Look, I’m a staunch proponent of the not-exactly-controversial notion that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the best song of the alternative era, and I’m generally pretty uncomfortable when opportunists use Nirvana iconography to sell shitty products or agendas, but when it comes to “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” I’m never sure where the line is drawn. Kurt appropriated the phrase from a bit of graffiti scrawled on his wall by Kathleen Hanna; the line was a reference to Teen Spirit deodorant, a Mennen product aimed at teenage girls. So I probably shouldn’t feel too much moral indignation just because CBS greenlighted a new sitcom called “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by The Big Bang Theory‘s Dave Goetsch. But still …
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The multicamera comedy revolves around an 18-year-old budding entrepreneur who forgoes Harvard and instead opts to launch a multibillion-dollar Internet company from his garage with the assistance of his sister, best friend and his 1990s indie-rock parents.”
Irrespective of the title (which is a thematic fit, I guess, but still makes me nauseous), that synopsis doesn’t exactly describe any “1990s indie-rock parents” I know. Let’s say they were born in 1970, had a kid at age 24 (in 1994), so he’s now 18, they’re 42 … It’s not impossible, but it just doesn’t scan right for me. Also, why the hell is he launching a “multibillion-dollar Internet company from his garage”? Wouldn’t some of those multibillions cover office space? Wouldn’t you want a professional veneer on a multibillion-dollar operation? It just doesn’t make any sense. Of course, the lyrics of “Teen Spirit” didn’t make any sense either, so … QED?
Source.