Reception Theory - The Big Bang Theory

 

 

What is the chosen media text? – The media text that I have chosen is the American TV show ‘The Big Bang Theory’. This is a comedy sitcom that shows 4 friends that all work in the same university building as they build relationships with other female characters in the show. The 4 friends love all things sci-fi and science related as they are self-confessed ‘nerds’.

Task 1: What is the audience classification? – This entertaining sitcom would be appropriate for people of an adolescent with there being an element of adult humour in the majority of episodes. As there is also a lot of captivating and emotional relationships in this sitcom, it makes the show entertaining for all. I believe that teenagers would enjoy this show because the characters often talk about current interests and different things that general ‘nerdy’ teenagers will be able to relate to. Also, this sitcom is shown on the channel ‘E4’ at different times throughout the day and at least six episodes are shown every day. Therefore, there will be a wide variety of people watching it, including the people that stay at home from work or school throughout the week. However it is also shown in the evening when many people have come home from school and work, so this could indicate that people who are in school and work throughout the day will come home and watch this show. The show also highlights the importance of a good education and how these people have become very successful within the science industry. As a result of this, I believe that the show is aimed towards people within education; this generally includes school, college and university students. Classifying the audience of this show includes the social status of the people that watch it. As I believe that people who are in education generally consume this media, the income social statuses of these people must be between D and E – working class and people of the lowest level of income. However because these people are in education and towards the bottom of the list for social status, this does not mean that they are low in society. They will generally come from good backgrounds with educated working class or higher families. I would also say that because of the worldwide popularity of this TV show, the lifestyle category group that this applies to is the ‘groupies’. This is because they like to feel accepted and part of a group to know what the group is talking about. This links with one of the seven types of people in the world, the ‘mainstream’ as this group of people have the core need in life for security. They will get this security from knowing what their peer group is talking about; therefore they will consume these media texts and be able to have the security of the acceptance of their group.

Task 2: What is the preferred reading? – This sitcom is very universal as it includes very different characters and personalities. Although the show is based around the idea of science and nerds, everyone is different and has their own problems and lives to deal with. The encoded message for the show would be to not let anyone tell you that you cannot do something because you are a certain person. All of the characters have had set-backs and have been knocked down on several occasions, but that does not stop them from giving up on their dreams. The producers want the audience to see that everyone is successful in their own way; all of the characters have happy and successful times. It also shows that have a nerdy side is not weird or uncool. These people enjoy their lives because they all have similar interests. They may have struggled with bullying and people being intolerant of who they are, but they did not allow that to hold them back. The text celebrates uniqueness and how everyone is given the chance to be themselves. All of the characters have hopes and dreams; Penny wishes to be an actress one day despite her numerous set-backs and Howard eventually achieves his dream of becoming an astronaut. The show has many underlying messages behind it. One of them being that you should never be afraid to express who you are. Everyone is different and has their own lives and hopes and dreams, but we are all humans and deserve respect. Another message being that you can have a serious and intellectual life but also have fun and enjoy yourself with your friends. Another message being that your friends are your second family as these friends all live close by and spend a lot of time together as a group. Most of them live away from their families so the support of their friends is very important to them. Finally, this show expresses that life will have its ups and downs, but those times are what make you unique and define you as a person. No one will live their life without regrets and worries, but if you really want something, you should not let live hold you back.
 

Task 3: What is the oppositional reading? – However, not every member of the audience will view the sitcom in this way. The oppositional reading of an audience member could be that they do not like the way in which the science enthusiasts are portrayed. They may see this as stereotypical of a group of scientists and they may also dislike the way that some characters in the show are not accepting of the main characters interests. An oppositional member of the audience may become offended by the characters because they could be in a similar position with similar interests. This also think that the show is sexist as in the first seasons, there was only one female main character – Penny, who was there as a love interest for one of the four main male characters, Leonard. As the seasons have passed, more female characters have been added to the show, and they were also brought into the show as love interests for the male characters. This could portray the male characters as the dominant characters in the show, and for that reason many people may not like the show. Although there are more female characters now, there is still a gender imbalance with four male characters and only three female characters. The people with these feelings will understand the positive messages that the show is trying to give; messages are listed in the preferred reading section above. However, they may wish to reject them due to their cultural experiences such as their gender, age ethnic background, religion and geographical location. Someone who is a female may dislike the show because of the gender imbalance. Someone who is older may not like the way science is sometimes not taken seriously. Someone from a background that is not America may not like the way that there is only one character who is of a different ethnicity (Raj is from India). Someone from a certain religion may criticise how there are only three different religions shown. Finally, someone from a certain geographical location may not like the fact that the show is based in California.

 

Task 4: Why would someone have a negotiated reading? – A negotiated reading is when an audience member understanding the purpose and the message behind the text and agrees with some of it but not all of it. A situation for this might be that a person enjoys the show and likes the way in which the characters are represented and portrayed in a comedic way. However, they could reject the sexist element of the show and believe it to be a bad representation of females as they are used in the show for the male characters love interests. They would accept some of the preferred reading that the producer is trying to get across, but not all of it.
 

Extension Task: List the Uses and Gratifications the audience would have? – The gratification of a media text is what the audience member will get out of consuming the text. For the TV show ‘The Big Bang Theory’, I would say that the audience would like to see the successful lives of these scientists and enjoy the way they may be able to relate this to their own lives. They could see the show as a form of ‘escapism’ to their normal everyday lives and they can escape into the fictional show and imagine the story lines and follow them. This can also relate to their own personal identities, which is the way they can link the stories of the characters in the show to their own real life experiences. As the show’s characters have real life struggles and set backs, this can easily be applied to an audience member’s life experiences. An example of this would be the relationship between Howard and Bernadette. They have a healthy relationship that starts with some uncertainty, however as they grow closer and fall in love, they do eventually get married and are currently sharing a happily married life. This is a common and almost stereotypical interpretation of a modern relationship because of the stages that they go through, the time scale of their relationship to their engagement and the way that the audience see them as a great match for each other. Therefore, this healthy relationship idea is easy for some members of an audience to relate to. Another gratification of the show would be the social interaction of it because as previously stated; the groupies will want to have group discussions about the show and talk about it with their peer groups.
 

Summary: What is my personal view? – My personal view of the TV show ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is close to that of the preferred reading that the producers what the audience to see. I believe that the show idolises the scientists as higher people with well-paid jobs, however I see that they do have a fun and nerdy side; which is portrayed in a way that makes the characters relatable and likeable. I do also see the oppositional way of viewing this text because of the gender imbalance and the lack of ethnical variety amongst the cast. I understand that some people may not like the show because of these reasons. However, I can put aside these negative points as I always enjoy watching the show. I find it very entertaining and always a very easy show to catch because of how often it is shown on TV. Overall, I think that the TV show appeals well to the target audience and also educates the audience about the way that the science is stereotypically viewed by society and the way that most of the scientists exactly act.