In September 2007, my Daughter began First Grade.

In September 2007, The Big Bang Theory debuted on CBS.

I’m kind of like Tater- I always look at the May upfronts and read the summaries of the new shows going to air. I remember reading the synopsis of BBT- pretty girl moves next door to smart nerds. I remember thinking- sure- that will work. add in lots of snide thoughts…

Guess what?

It worked.

This tale of four quirky (let’s face it- they were all quirky) guys and aspiring actress quickly became one of my favorite shows. As well as a favorite of my Daughters. During elementary school years we would look forward to Thursday 8pm- and when middle and high school rolled around, we would decide as a family when we would watch it as my own study nerd no longer had the time to watch TV during the week.

We found the humor clever and understated- the physical reactions of all the actors hilarious. It was one of the most perfect ensemble shows ever- each character had their own individual traits, yet they all blended together so well. It was actually nice to see smart characters on TV- characters that studied and did things with an intellectual, or fandom bend. It made my daughter feel OK about being studious and liking the Marvel universe.

A few years into the show, we met two new female characters- both scientists. How great was it to see a show that valued women in science? Even though my daughter is not going into the field of science, she was a finalist for three years running in the Middle School Science fair. She had A+ grades in science all throughout her career. But to see a show highlighting female scientists? Where do we ever see that? Especially as Mayim Bialik has an actual PhD? Bravo. A TV show with female character who were amazing. Characters that my daughter could relate to.

But let’s not underestimate Penny. Our cat is named Penny btw… Penny may not have been a college graduate or been as intellectual as the others, but boy did she have a mensa level emotional IQ. She knows and understands people, how to behave in certain situations. Clearly in the arc of the show, the character of Penny taught the guys way more than they taught her. My kid can be a little bit like the guys often were: clueless to social situations. (Ok- we all know I don’t have the greatest people skills either…) There was a lot of value to the “dumb blonde”. This was a character that my daughter could learn from too.

“Big Bang Theory” is the show of my daughters youth. She will remember this show forever- she will recite lines and have favorite scenes. I will remember sitting with her watching the show- every week for twelve years. We never watched an episode without each other- it’s not that we couldn’t: we wanted to share those moments together.

On Thursday May 16, “The Big Bang Theory” aired its final episode.

On Thursday May 16, my daughter took the AP Comparative Government test, the last major test of her high school career. Though she has two projects and about twelve days of class left, essentially high school ended yesterday.

My daughter and I passed the tissue box to one another last night.

It all started with a big bang.

And ended with a few tears.

42 thoughts on “Out With A Bang”

    1. 😉you have great insights on shows and I love tv. You’re actually a cool hybrid of my husbands taste and mine. FYI…did you see Lucifer has new episodes in Netflix?

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      1. That’s the only time cool and me have been in the same sentence. I did know that Lucifer is back. I’m waiting for my daughter to be home for the summer so we can all watch together.

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  5. There were tears here as well.
    I love that you and daughter have created a memory like this. I wonder what you will share over the next 12 years to tuck into the memory box together?

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      1. I’m sure that you’ll find/create something that keeps the close relationship special. My youngest (now 26 yo) and I never miss an historical homes tour- an annual event here. We’ve been going for years and it was really special this year when I mentioned that the date was coming up, but told her that if she preferred to skip it or had other plans not to worry. Her reply, ” I have no intention of missing it. It’s our tradition!”

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  9. You worded this so well!! Love it!! I too had my doubts when the show first began but like you said, it worked, we all were hooked and the rest is history! And yes there was tissues needed, but I did love how they ended, it was a great finale!

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  10. What a wonderful experience for you both. I didn’t watch religiously and usually it was the reruns but I did make a point of watching last night’s finale. I’ll bet the cast had a hard time filming that during Sheldon’s speech.

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  12. What a sweet look at your personal connection to TBBT. Couldn’t have foreseen in 2007 the meaning that the show would eventually have for you two. Don’t you love it when things like that happen?

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  14. That this program has brought you and your family closer together, revealed to your daughter strong intelligent women as role models, is wonderful.

    ‘Only Fools and Horses’ is our family favourite, look out for it on Netflix or wherever.

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