There are some elements of “The Big Bang Theory” that have aged poorly, ranging from its characters’ casual sexism to Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) being a general creep to women. However, the sitcom’s commitment to maintaining scientific accuracy is really quite admirable — which is the view of David Saltzberg, a physicist who worked as a consultant on the show.
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Speaking to Wired back in 2011, Saltzberg noted that the “Big Bang Theory” writers had a strong track record for getting the science right, but he recalled an almost-blunder in season 3’s “The Maternal Congruence” episode. This one sees Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard’s mother, Beverly Hofstadter (Christine Baranski), discuss the complex concept that is quantum brain dynamics theory, which created some headaches behind the scenes. As Saltzberg recalled:
“This theory is about how quantum mechanics is important for consciousness in the brain. It’s a highly disputed theory. But I realized there was nothing we could do because it was so built into the script. I mentioned, ‘There’s probably nothing you can do, but this is not a well-accepted theory.’ They fixed it by saying that they were working on disproving quantum brain dynamics theory. They were able to solve it with one word.”
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In the episode, Leonard’s mom is responsible for disproving the theory despite not being a physicist herself. The conversation is over in a matter of seconds (and it’s overshadowed by Beverly getting drunk and smooching Sheldon), so it would have been easy for viewers to overlook the error if it made it into the episode. However, that was never going to happen on Saltzberg’s watch, as he was trusted to oversee the science stuff.
David Saltzberg brought science to The Big Bang Theory
“The Big Bang Theory” was originally supposed to be about computer programmers, but the sitcom’s central nerds were changed to scientists as its creators felt that the tech industry was too money-driven at the time. Of course, the decision to infuse the sitcom with astrophysics probably made the writers’ jobs even harder, but the powers that be allowed David Saltzberg to have some input regarding the storylines.
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In a 2012 interview with Variety, the consultant elaborated further on his role on “The Big Bang Theory,” revealing that many of the scientific topics that Sheldon Cooper and his friends discuss were, in fact, his idea. In his own words:
“The first batch might only be six pages, and then it slowly grows to a full script, which is about 45 pages. It will say, ‘Leonard is working on Science to Come’ and I’ll have to think about what that might be. You would think you would run out of topics, but there’s always something in the context that just triggers something in my brain right away.”
These days, the “Big Bang Theory” franchise is in a simpler place, as “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage” doesn’t require its writers to Google scientific facts while penning scripts. The latest spin-off is more of a traditional family sitcom, but the characters are passionate about other things — like selling tires and making money. That stuff is just as complex as astrophysics in its own way.
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“The Big Bang Theory” is currently streaming in its entirety on Max.
