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The Big Bang Theory season 1

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The Big Bang Theory
Season 1
DVD cover art
Starring
No. of episodes17
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 24, 2007 (2007-09-24) –
May 19, 2008 (2008-05-19)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS from September 24, 2007 to May 19, 2008. The Season 1 DVD came without a gag reel and is, so far, the only Big Bang Theory DVD set not to have one. The reissued Blu-ray, which was released on July 10, 2012, includes a gag reel that is exclusive to the set. The episodes on Blu-ray are all in remastered surround sound, whereas the DVD version had stereo. Two of the main characters, Sheldon and Leonard, are named after actor, director, and producer Sheldon Leonard.[1]

Although this season received mixed reviews from critics, Johnny Galecki and Sara Gilbert both selected the episode "The Hamburger Postulate" as a Primetime Emmy Award submission for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, respectively, at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, but both ended up not receiving a nomination.[2] Jim Parsons selected the episode "The Pancake Batter Anomaly" as a Primetime Emmy Award submission for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, but he ended up not receiving a nomination.[2]

Cast

Main article: List of The Big Bang Theory characters

Production

Further information: The Big Bang Theory § Production

The series' initial pilot, which was developed for the 2006–07 television season, was substantially different from its current form. From the later series, only Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons were in the cast, and their across-the-hall neighbor Katie was envisioned as "a street-hardened, tough-as-nails woman with a vulnerable interior".[3] Katie was played by actress Amanda Walsh.[4] They also had a female friend called Gilda, who was played by Iris Bahr. The series' original theme music was also different, using Thomas Dolby's hit "She Blinded Me with Science". The series was not picked up, but the creators were given an opportunity to revise it, bringing in the remaining leading cast and retooling the show to its current format. The original unaired pilot has never been released on any official format, but copies of it have circulated online.

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.[5] Prior to its airing on CBS, the pilot episode was distributed free of charge on iTunes. The series premiered on September 24, 2007, and was picked up for a full 22-episode season on October 19, 2007.[6]

Production on the series was halted on November 6, 2007 due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. The Big Bang Theory was replaced by a short-lived sitcom, Welcome to The Captain on February 4, 2008. The series ended up returning on March 17, 2008 in an earlier time slot.[7][8]

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.[9]

Clips from the first season finale, "The Tangerine Factor", gained popularity on the Chinese video-sharing website Tudou because of Sheldon's comically inaccurate Mandarin.[citation needed]

Episodes

See also: List of The Big Bang Theory episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"James BurrowsChuck Lorre & Bill PradySeptember 24, 2007 (2007-09-24)2760239.52[10]
22"The Big Bran Hypothesis"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady
Teleplay by : Robert Cohen & Dave Goetsch		October 1, 2007 (2007-10-01)3T66018.50[11]
33"The Fuzzy Boots Corollary"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre
Teleplay by : Bill Prady & Steven Molaro		October 8, 2007 (2007-10-08)3T66028.35[12]
44"The Luminous Fish Effect"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady
Teleplay by : David Litt & Lee Aronsohn		October 15, 2007 (2007-10-15)3T66037.94[13]
55"The Hamburger Postulate"Andrew D. WeymanStory by : Jennifer Glickman
Teleplay by : Dave Goetsch & Steven Molaro		October 22, 2007 (2007-10-22)3T66048.81[14]
66"The Middle-earth Paradigm"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Dave Goetsch
Teleplay by : David Litt & Robert Cohen		October 29, 2007 (2007-10-29)3T66058.41[15]
77"The Dumpling Paradox"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady
Teleplay by : Lee Aronsohn & Jennifer Glickman		November 5, 2007 (2007-11-05)3T66069.37[16]
88"The Grasshopper Experiment"Ted WassStory by : Dave Goetsch & Steven Molaro
Teleplay by : Lee Aronsohn & Robert Cohen		November 12, 2007 (2007-11-12)3T66079.32[17]
99"The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization"Joel MurrayStory by : Bill Prady & Stephen Engel
Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn & Dave Goetsch		March 17, 2008 (2008-03-17)3T66088.93[18]
1010"The Loobenfeld Decay"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre
Teleplay by : Bill Prady & Lee Aronsohn		March 24, 2008 (2008-03-24)3T66098.53[19]
1111"The Pancake Batter Anomaly"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by : Bill Prady & Stephen Engel		March 31, 2008 (2008-03-31)3T66108.44[20]
1212"The Jerusalem Duality"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Jennifer Glickman & Stephen Engel
Teleplay by : Dave Goetsch & Steven Molaro		April 14, 2008 (2008-04-14)3T66117.63[21]
1313"The Bat Jar Conjecture"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Stephen Engel & Jennifer Glickman
Teleplay by : Bill Prady & Robert Cohen		April 21, 2008 (2008-04-21)3T66127.39[22]
1414"The Nerdvana Annihilation"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady
Teleplay by : Stephen Engel & Steven Molaro		April 28, 2008 (2008-04-28)3T66138.07[23]
1515"The Shiksa Indeterminacy"[24]
"The Pork Chop Indeterminacy"[25]		Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre
Teleplay by : Lee Aronsohn & Bill Prady		May 5, 2008 (2008-05-05)3T66147.38[26]
1616"The Peanut Reaction"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by : Dave Goetsch & Steven Molaro		May 12, 2008 (2008-05-12)3T66157.79[27]
1717"The Tangerine Factor"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady
Teleplay by : Lee Aronsohn & Steven Molaro		May 19, 2008 (2008-05-19)3T66167.34[28]

Reception

The Big Bang Theory initially received mixed reviews, receiving a 59% "rotten" score on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10 and with the site's critics consensus reading: "The Big Bang Theory brings a new class of character to mainstream television, but much of the comedy feels formulaic and stiff."[29] It also received a 57-point score on review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews", based on 23 reviews.[30]

Tom Shales of The Washington Post gave the show a positive review, saying "Big Bang is the funniest new sitcom of the season".[31] Robert Bianco of USA Today also gave the show a positive review, saying "This may not be the sitcom breakthrough for which we've all been hoping, but Lorre has produced a first episode that leaves you eager to try the second".[32]

David Bianculli of New York Daily News criticized the dialogue, particularly when the male characters explain jokes, writing that "People tuning in to Big Bang may not all be Mensa members, but they won't all be idiots, either",[33] Henry Goldblatt of Entertainment Weekly criticized the premise and plot of early episodes, writing that "To call this a one-joke sitcom would be a stretch",[34] and Tim Goodman of San Francisco Chronicle criticized the stereotypes presented in the characters, and wrote that "the writing here is so moronic and the situations so forced and mundane".[35]

References

  1. ^ "'Big Bang Theory': 'We didn't anticipate how protective the audience would feel about our guys'". Variety. May 5, 2009. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2010. Q. Are Sheldon and Leonard named after the brilliant (producer) Sheldon Leonard of "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Danny Thomas Show," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "My Favorite Martian" and "I Spy?" (Binnie) A. Yep. Chuck and I are both fans. Chuck's idea.
  2. ^ a b "Official 2008 EMMYS Episode Submissions". The Envelope Forum, Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008.
  3. ^ "TV Legends Revealed | 'Big Bang Theory's' Sheldon Originally Had a Sex Drive". Comic Book Resources. November 20, 2013. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  4. ^ "Breaking News — Development Update: May 22–26 (Weekly Round-Up)". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  5. ^ "CBS Picks Up 'Bang,' 'Power' Plus Four Dramas". The Futon Critic. May 14, 2007.
  6. ^ "Breaking News — Cbs Gives Freshman Comedy "The Big Bang Theory" And Drama "The Unit" Full Season Orders" (Press release). CBS. October 19, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  7. ^ ""The Big Bang Theory" And "How I Met Your Mother" to Swap Time Periods" (Press release). The Futon Critic. February 20, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  8. ^ "CBS Sets Series Return Dates". zap2it.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  9. ^ Strauss, Gary (April 11, 2007). "There's a science to CBS' Big Bang Theory". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  10. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 3, 2007). "Nielsen Top 20 New Shows TV Ratings, Sept 24–30". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  11. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 1-7)". ABC Medianet. October 9, 2007. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  12. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 8-14)". ABC Medianet. October 16, 2007. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  13. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 15-21)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. October 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Wk of 10/22)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. October 30, 2007. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  15. ^ Gorman, Bill (November 8, 2007). "Top CBS Primetime Shows, Oct 29 - Nov 4". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 10, 2007. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  16. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Nov. 5-11)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. November 13, 2007. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  17. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Wk of 11/12)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. November 20, 2007. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  18. ^ "Viewers Welcome Back All New Episodes of CBS's Monday Comedies". The Futon Critic. March 25, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  19. ^ "Number One Drama (Csi: Miami), Number One Comedy (Two and a Half Men) and Number One Seeds (Ucla, Kansas, Memphis and North Carolina) Score for Cbs". The Futon Critic. April 1, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  20. ^ "CBS's Return of Scripted Hits Puts the Network Back in First Place". The Futon Critic. April 8, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  21. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 14-20)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  22. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 21-27)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. April 29, 2008. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  23. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Wk of 4/28)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. May 6, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  24. ^ "(#115) "The Shiksa Indeterminacy"". Listings – Big Bang Theory, The on CBS. the Futon Critic. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  25. ^ "Big Bang Theory: The Pork Chop Indeterminacy". CBS. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  26. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (W/O 5/5)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. May 13, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  27. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Wk of 5/12)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. May 20, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  28. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Wk of 5/19)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  29. ^ "The Big Bang Theory: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  30. ^ "The Big Bang Theory: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  31. ^ Shales, Tom (September 24, 2007). "Way to Go, Chuck!". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  32. ^ Bianco, Robert (September 24, 2007). "Big Bang Theory both smart, funny". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  33. ^ Bianculli, David (September 26, 2007). "The Big Bang Theory - CBS creates a new sitcom". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  34. ^ Goldblatt, Henry (October 12, 2007). "The Big Bang Theory". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  35. ^ Goodman, Tim (September 23, 2007). "Review: Big Bang is more like a big did". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
General references
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