One of the many awful consequences of the nerd revolution–aka the nerd-o-lution, or the geek d'etat–that is currently taking place on television with the popularity of shows like Ugly Betty, Heroes, and The Office, is that sooner or later, it will spawn a glut of nerd show pretenders. It's only a matter of time before TV networks realize "Hey this nerd thing is hot. Let's do a show about nerds," and before you know it, hacky, watered-down shows with geek protagonists (geek-tagonists) are sprouting up all over television like so many strip mall stand-up comedy clubs in the mid-80s.
Which brings me to CBS's upcoming Big Bang Theory, a new sitcom centered around two nerd roommates who are totally nerds and isn't it funny how they're nerds?
Not since Jaleel White's subtle, nuanced turn as Steve Urkel in Family Matters, have nerds seemed so believable, so utterly three-dimensional.
In addition to the periodic table shower curtain, bootleg of Stephen Hawking, and the several large notepads filled with equations that Big Bang Theory's writers so accurately pegged as "things nerds would have," here are a few other hilarious typical nerd posessions to include in future episodes: a centerfold of Albert Einstein, a LeVar Burton belt buckle, and a t-shirt that reads "Pythagoras is my homie."