The Big Bang Theory displays its ignorance

I’m always amazed by how much The Big Bang Theory gets right about the world of theoretical physics. The jargon, the theories, the geek culture.  That’s why I find is equally astonishing that they get some simple things terribly wrong.

Let’s start with the episode (The Contractual Obligation Implementation) where Penny, Amy and Bernadette take a day off from work to go to Disneyland.  Bernadette asks Amy what she told her boss, and Amy goes into an elaborate story of faking food poisoning.  The thing is, both Amy and Bernadette are professional women who have well-paying jobs with benefits (Penny works at the Cheesecake Factory).  Neither would have to “tell their boss” something other than, “I’m taking a personal day tomorrow.”  In the world of biological testing I doubt things are so sensitive that neither could take a day off if she wanted to.

Of course that’s how things work in the real world.  The Big Bang Theory is written by TV writers who don’t get days off or vacation time.  So they assume that if any professional doesn't want to work, the only alternative is calling in sick (all the while making retching sounds). 

Okay, so the writers don’t know about jobs in the real world.  But you’d think they’d know how jobs in the entertainment industry work.  In another episode (The Hesitation Ramification) Penny gets her big break playing a waitress in a scene on NCIS, only to be devastated when the scene is cut from the episode’s broadcast.  Was this a reflection on Penny’s acting skill?  No!  They wouldn't have cut a scene just because the actress cast as the waitress was terrible; the scene was most likely cut for time.  Penny still got paid, she can still put it on her resume, she can still take pride in an accomplishment few actresses achieve: getting paid to act on a high-rated network drama.  So the scene was cut for time; big deal.

Even sillier is Penny’s hesitation to work in a sequel to her previous film, Serial Apist.  In The Indecision Amalgamation she is offered the starring role in Serial Apist 2, but hesitates to take the role.  Why?  Does it require nudity?  Is it an excuse for soft-core porn?  Does she have to sleep with the casting director?  No, she just thinks it is stupid. 

The first rule of Hollywood is that if you are a working actor, you have to work!  Not everyone can star in Sophie’s Choice or The Good Wife; while you are developing your craft you have to pay the bills with whatever comes along.  Dustin Hoffman did a Volkswagen commercial.  Tom Hanks did Bosom Buddies.  Penny seems to equate success in acting with winning an Emmy or an Oscar; just making ends meet is a tremendous achievement.

The producers of The Big Bang Theory should know how the TV industry works, and should give their audience some credit for knowing a little something about it as well.  Penny may be a dumb blonde, but she should be smarter than this, especially after so many year of utter failure.  As Sheldon Cooper might say, in what universe could an intelligent television show about super-smart people be so dumb?