That same oft-mined-nerd-joke-territory feeling comes up all through the early episodes.
It's all like rehashed Revenge of the Nerds stuff, and that was already well-worn in the 1980s. Now, contrast that with what we see in seasons two and three, and its clear TBBT has totally aimed itself at a geek audience rather than making the easy jokes.
Source:
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/02/getting-geekier-the-evolution-of-the-big-bang-theory/
