Steven Helmer Publications

One of the reasons I have a habit of watching The Big Bang Theory  reruns whenever I can't find anything else is, in addition to still getting laughs despite seeing the jokes dozens of times, it is one of the few shows that I legitimately cared about the characters. However, I am also one of the first to admit the six main characters also weren't always the best people, both to themselves and others. Here are what I feel were the worst moments for each of them: Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) betrays his friends/business partners. Sheldon had a "condition" that gave him plenty of awful moments, but I think this was the biggest one.   The guidance system Sheldon built with Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Howard (Simon Helberg) wouldn't have happened without all three of them working as equal partners. So, when Sheldon went behind their backs to redesign the system for the military by himself, it was a pretty big betrayal that frankly probably should have ended their frie...

As I mentioned, I recently watched the debut episode of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe . As might be expected, leading into and shortly after, I binge watched several episodes of The Big Bang Theory, mostly to get me in the mood for the spin-off series. In the past, I mentioned three storylines from TBBT I felt were left unresolved, including which genius got tenure and if Sheldon ( Jim Parsons ) ever addressed his hoarding issue. While in the middle of my re-watch of episodes I've seen dozens of times, I realized there where three more unanswered questions that, while not anything too big, did give me reason to pause. Did Leonard ( Johnny Galecki ) ever get his stolen car back? I am, of course, referring to the car theft that occurred in season 6's "The Bakersfield Expedition," while Leonard and friends were doing their Star Trek-themed photoshoot in the desert while on the way to a comic book convention. The last we see of his car in that episode is the thieves (...

One thing I've always found interesting is how easily it is to become emotionally invested in characters on a television series. You know they aren't real, but when that show goes off the air, you still feel as though you've lost friends. I think this is a big part of the reason spin-offs are so popular. I feel that way about The Big Bang Theory which, with the debut of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe tonight, will have its third spin-off series (though one is technically a spin-off of a prequel) and will emphasize some of the secondary characters that helped make that show great.  As I think about the original series while debating if I'll watch the new spin-off tonight or tomorrow morning, I find myself contemplating each of the seven main characters and how they all changed at some point during the show, some more than others. While those changes were over the course of the full series, I was able to pinpoint the moments I think had the biggest impact for each of...

After being off the air for seven years, The Big Bang Theory will be getting a spin-off series that isn't a prequel and will be centered around characters from the original series, albeit not the main cast members. I haven't decided if I am going to watch Stuart Fails to Save the Universe because, not unlike TBBT's Sheldon Cooper ( Jim Parsons ), I do have to consider if it will be worth the time commitment. Plus, while the plot does sound intriguing, I'm not convinced it wouldn't have been better as a movie rather than a television series. One thing the new show does do for me, however, is remind me of the missed opportunity for another TBBT spinoff that probably wasn't even considered but, if done correctly, could have been a success, at least in my opinion. The spin-off series I am referring to is Professor Proton, starring Wil Wheaton . Let me give you a quick recap in case you need a refresher or haven't seen the series yet (sorry for the spoilers if i...

I needed a moment to regroup following the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last night, ending their season and, as is often the case in situations like that, I found some familiarity by watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory .  As I was doing that, I realized I have now seen every episode at least a half dozen times, despite not even watching the series until a couple years ago, when it was already off the air.  That reflection resulted in me being reminded of some storylines throughout the series that were one-offs without any real resolution. Even to this day, with the added benefit of the Young Sheldon spinoff clearing up a few questions (while creating a few more), these three storylines, which were major plot points for one episode each, remain unresolved. Who Received Tenure? The season 6 episode, "The Tenure Turbulence", put Leonard ( Johnny Galecki ), Sheldon ( Jim Parsons ), Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon Helberg) in direct competition ...

Synopsis: In the late 1980s, Wil Wheaton rose to fame as a teenager after starring in the film Stand by Me and being cast as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation . He decided to leave the latter to pursue a movie career only to discover it was a mistake as he struggled to get cast in even a commercial. His autobiography talks about his life after STNG, his struggles as an actor and his blog. Review: To tell you the truth, like a lot of people, Wesley Crusher was always my least favorite character on STNG. This wasn't so much because I didn't think Wil Wheaton did an OK job as much as the writers never seemed to figure out a way to make him less annoying. And as part of that, I wasn't really a big Wil Wheaton fan until much later, when he started making guest appearances as a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory and I had an opportunity to see just how funny he was. My decision to check this book out from the library was based more on TBBT...