The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide by Matt Browning

An indispensable companion to one of the most binged shows in streaming history

The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide is an in-depth look at the thousands of topical references to people, places, movies, music, science, and events which make up many of the funniest lines on the enduringly popular television series The Big Bang Theory, bringing new and long-time fans alike in on the joke.

It was 2007. The era of Must-See TV had ended. There was no Friends, no Will and Grace, no Seinfeld. The broadcast airwaves were being ruled by reality television series like American Idol and Big Brother, coupled with the expanded offerings of cable networks. Only CBS was seeing some success with the traditional multi-camera sitcom structure through shows like How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. Into that very lineup, sandwiched between the two hit series, came a fresh take on the sitcom setup: What would happen if two brainy nerds found themselves living next door to a beautiful woman? And television history was made, while educating readers about pop culture and world events.

The relatively simple premise didn’t stop there. The Big Bang Theory was not only funny—–it was smart. Very smart. Centering the action around a group of researchers at a prestigious university elevated the dialogue above standard sitcom fare. Just like setting had been considered a character on earlier shows like Northern Exposure, for The Big Bang Theory, science was one of the stars of the show. And so was pop culture. Because not only were our beloved nerds—Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Rajesh—brilliant in the laboratory, they were peerless in the comic book store too. Each episode is peppered with pop culture references drawn from science fiction: comics, books, television, film, music, board games, video games, and more. While Sheldon might be brilliant in string theory, he was equally brilliant in Star Trek lore. And the humor didn’t only revolve around nerd culture. For every obscure reference pulled from Klingon and Dungeons & Dragons, neighbor Penny could match wits when it came to the Kardashians and Juicy Couture.

Over the course of 12 seasons and 279 episodes from 2007 to 2019, The Big Bang Theory became a cultural touchstone with an extraordinarily devoted fan base. In every episode, its fast-paced style of dialogue offered biting observations and timeless humor about issues ranging from comic books to scientific discoveries. Meticulously researched episode by episode, The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide is an eye-opening, illuminating encyclopedia of thousands of topical jokes that will help both new and longtime fans experience their favorite show in a whole new light.

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There is a lot of fascinating stuff in here. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced the book always makes the best use of it.

PRE-READING

I've watched The Big Bang Theory enough times to recognise most of the obvious references, but there are plenty of occasions where a character mentions something I've never heard of and the joke sails straight over my head. A reference guide explaining all those little details sounded like exactly the sort of thing I'd enjoy.

I was therefore hoping for two things: lots of “Oh! That's what that means!” moments, and enough context to understand why the reference is funny.

I definitely got the first.

The second was a little more variable.

POST-READING

There are some genuinely excellent discoveries in this book.

I learned that Planet of the Apes originated as a French novel by Pierre Boulle, and that the famous ending of the 1968 film was not the ending of the book. I learned about Erwin Schrödinger's substantial connection with Ireland. And I learned something which may have permanently damaged my childhood understanding of television:

Lassie never saved Timmy from a well.

Yes, really.

These are exactly the moments when a reference guide earns its keep. It takes something familiar and gives me a piece of information I didn't know, often leaving me wanting to investigate further.

The pop-culture entries are generally the strongest. When the book explains that Kandor is the capital of Krypton, that Brainiac is Superman's enemy, and that he captured and miniaturised the city before Krypton's destruction, I immediately understand the reference. It gives me enough information without assuming I already know the entire history of Superman.

Unfortunately, the scientific references don't always receive the same treatment.

For example, the explanation of the Doppler Effect describes it as "a change in the frequency or period of a wave in relation to an observer moving relative to its source." I'm sure that's a perfectly respectable scientific definition. It is also considerably less understandable to me than the explanation Sheldon gives in the show.

I don't think that's because I'm incapable of understanding science. The missing piece is the everyday example: it's the reason a siren sounds different as it approaches you and then passes you. Give me that, and I understand the concept. Give me the textbook definition, and I know that I have encountered several words that I should probably understand individually.

That distinction matters in a book whose purpose is to explain references to people who don't necessarily already know the subject.

I also repeatedly wished the book would include the actual dialogue being referenced.

One entry tells me that Sheldon quotes a famous line from Hamlet, spoken to Horatio after encountering his father's ghost. But... which line?

Another tells me that Amy paraphrases the famous first line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, followed by “see earlier entry”.

Well, yes, I know which line that is now: “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?” But the book doesn't actually give me the line, and it doesn't tell me where that supposedly earlier entry can be found.

And by Season 10, “see earlier entry” is asking quite a lot of the reader. There are nine seasons' worth of pages to flick through! Surely a season and episode number wouldn't have killed anyone.

This is where I found myself increasingly aware that the book often tells me that a reference exists without quite giving me enough information to experience the reference for myself.

Copyright may well explain why extensive quotations aren't included, and I appreciate that reproducing dialogue from twelve seasons of television would add considerably to the length of the book. But even a short quotation, or a more precise description of what was said, would sometimes make the entries considerably more useful.

There are also some places where the compressed explanations risk being misleading. The discussion of the Rat Pack, for example, describes it as an informal group of singers associated with films and Las Vegas, then lists Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole and Mickey Rooney among its early members before moving on to Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford.

This isn't entirely wrong - there really was an earlier Rat Pack associated with Humphrey Bogart's Hollywood circle, and Errol Flynn was among the people associated with it. But if, like me, “Rat Pack” immediately means Sinatra, Vegas, crooning, tuxedos and a faint whiff of gentleman gangster, the book really needs to explain that there were effectively two versions of the group rather than making them sound like one continuous organisation.

And yes, I did stop at “Errol Flynn” and wonder whether I had somehow missed an entire career as a singer.

I hadn't.

THINGS I LEARNED

This is probably my favourite thing about the book.

There are so many little facts here that made me stop and think, I didn't know that.

Planet of the Apes being French. Schrödinger and Ireland. The truth about Timmy and that well. The history of the Rat Pack.

These are the discoveries that made me glad I'd read it.

And they also made some of the book's weaknesses more frustrating, because I could see how good it could be if every reference received this level of context.

THINGS I HAD TO WORK OUT MYSELF

There were rather more of these than I expected.

Which Shakespeare line did Sheldon quote?

Where exactly is the “earlier entry” I'm being sent back to?

What does this scientific definition actually mean in normal human language?

Which Rat Pack are we talking about?

These aren't enormous problems individually, but they accumulate. A reference guide should make finding and understanding information easier, not occasionally turn me into a detective.

RECOMMENDATIONS

I'd recommend this to The Big Bang Theory fans who enjoy the show's references and want to dig a little deeper into them. There is plenty here to enjoy, and I've certainly come away knowing things I didn't know before.

I'd particularly recommend it to someone who watches the show and frequently thinks, “I have absolutely no idea what they're talking about.” There are enough explanations and fascinating pieces of trivia to make it worthwhile.

I'd just suggest keeping Google nearby.

VIBE CHECK

📚📚📚📚

A fun, occasionally fascinating companion to a show packed with references, which is at its best when it tells me something I didn't know and gives me enough context to understand why it matters.

Less successful when it assumes that knowing what something is the same as understanding it.

THE TRUE QUESTION

Did this make me want to rewatch The Big Bang Theory?

Absolutely.

And that's probably the most important thing I can say about it.

Despite my frustrations, I've found myself wanting to go back to episodes, listen more carefully to the references, and see how many of the things I've learned I can now spot.

There is a genuinely good reference guide buried in here.

I just wish it trusted the reader enough to explain things clearly, gave us a little more of the dialogue that makes the references funny, and made its cross-references actually cross-reference something.

But if a book can make me discover that Lassie never saved Timmy from a well, I can't claim it hasn't taught me something.