Big Bang Theory Record Break: The New 'Friends'?
The "Big Bang Theory" has broken two records with its first episode of the season, "The Egg Salad Equivalency," making it one of the most popular comedies on television.
CBS is on a high following the return of its Thursday night show cast. Coming in the number one slot was the "Big Bang Theory" which surpassed 19 million viewers. "Two and Half Men" was at a distant second, scoring just over 15 million viewers. "Elementary" also surpassed its own record with over 11 million viewers, a nine percent gain.
But "Big Bang" has continued with the most success and broke a second record Thursday night in the 18-49 demographic.
"'The Big Bang Theory' at 8 p.m. was both the highest-rated and most-watched program of the night, growing 9 percent from three weeks ago to match a series high of 6.0/17 and setting a new record for total viewership, attracting 19 million pairs of eyeballs," a Yahoo report revealed.
The show's main cast began with four, socially awkward geeks who contrasted with their female neighbor. It first aired on September 24th, 2007. Filmed in front of a live audience, the show won its first award in 2009 as "Best Comedy." In the same year, the show was ranked the highest at CBS in the 18-49 demographic, with just over 12 million viewers.
Despite the overall positive reception of the show, some have called it "offensive to nerds." An entire Tumblr post has been dedicated to "The Problem With The Big Bang Theory," although other so-called nerds have defended it.
The show is the next "Friends" an Atlantic Wire report suggested, stating that the numbers are equivalent to what "Friends" was bringing in during its later seasons. Creator Chuck Lorre is now working on a new show called "Jerks and Blonde Ladies" which will debut in the Fall.
