Re: Big Bang Theory - season 2
Some interesting things about tonight's episode of 'The Big Bang Theory' that I noticed from seeing it taped live:
- The bit that Sheldon had in the first scene about the roommate agreement took a few takes to get right. The applause you heard was because they finally finished the bit without a flub!
- The first take of scene two with Penny looking for coffee featured Kaley Cuoco in just a red bra and panties. I never realized she had a small tattoo on her lower back. Too bad they changed their minds and added the pink shirt.
- The scenes with Sheldon at the hospital and with Leonard and Stephanie in bed were pre-taped and played back to the audience. In the bedroom scene, you could definitely hear the producers and/or crew laughing, but the audience reaction was a bit lukewarm. It seemed quite punched up on the final edit.
- On the first take of the scene where Stephanie whispers in Leonard's ear and starts unbuttoning his shirt, the audience started going "woooooooo!," but the warm-up guy asked for no "oohs" and "ahs" between takes. I'm guessing the producers don't like those reactions.
- This may apply to other sitcoms, but I noticed that 'The Big Bang Theory' in particular feels slightly different in final edit, because the timing of the jokes is affected by judicious use of reaction shots. The video feed on the monitors in the studio is a live switch that often holds on one shot, keeping the audience from seeing some of the reactions. A good example I thought of was where Leonard left the laundry room but came right back in to ask Penny if she would go instead. In the studio, the shot held on the door, so when Leonard turned around the audience was focused on it and laughed before he even talked. In the final edit, the shot is on Penny so you hear Leonard talk before you see him, tying the laugh to the line instead of the visual.
- I am also thinking they have to spend some time in the edit to clean up the laughs that come from people like me who anticipate the joke, or laugh early. For instance, Leonard's line that begins "I don't even know what a duvet is..." got a laugh from me on the first part, but the writers and producers obviously intended for the laugh to come on the end - "...but even if I did, I don't think I would want it."
I actually found myself chuckle a couple times during the show, even though I knew all the jokes. I was slightly disappointed in the episode overall because I thought the plot was more of a stereotypical sitcom situation and therefore didn't allow the geekiness of the characters to come out as much. There seemed to be less amusing Sheldon business, and I thought the tag of the episode was weak.