Say Hello To America's Favorite Asperger's Comedy: The Big Bang Theory

When it first premiered a couple of years ago, I have little doubt that I wasn't alone in instantaneously writing off The Big Bang Theory. Two nerds do their awkward thing, hot neighbor moves in, one of them pines for her with aching, unrequited passion... hilarity does not ensue.

Surprise: as it turned out, it was funny. 

Once it got past the initial "new series thrashing around, trying to figure out what it is, hoping it stays on long enough to get past the suck and start being worthwhile" growing pains, The Big Bang Theory rapidly evolved into something unexpected — a surprisingly well-rendered ensemble comedy featuring nuanced writing and characterizations in place of the expected, grotesque, Revenge of the Nerds-style caricatures of America's best, brightest and most socially inept.

And, at the heart of it all, there was Sheldon. As portrayed by genteel Texan Jim Parsons, Sheldon developed into something more than the Freudian ego of the show — the perceptual, intellectual-cognitive, reason and logic-driven aspect of the human self. He became a creature who transcended easy description or understanding as the all right-brained, über-intelligent, hyper-logical and socially inept counterpoint to Kaley Cuopo's free-and-easy Cheesecake Factory waitress/cute dumb blonde object of desire/surprisingly, pointedly funny Penny.

He became, in essence, the first mass audience-friendly rendition of Asperger's to be embraced and beloved by popular culture for being nothing other than what he is: strange, fascinating, and a very unexpected kind of wonderful.

Asperger's Syndrome, of course, is one variant of the autism spectrum: a pervasive developmental disorder not infrequently characterized by what famed British psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen (and yes, he's the cousin of Sacha Baron-Cohen) referred to as mindblindness — basically, a lack of the kind of fundamental empathy that enables people to recognize the perspectives of others, which subsequently inhibits flexible social interaction and communication.

As autism spectrum disorders have emerged from the shadows in recent years - in concert with an alarming growth in the rate of ASD diagnoses in children, which now may be as high as 1 in 91 American children - there's been a concurrent rise in speculation that some of the great scientific and technical minds of human history (Einstein, Bill Gates and Isaac Newton, among others) were touched by Asperger's.

Sheldon falls very neatly into this continuum: a brilliant scientist whose greatest passions are characterized by obsessive focus on details (witness this past Monday's episode, spotlighting his effortless expertise in some Magic-style fantasy card game in which his eidetic memory and subsequent card-counting skillz establish him as the king of geek mountain) as well as his innate inability to relate to people on an even remotely normal level (his recent operant conditioning of Penny, training her to act better by feeding her chocolate as a reward, offered one glorious example).

But the thing is... even in the light of all that defines him as odd or (deep breath) quirky, we love him. He's funny as hell, and - despite the fact that he consistently aggravates everyone around him by virtue of who he is and everything he does - he has friends, a career, and a full life. He is, in short, the poster child for the successful integration of Asperger's into mainstream society.

It's an easy and uncomfortable point of comparison to think about how easily so many of us have embraced Sheldon, and then to reflect back on Hoffman's Wapner-loving Rain Man or Dr. Westphal's tragically, profoundly autistic son Tommy from St. Elsewhere (and yes, I realize I'm dating myself with the reference). And granted, before we jump to any quick and simple, pat-ourselves-on-the-back conclusions about "how far we've come in accepting neurological differences in others" we need to keep in mind that the reason it's called the autism spectrum is because it casts an enormously wide net, broad enough to encompass any and all of them with ease, and as such each of these characters need to be viewed not as representatives in a logical progression in how autism and related issues have been viewed in popular culture over the years but rather as independent phenomena, each delineating a different aspect of all that falls within the classification of autism.

That said, there is no denying that Sheldon is a rare and wondrous joy on-screen. And while the show may keep his Aspergery-ness as subtext... for those who know to look for it, it is clear as day, entirely visible at all times, and a heartening affirmation of all that may be possible for our own spectrum youth.

Comments

[Ang]

My hubby and I have been enjoying this show from the beginning, but perhaps just because we are both big nerds ourselves. Not only are the characters lovable (not to mention believable!!), but the dialogue is hilarious and we totally get all the sci-fi references and jokes.

As a healthcare professional, I am familiar with the spectrum, though not enough to diagnose any particular person. While Sheldon certainly displays many Asperger's traits, I'm pretty sure it has not been brought to light that he has ASD and I'm not sure it will be. IMHO most viewers just look at him as a quirky nerd and don't think to associate his behaviors with Asperger's. As a matter of fact, I have never associated the two. I just enjoy the show.

[Tricia Honea]

I love Big Bang Theory and Monday's episode was hilarious. The whole Wrath of Kahn Speech while playing the card game was perfect.

[robyn]

I KNEW HE REMINDED ME OF MY BROTHER FOR A REASON! my littlest brother was diagnosed with Aspergers years ago, and now in high school, he's functioning much like Sheldon does - with friends, a new driver's permit, and a fully-functioning life. which is a far cry from where he was when first diagnosed.

i'd be surprised if they openly diagnose Sheldon on the show, though. although it would be FREAKIN' AMAZING if they did!

[Alison]

I can't help but wonder if this isn't reading too much into the situation. Sitcoms are made up of larger than life characters with exaggerated traits. I guess I generally don't try to "diagnose" sitcom characters because most of the time their personalities have been distorted to such a degree as to be completely unrealistic.

[TwoBusy]

@Ang and @Alison You're right in that, as a sitcom, there's really no reason for TBBT to take the extra step of actually applying a clinical diagnosis to a character, as neurodiagnostics and situational comedy don't necessarily go together like peas and carrots (to drop another related reference into the conversation). And clearly, a lot of what we see in Sheldon is there as a function of ye olde comedy standby, "exaggeration for comic effect."

That said, as someone whose perspective is informed on a daily basis by contact with ASD, the parallels between Sheldon's character and some of the stereotypical traits of people with very high-functioning Asperger's are unmistakable.

None of which is intended to stand in the way of being able to enjoy the show - as I do - but rather, perhaps, to cast a different perspective on how we see and understand Sheldon as a character. Food for thought, really.

@Tricia I kept having to explain the Wrath of Khan references to my wife. "What is he talking about? I don't get it."

@Robyn Thank you! I'm glad to see I'm not alone in seeing those parallels.

[Mrs Chaos]

I was late to the Big Bang train...but I love Sheldon. I never thought about diagnosing him, or thinking about it at all really. I just love him.

It really is good television.

[Jessi]

I think I saw an interview with Jim Parsons where he "diagnosed" his character as having Asperger's. Regardless of whether or not it's in the writer's minds, I think that we often just see the traits of Asperger's as what "genius" looks like.

In any case, it's my favorite comedy on TV by a long shot and in my top 5 shows. Love it and I love Sheldon. I also have a college boyfriend that I really want to call and say, "Hey, have you seen this show they've made about your life?"

[Issa]

I have adored this show since episode one. I love Sheldon, even if I would want to slap him silly on occasion if I knew him.

[Joie at Canned Laughter]

OK I'm crying a little reading this. YES! and THANK YOU FOR GETTING IT! I have two children. They both have autism. When we see Howard fiddle, flap and wave his hands post coitus, we rejoice in his Aspie-ness.When Leonard makes a profound statement and then asks if it was all right for him to say that, we exchange glances and nod knowingly. When Raj's social anxiety impairs his speech, we know just what it feels like. And when Sheldon asks if he understood a facial cue, we know that this is the ONLY show on TV that gets us.
Reading too much into it? Walk a mile in our shoes and you'll see this program is a lifeline to the autism community.

[CatLadyLarew]

As a parent of an Asperger's kid, it's easy for me to fall into the trap of diagnosing others. And yes, the social impairment is real! I've only seen the show a few times, but it was highly amusing. Loved this week's episode with the Magic Game. Especially when Sheldon showed some empathy for his opponent by letting him win... only to discover he'd been conned. That's classic.

[AmyC65]

One of the best comedies on TV, imho.

The new show, Community, has a kid on it who exhibits alot of the same characteristics - the oblivion to social nuances, for one. One person actually said to him in an episode, "you have Aspberger's". I'm not so familiar with the disorder to know myself.

[JH]

Jim Parsons said in an interview that someone mentioned it to him, he did some reading and thought he might have AS, so he asked the producers and was told distinctly that Sheldon does NOT have Asperger's.

[ljpock]

I have loved this show, and Sheldon, from the start. It puts me in my geek comfort zone quite nicely :)

[Mouse]

What I've read is that Sheldon is not specifically written with Asperger's, but rather as an amalgam of science geeks the writers have known. Which, frankly, looks a lot like Asperger's. I heartily agree with some assessments I've read that Sheldon is the most successful portrayal of Asperger's so far. So many others feel like the writers were using a textbook description. (As opposed to Dr Dixon on "Grey's Anatomy," for example.)

It's likely Sheldon is just a bit too old to have received a diagnosis in school--the term "Asperger's Syndrome" wasn't used in the English language until 1984, if I remember my readings correctly, and it took a while from then to gain wider recognition.

[funda62]

While I do find the show charming and funny I have a big problem with the only female character of the show being portrayed as dumb. A recent episode in which Sheldon was training her to be nicer using psychological techniques was particularly cringe worthy.

[TwoBusy]

@MrsChaos Well, that's it exactly: the whole Asperger's angle is subtext (even if the producers deny it or don't want to make it an angle) that in no way, shape or form detracts from the fact that it's a tremendously smart & funny show.

@Jessi That's an interesting point about the Parsons interview, and I think it offers some illumination in that it shows us that even if the writers aren't consciously putting that angle into the character when they write him... Parsons himself has that in mind as a fundamental aspect of the character. And I agree: GREAT show.

@Issa That's the essence of Sheldon's appeal in a nutshell: he's immensely aggravating, but in the end you still love him.

@Joie No, thank you. "Reading too much into it? Walk a mile in our shoes and you'll see this program is a lifeline to the autism community." Bingo.

@CatLadyLarew When you become sensitized to ASD red flags, it's tempting to start looking at people in a new light... but with Sheldon, the red flags are so prominent and seen so often that they're really hard to ignore. And yes, the Wil Wheaton betrayal was made of awesome.

@AmyC65 I not only love Community as well, but saw and laughed my ass off at that same Asperger's conversation. Funny as hell.

@JH Like I said to my comment to Jessi (above), even if the producers/writers aren't consciously putting it in there... at least it's clear that Parsons himself has that in mind on some level as a defining quality of Sheldon's character. Which makes a lot of sense.

@ljpock Ditto, although - as I noted earlier - it's occasionally aggravating to have to explain some of the geek reference points to my decidedly non-nerdy wife.

@Mouse Agreed on all points.

@funda62 The thing you need to keep in mind is that Penny is intended as a bookend to the male characters -- kind of a street smart vs. book smart dichotomy. The writers have also gone to great lengths over the course of the series not to make her out as an object of derision, but as the sarcastic voice of reality that pops the pompous geek-intellectual balloon of the guys at every possible turn. Plus... I thought the operant conditioning thing was funny as hell, and not a reflection of her nearly so much as an indication of how Sheldon's mind works.

[lori]

Excellent post and comments!! I have loved this show since episode 1 and, while my experience with Aspergers was very limited (2 kids I knew briefly about 7 years ago) I did have the thought while watching Sheldon many times. If the actor has it in mind while portraying the character then it seems that nuance would emerge whether written or not.

The Aspergers comment on Community was very funny and seems obvious also (love that show too).

[RookieMom Heather]

Like @Ang, my husband and I are two big geeks and we've loved the show from episode one (secretly at first and now proudly). Yay Sheldon!