BIG BANG THEORY renewed for another three years

Maybe the show needs a "Rachel" moment, meaning the episode of Friends where Ross uses the wrong name for his bride at their wedding. There's just no long back story to justify it, though.

Quote: Nareed

Maybe the show needs ...

Sitcom writers have a trade term called the "M.O.S."--or "moment of shit." It's shorthand for the formulaic necessity of concluding every show with the sappy, group-hug, ham-fisted moral of the story that's supposed to balance all the misanthropy and cheap one-liners that came before it.

Night Court (1984–1992) was one example of a TV show that was famous for it's MOS at the end. Seinfeld was famous for never letting it's characters lose their self absorbed personas and descending into the MOS.

While TBBT characters were never as narcissistic as the Seinfeld characters their inherent social detachment was where most of the humor came from. Now the writers of TBBT are relying on the MOS more and more.

The X-Files had positive ratings when it was revived after over 13 years. Maybe sitcoms intrinsically get stale, like a joke you've heard too many times. A 2013 list of "Top 20 Canceled TV Shows That Should Be Revived" didn't contain one 30 minute sitcom.

1. Firefly
2. Dead Like Me
3. Freaks and Geeks
4. Pushing Daisies
5. Everwood
6. Kyle XY
7. Las Vegas
8. Moonlight
9. Jericho
10. Roswell
11. Twin Peaks
12. Deadwood
13. My So Called Life
14. Ugly Betty
15. Happy Endings
16. Enlightened
17. Dollhouse
18. Heroes
19. Party Down
20. Smash

Of the 20, Deadwood and Las Vegas are the
only ones I saw. Deadwood without the
orig cast would be a flop. Las Vegas likewise.
Those were both cast driven shows, not
story driven. Also, Deadwood was set in
a postage stamp of time, 2 years in the 1870's
when a particular way of lawless life soon
ended.

Everybody Loves Raymond and Modern Family
are famous for their MOS endings. Every little
problem is resolved by the end of the show.
Other shows, like Married with Children, not
so much. The Bundy's were so flawed, the
ending often involved them losing and
looking like even bigger buffoons than usual.

Quote: Pacomartin

Maybe sitcoms intrinsically get stale, like a joke you've heard too many times.

There are recurring jokes. Use them too much and people get tired of them. In TBBT they've been careful not to overuse, for example, "My mother had me tested." Seinfeld did overuse "You know my friend, Bob Sacamano?" But that paid off when Jerry brought him up once, and in an episode set in the Florida retirement community where Kramer does a deal with "Bob Sacamano's father."

Quote:

A 2013 list of "Top 20 Canceled TV Shows That Should Be Revived" didn't contain one 30 minute sitcom.

Wait till reboots reach TV.

Quote: Nareed

There are recurring jokes. Use them too much and people get tired of them.

I think there are only like half
a dozen themes to use in a
sitcom, that's what I read. There
are subthemes within those, but
you run out of originality after
awhile.

Sibling rivalry is a big one. Frazier
and Everybody Loves Raymond and
2 1/2 Men all had long series using
sibling rivalry, and it's a sub plot in
many other shows.

In honor of TBBT 200th episode.

If TBBT ends with 231 episodes after year 10, it surprisingly won't make the top 10 sitcoms by number of episodes.
How many of them can you name?

I'm surprised M*A*S*H* is not on the list.

Quote: Nareed

I'm surprised M*A*S*H* is not on the list.

I agree, I think it ran 11 years. Still one of my favorite shows. I am surprised I don't see it on in syndication anymore.

Quote: Nareed

I'm surprised M*A*S*H* is not on the list.

It was a mistake. I thought MASH was a one hour show.

Quote: DRich

I agree, I think it ran 11 years. Still one of my favorite shows. I am surprised I don't see it on in syndication anymore.

Because people seem to have moved on from the Vietnam war as depicted in the show.

Oh, wait.