The Big Bang Theorymight be the most popular sitcom about geeks, butThe IT Crowddid a much better job of satirizing that subculture. From 2007 to 2019,The Big Bang Theoryran for 12 seasonsas one of the highest-rated comedies on TV. But, while it was beloved by general audiences,the specific community it depicted — sci-fi fans and comic book readers — felt that it misrepresented them. It paid lip service to various pop culture references, but it played more like a jock’s idea of what nerds are like.
There are plenty of lesser-known sitcoms that portray geek culture more accurately thanThe Big Bang Theory.Silicon Valleyis a hilarious series about socially awkward programmers trying to make their way in the cutthroat tech industry.Rick and Mortyis a delightfully twisted cartoon about a mad scientist disrupting the multiverse with his sci-fi gadgets. But the best of theBig Bang-style nerdy sitcomsisThe IT Crowd.The IT Crowdpremiered more than a year beforeThe Big Bang Theoryand beat it at its own game.
The IT Crowd Does The “Geeky Guys/Regular Girl” Formula Much Better Than The Big Bang Theory
It’s A Much More Authentic Portrayal Of Nerd Culture
The IT Crowdis a much funnier, much more realistic take onThe Big Bang Theory’s “geeky guys/regular girl” formula.It revolves around the I.T. department at the lavish London offices of a fictional British corporationcalled Reynholm Industries. While the upper floors have modern architecture, bright lighting, and gorgeous views of the London skyline, the I.T. department is crammed into a dank, dingy basement.The IT Crowdstars Chris O’Dowd as sardonic I.T. technician Roy, Richard Ayoade as sheepish computer wiz Moss, and Katherine Parkinson as their hopelessly tech-illiterate manager, Jen.
The IT Crowdconcluded its run with a one-off special, “The Internet is Coming,” in 2013.
Created byFather Ted’s Graham Linehan,The IT Crowdcaptures nerd culture much better thanThe Big Bang Theory. It doesn’t just throw in sci-fi and fantasy references like Mad Libs, and it’s never mean-spirited in its characterization.The IT Crowdmixes nerdy elements into farcical storylines, like Roy and Moss using an app to fake football fandom and ending up embroiled in a bank heist.The IT Crowd’s best episodesinvolve a disastrous work outing to the theater, a fire at a Sea Parks, and aFight Club-style secret society playing Street Countdown.
NBC Shot A Pilot, But The Series Was Scrapped
An American remake ofThe IT Crowdwas developed by NBC for the 2007–08 season. It starred Joel McHale as Roy, Jessica St. Clair as Jen, and Rocky Carroll as Denholm, with Ayoade reprising his role as Moss. A pilot episode was filmed in January 2007, and a full series was ordered shortly thereafter, butit was swiftly canceled when the network got a new chairman, Ben Silverman, who was dissatisfied withThe IT Crowdreimagining. This is further proof that the U.S. redo ofThe Officebeing as successful as it was is nothing short of a miracle.
