Newest 'Big Bang Theory' episode a reminder why the show is so popular

The newest episode of the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” included Sheldon (Jim Parsons) revealing a secret to his girlfriend, Amy (Mayim Bialik), as the program continues to be a huge hit for its network. 

In the March 31 episode, Sheldon revealed to his girlfriend, Amy, that he has a storage locker where he keeps everything others would usually throw away, such as VHS tapes and old plastic bags. 

The revelation led to Sheldon and Amy becoming closer. Meanwhile, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Howard (Simon Helberg) sneak out to a movie without telling their significant others, Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch). 

The sitcom is currently airing its ninth season and is a massive hit for network CBS. “Big” has received several Emmy nominations and won in some categories, including Parsons winning the Emmy Award for lead actor in a comedy series. 

In its eighth season, “Big” continued to do well in the ratings, placing in the top five network shows with the average highest ratings for both viewers 18-49 and total viewers for the 2014-2015 TV season.

What keeps viewers coming back?

Megan Garber of The Atlantic found that the character of Sheldon is a big part of the show’s appeal. 

“That kind of stark transformation may be standard when it comes to prestige dramas and the shows that aspire to be counted among them,” Ms. Garber wrote of Sheldon’s change as a character. “It is, however, a relatively rare thing in network sitcoms, whose formulas generally rely on characters who remain reliably constant … ‘The Big Bang Theory’ may not be a good show in any literary or aesthetic or artistic sense of that word. It may traffic in tired stereotypes, and over-rely on recycled jokes, and in general serve, for better or for worse, as a textbook example of the 'serviceable sitcom.' With Sheldon, though, the show gets a little bit literary. It offers its audience room for analysis, and interpretation.” 

Guardian writer Melissa Locker also points out that, like other popular sitcoms, there aren’t any complicated plotlines that viewers need to be aware of to tune in. 

“Taking cues from ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Friends,’ the show is truly nothing more than friends hanging out ... without complicated plots, twists or cliffhangers,” Ms. Locker wrote.

Locker also found that the themes of the show are ones with which audiences can sympathize.

“Penny is trying to realize her dreams,” she wrote. “Leonard fears he can’t live up to his parents’ expectations, Sheldon struggles to connect to those around him. The characters breathe life into the idea that geniuses are just like us, which is exactly what the fans love.”