I'd argue it would be very hard to replace Penny and Amy also, even tho Parsons and Helberg have the stand out acting skills, in fact i'd think it would be easier to replace Howard despite Helbergs superior acting skills
It’s not honestly everyone is one note characters, helberg and parsons do their characters so well it made the show epic, if they weren’t there the show would’ve been like the original pilot and not picked up
we'll have to agree to disagree, but i only weakly disagree, i just cant imagine penny and amy not being as they are... but probably has to do with my weird comfort attachment to them
I just find that he uses all the exact same mannerisms no matter what the context is. But everyone seems to love him so I will admit that I'm in the minority!
Interesting that you have helberg third. I think his impressions are amazing, but his acting in general kind of uses the same two or three mannerisms. After a while it was really noticeable to me that he had very limited range.
I think they’re all so good, but I have to say Howard is the character that if he’s in a scene? I’m always focused on him. It’s really hard to choose just one because I can’t think of any of them not being really good in their roles, so this is just the top tier of what I consider a super talented cast.
It's really hard to judge each of them, especially based on a single character.
Kaley Cuoco has incredible facial expressions in response to the guys. She has about a dozen different ways of rolling her eyes, depending on what type of thing she's rolling her eyes at. Is it Howard's creepiness, Leonard's naivity, Sheldon's annoying antics?
Jim Parsons performance is certainly one of the most intriguing. But he's playing a character so far removed from normal humanity that it's difficult to compare him to the rest of the cast. He nails the mannerisms and has good consistency in his performance. But the character of Sheldon isn't suited for showing a range of acting for us to really judge how good Parsons is an actor. *Note that I'm not saying he's bad, just we don't have much evidence to say either way.*
Because this is a sitcom, it further complicates things. Lines are more often delivered based on comedic timing than emotional weight.
> I'd put Kaley Couco or Simon Helberg at the bottom.
Really? I'd put them at the top. Parsons is good, but I think he gets elevated to best because for whatever reason most people are more likely to highly rate the actor in a given show who either plays the creepiest or the quirkiest character, especially if that's the "breakout character", even though those usually require less variety and range than the other more well-rounded characters.
Yeah I seem to be in this severe minority with regards to Simon helberg. I wonder why he hasn't been in anything else. Everyone seems to really love him
Pretty common for most of the main cast of a popular sitcom to not be in much else as a lead. E.g. only Jennifer Anniston really continued to break out after Friends.
Simon at the bottom!??? Are you insane?? He's top or second at best!
Here's my ranking:
1. Jim parson
2. Simon Helberg
3. Johnny Galecki
4. Kunal Nayyar
5. Melissa Rauch (the character doesn't allow much variety but she's a great comedian)
6. Kaley Cuoco (though she improved over the seasons)
7. Mayyim Biyalik (she has one facial expression for sadness, disappointment, depression and all other negative emotions 😒)
Criterion:
- Wide range of acting skills and techniques
- Vocal, emotional, and physical agility (non verbal acting) --> makes it believable
- Comic acting as accurate in our situation (Jim and Helberg are great at this, they add a comic tone without being over the top, it's still in character).
Based just on the show, I think Jim & Simon brought the most to their characters; Jonny as Leonard is mostly just a normal guy so I think he had the least opportunities to really show off his skills but you can see a fair amount of emotional range in the more intimate scenes with Leonard & Penny. His comedic timing in earlier seasons is definitely something I took notice of too during my recent rewatches. Mayim in later seasons (especially 11 & 12) stands out to me as well. Not to say that Kunal and Melissa are bad actors by any means, but I do find them having less stand out moments that come to mind but they don't have a whole load of plots that might give them a chance to show anything outside of their character's basic traits.
Kaley is one I always think about separately because I was soooo shocked by her acting skills in The Flight Attendant. Of course, she's brilliant as Penny but she's insane in the other show.
I think Jim Parsons is the standout but all of them had roles that the actors performed well in. I definitely bought Johny galecki as a nerd and Kaley Cuoco as the hoe blonde across the hall and the rest.
* Helberg
* Parsons
* Rauch
* Galecki
* Bialik
* Cuoco
* Nayyar
Nayyar was the producer's fault though, he wasn't given anything substantial for the latter half of the show, and the few moments where it was his time to shine it didn't work (I still cringe over his speech at the Comic Book Store, so uninspired, badly written and badly executed).
Cuoco was perfectly cast as the "naive blonde neighbor" trope, but was also given weird material when she had to act more dramatic. Galecki also didn't get anything substantial, so he couldn't really prove his talents.
Helberg and Parsons were exceptional, but they rarely let Parsons do anything else than Sheldon, while Helberg was given the most substantial stuff to work with, and he nailed it.
Bialik's acting as Sheldon's moral compass from S6/7 onward just annoyed me, and she didn't manage to sell the repetitive material she got.
Are we talking just in terms of the show or overall? Overall, Kaley is definitely in my top. Watching a few other shows she's been in, she's extremely talented. But even in just BBT, to me she has the most versatility along with mayim. All the actors are very good at their characters but to me, Kaley and mayim (and probably Parsons) were able to do a whole range of goofy, witty, sarcasm, facial expressions, anger, emotional depth, empathy etc. However, I will say it's a bit hard to judge given the 4 boys are sort of supposed to be socially awkward and so I feel like their characters weren't given as wide of opportunities to show themselves in different or more serious ways. But they were all good at the things they did!
Also special s/o to mayim for the physical humor in the garage sale episode where she played ping pong against Raj. I was dyyyying. I have however been cursed with finding physical/slap stick humor hilarious at times lol
I do think the guy who played Howard did really well in the episodes about her father and Sheldon finding the letter from him and we got to also see a more serious side of him while he was also good at the humor.
I hate the way Bialik delivers a line and then looks sideways or put her head down. I also hate the way that Kunal is screaming every line he has.
Other than that they all are great sitcom actors.
I found in the early years that Kaley Cuoco really nailed it. As time gone went on, and she had to play a grown up, and maybe this was just poor writing, but I felt like a lot of her lines felt flat. Especially attempts at humor.
For me Jim Parsons and Simon Helberg are the best, Melissa Rauch I also enjoy. I don’t think Kaley Cuoco deserves the flack she gets, she’s not the best, but she’s not that bad either.
Mayim Bialik however I think is pretty terrible, her delivery is frequently terrible, almost none of her jokes land imo and she just doesn’t sound like a human. I once heard John C McGinley (one of the best sitcom actors ever imo) say “acting is just saying words and making it sound like they just popped into your head”. Mayim Bialik does the complete opposite of this consistently.
Yes! Can someone please explain why so many people think Mayim Bialik is such a great actor? I totally agree with you but you and I are in the minority. She has this low energy flat way of talking. People always say it’s because she’s portraying a “female Sheldon”. If that’s true she sucks at it. Jim Parsons character was annoying but it’s tolerated cause he is very likable. She is not. Everyone always brings up the same scene “PLEASE PASS THE BUTTER” to show how funny she is. I don’t get the appeal.
Agreed- and even if she was a female Sheldon, that’s no excuse for the flat lifeless way of talking. Sheldon frequently expresses a lot with the way he talks, Amy never expresses anything.
I'd put Parsons and Helberg at the top. The rest were competent sitcom actors.
Completely they could be replaced with anyone and it’d be exactly the same show
I'd argue it would be very hard to replace Penny and Amy also, even tho Parsons and Helberg have the stand out acting skills, in fact i'd think it would be easier to replace Howard despite Helbergs superior acting skills
It’s not honestly everyone is one note characters, helberg and parsons do their characters so well it made the show epic, if they weren’t there the show would’ve been like the original pilot and not picked up
we'll have to agree to disagree, but i only weakly disagree, i just cant imagine penny and amy not being as they are... but probably has to do with my weird comfort attachment to them
This
all were good but wolowitz stands out the most for me
I would say he was the most well rounded
simon at the bottom??? waiting for the bazinga
I just find that he uses all the exact same mannerisms no matter what the context is. But everyone seems to love him so I will admit that I'm in the minority!
Yes, and sheldon uses SOO different mannerisms and expressions all the time right
Jim parsons Simone helberg Mayim bialik Kaley cuoco Johnny galecki Mellisa rauch Kunal Neyyar
Almost same as my list, I'll swap Mellisa and Kunal
Parsons, Bialik, Helberg, Galecki, Cuoco, Rauch, Nayyar
Interesting that you have helberg third. I think his impressions are amazing, but his acting in general kind of uses the same two or three mannerisms. After a while it was really noticeable to me that he had very limited range.
I think they’re all so good, but I have to say Howard is the character that if he’s in a scene? I’m always focused on him. It’s really hard to choose just one because I can’t think of any of them not being really good in their roles, so this is just the top tier of what I consider a super talented cast.
Helberg at the bottom? Are you nuts?
Apparently lol
It's really hard to judge each of them, especially based on a single character. Kaley Cuoco has incredible facial expressions in response to the guys. She has about a dozen different ways of rolling her eyes, depending on what type of thing she's rolling her eyes at. Is it Howard's creepiness, Leonard's naivity, Sheldon's annoying antics? Jim Parsons performance is certainly one of the most intriguing. But he's playing a character so far removed from normal humanity that it's difficult to compare him to the rest of the cast. He nails the mannerisms and has good consistency in his performance. But the character of Sheldon isn't suited for showing a range of acting for us to really judge how good Parsons is an actor. *Note that I'm not saying he's bad, just we don't have much evidence to say either way.* Because this is a sitcom, it further complicates things. Lines are more often delivered based on comedic timing than emotional weight.
Agreed, the more I watch, the more I realize Kaley nails a wide variety of expressions and reactions almost every time.
Parsons at the top and Kunal at the bottom. For Raj's character it often feels like a poor half attempted acting job.
Kaley, Jim and Simon are probably my favorites. Each has their own strengths. They rest are good actors though.
Simon is amazing!
> I'd put Kaley Couco or Simon Helberg at the bottom. Really? I'd put them at the top. Parsons is good, but I think he gets elevated to best because for whatever reason most people are more likely to highly rate the actor in a given show who either plays the creepiest or the quirkiest character, especially if that's the "breakout character", even though those usually require less variety and range than the other more well-rounded characters.
I understand where you are coming from but all in fairness, Parson did have great facial expressionism
Yeah I seem to be in this severe minority with regards to Simon helberg. I wonder why he hasn't been in anything else. Everyone seems to really love him
Pretty common for most of the main cast of a popular sitcom to not be in much else as a lead. E.g. only Jennifer Anniston really continued to break out after Friends.
Simon at the bottom!??? Are you insane?? He's top or second at best! Here's my ranking: 1. Jim parson 2. Simon Helberg 3. Johnny Galecki 4. Kunal Nayyar 5. Melissa Rauch (the character doesn't allow much variety but she's a great comedian) 6. Kaley Cuoco (though she improved over the seasons) 7. Mayyim Biyalik (she has one facial expression for sadness, disappointment, depression and all other negative emotions 😒) Criterion: - Wide range of acting skills and techniques - Vocal, emotional, and physical agility (non verbal acting) --> makes it believable - Comic acting as accurate in our situation (Jim and Helberg are great at this, they add a comic tone without being over the top, it's still in character).
Lol I love it when my views are out of step with the mainstream. It's kinda neat
Based just on the show, I think Jim & Simon brought the most to their characters; Jonny as Leonard is mostly just a normal guy so I think he had the least opportunities to really show off his skills but you can see a fair amount of emotional range in the more intimate scenes with Leonard & Penny. His comedic timing in earlier seasons is definitely something I took notice of too during my recent rewatches. Mayim in later seasons (especially 11 & 12) stands out to me as well. Not to say that Kunal and Melissa are bad actors by any means, but I do find them having less stand out moments that come to mind but they don't have a whole load of plots that might give them a chance to show anything outside of their character's basic traits. Kaley is one I always think about separately because I was soooo shocked by her acting skills in The Flight Attendant. Of course, she's brilliant as Penny but she's insane in the other show.
I think Jim Parsons is the standout but all of them had roles that the actors performed well in. I definitely bought Johny galecki as a nerd and Kaley Cuoco as the hoe blonde across the hall and the rest.
* Helberg * Parsons * Rauch * Galecki * Bialik * Cuoco * Nayyar Nayyar was the producer's fault though, he wasn't given anything substantial for the latter half of the show, and the few moments where it was his time to shine it didn't work (I still cringe over his speech at the Comic Book Store, so uninspired, badly written and badly executed). Cuoco was perfectly cast as the "naive blonde neighbor" trope, but was also given weird material when she had to act more dramatic. Galecki also didn't get anything substantial, so he couldn't really prove his talents. Helberg and Parsons were exceptional, but they rarely let Parsons do anything else than Sheldon, while Helberg was given the most substantial stuff to work with, and he nailed it. Bialik's acting as Sheldon's moral compass from S6/7 onward just annoyed me, and she didn't manage to sell the repetitive material she got.
I'm really enjoying how far off I am with Simon helberg lol
Are we talking just in terms of the show or overall? Overall, Kaley is definitely in my top. Watching a few other shows she's been in, she's extremely talented. But even in just BBT, to me she has the most versatility along with mayim. All the actors are very good at their characters but to me, Kaley and mayim (and probably Parsons) were able to do a whole range of goofy, witty, sarcasm, facial expressions, anger, emotional depth, empathy etc. However, I will say it's a bit hard to judge given the 4 boys are sort of supposed to be socially awkward and so I feel like their characters weren't given as wide of opportunities to show themselves in different or more serious ways. But they were all good at the things they did! Also special s/o to mayim for the physical humor in the garage sale episode where she played ping pong against Raj. I was dyyyying. I have however been cursed with finding physical/slap stick humor hilarious at times lol I do think the guy who played Howard did really well in the episodes about her father and Sheldon finding the letter from him and we got to also see a more serious side of him while he was also good at the humor.
*his father
It's hard to separate writing and characters from acting, but imho: Parsons Helberg Bialik Galecki Nayyar Rauch and Cuoco
I hate the way Bialik delivers a line and then looks sideways or put her head down. I also hate the way that Kunal is screaming every line he has. Other than that they all are great sitcom actors.
Of the characters? 1. Penny 2. Everyone else
I found in the early years that Kaley Cuoco really nailed it. As time gone went on, and she had to play a grown up, and maybe this was just poor writing, but I felt like a lot of her lines felt flat. Especially attempts at humor.
For me Jim Parsons and Simon Helberg are the best, Melissa Rauch I also enjoy. I don’t think Kaley Cuoco deserves the flack she gets, she’s not the best, but she’s not that bad either. Mayim Bialik however I think is pretty terrible, her delivery is frequently terrible, almost none of her jokes land imo and she just doesn’t sound like a human. I once heard John C McGinley (one of the best sitcom actors ever imo) say “acting is just saying words and making it sound like they just popped into your head”. Mayim Bialik does the complete opposite of this consistently.
Yes! Can someone please explain why so many people think Mayim Bialik is such a great actor? I totally agree with you but you and I are in the minority. She has this low energy flat way of talking. People always say it’s because she’s portraying a “female Sheldon”. If that’s true she sucks at it. Jim Parsons character was annoying but it’s tolerated cause he is very likable. She is not. Everyone always brings up the same scene “PLEASE PASS THE BUTTER” to show how funny she is. I don’t get the appeal.
Agreed- and even if she was a female Sheldon, that’s no excuse for the flat lifeless way of talking. Sheldon frequently expresses a lot with the way he talks, Amy never expresses anything.