is an Indian genius named Raj who is incapable of speaking with women to the point where he often must go hungry in restaurants. The four of them have their lives scripted out together and all is in balance until the Pilot brings Penny into their lives and Leonard-expertly played by Johnny Galecki-begins to learn about love. The direction, acting and photography is all brilliant but it is the writing that makes this a television show worthy of FX, Showtime or HBO. (And, perhaps, history) The fact that it's CBS should be ignored until you've seen it. And then, as time goes by, perhaps we can begin to expect more from CBS than we've seen throughout the dark years of unscripted television (Or as Jordan McDeere called it, "Illiterate Programming", thanks Mr. Sorkin) and now, perhaps after a decade of watching nearly naked men and women eating insects, entrails and pig feces, or watching human devastation as mass entertainment (thanks, Ani) we can creep from behind our DVD towers and carefully unplug our iPods to once more risk our ever-fragile need for intelligent and classy entertainment in order to watch "The Big Bang Theory". I recommend-as I always do-the price of the DVD over waiting until 8pm on Monday evenings,as television commercials are simply a whole different essay unto themselves. This is outstanding television and everyone who has anything to do with producing it should be very proud. I thank you for being part of this Renaissance. I thank my Mom for pointing it out to me. She is braver than I.

Great show! Hilarious!

Big Bang Theory is one of my favorite sitcoms airing on TV today. And unlike many sitcoms it was funny right from the very beginning. This show follows the lives of roomates Sheldon and Leonard, their friend Raj and Wolfowitz and what happens when a super cute "regular" girl named Penny moves in next door. What I love about this show is that the characters are drawn from real life geeks. I have attended around 25 Sci Fi conventions in my life and when viewing this show for the first time my immediate reaction was "I KNOW these people!" But unlike other shows with geek stereotypes they are portrayed as funny, not pathetic. There are a lot of embedded Sci Fi "in" jokes that make the show especially funny for those in the know. I also like that Penny is not a ditz. She isn't smart in the same way the guys are but she isn't stupid either. And as the series progresses she starts fitting into their world and they into hers. The writing of this show is very well done and the performances by the actors are all top notch. While I don't generally recommend purchasing sitcoms on DVD this one is worth every penny because every time you watch an episode there is new stuff to discover. Big Bang Theory is currently in it's third season and I have yet to see a sub par episode. Give this show a try.... you'll like it!

I first saw a couple of episodes on YouTube, and I got hooked. This sitcom is about four male scientists - two of which (Leonard and Sheldon) room together in an apartment. These four guys spend a lot of time together playing online games, going to conventions and science symposiums, etc. They are socially awkward, especially around women. The fifth character is a beautiful young woman named Penny, who happens to be the new neighbor across the hall. All four guys are geniuses in their own right, while Penny is sometimes portrayed as a ditz. Each character has his or her flaws, of course. Penny is not too smart, but she does have her moments, and she is sensitive. Leonard is instantly infatuated by Penny and persists in trying to date her - he's actually the most "normal" of the male group. Sheldon is an obsessive, compulsive, over-analytical germ-o-fob who mocks and belittles anyone who doesn't measure up to his I.Q. Howard loves to woo women, but overdoes it, making him hilarious. And finally, there's Raj - the scientist from India who absolutely cannot talk to women. Add to the mix an unflattering wardrobe for the guys, and just about everything that a nerd or a geek might own, and you have a recipe for huge laughs. I can identify a bit with these guys because, like these characters, I collect sci-fi stuff as well. And I'm a woman. So, it makes the show even funnier to watch. One suggestion, though. Don't watch the show late at night. If you do, use a pillow so that you may laugh hysterically without waking anyone.

I have had an on again/off again relationship with The Big Bang Theory since it premiered. I watched it for a little while but got turned off by the content. The previews kept cracking me up, however, I was debating about watching it again. When I got a great deal on the first and second seasons on DVD, I decided to give up the fight, and I watched the first season in a matter of days. For those who have yet to inhabit this universe, the show focuses on four geeks and a "normal." Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) are roommates and physicists working at Cal Tech. But these are just high tech guys, they also enjoy other geekly endeavors like comic books and video games. They usually hang out with co-workers Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar). As the series opens, into this world walks Penny (Kaley Cuoco). She's literally the beautiful girl next door since she moves into the apartment across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon. She's an aspiring actress, which naturally means she's making a living as a waitress. Most of the guys immediately develop crushes on her, but it's Leonard who is the most serious about her. And despite how little they have in common, the five of them begin to form a friendship. But first, Penny has to deal with Sheldon and Leonard cleaning up her place for her while she slept. Sheldon gets fired for telling his new boss exactly what he thinks of him. Leonard and Sheldon stop speaking to each other after Leonard decides to present a paper they both authored. Sheldon tries to tell a sufficiently complex lie to Penny. And Penny must take care of a sick Sheldon. If there is any standout character that makes this show hilarious, it's Sheldon. This guy may be brilliant when it comes to his job, but he is a complete idiot when it comes to interacting with anyone. His reaction to things, or lack of reaction, makes for some of the best jokes in the show. Watching this season also made me aware that I might have to admit to the geek label I've been avoiding for a while. I have been part of some of the conversations the guys have, although usually as an outsider. (At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.) This show could easily devolve with stereotypical characters, and I'll admit that most of these characters seem to have one or two dominate traits with hints at more, even after a complete season. However, I do feel that most of the characters are real, or at least real enough that we can't help but root for them. Even Sheldon, as much as I would be ready to slap him in real life, is likable. The exception to that is Howard. His is described on multiple occasions as creepy. While all the characters are obsessed with sex, Howard takes it to an uncomfortable low. If there are any moments that make me squirm in disgust, you can bet that he's involved. And that pretty much seems to be his only trait. It's disappointing to say the least. Frankly, the constant sex jokes are the main reason I stopped watching at one point and still the only turn off to the show for me. They don't need them to be funny; most of the funniest scenes have come from the characters and not the sex jokes. But that's what they revert to time and time again. Additionally, the couple of times that religion has come into things, it's been treated negatively. Not too big a fan of that, but at least so far it's been minor enough that I can still enjoy the show. The acting on the show is universally great. The main actors are great as breathing life into their characters and really rounding them out. Yes, even Simon Helberg is good as Howard. Special praise must go to Kunal Nayyar whose Raj is too terrified to talk to women. His facial expressions alone are priceless. But the undisputable star of the show is Jim Parsons. He makes anti-social Sheldon completely believable and funny without resorting to too many stereotypes. He was born for this role pure and simple. Due to the writer's strike of the fall of 2007, there were only 17 episode in the first season. All of them are here on three discs in widescreen and stereo sound. Not surprising from a recent TV show, they look and sound great. There is one 17 minute behind the scenes type featurette that talks about the creation of the show and the characters. It's nothing too groundbreaking but interesting. While I don't find all the sex jokes funny, when things come together perfectly, The Big Bang Theory is brilliantly funny. I used to watch lots of sitcoms, but got away from them. I'm quite happy to get back into them for season one of this show.

I'm an American who lives in Japan and have been a faithful Amazon customer for over a decade now, spending thousands of dollars for American DVDs. Amazon has always been a wonderful place to shop--they have always offered me 3 options for shipping--instead of the cheapest and slowest, or the most costly and quickest, I usually opt for the middle choice. DVDs arrive in less than 2 weeks, and it doesn't cost the world. Recently, Amazon actually sent me an e-mail to announce that DVDs of Seasons 1-3 of Big Bang Theory could be bought in a package deal for a reasonable price. When I went to order, however, it was a different story. I was told that I could order seasons 1 and 2 separately, but that I could NOT order the Seasons 1, 2, and 3 as a group, because of where I live! So I gave up, and just got Seasons 1 and 2. The other day, I ordered Seasons 3 and 4 and 5 all separately. This time, there were no shipping options available. The DVDs would be shipped at the snail-slow cheapest speed, like it or not. So now, I get to wait over a month. Yippee. Gee thanks, Amazon. Shopping at Amazon used to be fun. Now, I hesitate to buy stuff, because "what new goofy regulations will I have to cope with next?" Amazon's considerate service used to be stellar, and their recent ways of doing things really pale in comparison. Maybe it was too good to last. As for Big Bang Theory itself, I accidentally came across it on Japanese TV and loved it. This is the first American comedy show I've seen since I Love Lucy that is a completely fresh and new approach to situation comedy. I'm so glad it's available on DVD, even if I will have to wait quite a while for my copy.

Solo me llego uno de los 3 discos y la caja estaba en mal estado :(

I love that they were willing to rerelease TBBT, so that ardent fans (me!) could get the high quality of Blu Ray. Even better, they threw in the SD DVDs for free. How often do you see that with a television show release? Even better, it seems the trend will continue, as season 5 is planned the exact same way. Rather than ripping off fans who may not have updated to Blu Ray yet, while allowing Blu Ray fans to have the SD option, I find the entire process to be extremely generous. For the reviewer below, there are 17 episodes in the first season, not six. And the first season was cut short due to the writer's strike that occurred that year. The fact that a new show, and a comedy at that, was able to survive the writer's strike only speaks volumes as to how brilliant TBBT is! Lastly, the season holds some of my favourite episodes, including The Luminous Fish Effect, The Pancake Batter Anomaly, and the pilot, which got the entire series in motion. If you have never watched TBBT (and how is this possible, when it is in reruns on nearly every channel?!), give it a try. It is a really sweet show, very funny and completely enjoyable. You want to be friends with Sheldon, Raj, Leonard, Penny and, yes, even Howard! I am glad to have the set, so that I can watch it at my leisure, over and over again. If you are the type of person who prefers to watch their tv for free on You Tube, so be it. This is for the true fans who must have it in their collection!

Mi sono appassionata solo di recente a questa sit-com favolosa, sono partita dalla serie 7 per tornare all'inizio. La serie 1 di BBT comincia "un po' in sordina", ma già dalla metà i personaggi assumono le loro caratteristiche peculiari. Per questo non aspettatevi ancora di vedere Sheldon bussare tre volte alla porta (questo tic inizierà in serie 2) e sappiate che troverete una Penny ancora più superficiale, soprattutto nei primissimi episodi della stagione. Leonard è molto più timido che nelle stagioni successive, direi un po' più "nerd" (forse anche più simpatico?). Howard e Raj si vedono meno (sono più dei secondari in serie 1 rispetto alle altre), ma quando appaiono la loro presenza si sente, eccome! TBBT ha avuto fin dagli albori le carte in regola per diventare la sit-com più esilarante dai tempi di Friends, per certi versi anche di più. Chi, come me, adora i riferimenti a tutto ciò che riguarda Star Wars, Star Trek, il mondo dei videogiochi e quello dei fumetti, non può non apprezzare ogni singola battuta di questo telefilm. Astenersi se non si è abbastanza "nerd" da adorare il costume da 'effetto doppler' di Sheldon o il modo in cui Penny cerca di fare esplodere la testa di Howard imitando uno "scanner". CARATTERISTICHE TECNICHE Mi associo a chi si lamenta del cofanetto. Non solo non ci sono contenuti speciali (almeno i bloopers potevano recuperarli!), ma soprattutto non ci sono nemmeno i sottotitoli in lingua inglese. Io capisco bene l'audio, ma per una persona meno avvezza all'ascolto in lingua, leggere i sottotitoli nella nostra lingua (che a volte è per forza di cose diversa dalle battute originali) può essere molto fuorviante. Concordo con chi si lamenta della gestione del mercato dei cofanetti delle serie tv in Italia. SIAMO ANNI LUCE INDIETRO rispetto a tutti gli altri paesi europei, anche alla Spagna. Non solo i cofanetti arrivano tardissimo, ma spesso smettiamo di produrli prima della fine delle serie (avremo mai le serie successive alla 1 di telefilm come Cougar Town o Burn Notice)? Per non parlare del fatto che all'estero girano già i bluray e in Italia non sappiamo neanche cosa siano. DOBBIAMO SVECCHIARCI, ragazzi. E magari creare i cofanetti anche di serie degli anni '90 che qui in Italia ancora ci sognamo, purtroppo... Episodi più esilaranti: L'effetto del pesce fluorescente - L'anomalia della pastella per le frittelle - La decadenza di Loobenfeld - La congettura della bat-biscottiera (in cui fra le altre cose viene menzionata l'attrice Mayim Bialik, all'epoca non ancora nel cast!) - La macchina del tempo

ジョークがマニアックで最高です。 英語の勉強にもいいと思います

The Big Bang Theory is not so much an ode to geeks and great minds as much as a celebration of them. I've gotten really attached to the characters over the years, and when a television show becomes something that means this much to you it's not just a television show. From the get-go The Big Bang Theory was a great, well-thought out show with a fantastic cast of actors, clever references to science, comics/superheroes, pop culture etc. This was something else, different and creative while being at the same time laugh out loud hilarious (I hate when people use those words and it's not even true, with TBBT it's actually true) and at times I find myself laughing hard even though I only have a glimpse of an idea of what they meant (hey I don't have a PhD in physics after all!). The thing is the show is so clever and funny at the same time and I think there's so appeal to it for everyone who enjoys a laugh or two. The concept of two gifted minds living together in an apartment both working at a University in physics and being brilliant, sometimes humorous, sometimes childish along with their friends and neighbors was a fresh one and the finished product turned out, well obviously great. You may think I'm exaggerating when I say that each and every single episode is memorable somehow, but it's the truth. The main cast of characters is what truly make the show because they are instantly memorable in their own ways and we grow fond of and attach to them. Leonard Hofstadter(Johnny Galecki) is the most normal of the gang, he's smart but he's the most genuine and likable of all. His friend and roommate Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons)takes the cake; he is in the simplest terms, impossible although he would deny that suggestion. Sheldon has the highest IQ on the show, went to College when he was eleven, doesn't quite understand sarcasm and has childish tendencies such as always sitting in the same spot and likes to keep everything organized as far as having a different restaurant for each night of the week. Then there are their two friends, the self-proclaimed romantic engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) who sports a Beatles haircut and has a penchant for wearing colored skinny jeans and geeky belt buckles, and Indian astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali (Kumal Naayar)who literally cannot talk to girls and has a problem digesting Indian food. Not to forget the neighbor girl, Penny (Kaley Cuoco) a girl from Omaha who is working at the cheesecake factory and although very beautiful is not very bright which always leads to interesting interactions and scenarios. I have to give credit where credit is due; Chuck Lorre came up with a hell of show (watch for the closing cards!), the actors are simply amazing in their respective roles and the writers must be out of this world to come up with the stuff that they do (even the episode titles are clever). The references to science, physics, superheroes and comic books, television shows, movies and pop culture are truly amazing and well integrated. Looking back the first season which aired in 2007-08 it's striking how well developed the characters and the show already were. For many TV shows it takes a while and sometimes a season to get ball rolling but not in this case and the more you watch it, the more you get the jokes and they stay with you because they are memorable. There's a reason this show is so beloved and popular. I used to buy many TV series on DVD even just a few short years ago but I stopped/slowed down with time. However, I knew that like a true geek, I needed to own those seasons so I could watch them over and over again. I've been wanting to review TBBT for a while now, but I found it hard to find the words to do it justice. Since I bought the first season on DVD they have re-released it on Blu-Ray along with season two, if I had to do it again I'd likely go for the Blu-Rays. So there you have it, 17 episodes of the first season on DVD or Blu-Ray for your enjoyment. Now I love the show and it's a too easy 5 stars for the show, this first season was quite remarkable and even sparked my interest to look up some the physics jokes they make.