The Big Bang Theory never was a favorite sitcom for me but seemed to have a consistent 12 season run thanks in large part to the (mostly) fun ensemble cast.
The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Series
— Limited Edition —
(2007-19)
Genre(s): Comedy
Warner Bros. | NR – 5675 min. – $199.99 | November 12, 2019
Date Published: 11/12/2019 | Author: The Movieman
|
|
|||||||||||
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE SERIES — 3.75/5 |
|
Series Synopsis: The Big Bang Theory follows the irresistible trajectory of genius best buddies Leonard (JOHNNY GALECKI) and Sheldon (JIM PARSONS). Joined by street-smart Penny (KALEY CUOCO), aerospace engineer Howard (SIMON HELBERG), astrophysicist Raj (KUNAL NAYYAR), microbiologist Bernadette (MELISSA RAUCH) and neurobiologist Amy (MAYIM BLALIK), the friends solve quotidian conundrums posed by academia, family and video games. What they prove, across 12 beloved seasons, is that the element that matters most in the universe is friendship. Review: The Big Bang Theory was a series that was hit-or-miss with me. Because I kind of stride between the worlds of geek-dom with only some focal points (like DC and Batman), some of the humor never quite hit the mark while others I did manage to chuckle at, though this was never a series I necessarily laughed-out-loud at either. Also, it is strangely old fashioned in terms of the style where the more “modern” comedies had done away with the laugh tracks (well, live audience that sound like it anyway) in place of some more raw and dry humor (Scrubs immediately comes to mind). That said, this ensemble cast had some amazing chemistry. Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco was the 21st century Ross/Rachel and will they/won’t they storylines while Jim Parsons, especially as his Sheldon character’s popularity exploded, became more and more a central fixture with each season, although at times his antics did wear a bit thin, at least until the relationship with Mayim Blalik’s Amy really helped advance the character. It is pretty impressive that The Big Bang Theory lasted 12 seasons and although the quality of the material certainly varied, I wouldn’t say it ever got terrible as I did still generally enjoyed the ensemble and the great friendly chemistry they had with one another. And even with all those years, still maintained a loyal fan base and quite a large viewership. So while that brand of humor wasn’t always my thing, I do respect how it endured. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.75/5 (Averaged Out) |
| This massive 25-disc release comes with a sturdy, lengthy outer box and each disc is contained in a book with the discs sliding from the top, each season on a page (as there were only 2-discs per season). Also in this box is a booklet with behind-the-scenes and publicity photos and episode guides. There is also a singular redemption code for the Digital HD copy for the entire series.
Here is a breakdown of the features for each season: SEASON 1 (2.25/5):
SEASON 2 (2.5/5):
SEASON 3 (2.5/5):
SEASON 4 (3.5/5):
SEASON 5 (3.0/5):
SEASON 6 (3.75/5):
SEASON 7 (4.0/5):
SEASON 8 (3.75/5):
SEASON 9 (3.75/5):
SEASON 10 (4.0/5):
SEASON 11 (3.75/5):
SEASON 12 (4.25/5):
BONUS DISC (DVD):
All the Stars in the BBT Universe (12:20) — A collection of the funniest moments from every blockbuster season. |
VIDEO – 4.25/5 |
| Presumably these are the same transfers from the individual releases but even so, like most modern comedy series, they generally look very good in 1080p high-definition. The video is well defined, noticeably better with the later seasons it seems, and colors are vibrant throughout in keeping with the light-hearted nature of the show. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| As with the video, the audio codecs are likely the same as well. Seasons 1-2 and 4-12 include DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks while, for whatever reason, season 3 was only Dolby Digital 5.1. Either way, this isn’t the kind of show that needed an all encompassing loss track, only showcase crisp and clear dialogue primarily through the center speaker with the front and rears mostly relegating the ambient noises and music. Nothing noteworthy but probably on par with how it aired. |
OVERALL – 4.25/5 |
|
The Big Bang Theory never was a favorite sitcom for me but seemed to have a consistent 12 season run thanks in large part to the (mostly) fun ensemble cast, though Sheldon played by Jim Parsons sometimes outwore is welcome, but I know he was a fan favorite. This 25-disc collection is nicely put together by Warner Brothers and includes a nice array of bonus features, although strangely there were no audio commentaries. |