‘The Big Bang Theory’ fails to follows its original genius

Sheldon Cooper hates change. He adheres to a strict hygiene routine every morning, does his laundry every Saturday evening and knocks on every door precisely three times before entering a room. He is a man of structure. And it makes sense: There is no point in changing something that doesn’t need to be changed.

Which is exactly what we’d like to tell the writers of “The Big Bang Theory.” Sheldon Cooper is a comic-book-loving, quantum-physics-studying, awkward-hugging, laundry-folding, door-knocking genius of a man. He is unbelievably annoying, frustrating and infuriating. And it works.

Throughout the seventh season of the hit sitcom, however, it seemed as if the show’s writers were trying to change him. In fact, the entire gang, consisting of Sheldon’s roommate, Leonard and their friends Raj and Howard has grown rather one-dimensional and bland.

The past few seasons have revealed major changes for the core characters. Howard and his newly wed Bernadette are now a stable couple and have settled into the humdrum of married life. Penny and Leonard were once a mismatched pair, but their engagement and solidity as a couple have detracted from the spontaneity of their relationship. Even Raj, who was once unable to speak to women without the aid of alcohol, has built a relationship.

And while it is nice to see that the gang has made some progress, it seems as if the writers have lost touch with the essence of the characters.

The four “nerds” were, at one point, cringe-worthily awkward and rather robotic in their speech and movements. But fans loved it: We loved Sheldon’s roommate agreement (and his relationship agreement and his schedule for bowel movements); we loved Raj for his inability to speak to women; we even loved (well, liked) Howard, insensitive jokes and all.

There was something endearing about the fact that they were miles away from perfect, but that they did what they loved despite the strict guidelines that society set for them.

Ultimately, that’s what it is all about. In its essence, “The Big Bang Theory” is about not conforming. It’s about the passion that the gang has for their work. It’s about eccentricity and instability.

Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj may not be strong or able to speak to large numbers of people without stuttering. They may be klutzy and unbalanced and perhaps even a little crazy (although Sheldon will deny it), but they have the courage to openly love the strange, the weird, the abnormal.

As the eighth season goes into full swing, all we can hope is that the hilarious, timeless jokes that once made “The Big Bang Theory” the show it is, as well as the core characters’ quirks, will return. These lovable geeks help us remember that although the world is constantly pressuring us to change, it is all right to go against the current, to be unstable and perhaps even a little crazy.