2.  Discuss the show’s genre(s) (read http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/G/htmlG/genre/genre.htm for guidance).  How does it fit into these categories?  How is it new or different?

The show is a sitcom centring on five characters who live closely together. Following the typical sitcom formula, it showcases different scenarios and how the characters handle them, and does not deviate too heavily from the formula. As the scenarios are not too drastically different from a typical sitcom, its main selling point is its characters.

3.  What makes the show distinctive and successful?  You can look for things such as characters, plot, music, location, and other unique aspects of the show.  Who is the probable audience for this show?

The selling point of the sitcom is its cast of characters. The characters are designed to be exaggerated stereotypes of typical geeky, or otherwise socially awkward, characters and how they struggle to handle many real life scenarios – particularly, one character named Sheldon is described as very memorable. The show is easy to laugh at because even though reactions and stereotypes are strongly exaggerated, they are funny because many people can also relate to the scenarios. As such, the show manages to appeal to geek culture, which has become far more mainstream in recent years, easily defining its audience, as due to being less common in previous years, has not been touched as strongly in the genre. The cast is also rather diverse, with female characters such as Penny and Indian characters such as Raj appealing to different demographics.

Though the theme tune is recognisable for fans, it is not a main selling point.