The Legen-dary Bazinga!

Never before in the history of television have two such entertaining, yet completely similar, characters been on air at the same time.

I’ve never heard of them. Tell me more.

Set in a predominantly scientific show, Sheldon Cooper - played by Jim Parsons - from The Big Bang Theory is a quirky theoretical physicist with multiple degrees and possibly the highest IQ since Einstein. However, this substantial knowledge leaves him with a complete lack of social skills and failure to comprehend humour. The producers of the show build on this, and his emotional ineptitude is the subject of many jokes and frequently comes to the fore in serious situations. Contrary to his on-screen persona, Jim Parsons is a very amicable person and was even voted as friendliest in his high school.

The exact opposite of Sheldon Cooper - if such a thing were possible - would be Barney Stinson, brought to life by Neil Patrick Harris of Doogie Howser fame. From the globally popular How I Met Your Mother, Stinson is the stereotypical ‘ladies man’ with over 200 (yes, two hundred!) physical encounters to his name. Handsome, confident and always “suited up,” Barney claims to have only one rule to life. Trick is that it changes to accommodate the situation at hand. Neil is an amateur magician in real-life, and lends this skill to Barney Stinson as a way to woo women. But he is gay in real life and is now engaged to his partner David.

What is so interesting about them?

While Barney, unlike Sheldon, is capable of emotions, demonstrated as he admits his feelings for Robin (the sweetheart of the show), he does not seem to feel sorry about one-night stands, which appear to be a daily occurrence. He has a standard printed apology letter with blanks where he writes the name of the female friend of the night, and leaves for her to read when she awakens. Where does he get the energy for all this? Well, Neil drinks so much Red Bull on and off the set, that the company has given him a lifetime supply and a mini-fridge as a token for his free advertisement.

Sheldon, on the other hand, seems to have absolutely no interest in females (or males, for that matter) and does not believe in love. His female counterpart Amy is similar, though she does give in to “biological urges” from time to time. Sheldon and Amy are a perfect match according to the dating website Sheldon’s friends found her on. But their relationship is purely platonic. Between them, they often crack jokes which one  needs a scientific background to grasp. Their sense of humour is very different from normal human beings. Jim, like Neil, also allegedly swings the other way, and is said to be engaged to his long-time partner, Todd. It seems Jim and Neil have more in common than we thought.

Barney is shown to be struggling with father issues, and hence directs all his love towards his mother. He wants her to be happy, and to that end even hires a professional actress and child actor to convince her he has a family. Similarly, Sheldon finds recluse from certain situations in the affection of his doting mother. He respects her wishes and does not go against them. His relationship with his father is never discussed, but it is known that both have a temper.

So why should I watch both shows?

Both Barney and Sheldon have a central group of friends around whom the shows revolve. Neither is considered a protagonist, but they are the central sources of humour. The shows are set in completely different backgrounds, and hence humour in one show does not match the other. But despite this, these two characters have managed to form huge fan bases, even sharing a large number of fans.

Sounds interesting. What should I expect?

Because of the large appeal of these two characters, both have started trends across the world. Sheldon’s own brand of humour is very sadistic, and his punch-line ‘bazinga!’ has achieved a Facebook page of it’s own. On the other hand, Barney’s “true story” line, which immediately succeeds a completely ridiculous and unbelievable story, has also gathered many fans and is now in common use.

Neil Patrick Harris has won a number of awards for his role, including three Emmys and two Golden Globes. Jim Parsons has also won two Emmys and a Golden Globe, among others. Both characters are exceptionally portrayed, and it would be a shame if you aren’t already watching the shows. But regret not, there is time to catch up!


Bazinga, that's How I Met Your Mother.

-Burrp