Wil Wheaton on The Big Bang Theory: How to Erase a Major Sexist Stereotype About Nerd Culture

When The Big Bang Theory Premiering in 2007, the sitcom had no idea what wonders awaited it over the next 12 years. Until 2019, Jim Parsons & Co. offered a story of pure entertainment mixed with eccentricity. The sitcom’s layers betrayed any misconception that it was a show for boys, instead appealing to audiences from all walks of life.

Looking back, it is hard to imagine a world that did not have a continuous flow of The Big Bang Theory episodes aired on a screen somewhere in the world. With the series’ rise in popularity and ubiquity, the real world has also become aware of women’s participation in the nerd culture phenomenon.

A female perspective on the phenomenon of nerd culture

Over the past two decades, pop culture has been undergoing a major reevaluation. Spaces that were once dominated by men are now also occupied by women, including science fiction, nerd culture, and comic book geekery.

However, the growing number of women joining these spaces did not happen overnight, but rather gradually over several decades, starting with George Lucas. Star Wars era (which began in 1977) until the Marvel and DC uprising in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Beyond the big theatrical releases, television and streaming have also made up for the lack of movies to add to their already jam-packed release schedules. While you might expect to see a franchise film every other year, TV series regularly offer one every week each year to fill the gap in between.

The Big Bang Theory was just one of many such projects that led to the resurgence of nerd culture’s popularity. The launch of streaming platforms like Max, Disney+, and Paramount+ allowed franchises like DC, Marvel, Star WarsAnd Star Trek to thrive through multiple shows and limited series – enough to keep someone busy until the next big blockbuster arrives.

The Big Bang Theory Erase a major stereotype

Over the past fifteen years, women have become more familiar with STEM and comic book fields due to increased innovation in science and the rise of the CBM industry in Hollywood. The Big Bang Theory does a remarkable job of representing this through television in a way that has never been attempted before.

Through the characters of Mayim Bialik’s Amy Farrah Fowler, Melissa Rauch’s Bernadette Rostenkowski, Sara Gilbert’s Leslie Winkle, Christine Baranski’s Beverly Hofstadter, Aarti Mann’s Priya Koothrapalli and many others, the series has gradually shown the presence of women in STEM fields and, in one case, in law.

By welcoming a panel of writers from The Big Bang Theory at WonderCon 2019, Star Trek Actor and Sheldon Cooper’s mortal enemy Wil Wheaton addresses the topic after a fan brought it up, saying:

In nerd culture, up until about 10-12 years ago, it was traditionally thought of as a boy’s thing and women were excluded from a lot of these spaces in a really terrible, really unfair, and unnecessarily gendered way.

He continues to interpret the fan’s question by asking: “Do the authors think that by including women in these things that we male nerds love, have we helped normalize the world that yes, women love these things too, and that this is a space for women as much as it is for men?”

Although conclusive results on this particular question have not yet been determined, it is safe to assume that there is a direct correlation between The Big Bang Theorythe popularity of and actual increase in female interest in the nerd culture phenomenon.

The Big Bang Theory is available for streaming on Max.