The Big Bang Theory.

The Big Bang Theory is a comedy about 4 science nerds and a hot chick. That's about as deep as the plot gets. It's a pedestrian, predictable and formulaic sitcom, that makes James Corden seem like a comedy genius.

The Characters-

The characters on this show are so stereotypical they make nazi propagandists blush. I'll go through each character and their supposed relevance to the ever elusive 'plot'.

Leonard- Supposedly the only normal character on the show, he has a PH.D and a massive IQ. He shares an apartment with Sheldon, opposite Penny's apartment, whom he shares sexual tension with, apparently this is meant to create drama. He's socially awkward (big surprise).

Sheldon- He's a former child prodigy who has a masters, two PH.Ds and a massive I.Q. He lacks the basic social skills of a pineapple, and this is supposed to make us laugh.

Penny- Penny is a ditzy, blonde, attractive neighbour. She works as a waitress to fund her dead acting career. She doesn't understand all of the physics shit that the guys spout, and this often leads to Sheldon lecturing her for thirty-second-long rants blatently copied and pasted off of Wikipedia that are so forced they're less consensual than Josef Fritzl's sex acts.

Howard- He's an aerospace engineer that's Jewish and lives at home with his mother (compelling original stuff, this is). He fancies himself as a bit of a ladies man and shows no tact when approaching the ladies. Guess what, he always tries it on with Penny, who is suitably unimpressed (I bet you never saw that coming, did you?).

Rajesh- Rajesh is an Indian student who lacks social skills (surprise, surprise) and can't talk to women.

Yeah, But There's Some Funny Jokes, Right?

Don't get your hopes up. The cliché characters utter some tepid, predictable 'jokes' that rely on social ineptitude (given the extreme depth of the characters, who would've thought that?), and geek in jokes that are screamed at by an audience that is either drugged, or paid a hell of a lot of money to turn up.

I'll admit that I laughed the first few times this show aired, there wasn't really anything similar to it on TV. But the hilarity of the clichés soon wore off and I grew tired of it, you can pretty much predict when Sheldon will go off on one about his seat on the coach, the labelling system on every item in the house, or on one of his rants about the meaning of a scientific phrase. I want to shoot the writers in the face with guns.

In Conclusion.

This show is about the most formulaic, predictable shit on TV today. There is absolutely no meaningful interaction between characters, the only interaction between the characters is geek in jokes, more geek in jokes. and a big scoop of social ineptitude topped off with a dressing of stereotypical nonsense. The writing is shit, the acting is shit, and I think I'd have more fun sucking on the barrel of a loaded gun and sobbing during the half-an-hour of airspace this shite takes up. And yes, ripping on a TV show does give me a massive erection and make me feel good about myself, so what? Only watch this show if you're contemplating suicide and want something that will push you over the edge.

Is White Collar the Best New Show on TV?

For those of you who don't know, White Collar is a buddy-cop drama series following the lives of FBI White Collar Crimes Agent Peter Burke and his unlikely accomplice Neil Caffrey, a former fraudster who was released from prison to help Burke catch a suspect. Tim DeKay stars Burke, whilst Matthew Bomer stars as Caffrey. The two leads have very good chemistry and play off of each other incredibly, with razor-sharp wit and a little bit of guy love.


What White Collar Isn't.

White Collar isn't a gritty, dark cop show. Whilst it has it's dark elements, for example, Caffrey's girlfriend being kidnapped, the show doesn't rely on heavy drugs use and violence. Instead the show thrives off of Caffrey's masterful intelligence, the same goes for Burke. The banter between the two of them is sharp and witty and the show definitely thrives upon this chemistry between the leads. This makes for great family viewing.

White Collar also isn't a deep, meaningful look into the lives of FBI agents. But this show doesn't claim to be some exposé on corruption in the FBI, so trying to look for this meaning and criticising it is pointless. It is just good, solid entertainment, and in a world where everybody and there mother believes they can write some sort of social dialogue, White Collar is very refreshing. And just because it doesn't have some great, all-encompassing meaning doesn't mean that this show is shallow. The characters are well developed, and they intrigue us. The bond between Burke and his understanding wife Elizabeth, played by Tiffani Thiessen who is best known for her role as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210, seems very real, which is what we expect from two veteran actors.

Why You Will Enjoy The Show.

Matthew Bomer has definitely come into his own since his days as Bryce Larkin on Chuck, the role of Caffrey suits him down to a T, as his wit, charm and his good looks sum up what Caffrey is about, an intelligent, witty womanizer. He also provides eye-candy for the female viewers, and if he isn't a big-name actor in the next few years I'll eat my hat.

Tim DeKay perfectly juxtaposes Bomer's character. He epitomises the live-for-work agent, who regularly comes home late enough to find his wife in bed. DeKay really pulls this character off well and nails the tone of the show, which isn't either an extreme dark or completely silly, but is smart, funny and above all light.

Another reason to enjoy the show is that there is no gratituous violence, no random killing to fill up airtime. The closest you'll get to full-on violence is gunpointing, which is great if you have children that are about 12/13 as you can let them enjoy some great TV in a world where most of the best TV shows and films are full of violence, drugs, and sex. Not that those are bad, but it is definitely refreshing, White Collar is the sorbet at the end of a heavy meal.

To Conclude.

White Collar is perfect if you want something light, and engaging to watch. The characters show great chemistry, the plots whilst not entirely memorable make you want to watch the episode from start to finish, and there is no reason to worry about whether this will be suitable to watch in front of your kids. However, if you want some heavy, serious drama watch The Wire, as White Collar will not suit your needs. Overall, I rate this show 7/10, not quite the best new show on television, but definitely a contender.

Trailer.