Big Bang Theory: S1 (DVD)

Great show! Hilarious!

I avoided the Big Bang Theory until this year. I'm not sure why. I hadn't heard a lot of talk of it among my friends and family, nor did the seemingly endless promotions seem to ping at my radar. Yet suddenly, there it was, leading into my other "late to the party" favorite, How I Met Your Mother. I wish I could say I'm not a strong t.v watcher, yet as I think back to the number of sitcoms and ensemble dramas I've viewed through the years, it appears I've dedicated more of my time to the box with moving pictures than was perhaps necessary. All to say, even with regular press, a successfully completed five seasons, and a fantastic cast of mostly well seasoned actors, I remained painfully oblivious to this thoroughly amusing gem...The General Premise of The Big Bang Theory: Two bonafide geniuses with varying degrees of, but undeniable, social awkwardness, live across the hall from a young, beautiful any-woman, who is kind enough to gently show them a world outside of their scientific bubble and geek-topolis, yet also powerful enough to guard them from any less tolerant "cool kids".The dialogue is ripe with geek culture references and scientific humor. Both fully immersed self-identifying brainiacs, nerds, and geeks, as well as "haven't touched a book since high school and hated it even then" types, can relax and enjoy the awkward hiccups that our four scientists experience as they try to marry their love for things "out of this world" with the realities back "here on earth". The series regularly partners our bumbling scientists with the girl across the hall for typical neighborly conundrums (free loading wifi and ordering thai food) and less typical neighborly activities (driving to San Diego to demand back from a bully "unimportant things only useful in an imaginary world").Kaley Cuoco (from Charmed and 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter) gives a genuine performance as Penny, the patient yet worldly girl-next-door, who takes the guys under her wing (and at times, into her bed). Johnny Galecki (Darleen's boyfriend in Roseanne) is utterly charming and convincing as the lovable Dr. Leonard Hofstadter, who you quickly want to "get the girl". And Jim Parsons (Emmy Winner for this role) plays Dr. Sheldon Cooper, a former child prodigy and current theoretical physicist at CalTech whose strict adherence to his own routine provides fodder for endless conflict and comedy between his friends, family, and general public. The chemistry and polarity between these three main characters provides the springboard for most of the shows storylines and comedy.The DVD of the Big Bang Theory: The Complete First Season doesn't contain the Behind the Scenes extras we have come to love and expect, nor does it include any commentaries, or interviews with the cast. The only extra is a brief reflection from the two show creators: Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. Hopefully this is amended in subsequent releases. However, watching on DVD does afford the viewer an opportunity not easily accessible without DVR during standard TV viewing: "Freeze Framing the Chuck Lorre's Vanity Card". As in each of his previous shows, Mr. Lorre uses this final three second promo to entertain us with a witty essay on weekly observations. Have your remote standing by...and recommend to your friends and family "The Big Bang Theory".

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.

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.

Love the show and the disc is in perfect condition

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.

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.

"There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't"If you don't understand this joke, you'll find BBT funny - if you do....you'll laugh your socks off !Yes, each show isn't as long as it could be - but there are more 'laugh out loud' gags here than any other comedy around.Any program that makes the missus create her own little dance for when the start/end music comes on must be a good thing - and this did with abundant glee. This is so well written, with consultation from real geeks to get the right inferences, that you get sucked in - all the main characters are wonderfully played - and like many of the best comedies - you can see so many people you know in there that it just adds more dimensions to the show.Roll on the next series.......exponential delights !!!

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!

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

Il primo capitolo di una sere TV fantastica