Comedy writer Chuck Lorre, known for hits like Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, published his 700th message on a vanity card that appeared after the 100th episode of Young Sheldon Thursday.
For 25 years, Lorre has been making viewers use their VCRs and DVRs and squint for to catch his one-second written notes, which can be funny, thought-provoking and sometimes controversial.
No. 700 congratulated Young Sheldon on the 100th show milestone using formulae only a budding physics genius would understand.
Lorre followed that up a half-hour later after United States of Al aired with another card that noted that "#701 seemed like my last chance to take a box. And yes, I’m quite awar4 that no one’s applauding,”
On his production company’s website, Lorre explained that the title card is “a full-screen production company credit that airs for one second at the end of a TV show. So named because the credit is bullshit. The actual producer of every network TV show is a large corporation that risks capital in development costs and deficit financing so that, in success, it can steal money from profit participants (i.e., schmucks with vanity cards).
In an interview with USA Today, Lorre acknowledged that all of his title cards weren’t hits.
“Looking back, I was venting my own frustrations, my own fears,” he said. “I was trying to make light of dark situations, and sometimes inappropriately so.”
All of Lorre’s title card messages can be found here. ■
