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The Big Bang Theory: Limited-Edition Complete Series Blu-ray Review

“The Big Bang Theory: Limited-Edition Complete Series” comes home in a BIG Blu-ray box set.

“The Big Bang Theory” was in many ways the last of its kind. Over the course of 12 seasons and 279 episodes, the primetime network sitcom landed sizable ratings in an era where network television ratings continue to pull smaller audiences amidst streaming service competition. It’s not hard to see why the show developed a devoted fanbase as it stood out from the rest. Although far from flawed (I’ll get to that in a bit), it became the type of comfort sitcom that people play over and over again ala “The Office” and “Friends.” People couldn’t get enough of the adventures of Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Penny, Howard, Amy, and Bernadette and still can’t even now that the series has ended its run (although the franchise does continue on with “Young Sheldon”). Luckily, thanks to WB, fans can relive the show in this epic new complete series box set.

Although a hit from the start, “The Big Bang Theory” started out as a rough and formulaic show. Early on, the show’s characters were either vapid or stereotypical geeks and nerds. As a geeky guy, I found it to be an annoying misrepresentation. It became quite evident how outdated these stereotypes were when geek culture became the norm as “Star Wars,” comic book films, and “Game of Thrones” dominated pop culture. Thankfully, the series sort of moved past those caricatures and instead focused more on character growth, relationships, friendships, and the trials and tribulations of life. The characters became actual characters instead of comedic fodder when families began to form, careers began to advance, and what have you.

Really, what elevated the show was the cast. However one may feel about the show, Jim Parson’s Sheldon arguably became one of the most memorable and quirky sitcom characters of the past 20 years. Simon Helberg’s underrated and weird Howard was also quite notable. Of course, one of the highlights of the series was the vast array of guest stars who tended to steal the show right out from under its stars. Names like Wil Wheaton, Bob Newhart, Stephen Hawking, Mark Hamill and Stan Lee were actually quite funny in their appearances. Sure, it’s stunt casting, but it worked!

Overall Thoughts: For fans of “The Big Bang Theory,” it doesn’t get much better than this complete series set. Not only is it housed in a cool box set, but it contains exclusive bonus features as well.

Note: If you are looking for more detailed season by season breakdowns, I have reviewed nearly every season here on dvdcorner.net

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. Grade: B+

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA for every season except 3 which is in Dolby Digital 5.1. Grade: B+

The extras are largely the same as those previously released on the individual season sets so expect numerous featurettes, gag reels, Comic-Con panels, interviews and more. However, there are a few new ones here including a digital copy of the entire series, a booklet containing photos, a message from Chuck Lorre, a disc by disc rundown of episodes and extra features, and a bonus disc with 3 new featurettes titled “The Big Bang Theory: A Retrospective” (cast and crew reminiscing), “All The Stars in the BBT Universe” (guest star spotlights) and “BBT’S Greatest Hits: 12 Years Of Comedy In 24 minutes” (comedic highlights from the entire series).

November 30, 2019 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Comedy, Jim Parsons, Mark Hamill, Sheldon, Sitcom, Stan Lee, The Big Bang Theory, The Big Bang Theory Complete Series, The Big Bang Theory: Limited-Edition Complete Series Blu-ray Review, Wil Wheaton, Young Sheldon