After a phenomenal performance in the cryptocurrency market this year, which brought with it a great deal of media attention, world-famous digital currency Bitcoin is set to feature in an episode of award-winning CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Following its premiere in 2007, The Big Bang Theory became an instant hit with geeks and non-geeks alike, due to its premise involving five friends – two physicists at Caltech (Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstader), an astrophysicist (Raj Khutrapali), an aerospace engineer (Howard Walowitz) and an unlikely addition – Penny, an attractive waitress. With its geeky takes on everyday life situations, and the characters’ awkward attempts to deal with them, the show has garnered a massive fan following.
Currently in its 11th season, The Big Bang Theory will be airing an episode titled ‘The Bitcoin Entanglement’ on November 30, 2017. The 7th episode of the season will revolve around the characters finding a laptop belonging to Penny’s ex-boyfriend Zack. Things get interesting when the five friends discover the laptop contains Bitcoins – a windfall discovery, given that Bitcoin (in the real world) increased more than sevenfold in value this year, going from $1,000 at the start of 2017 to $7,700+ this month.
Given the show’s genre, Bitcoin fits right in, and is a natural topic for the show to tackle – the episode is likely to add to the digital coin’s popularity. In addition to its disruptive potential, Bitcoin’s dramatic price spikes and controversies such as the current SegWit2x saga, secure it a natural spot in pop culture.
Interestingly, The Big Bang Theory is not the first show to feature Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency has also featured earlier on two other notable shows – sci-fi cop show Almost Human and political/legal drama The Good Wife. The 13th episode in the 3rd season of The Good Wife centers on defense attorney Alicia taking on the case of a lawyer who is refusing to reveal the identity of his client – a man wanted by the U.S. Treasury Department for creating a virtual currency called Bitcoin (a not-so-subtle reference to the mysterious and elusive Satoshi Nakamoto).
In addition to cameos in TV shows, Bitcoin also has vocal supporters among the rich and famous, including A-list celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Mike Tyson, and superstar billionaire investor Richard Branson, all of whom have endorsed the digital currency.
Attention in media and pop culture can only mean positive things for Bitcoin, as they introduce the digital coin to the wider public, instead of keeping it confined to the realm of fintech. Bitcoin’s inclusion in The Big Bang Theory also reflects on how the cryptocurrency has managed to make a mark this year and has everyone talking – from finance industry big-wigs like JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon to Wall Street analysts, world governments, central banks, and now, a bunch of popular fictional techie characters on primetime television.