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== Production history ==
== Production history ==
The show's initial pilot, developed for the 2006–07 television season, was substantially different from its current form. Only Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki were in the cast, and their across-the-hall neighbor (now played by Kaley Cuoco) was a much meaner character. The show was not picked up, but the creators were given crap and an opportunity to revise the show, bringing in the remaining leading cast and retooling the show to its current format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=05/26/06&id=7165 |title=Breaking News - Development Update: May 22-26 (Weekly Round-Up) |publisher=TheFutonCritic.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-02}}</ref>
The show's initial pilot, developed for the 2006–07 television season, was substantially different from its current form. Only Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki were in the cast, and their across-the-hall neighbor (now played by Kaley Cuoco) was a much meaner character. The show was not picked up, but the creators were given an opportunity to revise the show, bringing in the remaining leading cast and retooling the show to its current format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=05/26/06&id=7165 |title=Breaking News - Development Update: May 22-26 (Weekly Round-Up) |publisher=TheFutonCritic.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-02}}</ref>


The second pilot of ''The Big Bang Theory'' was directed by [[James Burrows]], who did not continue with the show. This reworked pilot led to a 13-episode order by CBS on May 14, 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title = CBS PICKS UP 'BANG,' 'POWER' PLUS FOUR DRAMAS|url = http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7387|publisher = The Futon Critic|date = 2007-05-14}}</ref> Prior to its airing on [[CBS]], the pilot episode was distributed on [[iTunes]] free of charge. The show premiered September 24, 2007, and was picked-up for a full 22-episode season on October 19, 2007.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=[[CBS]] |date=2007-10-19 |accessdate=2008-12-13 |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20071019cbs02 |title=Breaking News&nbsp;— Cbs Gives Freshman Comedy "The Big Bang Theory" And Drama "The Unit" Full Season Orders}}</ref>
The second pilot of ''The Big Bang Theory'' was directed by [[James Burrows]], who did not continue with the show. This reworked pilot led to a 13-episode order by CBS on May 14, 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title = CBS PICKS UP 'BANG,' 'POWER' PLUS FOUR DRAMAS|url = http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7387|publisher = The Futon Critic|date = 2007-05-14}}</ref> Prior to its airing on [[CBS]], the pilot episode was distributed on [[iTunes]] free of charge. The show premiered September 24, 2007, and was picked-up for a full 22-episode season on October 19, 2007.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=[[CBS]] |date=2007-10-19 |accessdate=2008-12-13 |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20071019cbs02 |title=Breaking News&nbsp;— Cbs Gives Freshman Comedy "The Big Bang Theory" And Drama "The Unit" Full Season Orders}}</ref>

Revision as of 22:01, 26 September 2009

This article is about the sitcom. For the cosmological model, see Big Bang. For other uses, see Big Bang Theory (disambiguation).
The Big Bang Theory
File:BigBangTheoryTitleCard.png
Title card for The Big Bang Theory
Created byChuck Lorre
Bill Prady
Directed byJames Burrows (pilot)
Mark Cendrowski
StarringJohnny Galecki
Jim Parsons
Kaley Cuoco
Simon Helberg
Kunal Nayyar
Sara Gilbert
Opening theme"The History of Everything"[1] by Barenaked Ladies
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes41 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersChuck Lorre
Bill Prady
Lee Aronsohn
ProducersSteve Molaro
Mike Collier
Faye Oshima Belyeu
EditorPeter Chakos
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time21 minutes (without commercials)
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 24, 2007 –
present
File:Vlcsnap-4765A.PNG
Cast of characters in The Big Bang Theory. From left: Howard, Leonard, Penny, Sheldon and Rajesh.

The Big Bang Theory is an American situation comedy created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, which premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007.[2]

Set in Pasadena, California, the show concerns two male Caltech prodigies in their twenties, one an experimental physicist (Leonard) and the other a theoretical physicist (Sheldon), who live across the hall from an attractive blonde waitress with show-biz aspirations (Penny). Leonard and Sheldon's geekiness and intellect are contrasted with Penny's social skills and common sense for comedic effect.[3][4] Two equally geeky friends of theirs, Howard and Rajesh, are also main characters.

The show is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.[5][6] In March 2009 it was reported that The Big Bang Theory had been renewed for a third and fourth season by CBS.[7] In August 2009, the sitcom won the best comedy series TCA award and Jim Parsons won the award for individual achievement in comedy.[8] When the third season premiered on September 21, 2009, it ranked as CBS' highest-rated show of that evening, with 12.8 million viewers, and a market share of 4.6. [9] The Big Bang Theory airs on Mondays at 9:30 EST following another Chuck Lorre-produced show Two and a Half Men.[10]

Main cast

See also: List of characters from The Big Bang Theory
  • Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D. - Originally from East Texas, he was a child prodigy, starting college at the age of 11, right after completing the 5th grade. As a theoretical physicist, he possesses a master's degree, two Ph.D.s, and an IQ of 187. He exhibits a strict adherence to routine; a lack of understanding of irony, sarcasm and humor; and a complete lack of humility. These characteristics are the main sources of his character's humor and the center of a number of episodes. Sheldon shares an apartment with Leonard Hofstadter. According to his twin sister, Sheldon would send home his imaginary friends at the end of the day, when they were kids. Sheldon's reply: "they were not friends, they were imaginary colleagues."[11]
  • Kaley Cuoco as Penny - She is Sheldon and Leonard's friend, who lives across the hall from them. She is a waitress at the local Cheesecake Factory and also an aspiring actress. She is the only main character whose last name is not disclosed. She was raised on a farm in Omaha, Nebraska and is largely oblivious to those matters which interest her nerdy neighbors, which is exploited for humor. She also has a largely contentious friendship with Sheldon, and the two characters are often allowed to simply bounce off each other for comedic effect.
  • Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz, M.Eng.[12] - He works as an engineer and lives with his mother; they are Jewish. Unlike Sheldon, Leonard, and Raj, Howard lacks a Ph.D. He defends this by pointing out that he has a master's degree in Engineering from MIT. He provides outrageous pick-up lines and fancies himself a ladies man with suitably unimpressed reactions from Penny; however, he has shown some success with other women.
  • Kunal Nayyar as Rajesh Koothrappali, Ph.D. - Rajesh, who originally comes from New Delhi, India, works as a Particle Astrophysicist at Caltech. He is normally very shy to the point of near-muteness in front of females; because the show's scenes often involve Penny, his paucity of dialogue has led to him occasionally being overlooked by the rest of the cast. Only alcohol and experimental pharmaceuticals have provided temporary cures to his chronic shyness. However, on one occasion he was able to squeak out an apology to Penny without the aid of either of these. His parents, introduced as Dr. and Mrs V.M Koothrappali, are seen via webcam; his father is a gynaecologist and drives a Bentley, facts that are often pointed out to him when he claims that he was raised in poverty in India.
  • Sara Gilbert as Leslie Winkle, Ph.D. (recurring since season 1)[13][14] - She is an experimental physicist who occasionally sleeps with both Howard and Leonard during the show's airing. She does not get on well with Sheldon and frequently mocks him. She was promoted to main cast during the second season, but demoted again once the writers realized they could not produce quality material for her for every episode[15].

Episodes

Main article: List of The Big Bang Theory episodes
Season Episodes Original Airing
1 17 September 24, 2007 - May 19, 2008
2 23 September 22, 2008 - May 11, 2009
3 TBA September 21, 2009 - May 2010

Production history

The show's initial pilot, developed for the 2006–07 television season, was substantially different from its current form. Only Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki were in the cast, and their across-the-hall neighbor (now played by Kaley Cuoco) was a much meaner character. The show was not picked up, but the creators were given an opportunity to revise the show, bringing in the remaining leading cast and retooling the show to its current format.[16]

The second pilot of The Big Bang Theory was directed by James Burrows, who did not continue with the show. This reworked pilot led to a 13-episode order by CBS on May 14, 2007.[17] Prior to its airing on CBS, the pilot episode was distributed on iTunes free of charge. The show premiered September 24, 2007, and was picked-up for a full 22-episode season on October 19, 2007.[18]

Production on the show was halted on November 6, 2007 due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, returning on March 17, 2008 in an earlier time slot[19] and with nine new episodes.[20][21] After the strike's end, the show was picked up for a second season airing in the 2008-2009 season, premiering in the same time slot on September 22, 2008.[22] With increasing ratings, the show received a two-year renewal through the 2010–11 season.[23][24]

David Saltzberg, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles, checks scripts and provides dialogue, math equations and diagrams used as props.[25] According to executive producer/co-creator Bill Prady, "We're working on giving Sheldon an actual problem that he's going to be working on throughout the [first] season so there's actual progress to the boards ... We worked hard to get all the science right."[26]

Opening Theme

Barenaked Ladies wrote and recorded the theme song, which describes developments the universe has undergone since the dawn of time. On October 9, 2007, a full-length (1 minute and 45 seconds) version of the song was released.[27] This theme was considered by TV critic Samantha Holloway to be one of the five most effective theme tunes on TV.[28]

DVD releases

DVD Name Release dates Ep # Additional Information
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Complete First Season September 2, 2008 January 12, 2009 June 3, 2009 17 The three disc box set includes all 17 episodes. The only extra feature is an 18 minute short entitled Quantum Mechanics of The Big Bang Theory: Series Cast and Creators on Why It’s Cool to Be a Geek. Running Time: 374 minutes.
The Complete Second Season September 15, 2009[29] October 19, 2009 TBA 23 The four disc box set includes all 23 episodes. The Special Features include a Gag Reel, Physicist to the Stars: Real-Life Physicist/UCLA professor David Saltzberg's consulting relationship to the Show, and Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis in relation to the Big Bang Theory: Season 2's Unique Characters and Characteristics.

Ratings

Further information: [[:Weekly Episode Ratings]]

U.S. standard ratings

In the following summary, "rating" is the percentage of all households with televisions that tuned to the show, and "share" is the percentage of all televisions in use at that time that are tuned in. "18-49" is the percentage of all adults aged 18–49 tuned into the show. "Viewers" is the number of viewers, in millions, watching at the time. "Rank" is how well the show did compared to other TV shows aired that week.

Seasonal ratings

Seasonal ratings based on average total viewers per episode of The Big Bang Theory on CBS:

Season Timeslot (EDT) Season Premiere Season Finale TV Season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1 Monday 8:30 P.M. (September 24 – November 12, 2007)
Monday 8:00 P.M. (March 17 – May 19, 2008) 		September 24, 2007 May 19, 2008 2007–2008 #59[30] 8.31[30]
2 Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 22, 2008 – May 11, 2009) September 22, 2008 May 11, 2009 2008–2009 #44 10.14
3 Monday 9:30 P.M. September 21, 2009 May 2010 2009–2010 12.84'

UK distribution and ratings

The show made its UK debut on Channel 4 on February 14, 2008 bringing in an average audience of 1.0 million viewers. The second episode, shown the following week, also received 1.0 million. For the third episode an average of 1.1 million tuned in. The show is also shown as a 'first-look' on Channel 4's digital offshoot E4 the preceding evening, and brings in 400,000 viewers on average. The 5th episode received 880,000 viewers. After the first 5 episodes, the average number of viewers continues to hover around the 1 million mark. Episode 13 was watched by 1.3 million viewers and was the most watched episode.[31]

In December 2008, Virgin Media made the first nine episodes of the first season available to watch on its TV Choice On Demand service, and the rest of Season 1 was made available in January 2009.

Awards

Awards and nominations

Year Result Category Award Show Recipient(s)
2009 Nominated Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series 61st Primetime Emmy Awards Jim Parsons
Nominated Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Christine Baranski
Nominated Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series
Won Outstanding Achievement in Comedy TCA Awards
Won Individual Achievement in Comedy Jim Parsons

International broadcast

Country / Region Network(s) Aired Notes
 Albania Digi+ April 19, 2009 — present
 Argentina Warner Channel November 2007 — present The dialogs are not dubbed but captions are used.
 Australia Nine Network
GO! 		2008 — present
August 2009 — present 		New episodes
Repeats
 Bangladesh Zee Cafe
 Belgium La Une August 31, 2008 — present
 Bolivia Warner Channel November 2007 — present
 Brazil Warner Channel November 2007 — present The dialogs are not dubbed but captions are used,except for a version used by Gol Transportes Aéreos at planes.
 Bulgaria Nova Television November 5, 2008 — present
 Canada A
CTV 		2007–08, 2009–present
2008–09
 Chile Warner Channel November 2007 — present The dialogs are not dubbed but captions are used.
 Colombia Warner Channel November 2007 — present The dialogs are not dubbed but captions are used.
 Costa Rica Warner Channel, Teletica
 Cuba Multivisión
 Cyprus LTV
 Czech Republic Prima COOL April 7, 2009 — present Aired as 'Teorie velkého třesku'
 Denmark 6'eren January 2009 — present
 Dominican Republic Warner Channel
 Ecuador Warner Channel
 El Salvador Warner Channel November 2007 — present
 Fiji Mai TV
 Finland Sub September 8, 2008 — present Aired as Rillit Huurussa (Misty Glasses)
 France TPS Star
NRJ 12 		October 18, 2008 — present
October 5, 2009— present
 Greece Star Channel September , 2009 — present
 Germany ProSieben July 11, 2009 — present[32]
 Guatemala Warner Channel
 Honduras Warner Channel
 Iceland Stöð 2 August 19, 2008 — present
 India Zee Cafe
 Ireland RTÉ Two July 11, 2008 — present
 Israel yes stars Comedy July 2008 — present
 Italy Steel January 19, 2008 — present The show received a lot of criticism due to the poor quality of dubbing, which allegedly "dumbed down" most of the nerdy-geeky jokes. To fix this, since episode 9 of season one, the dubbing has been changed to a significantly better quality, characterized by a more faithful translation.
 Malaysia ntv7, metrovision
 Mexico Warner Channel November 2008 — present The dialogs are not dubbed but captions are used
 Netherlands Veronica March 2, 2009 — present
 New Zealand TV2 September 17, 2008 — present
 Nicaragua Warner Channel
 Norway TVNorge
 Pakistan Super Comedy
 Panama Warner Channel
 Paraguay Warner Channel
 Peru Warner Channel November 2007 — present
 Philippines Jack TV
 Poland TVN Siedem November 20, 2008 — present Aired as 'Teoria wielkiego podrywu'
 Portugal SET, RTP2 July 14, 2008 — present
 Macedonia Kanal 5
 Slovenia Kanal A February 23, 2009 — present Aired as Veliki pokovci (The Big Bangers)
 South Africa M-Net
 Spain Antena.neox
Antena 3 		July 18, 2009 — present
 Sweden Kanal 5 The dialogs are not dubbed but captions are used.
 Thailand True Series May 26, 2008 — present
 Trinidad and Tobago TV6 2008 — present
 Turkey CNBC-e[33] September 9, 2008 — present
 Ukraine Inter channel
 United Kingdom Channel 4, E4
 Uruguay Warner Channel
 Venezuela Warner Channel The dialogs are not dubbed but captions are used.

References

  1. ^ "As sold on [[iTunes Music Store]]". Retrieved 2008-10-10. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  2. ^ The Big Bang Theory Cast & Details — TVGuide.com. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  3. ^ Gary Strauss (2007-04-11). "There's a science to CBS' Big Bang Theory". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  4. ^ Scott D. Pierce (2007-10-08). "He's a genius". Deseret News. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  5. ^ "Details, Artwork & Press Release for 1st Season". TVOnMedia.com. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  6. ^ Pierce, Scott D. (2007-09-22.). "Yes, it's a 'Big Bang.'". Deseret Morning News. Retrieved 2008-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b103928_big_bang_theory_deal_done_two_more.html
  8. ^ http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/08/the_tca_awards_turn_25_sepinwa.html
  9. ^ http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/09/house-rises-heroes-falls-big-bang-tops-half-men-and-more.html
  10. ^ Matt Mitovich (24 June 2009). "Fall TV: CBS Announces Premiere Dates". TV Guide Online. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  11. ^ "The Pork Chop Indeterminacy". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 15. 2008-05-05. 4:06 minutes in. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "The Jerusalem Duality". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 12. 2001-04-14. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "'Big Bang Theory' scoop: Sara Gilbert taken off contract | The Big Bang Theory | Ausiello Files | EW.com". Ausiellofiles.ew.com. January 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  14. ^ "Sara Gilbert". Imdb.com. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  15. ^ "'Big Bang Theory' scoop: Sara Gilbert taken off contract | The Big Bang Theory | Ausiello Files | EW.com". Ausiellofiles.ew.com. January 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  16. ^ "Breaking News - Development Update: May 22-26 (Weekly Round-Up)". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  17. ^ "CBS PICKS UP 'BANG,' 'POWER' PLUS FOUR DRAMAS". The Futon Critic. 2007-05-14.
  18. ^ "Breaking News — Cbs Gives Freshman Comedy "The Big Bang Theory" And Drama "The Unit" Full Season Orders" (Press release). CBS. 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
  19. ^ ""The Big Bang Theory" And "How I Met Your Mother" to Swap Time Periods" (Press release). The Futon Critic; CBS. 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2008-02-20. {{cite press release}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "CBS Sets Series Return Dates". Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  21. ^ "Production Stops on at least 6 Sitcoms". Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  22. ^ "CBS Picks Up 11 Series". The Futon Critic. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  23. ^ "Big Bang Theory: Deal Is Done for Two More Seasons!". Retrieved 2009-11-03.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2009-03-18). "CBS renews 'Men,' 'Big Bang'". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  25. ^ Gary Strauss (2007-04-11). "There's a science to CBS' Big Bang Theory". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  26. ^ Scott D. Pierce (2007-10-08). "He's a genius". Deseret News. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  27. ^ Barenaked Ladies. "Big Bang Theory Theme". Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  28. ^ Samantha Holloway (July 5), The top five (plus one) TV theme songs, The Examiner {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ [1]
  30. ^ a b "SEASON PROGRAM RANKINGS (THROUGH 5/25)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
  31. ^ "Overnights 2008-02-14". Channel 4 Sales. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
  32. ^ Weis, Manuel (2009-09-01). "Nachmittags: ProSieben setzt auf «Big Bang Theory»". Quotenmeter.de. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  33. ^ "KARS,IT DÜNYALAR ÇARPIS,INCA..." Retrieved 2008-12-13.
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