History TheBigBangTheory / TropesFToJ

* HostileShowTakeover: At one point in "The Valentino Submergence", Sheldon's special live Valentine's Day episode of ''Fun with Flags'' with viewer calls gets hijacked by Raj and Barry wanting to discuss their love lives with Amy instead. Frustrated by [[SpotlightStealingSquad Amy essentially stealing the show]], Sheldon calls this out and starts erasing words from the logo on the whiteboard -- including his name (because he wasn't doing much), "Fun" (because it wasn't very fun anymore), and "Flags" (because flags were rarely being brought up), leaving "Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler present: ''[[{{Beat}} (beat)]]'' With".

* {{Nerd}}: Played straight in the pilot where Leonard pines after Penny, and he and Sheldon get bullied and humiliated via ComedicUnderwearExposure trying to get her TV back from her stereotypically JerkJock ex-boyfriend. Later, we learn that scientists, academics, comic book geeks, and Creator/WilWheaton are perfectly capable of picking on each other without outside help.
** It's also worth noting that both the male and female members of the main cast who are supposed to be nerds (Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, Raj, Amy, and Bernadette) are all attractive people. It really falls to the hair, makeup, and wardrobe departments to make the characters look unappealing, while the writers have tried to make it clear that their bad luck with the opposite sex is based on personality traits rather than their appearances. [[http://www.backstage.com/interview/the-big-bang-theory-cast-on-being-part-of-an-ensemble/ This photograph]] proves that when you replace the bowl haircuts, frumpy dresses, and formless sweatshirts with more stylish choices, you're dealing with a ''very'' good-looking group.
*** The crew didn't even really bother with Bernadette, who's played by Melissa Rauch. The best they could do in that case was glasses.

* HollywoodNerd: Type 1 is first played straight in the pilot where Leonard pines after Penny, and he and Sheldon get bullied and humiliated via ComedicUnderwearExposure trying to get her TV back from her stereotypically JerkJock ex-boyfriend. Later, we learn that scientists, academics, comic book geeks, and Creator/WilWheaton are perfectly capable of picking on each other without outside help.

** Lots -- A disproportionate amount is between Rajesh and Howard. In Leonard's case, it often borders on FoeYay, as when he describes one of Penny's [[RomanticFalseLead boyfriends]] as "dreamy."

** Sheldon started off as slightly more neurotic and less interested in socializing than Leonard, but quickly grew to where his NeatFreak and ScheduleFanatic traits were more dominant. In addition his disinterest in socializing was eventually explained, in part, by his {{Asexual}}ity.

* FriendsWithBenefits: {{Discussed|Trope}}, with [[{{Asexual}} Sheldon]] not really understanding the concept. "What exactly does that expression mean, 'Friends with Benefits?' Does he provide her with health insurance?"

** In a straighter example, during the seasons before Bernadette and Amy become main characters: [[StraightMan Leonard]] is TheLeader, [[AntiHero Howard]] is TheLancer, [[InsufferableGenius Sheldon]] is TheSmartGuy, [[GirlyBruiser Penny]] is TheBigGirl and [[CampStraight Raj]] is TheChick. Though Howard and Sheldon can trading places as Howard is TheEngineer and Sheldon haves a {{Foil}} dynamic with Leonard.

** Howard is like this to a different level. Him and Sheldon rather explicitly don't get along, and even Leonard is sometimes put off by his sex-mania. Penny is rather hostile towards him, softening up a little by the third season but doesn't seem to really like or respect him until the sixth.

** Sheldon once quoted the Rubiyat to Penny after she made him miss an autograph signing with Creator, explaining that it was too late to make reparations. Penny, confused, thought he was giving her the finger

* HumansAreBastards: So much so, it overlaps with DarknessInducedAudienceApathy. A lot of strangers the friends come across are just ''horrible people'' in general, from Sheldon being repeatedly insulted by a clerk for asking a legit question if they have books on how to make friends, to the gang being taken advantage of and robbed on several occasions.

** In the finale, Sheldon reacting to the news of [[spoiler:Penny's pregnancy]] by pointing out that she'd previously [[spoiler:indicated she didn't want children]] is treated as the worst thing he's ever said on the whole run of the show. But while the blunt and public way he brings it up is clearly insensitive, [[spoiler:checking in with a friend who's just done an about-face on a major life decision they were previously very vocal about isn't a bad call. Even if they're happy about taking a new direction (and the idea that Penny might not be happy about getting pregnant accidentally is treated as a completely off-limits topic by everyone except Sheldon, despite the TruthInTelevision that accidental pregnancy isn't automatically received as a blessing), it's not inherently bad to ask questions so you can support a close friend who's going through something life-changing.]]

** In the finale, Sheldon reacting to the news of [[spoiler:Penny's pregnancy]] by pointing out that she'd previously [[spoiler:indicated she didn't want children]] is treated as the worst thing he's ever said on the whole run of the show. But while the blunt and public way he brings it up is clearly insensitive, [[spoiler:checking in with a friend who's just done an about-face on a major life decision they were previously very vocal about isn't a bad call. Even if they're happy about taking a new direction (and the idea that Penny might not be happy about getting pregnant accidentally is treated as a completely off-limits topic by everyone except Sheldon, despite the TruthInTelevision there), it's not inherently bad to ask questions so you can support a close friend who's going through something life-changing.]]

* HeroesWantRedheads: Our protagonists have dated a few redheads, Leonard with Stephanie (Sara Rue) and as of Season 8, Raj with Emily.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The show actually gets away with a lot of surprising jokes. One memorable joke comes from "The Pants Alternative."
-->'''Penny:''' So, what do you say Sheldon? Are we your X-Men?\\
'''Sheldon:''' No, the X-Men were named for the "X" in "Charles Xavier". Since I am Sheldon Cooper, you will be my C-Men. (the other characters get very quiet and cringe)\\
'''Raj:''' (later in the episode) How can Sheldon be nervous? He's surrounded by his C-Men!
** In "The Grasshopper Experiment", when Sheldon mentions the Indian folktale "The Monkey and the Princess", Howard says he tried to watch that online but didn't want to give his credit card number. Sheldon says it's a children's story and Howard vehemently says that it isn't. That's right, tropers. TBBT got away with a [[BestialityIsDepraved bestiality joke]] in its first season.
** What about from "The Plimpton Stimulation"? A couple of jokes from that episode...
--->'''Sheldon:''' What am I supposed to believe? That you somehow tripped and fell into her lady parts?\\
(later) '''Penny:''' No, no, you don't have to drive me to work. It's OK! It's not like I'm afraid you're going to trip over and get me pregnant.
*** Oh, and the end where Dr. Plimpton tried to get the boys into a foursome.
** Don't forget "The Bat Jar Conjecture." The team was called PMS. What made this hilarious was what the back of the shirt said. ''We can go all night''. Howard proudly shows off his shirt.
** In the fifth season finale the group learns that Leonard stupidly [[spoiler: proposed to Penny in the middle of sex]]. Howard's response was "Did you get on one knee or were you already there?"
*** From the same episode:
--->'''Howard''': Close your eyes and hold out your hands.\\
'''Bernedette''': Come on, Howard, I'm not falling for that again.
** In "The 43 Peculiarity" Leonard was worried over Penny spending time with a male classmate and Sheldon suggested that if the guy was a skilled hypnotist Penny may be performing sexual acts on him with her thinking she is just "a chicken pecking for corn." Upon getting a very disturbed look from Leonard, Sheldon "helpfully" pantomimes the action.
** In "The Good Guy Fluctuation" Leonard gets hit on by a cute girl in the comic book store who writes her name and number on his hand, leading to this:
-->'''Leonard:''' Sorry, my palm's a little sweaty, what's that word?\\
'''Alice:''' Alice.\\
'''Leonard:''' Oh right, your name. That makes so much more sense than penis.
** In "The Closet Configuration" Sheldon is straightening out Penny's closet and asks if she has a dog, because he found what appeared to be a "battery operated chew toy" in there.
** In ''The Cooper/Kripke Inversion'', Kripke is grilling Sheldon about his (non-existent) sex life with Amy. While Sheldon makes up a wholly unconvincing story, Kripke is standing by the whiteboard leering. Just to the right of Sheldon, part of the complex nested equations describing an abstract process in particle physics can be read as the classic toilet-wall doodle of a cock and balls.

* HairTodayGoneTomorrow: In the flashback episode late in season three, Leonard had long, wavy locks, Howard had a [[FunnyAfro Jewish Afro]] and Raj had something of a mullet. Sheldon was the only one with the same hair-style, and with the exception of Howard their current looks are big improvements.

* GeniusBonus: In ''The Space Probe Disintegration'', when Raj goes off on a rant at the elderly Indian man who dents his car in the ashram carpark, the old man in the car looks oddly familiar: he has been identified as an actor who played Mahatma Gandhi in an Indian TV adaptation of Gandhi's life, and does indeed bear a very strong resemblence.

* Discussed on ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'', Darlene confesses to almost leaving home after a fight with Roseanne about college. Roseanne indignantly says she's been watching her like a hawk all week, to which Darlene dryly replies, "Hawks don't usually pass out on the couch after eating a quart of ice cream."