By the sheer number of aligned 'co-incidences' at the time, the show merely reflected, and at most mildly accelerated a dip.

Similarly, "Big Bang" is riding/lifting the current importance of tech.

Friends was cutting edge for its time.

It tackled a lot of taboo topics.

One gets tired of people looking back with 2018 eyes on 1990s shows and acting all superior.

"Big Bang" everyone is a Ross and still going strong.

I would argue that Big Bang Theory continues the negative trend of "nerds" being a laughing stock for the "normal people". Sure it is a success, but that tells us nothing except that it is successful in appealing to audience. I watched only a few episodes and although it introduces people to some aspects of the "nerd culture", overall I still found its mocking tone personally unappealing. I've even experienced and witnessed people using the tropes from the show to mock "nerds". Yes, it might be funny due to the over exaggeration of the stereotypes and honestly I don't mind, but when it comes to the issues that were describe in the article it isn't helping.

I don't know much about friends (never could watch it as I find pretty much all of the characters insufferable), but in regards to the article it is pointing out just one thing of a much larger story. I think other things played much larger role in the anti-intellectual/anti-reason movement that the article is lamenting.

Someone smarter once said :

"Big bang theory, is a dumb show about smart people, and Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a smart show about dumb people"

I heard that said about Community when it was on... i.e. s/IASIP/Community

There is that saying: “Those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” We learn a lot by studying how things from the past affected us as people.

I’d argue that BBT has the exact same problem. Only this time they don’t need characters to laugh at nerds anymore, audience does it already.