Many The Big Bang Theory fans agree that if they could change one thing about the sitcom, it would be the obnoxious laugh track. By now, countless sitcom fans recognize laugh tracks as an irritating sitcom trope, and The Big Bang Theory takes it even further than most other sitcoms do.
Some jokes or gags in The Big Bang Theory did feel laugh track-worthy, but most didn't, which made it look like the show was flattering itself. The laugh track also kept forcing the cast to wait to deliver their lines, creating odd gaps in the narrative. A remake would either make sparing use of a laugh track or ditch the idea entirely.
From the very start, the cheerful, lovable Penny was written to be a stereotypical "dumb blonde," which is predictable at best and deeply insulting at worst. The show went too far to make Penny a foil to the main cast, being a socially adept but intellectually subpar character.
It's true that Penny later went back to college and got an impressive white-collar job to bridge the gap between her and all the scientist characters. Even so, a remake of The Big Bang Theory would do well to make Penny simply an "average" young adult rather than an outright "dumb blonde" like that.
The off-screen character Mrs. Wolowitz was a riot as a highly protective mother who often shouts her conversations with other peole across an entire house, but some of her humor was too harsh. Primarily, The Big Bang Theory constantly mocked her for being plus-sized, and none of it was necessary.
The show already made Mrs. Wolowitz memorable and distinct in other ways, so the show didn't need one more gag surrounding her character. It had no real impact on her character arc. Instead, Mrs. Wolowitz was best defined by her emotional scars about Mr. Wolowitz suddenly abandoning the family, making Mrs. Wolowitz cling to her son even more tightly.
A few comments and scenes early in The Big Bang Theory were highly inappropriate for the time, and doubly so today. Fortunately, the show soon abandoned this distasteful brand of humor, but even so, it's shocking to rewatch the first three seasons and hear openly transphobic dialogue.
In the very first episode, the roommates Leonard and Sheldon saw Penny, and compared her favorably to their previous across-the-hall neighbor, whom Sheldon described in harsh terms. The joke surfaced again in a flashback sequence in Season 3, when that previous neighbor appeared and was treated as a cheap joke.
The Big Bang Theory's character designs often indulged in obvious stereotypes, and not just with Penny as a "dumb blonde." The show also reduced Sheldon's mother Mary to a total stereotype about Bible Belt residents. There's nothing wrong with a sitcom character taking their Christian faith seriously, but they don't have to be a caricature about it.
Mary Cooper's simple, straightforward design made her predictable, and created a tense and largely unnecessary "science vs religion" narrative when plenty of people in real life can embrace both. Mary Cooper's character suggested that absolutely everyone in Texas and other Southern states are horribly narrow-minded and fanatical about their faith, which isn't true.
A few seasons in, The Big Bang Theory introduced two new female scientist characters, the hot-tempered Bernadette and the awkward but empathetic Amy Farrah Fowler. It was good to bring in more smart female characters, but the show waited a big too long to usher them in.
This relatively minor mistake could easily be fixed in a remake of The Big Bang Theory. Introducing Amy and Bernadette earlier could balance the show's narrative and start these characters' development sooner. Amy could appear as soon as Season 1, and Bernadette could soon follow to help bring out Howard's better side.
From the very start, the genius Dr. Sheldon Cooper was written as the "awkward but brilliant" type, complete with his laser-focused interests, comedically weak social skills and bizarre personality quirks. The problem is that no one can tell why Sheldon is like this, though some educated fans can make an educated guess.
Sheldon Cooper's character outwardly resembles an Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, though The Big Bang Theory's writers have stated that Sheldon wasn't designed with that in mind. He could instead be described as Broader Autism Phenotype, or BAP, but even so, his character has a tricky relationship with the autism community. Although the prequel series Young Sheldon is diving into his backstory, ideally, a remake would either totally redesign Sheldon to not resemble ASD or BAP, or he could actually be confirmed as a person with autism and written tastefully with that in mind.
Leonard Hofstadter had sympathetic insecurities that helped define his character arc, which also led to his will-they-won't-they romance with Penny for years. It became a problem when The Big Bang Theory started overplaying its hand and making Leonard feel downright pitiful about it.
Leonard's likability took several hits since he cared far too much about everyone else giving him validation. He even sabotaged himself several times this way, making his romance with Penny take too long to reach its peak. A remake of The Big Bang Theory could tone this down and make Leonard a little needy, but not overwhelmingly so.
Sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory create compelling character arcs when the main characters strive toward relatable life milestones like getting married, buying a house, having children and the like. It was wonderful to watch Howard strive for that with his girlfriend turned wife Bernadette, but the peak lasted too long.
Eventually, The Big Bang Theory was simply about geeks who identified more as successful and happy adults than as awkward young adults, and that took the magic out of the show. Everyone's lifetime end goals felt tedious and drawn-out in the later seasons, while a remake series would end sooner and not have so many domestic doldrums scenes.
It's a common sitcom trope for the main characters to live in a major city and rent a roomy apartment despite their low-paying jobs. Such a set does give the crew more room to film the scenes, but it also raises eyebrows about how characters like Penny can pay rent for such accommodations.
Even if The Big Bang Theory made some "Penny's behind on rent" jokes, it still felt odd. Ideally, a remake version would give Penny a roommate to split the rent with, and a roommate could also play off of Penny in all kinds of fun ways. The show, especially in earlier seasons, needed to give Penny chemistry with people besides Leonard and Sheldon.
