The Big Bang Theory: Formulas

One formula in particular that The Big Bang Theory incorporates into its show is the myth of romantic love. This can be seen in the relationship between Leonard and Penny, Sheldon and Amy, Howard and Bernadette, and Raj and Lucy. So lets look at each of these relationships.

Leonard and Penny:

Leonard is the nerd who instantly falls for the beautiful blonde next door, Penny. In a typical relationship the woman is usually the romantic one and the man is the beer drinking sports fan, but here those roles are

reversed. But behind their love story is of course the challenge of making such a relationship work. Leonard struggles with his insecurities of being the nerd in love with the beautiful blonde, and Penny struggles with commitment. This relationship is plagued with the on-again, off-again scenario.






Sheldon and Amy:

Well these two are not your typical couple by any standards. They have a written contract that stipulates just

about every scenario possible that can arise in a relationship. But behind it all Sheldon is slowly unraveling to the romance that is possible. Sheldon struggles with every relationship he encounters but with Amy he is starting to become more "human".

Howard and Bernadette:

Howard is your typical male pig when it comes to women. He sees women as objects and deep down we

learn that he has insecurities just like the rest of us. When he meets Bernadette he struggles with the idea of being in a serious relationship, but in the end he knows she is the love of his life.

Raj and Lucy:

These two have some serious issues when it comes to love. Raj is a romantic who can't talk to women, and he never seems to find the right girl. When he meets Lucy though he realizes that they both have a lot in common and that they can help one another with their issues. Lucy is terrified of change, and is scared of people in general. She doesn't like to be in any situation that could lead to confrontation of any sorts, even it

is just a typical interaction. At the end of this season though they had broken up, but hopefully they keep Lucy on as Raj's girlfriend.

One main ingredient to the myth of romantic love that we see in this show is that they all are plagued with deep seeded issues that they must overcome in order to be together. But don't we all?