STUDIO: Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: September 2, 2008
STARRING: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, and Kaley Cuoco
CREATED BY: Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady
FEATURES: Quantum Mechanics of The Big Bang Theory
A Behind-The-Scenes Look Into Geek Chic

CBS comedy is an interesting thing. The network can lay claim to the biggest sitcom on television, the highly rated Two and a Half Men, but everything else could generously be called hit-and-miss. Two of the staples of the network for the last decade - Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens - are gone and the search to find their replacements have led to some odd places. Most CBS sitcoms vary wildly in quality not just over the course of a season but sometimes in the same episode. There are things to like about How I Met Your Mother and The New Adventures of Old Christine, but neither are comedy classics, and other recent attempts at new shows like Rules of Engagement and The Class were appropriately dead on arrival. Which leads us to The Big Bang Theory on Monday nights and newly released on DVD, a show that went through a rollercoaster of quality in just one strike-shortened season. When Big Bang works, it's very, very funny. And if the comic timing could be tightened and the writing could be more consistent from week to week, it could be the answer that CBS has been looking for the last few years in their attempts to find a young audience looking for a good laugh on a Monday night. Catch up with the first season on DVD this week and decide for yourself.

The pros of what you'll find in the first seventeen episodes of The Big Bang Theory - from TV legend Chuck Lorre, who also created Two and a Half Men - start with the trio at the show's core - Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, and Kaley Cuoco. Galecki and Parsons play Leonard and Sheldon, respectively, the former a sweet and lovable dork, the latter the anal retentive and obnoxious kind. Parsons' Sheldon could be the son of Frasier's Niles, an over-the-top snob who doesn't really understand how the social structure of the real world functions. Galecki's Leonard is the technical lead of the show, a guy who could probably win Beauty & The Geek with a makeover and a few lessons in confidence. He gets a few of those lessons when he falls for his new neighbor, Penny (the adorable and talented Kaley Cuoco). Two of Sheldon and Leonard's friends usually play a role in the comedic hijinks.

Right before the strike, The Big Bang Theory felt like it was spinning its wheels. There had been some highlights - a Halloween party, a guest spot by Galecki's Roseanne co-star Sarah Gilbert - but the show was starting to get stale and repetitive after just eight episodes. Could we watch Sheldon make a fool out of himself and Leonard pine over Penny every week? They had to mix it up. And, for the most part, the writers of The Big Bang Theory did just that in the second half of the season. Sheldon became even more over-the-top and Leonard came back more confident, creating more of a "straight man and wacky friend" structure to the show that really worked. Episodes about the Physics Bowl and, believe it or not, a Time Machine, served as series' highlights. And then there's the season finale, which was actually one of the best of 2007-08 and proved that the writers of The Big Bang Theory weren't going to repeat themselves every single week. The Big Bang Theory is one of those unusual shows that might actually have been saved by the strike. Not only did the strike effect pilot season, causing a lot of "bubble" shows to get renewed simply because there was nothing in production to replace them, but it feels like BBT knew it had to step up its game after the writers put down their protest signs and picked up their pens. A show that was on the verge of cancellation should now have fans excited for the potential of season two. It's been a while since we've been able to say that about a CBS sitcom.

(Note: No commentaries, deleted scenes, or even a gag reel? Come on. I realize that this season one release is designed to build buzz for the return of the show and it should do that, but fans deserve more than two lonely and lame featurettes. Sheldon and Leonard, probably DVD collectors themselves, would be embarrassed.)