Belarus Sitcom The Theorist Copied The Big Bang Theory.
Ever heard of “The Theorists”? Yeah, me neither until recently. It was this sitcom from Belarus that aired in 2010 and was a total rip-off of “The Big Bang Theory”. Yep, you heard me right. They didn’t just steal an idea or two – they went all out and copied whole episodes, practically word for word.
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It was a shocking moment for Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, the creators of “The Big Bang Theory”, when they discovered this blatant plagiarism. Imagine pouring all your energy into creating something original, and then somebody just steals it and presents it as their own. Not cool, right?
“The Theorists” didn’t even bother to change the characters too much. They just slapped on Belarusian names, but everything else, from their quirks to their dialogue, was directly lifted from “The Big Bang Theory”.
Okay, here’s the funny part – even the actors in “The Theorists” didn’t know they were starring in a stolen show. They were just doing their job, right? But when they found out, they were like, “Nope, we’re out”. All of them quit, and the show got canned. Justice served!
Now, if you’re thinking, “Well, maybe it wasn’t that bad?” Trust me, it was. I decided to give it a try, sat through about 10 minutes of it, and it was a nightmare. Most of the time, I was squinting at the screen trying to figure out who was supposed to be Sheldon. My best guess is that it’s the tall one.
And it’s not just me. The Russian version of IMDB, KinoPoisk, gave it a measly 1.1 out of 10 stars. That’s like the equivalent of a “don’t even bother” rating.
If you’re curious and want to see how bad it really was, here’s a link to an episode of “The Theorists” with English subtitles. I warn you, it’s a real treat. On the bright side, their version of Penny is kinda…nice. So, if you’re up for a laugh, check it out: The Theorists episode.
But don’t say I didn’t warn you! 🙂
