A story of 4 geeky intellectuals and a classic pretty girl-next-door. That is the story of ‘Big bang theory’, one of the most loved American TV shows around the world. The popularity of the show rises by season and is indeed loved by people from different cultures and different ages- but why? Could it be the approval the show it receives from nerds all over the world? Or could it be the surprisingly addictive theme song? Or just simply the humor that does the trick? I personally feel that it’s the colourful, lovable and sometimes excruciatingly frustrating characters that do it. Five characters fused to one (although two additional characters were added later)… it’s the amazing actors who work the magic on screen to boost the rates.

The first character is Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. Working in the field of experimental physics with an unbelievable IQ of 173, he is the classic lost-boy character who is madly in love with girl next door, Penny. The reason we love him so much is because he’s so very kind. He’s a huge softie (scratch that, he’s a small softie) and we love him because he is the complete opposite of Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Leonard is a break from the convoluted mind of Sheldon, and the viewers tend to enthusiastically welcome that. And that is why we love this little genius- he’s like a refreshing breeze that comes in through an open window during a boiling day of summer.

The second and my favourite character I am going to introduce is no other than the famous Dr. Sheldon Cooper (B.S, M.S, M.A, Ph.D and a Sc.D.). The audience loves in from top to bottom, regardless of how irritating and crazy he can be (wait, he’s not “crazy”, his mother had him tested). Sheldon was a child prodigy with an excellent eidetic memory (he received his Ph.D. at the age of 16). In the story, Sheldon is a theoretical physicist with an IQ of 187. The funny thing about Sheldon is that he is so anti-social (or maybe the word we’re searching for is just “weird”). Sheldon just does not understand sarcasm or irony, and lacks social skills. Another reason we can’t get enough of him is his irritating and yet hilarious quirks. Dr. Cooper has silly habits of his own- his style of knocking (3 knocks- “Penny”- 3 knocks- “Penny”- 3 knocks- “Penny”) is one example.

“I have a masters degree in MIT.” is one of the most famous quotes spoken by Howard Wolowitz. Constantly looked down upon by Sheldon, Howard is one of the main casts starring at the big bang theory. Sheldon blatantly ignores Howard’s intellectual ability just because Howard does not possess a doctorate in engineering. This annoys Howard, and yet the audience can’t help but like this Jewish Caltech engineer. We love him starting from his dorky turtleneck and his ridiculous belt buckles. Howard (who thinks he is the ‘ladies’ man’) is also known for his greasy pick up lines.

The fourth scientist we look at is none other than Rajesh Koothrappali. He is an Indian particle astrophysicist with a phobia for beautiful woman. He can’t speak to them (quite literally, believe it or not!) Dr. Koothrapali is the ‘cutie’ of the group, and the audience just wants more and more of his too-short vest and windbreaker. Rajesh’s sometimes feminine ways (including loving ‘eat, pray, love’) makes people question his heterosexuality. And in the midst of all that, he is still a reason for the high television rates the big bang phenomenon receives.

The last character is Penny, played by actress Kaley Cuoco. Penny came from Nebraska with a dream to be an actress and lives across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard. Waitressing at the cheesecake factory to make a living, Penny is someone we call “normal” among the 4 geniuses above. Why do we love her so much? She’s cool and pretty tough. Like Leonard, she’s a break from all the smart tension in the show. She’s unwavering, and most of all, not intimidated by the intelligence of her friends; which just shows she has a great personality. The camera absolutely loves this beautiful blonde, and so do we.

If there was one reason viewers go crazy for this show is the characters above. They are all so strange and yet each individual adds to the overall humour and fun of the show. The show, like I said, is a huge success, and is so popular that it’s airing season 6 already. This show is a globally accepted phenomenon, thanks to the wonderful characters Bill prady and Chuck Lorre has casted.