Do you like "The Big Bang Theory"? - Part 2: the television show. [The World's Fair]

Part 1 of "Do You Like the Big Bang Theory?", addressed whether one emotionally "likes" the scientific theories one works on - and how or if that should impact one's work. Here I'd like to talk about the television show.

"The Big Bang Theory" has been highly touted and praised as being the best science-in-fiction on regular television, but it has also been criticized for being its rather demeaning portrayal of science grad students. I think the show is extremely funny - and I mostly enjoy watching it for that reason. Other than "2.5 Men", it's probably the funniest show on regular tv (and comes from the same producer, who apparently has a somewhat misogynist reputation).

However, I personally have to agree with those who criticize its much touted "science content". Sure the equations on the white board are (mostly) correct, and sure there are scattered references to real science - but the much ballyhooed science content seems to be quite problematic to me: it's rare to finish watching a show and actually be able to describe any real science. Much of it is what we called "techno-babble" in the "Science in the Theater and on Film" course that I teach. "Techno-babble" = where the words the character says, and the facts given, are technically correct (often because they were vetted by a scientific consultant), but where no real scientific information is actually conveyed to the audience.