Has Chuck Lorre's career suffered a "silent slip"!? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 05-11-2016, 02:48 AM

Please here me out! Yes, Lorre has been writing and producing The Big Bang Theory, which is and has been one of the most successful shows on TV for a few years. But the quality of the scripts has arguably lowered considerably since 2009 (around the third season).

It seems like since Dharma and Greg back in the '90s, Lorre's work has either been based on homophobia (e.g. Rajesh Khoothrapali, the season of Two and a Half Men, where the "half man" was Charlie's lesbian daughter), fat shaming (Mike and Molly), mocking his idea of autism (Sheldon Cooper) and a long-expected and blatant desperation cry for someone to solve his Oedipal complex and general family issues (Mom). In essence, his material has slowly become a desperate lot.

The exact pinpoint of the detriment of Lorre's career is up for debate, but the first suggestion would be the episode of Two and a Half Men, where they kill Charlie off. There's a Dharma and Greg cameo, where the couple that was characterized for being all lovey-dovey and the perfect quirky marriage are trying to buy the house. Unfortunately, by this point, Dharma had become a lawsuit-happy, manipulative shrew and Greg a passive-aggressive jerk.

Grateful Jerry · 05-15-2016, 06:30 AM

Chuck Lorre began his writing career working on Roseanne. I love some of his work but it can be repetitive.

1. Roseanne/Mike and Molly - You find a lot of the same style fat jokes in both. Roseanne actually accused Chuck a couple of years ago of stealing some of her material on Twitter if I remember right. She said it was stuff she was using before he even joined the show.

2. Grace Under Fire/Moms - Both plots involve mothers who have recently become clean & sober and are now trying to put their lives back in order while dealing with their family and the fallouts from their previous lifestyles.

3. Cybill/Two and a Half Men - One was about a middle age actress who was trying to land small parts in movies of the week and tv commerials. The other is about a middle aged jingle writer who's composing music for movies of the week and tv commercials. Both were known for using crude humor.

When the ratings dropped for Men, the decision was to bring in someone Charlie like but if they brought in another guy to be the womanizer to be the new Charlie, everyone will see what it is but make it a woman (Charlie's daughter even) and no one will get that, lol.

I'm not saying that they are exact copies but I do get a sense of familiarity from these. I also think that the individual differences have more to do with the writers and the actual actors. I love most of these shows but I do think he reuses a lot of the same plots a lot and, after a while, a sense of daja vu begins to creep in for me.

The Big Bang Theory feels the most different to be but I also that probably has a lot to do with the fact that more people have had input. Both Chuck and Bill Prady have admitted that people at U.S.C. have helped with the development of the show. My guess is that if the full truth were know that their involvement has probably been more than people realize.

I'm really not trying to knock him here but I've followed his work since Roseanne. He reminds me of some bands where when you listen to their new songs or albums and you can here the similarities.

king of comedy · 05-15-2016, 07:47 AM

He needs to be more original

JSP · 05-16-2016, 10:36 PM

They made a joke a spaghetti with hot dogs chopped up into it on a couple of shows. I guess that came from Lorre.

05-11-2016, 02:48 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,743	Has Chuck Lorre's career suffered a "silent slip"!? Please here me out! Yes, Lorre has been writing and producing The Big Bang Theory, which is and has been one of the most successful shows on TV for a few years. But the quality of the scripts has arguably lowered considerably since 2009 (around the third season). It seems like since Dharma and Greg back in the '90s, Lorre's work has either been based on homophobia (e.g. Rajesh Khoothrapali, the season of Two and a Half Men, where the "half man" was Charlie's lesbian daughter), fat shaming (Mike and Molly), mocking his idea of autism (Sheldon Cooper) and a long-expected and blatant desperation cry for someone to solve his Oedipal complex and general family issues (Mom). In essence, his material has slowly become a desperate lot. The exact pinpoint of the detriment of Lorre's career is up for debate, but the first suggestion would be the episode of Two and a Half Men, where they kill Charlie off. There's a Dharma and Greg cameo, where the couple that was characterized for being all lovey-dovey and the perfect quirky marriage are trying to buy the house. Unfortunately, by this point, Dharma had become a lawsuit-happy, manipulative shrew and Greg a passive-aggressive jerk.

05-15-2016, 06:30 AM	#2
Grateful Jerry Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 08, 2016 Posts: 5	Chuck Lorre began his writing career working on Roseanne. I love some of his work but it can be repetitive. 1. Roseanne/Mike and Molly - You find a lot of the same style fat jokes in both. Roseanne actually accused Chuck a couple of years ago of stealing some of her material on Twitter if I remember right. She said it was stuff she was using before he even joined the show. 2. Grace Under Fire/Moms - Both plots involve mothers who have recently become clean & sober and are now trying to put their lives back in order while dealing with their family and the fallouts from their previous lifestyles. 3. Cybill/Two and a Half Men - One was about a middle age actress who was trying to land small parts in movies of the week and tv commerials. The other is about a middle aged jingle writer who's composing music for movies of the week and tv commercials. Both were known for using crude humor. When the ratings dropped for Men, the decision was to bring in someone Charlie like but if they brought in another guy to be the womanizer to be the new Charlie, everyone will see what it is but make it a woman (Charlie's daughter even) and no one will get that, lol. I'm not saying that they are exact copies but I do get a sense of familiarity from these. I also think that the individual differences have more to do with the writers and the actual actors. I love most of these shows but I do think he reuses a lot of the same plots a lot and, after a while, a sense of daja vu begins to creep in for me. The Big Bang Theory feels the most different to be but I also that probably has a lot to do with the fact that more people have had input. Both Chuck and Bill Prady have admitted that people at U.S.C. have helped with the development of the show. My guess is that if the full truth were know that their involvement has probably been more than people realize. I'm really not trying to knock him here but I've followed his work since Roseanne. He reminds me of some bands where when you listen to their new songs or albums and you can here the similarities.

05-15-2016, 07:47 AM	#3
king of comedy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 31, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,140	He needs to be more original

05-16-2016, 10:36 PM	#4
JSP Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 19, 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,735	They made a joke a spaghetti with hot dogs chopped up into it on a couple of shows. I guess that came from Lorre.