I might start to sound like a broken record, but you should check out Community for that. Every major character (except Jeff) is a kind of nerd, but they're realistic, they have depth, and while you DO laugh at them (it's a freakin' sitcom, of course you're gonna make fun of the characters), you very rarely get the feeling that you're laughing at them for being inept human beings. I'm having a lot of trouble describing it, which is why I'd recommend watching the show. After a few episodes, you'll see that the vibe is completely different and a lot more positive than BBT, despite the fact that the characters are arguably weirder.

IMO, Community is not a good example of this. Yes, it's a good show, but to use it as a paragon of character development? I think you could pick better (and definitely more well-known shows) for that. Community, in the last season or so, basically because a movie-spinoff show, and to be honest I've gotten a little tired of it (No I have not seen the most recent one).

Friends (plus Seinfeld and others, but I like Friends better) is a good example of a ground-breaking show in this respect. There is really no premise. It's about several twenty-somethings living together in New York, and the interesting stuff that happens as they live their lives. It's relatable. Nobody is a walking stereotype, even the stereotypical things that some of the characters do (Rachel is the rich girl, joey is italian) are used as points to further particular plots within the show.

What's key here, is in Friends/Community, the characters sometimes make fun of each-other and it creates humour/drama/tension/whatever, but in the BBT, the writers are making fun of the characters and expecting you to laugh.

I'm not really great at analysing TV shows or writing about it, but Big Bang Theory doesn't have the same feel to it as Friends, Scrubs, MASH, (etc), and anyone who has watched a lot of those series will know what I'm talking about.

Wow I can't believe I just wrote that much about this.