Minsk Rips-Off Big Bang Theory
Feb 17, 2010
By Vijai
Cookie-cutter versions of New York’s Sex & the City might be exciting fare for the Russians, but not for the geekier Belarussians, who go for more underground fare. Their choice is perfectly befitting a country that’s so frozen in Soviet time that it’s become a cult destination among a certain jetset. Why copy Desperate Housewives, The Office, Prison Break, when you can recreate HBO’s Big Bang Theory.
Most of you might not have heard about the series, but it’s a brilliant homage to geekdom, hitting so close to home it makes me twitchy. (I studied theoretical physics at Caltech for a year!) Already into its third season, Big Bang Theory ranks with Curb Your Enthusiasm and Breaking Bad as one of my favorite TV shows. Featuring four geeks, comic books, hardcore video games, one Jewish mother, one ditsy blond, and enough arcane science references to boggle a Bill Gates, watching the show feels like reading a comic version of Scientific American. You can gloat over their social ineptness and sexless lives, while feeling smart and brain-boosted at the same time. It’s a perfect antidote to a mindless night at Shooters picking up teenie boppers!
Scientists are sexy in America these days cos many of them go on to found multi-million dollar tech startups. In Belarussia, in contrast, they’ve always been sexy. During the Soviet era, scientists were the empire’s elite, powering its high-tech race against the United States. With Belarus a mini-replica of the Soviet Union—a statue of the KGB founder still graces one of its main squares—it’s no surprise that they chose Big Bang over Prison Break. (The latter would hit too close to home, given all the opposition leaders behind bars!)
Their version is called Theorists (lame!) and follows similar plot lines, with the geeks stumbling around wooing the blond waitress when not holed up in a Soviet flat playing video games, or doing time at the lab. Their names are the same, and there’s even an Indian character, Raj, as in the American series. However, the horny, Jewish scientist Howard is replaced by his older uncle. Ha! And, Natasha, like all good Belarussian babes, seems to prefer older men, bemoaning at one point why an older, richer scientist hasn’t noticed her. For that, we’ll take Minsk over Pasadena.
