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This article is about the television sitcom. For the cosmological model, see Big Bang. For other uses, see Big Bang Theory (disambiguation).
The Big Bang Theory
File:BigBangTheoryTitleCard.png
Created byChuck Lorre
Bill Prady
Directed byMark Cendrowski
StarringJohnny Galecki
Jim Parsons
Kaley Cuoco
Simon Helberg
Kunal Nayyar
Sara Gilbert
Melissa Rauch
Mayim Bialik
Theme music composerBarenaked Ladies
Opening theme"Big Bang Theory Theme"[1][2]
Country of originTemplate:TVUS
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes111 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersChuck Lorre
Bill Prady
Steven Molaro
ProducerFaye Oshima Belyeu
EditorPeter Chakos
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time18–22 minutes (without commercials)
Production companiesChuck Lorre Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 24, 2007 (2007-09-24) –
present

The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers. It premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007.[3]

The show is centered on five characters: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, two physicists who work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech); Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.[4][5] Over time supporting characters have been promoted to starring roles: Leslie Winkle, a physicist colleague at Caltech and, at different times, a lover of both Leonard and Howard; Bernadette Rostenkowski, Howard's fiancée and subsequent wife, a microbiologist and former part-time waitress alongside Penny; and neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, who joins the group after being matched to Sheldon on a dating website. Bernadette and Amy became prominent characters after Penny and Leonard stopped dating.

The show is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.[6] In August 2009, the sitcom won the best comedy series TCA award and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) won the award for individual achievement in comedy.[7] In 2010, the show won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy, while Parsons won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.[8] On January 16, 2011, Parsons was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical, an award that was presented by co-star Kaley Cuoco (Penny). On September 18, 2011, Parsons was again awarded an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

When the third season premiered on September 21, 2009, The Big Bang Theory ranked as CBS's highest-rated show of that evening in the adults 18–49 demographic (4.6/10), along with a then-series-high 12.83 million viewers.[9] On May 19, 2010, it was announced that CBS would be moving the show to Thursdays at 8:00 ET for the 2010–2011 schedule. On January 12, 2011, CBS announced that the show had been renewed for an additional three years, extending it through the 2013–2014 season.[10] The fifth season premiered on September 22, 2011, in its usual time slot with two back-to-back episodes.[11][12] The fifth season completed airing on May 10, 2012. The show has been picked up for a sixth season which is scheduled to premiere on September 27, 2012.[13][14]

Production

The show's initial pilot, developed for the 2006–07 television season, was substantially different from its current form. The only characters from the initial pilot that were kept for the reshot pilot for the series were Leonard and Sheldon (portrayed by Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons respectively and named for comedy great Sheldon Leonard[15]). The cast was rounded off by two female leads: Canadian actress Amanda Walsh as Katie, "a street-hardened, tough-as-nails, woman with a vulnerable interior" who the boys meet after she breaks up with her boyfriend and invite to live in their apartment (Katie was effectively replaced by Penny in the second pilot);[16][17] and Iris Bahr as Gilda, a scientist colleague and friend of the boys who was threatened by Katie's presence. The initial pilot used Thomas Dolby's hit "She Blinded Me With Science" as theme music.

The series was not picked up, but the creators were given an opportunity to retool the show and produce a second pilot. They brought in the remaining cast and retooled the show to its final format. The original unaired pilot has never been officially released, but it has circulated on the Internet. On the evolution of the show, Lorre said "We did the 'Big Bang Pilot' about two and a half years ago, and it sucked... but there were two remarkable things that worked perfectly, and that was Johnny and Jim. We rewrote the thing entirely, and then we were blessed with Kaley and Simon and Kunal." As to whether the world will ever see that original pilot, maybe on a DVD, Lorre said "Wow that would be something, we will see. Show your failures..."[18]

The first and second pilots of The Big Bang Theory were directed by James Burrows, who did not continue with the show. The reworked second pilot led to a 13-episode order by CBS on May 14, 2007.[19] 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.[20] However, production was halted on November 6, 2007 due to the Writers Guild of America strike. The series returned on March 17, 2008 in an earlier time slot[21] and ultimately only 17 episodes were produced.[22][23] After the strike ended, 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.[24] With increasing ratings, the show received a two-year renewal through the 2010–11 season.[25][26] Since then, the show has been picked up for three more seasons.[27]

David Saltzberg, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles, checks scripts and provides dialogue, mathematics equations, and diagrams used as props.[4] 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."[5]

Several of the actors in The Big Bang Theory worked together previously on Roseanne including Johnny Galecki, Sara Gilbert, and Laurie Metcalf (who plays Sheldon's mother, Mary Cooper). Additionally, Lorre was a writer on the series for several seasons.

Theme song

File:BNL BigBang.jpg
Single cover for "Big Bang Theory Theme" by Barenaked Ladies (2007)

The Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies wrote and recorded the show's theme song, which describes the history and formation of the universe and the Earth. Ed Robertson, lead singer and guitarist in the band, was asked by Lorre and Prady to write a theme song for the show. Having been asked to write songs for other films and shows only to have them rejected in favor of another artist's, Robertson agreed to write a theme only after learning that he was the sole writer that Lorre and Prady had asked. He drew inspiration from Simon Singh's book, Big Bang, which he had coincidentally just finished reading.[28][29]

On October 9, 2007, a full-length (1 minute and 45 seconds) version of the song was released commercially.[30] In a 2010 issue of TV Guide, the show's opening title sequence ranked No.6 on a list of television's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers.[31]

Production costs

For the first three seasons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons, the three main stars of the show, received at most $60,000 per episode. The salary for the three went up to $200,000 per episode for the fourth season. According to their contracts, their pay will go up an additional $50,000 per episode in each of the following three seasons, culminating in $350,000 per episode in the seventh season.[32][33]

Main cast

Main article: List of The Big Bang Theory characters
File:The Big Bang Theory main characters.png
Cast of characters in The Big Bang Theory. From left: Howard Wolowitz, Leonard Hofstadter, Penny, Sheldon Cooper and Rajesh Koothrappali.

These actors have been credited in all episodes of the series:

  • Johnny Galecki[34] as Leonard Hofstadter, Ph.D. – An experimental physicist with an IQ of 173, he received his Ph.D. when he was 24 years old. He is originally from New Jersey. The straight man of the series, he shares an apartment with colleague and friend Sheldon Cooper. The writers immediately implied potential romance between him and neighbor Penny, and their sexual tension is frequently explored including occasional dating.
  • Jim Parsons[35] as Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D.[36] – Originally from East Texas, he was a child prodigy with an eidetic memory who began college at the age of 11 (after completing the fifth grade), started graduate studies at 14, and earned a Ph.D. at 16. A theoretical physicist focusing on quantum mechanics and string theory, he has a master's degree, a Ph.D., an Sc.D., and an IQ of 187. He exhibits a strict adherence to routine; a lack of understanding of irony and sarcasm; he is also uninterested in many of the romantic hijinks of his friends. Sheldon shares an apartment with Leonard Hofstadter, across the hall from Penny, and relies on both for advice in social situations. In the fourth season, he begins a relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler, who becomes his first girlfriend during the fifth season.
  • Kaley Cuoco[37] as Penny – From a small town outside of Omaha, Nebraska,[38] a blonde who lives across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard. She is pursuing a career in acting, and has been on casting calls and auditions but has not been very successful thus far. To pay the bills, she is a waitress and occasional bartender at The Cheesecake Factory. To date, her last name has not been revealed. She dated Leonard at the end of the first season, and during the third and fifth seasons.[39] By season four, Bernadette, Amy and Penny have formed their own group, who like to hang out in Penny's apartment or go out together.
  • Simon Helberg[40] as Howard Wolowitz, M.Eng.[41] – He works as an aerospace engineer. He is Jewish, and lives with his mother. 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 and that the apparatus he designs are launched into space, unlike the purely abstract work of his friends. He fancies himself a ladies' man and devises outrageous pick-up lines, with suitably unimpressed reactions from Penny and limited success with other women. He claims to be a polyglot. He dates and later marries Bernadette Rostenkowski. In the fifth season, he trained as an astronaut and blasted off into space in the season finale.
  • Kunal Nayyar[42] as Rajesh Koothrappali, Ph.D. – Originally from New Delhi, India, he works as a particle astrophysicist at Caltech.[43] His family is very wealthy. He communicates with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. V.M. Koothrappali, via webcam. He is very shy around women and is physically unable to talk to them unless he drinks alcohol (or thinks he has been drinking alcohol). However, he has often had better luck with women than his overly-confident best friend Howard. He has very feminine tastes, but he insists that he is not gay.[44] During the fourth season, his sister Priya (Aarti Mann) stays with him and becomes Leonard's girlfriend.

These actors were first credited as guest stars and later promoted to main cast. However, even after promotion, they are only credited in episodes in which they appear:

  • Sara Gilbert as Leslie Winkle, Ph.D. (recurring season 1, starring season 2, recurring season 3)[45][46] – a physicist who works in the same lab as Leonard. In appearance she is essentially Leonard's female counterpart, equipped with the black framed glasses and sweat jackets. She is an enemy of Sheldon's, due to their conflicting scientific theories. Though each considers the other to be intellectually inferior, Leslie is much wittier than Sheldon, regularly calling him "dumbass", and she usually bests him in their repartee. Leslie has had casual sex with Leonard and later Howard; in the case of the former, it reunited Gilbert and Galecki on-screen after the two played the on-screen couple of Darlene Connor and David Healy during the run of Roseanne. Gilbert was promoted to a main cast member during the second season but was demoted again because producers could not generate enough content for the character.[45] Gilbert left the series after season 3 concluded to focus her efforts on The Talk, on which she serves as executive producer for CBS.
  • Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski, Ph.D. (recurring season 3, starring since season 4)[47] – a young woman who is initially a waitress and co-worker of Penny's, paying her way through graduate school microbiology studies, she defends her doctoral thesis and lands a high-paying science position at the end of season 4. Bernadette is introduced to Howard by Penny. At first they do not get along, apparently having nothing in common. When they find out that they both have overbearing mothers, they feel a connection. During season 3 they date and then break up off-screen, then get back together in season 4. They became engaged near the end of season 4, and marry at the end of season 5.
  • Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler, Ph.D. (guest starring season 3, starring since season 4)[48] – a woman Raj and Howard met on an online dating site after secretly setting up an account using Sheldon's name and information. The site matches her to Sheldon, and the two share many similar traits though Amy is more interested in social and romantic interaction. Once she and Sheldon meet, she becomes, as Sheldon puts it, a girl who is his friend, but not his "girlfriend". In Season 5, Amy made Sheldon jealous by going on a date with comic book store owner, Stuart, causing Sheldon to solidify their relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend. Sheldon then insisted that Amy sign a 31-page "Relationship Agreement". Amy also believes she and Penny are best friends, a sentiment that at first Penny respectfully indulges and eventually becomes friends, overlooking her "Sheldon"-like qualities. Her admiration for Penny has at times bordered on attraction. Amy Fowler has a Ph.D. in neurobiology, while Bialik herself has a doctorate in neuroscience; in the season 1 episode "The Bat Jar Conjecture", Raj suggests recruiting the real-life Bialik to their Physics Bowl team.

Elements of the show

Science

Much of the show focuses on science, particularly physics. The four main male characters are employed at Caltech and have science-related occupations. The characters frequently banter about scientific theories or news (notably around the start of the show), and make science-related jokes.

Science has also interfered with the characters' romantic lives. Leslie broke up with Leonard when he sided with Sheldon in his support for string theory rather than her support for loop quantum gravity.[episode needed] When Leonard joined Sheldon, Raj and Howard on a three-month Arctic research trip, it separated Leonard and Penny at a time their relationship was budding. When Bernadette took an interest in Leonard's work, it made both Penny and Howard jealous and resulted in Howard confronting Leonard, and Penny asking Sheldon to teach her physics.[episode needed] Sheldon and Amy also briefly ended their relationship after an argument over which of their fields was superior to the other's.[episode needed]

David Saltzberg, who has a Ph.D. in physics, has served as science consultant for the show for five seasons. While Salzberg knows physics, he sometimes needs assistance from Mayim Bialik, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Salzberg sees early versions of scripts which need scientific information added to them, and he also points out where the writers, despite their knowledge of science, have made a mistake. He is usually not needed in a taping unless a lot of science, and especially the whiteboard, is involved.[49]

Sci-fi, fantasy and comic book fandom

The four main male characters are all avid sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book fans and memorabilia collectors.

Star Trek in particular is frequently referenced and Sheldon identifies strongly with the character of Spock; when he is given a used napkin signed by Leonard Nimoy as a Christmas gift from Penny he is overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude ("I possess the DNA of Leonard Nimoy?!").[50] Star Trek: The Original Series cast member George Takei has made a cameo, and Leonard Nimoy made a cameo as the voice of Sheldon's vintage Mr. Spock action figure (both cameos were in dream sequences). Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members Wil Wheaton, Brent Spiner, and LeVar Burton have all had cameos as themselves. In one episode, Sheldon also admits that despite considering Star Trek V: The Final Frontier basically a dumb sequel, he personally found The Motion Picture even more boring.[episode needed] All four male characters can speak Klingon to varying degrees—the opening of the episode "The Panty Piñata Polarization" shows them playing "Klingon Boggle". During the "The Launch Acceleration" episode, Amy and Sheldon were seen playing doctor with Amy dressed in a Star Trek medical uniform.[episode needed]

In addition to Star Trek, the group are also fans of Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who; numerous quotes from Star Wars are made and references to Battlestar Galactica can be seen in some episodes. In season two, Raj once likens Sheldon to C-3PO,[episode needed] an intelligent, yet semi-annoying protocol droid in the Star Wars series. In episode 5 of season 2, Sheldon wants to return a set of white Star Wars sheets to Pottery Barn as they are too exciting for sleeping in.[episode needed] Leonard likes Babylon 5, but Sheldon refuses to watch it, calling it derivative.[episode needed][note 1] Sheldon also expresses a great liking of Joss Whedon's Firefly, as he is shown to be quite upset with the FOX network for cancelling it.[note 1]

Wednesday night is the group's designated "comic book store night",[episode needed] the store in question being run by fellow geek and recurring character Stuart. On a number of occasions, the group members have dressed up as pop culture characters, including The Flash, Aquaman, Frodo Baggins, Superman, Batman, Spock, Doctor Who, Green Lantern, and Thor (albeit as the original Norse god and not the Marvel Comics character).[episode needed] As a consequence of losing a bet to Stuart in the episode "The Wheaton Recurrence", the group members are forced to visit the comic book store dressed as Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl.[episode needed] Sheldon often wears t-shirts depicting Batman, Superman, Flash, Greatest American Hero, or Green Lantern. DC Comics announced that, to promote its comics, the company will sponsor Sheldon wearing Green Lantern t-shirts.[51]

The characters are also fans of the Indiana Jones series, and willing to spend several hours in line outside of a theater to watch a special screening of the film with 21 seconds of new footage.[52]

Leonard and Penny's relationship

One of the recurring topics is the relationship between Leonard and Penny. Leonard becomes attracted to Penny within seconds of seeing her in the pilot episode. The first season frequently featured Leonard's attraction to Penny as a basis for humor. Leonard and Penny go on a date that started the final episode of the first season and ended at the start of the second season; however, Penny quickly breaks up with Leonard because she is afraid that her educational attainments aren't good enough for Leonard and that he may become bored in "The Bad Fish Paradigm" episode. Her excuse for breaking with Leonard was when he showed her some brochures from a local community college and she took it as a knock against her education level and that she felt that he would only date a girl with a college education.

They both date other people throughout the second season, but clearly still have feelings for each other as when Penny admits this to herself in "The Monopolar Expedition". When Leonard returns from a 3-month expedition to the North Pole in the season 3 premiere, they commence a relationship which lasts for most of the season until Leonard tells Penny that he loves her and she realizes she cannot say it back, and she reluctantly breaks up with him after Wil Wheaton meddles with their relationship in order to beat Sheldon at bowling per "The Wheaton Recurrence".

Again, both Leonard and Penny go on to date other people; most notably with Leonard dating Raj's sister Priya for much of season 4. Penny has shown regret towards her decision to break up with Leonard by admitting to her girlfriends that she misses Leonard.[episode needed] She also exhibits jealousy towards Priya, especially after Priya demands Leonard stay away from her as in "The Prestidigitation Approximation". After dating Leonard, Penny also has negative reactions to her male dates who are not very intelligent after dating Zack in "The Lunar Excitation".

Eventually, as the episodes rolled on, Leonard became more and more interested in Priya. However she seemed to become less and less interested in Leonard as they went on dating.[episode needed] Later in the season, Leonard is at Raj's apartment, making out with Priya, when her parents call from India, and she has Leonard leave the room as she answers the call.[episode needed] Unknowing of Leonard's presence or his secret relationship with Priya, her parents state that they will be so happy when Priya moves back to India in "The Roommate Transmogrification" episode. Leonard comes in, shouting out that he is shocked she is moving back to India, and assumes it means he and Priya are breaking up. Leonard goes home to his apartment, where Raj has been sleeping because of Leonard staying at Raj's apartment. Penny and Raj, while enjoying a friendly evening, got drunk and ended up in bed. Leonard assumes the worst when they emerge from his room, only to learn the truth later, that nothing happened.

In season five in "The Infestation Hypothesis", Leonard resumes his relationship with Priya online. It seems to work for Leonard, but he is conflicted when he meets Alice, a girl who is really into him, at the comic book store. Leonard decides he must be faithful to Priya, ending things with Alice. Leonard confesses to Priya about going out with Alice, only to discover that Priya has slept with an ex-boyfriend, and they break up in "The Good Guy Fluctuation".

Penny is still single and dating, though when drunk has confessed that she regrets breaking up with Leonard, as in "The Roommate Transmogrification". In "The Ornithophobia Diffusion", Leonard and Penny go to the movies as friends. Leonard decides that since they are no longer dating he can be honest and does not have to pay for everything or do whatever Penny wants to make Penny like him and have sex with him. The two bicker all evening and sabotage each other's attempts to chat up people in the bar. Penny decides that she likes the new, more assertive Leonard. Leonard sees this as another opportunity to grovel and try to get Penny to sleep with him, so she leaves.

On the spur of the moment in "The Recombination Hypothesis", Leonard asks Penny out on a date after he imagined what getting back with her might be like. Their real date ends successfully, and they agree to try to renew their relationship slowly in "The Beta Test Initiation". They share a kiss. During her renewed relationship with Leonard she has dismissed comments about him ever leaving or dumping her or about worrying about his unfaithfulness around other women and strippers as in the episode "The Stag Convergence". After Penny suggested having sex in "The Launch Acceleration", Leonard breaks the mood by proposing to her. They later meet and Penny does not have the courage to tell him "no" and not break up with him as she did two years previously when he told her that he loved her as in "The Wheaton Recurrence".

Showrunner Bill Prady has hinted that Leonard and Penny's relationship may get "rocky" in season six. Prady explained that the series' on-again-off-again couple will continue to face "challenges", such as their conflicting views about when to "settle down". "What we've always said about Penny and Leonard is they met each other at the wrong time in their lives," he told E!. "Leonard is ready to settle down and Penny isn't yet and it will make things rocky for a while. I think that until she grows up a little bit - and I don't mean emotionally, I mean chronologically - I think they have challenges [ahead]."

Sheldon and Amy's relationship

A new recurring subject starting at the end of the third season is the status of the relationship of Sheldon and Amy Farrah Fowler, Ph.D., a neurobiologist. Raj and Howard found her as a possible match for Sheldon through an internet dating service (without Sheldon's knowledge) in "The Lunar Excitation". By Sheldon's own admission, she is most like him by any standard to his mother in "The Zazzy Substitution". Like him, she has previously avoided relationships (whether romantic or otherwise is unclear), and only participated in the online dating herself to fulfill an agreement with her mother that she date at least once a year (in exchange, her mother does not discuss Amy's lack of a love life, plus she gains use of her mother's George Foreman Grill) as told to Penny on her date with Sheldon during "The Robotic Manipulation".

During the four months of their relationship (taking place off-screen between seasons 3 and 4), they communicated on a daily basis via text messages, email and Twitter, but never saw each other in person per "The Robotic Manipulation". Sheldon, however, did not consider Amy his girlfriend. Penny later suggests that they should go on a date and ends up driving them and having dinner with them in "The Robotic Manipulation." Penny occasionally refers to Sheldon and Amy collectively as "Shamy" as in "The Shiny Trinket Maneuver".

In "The Agreement Dissection", Amy, Penny, and Bernadette decide to take Sheldon dancing. Sheldon dances only with Amy, which he does not mind. He later follows Amy back to her apartment. They talk for a few minutes before she kisses him on the lips. Instead of getting annoyed, Sheldon just says "Fascinating." This is a catalyst for later events[citation needed] and clash of personalities in the relationship of the more scientific, masculine Sheldon, and the more socially open, feminine, and annoyed Amy.

In "The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition", after Amy agrees to go on a date with Stuart the comic book store owner, Sheldon asks Amy to be his girlfriend interrupting her date with Stuart with the stipulation that no other changes occur in their current relationship. The same night and episode, he draws up "The Relationship Agreement" to verify the ground rules of him as her boyfriend and her as his girlfriend (similar to his "Roommate Agreement" with Leonard). Amy agrees but later regrets not having a lawyer read through it.

After Penny and Bernadette go wedding shopping without Amy in "The Isolation Permutation", Sheldon comforts a depressed Amy by cuddling with her on her couch; however, Amy first suggests that they have sex.

In the episode "The Launch Acceleration", Amy says she’d like to do an experiment using her neurobiology bag of tricks to increase Sheldon’s feelings toward her. Sheldon is skeptical, but goes with it. Amy says she’d like to put on some romantic dinner music, and ends up putting on the Super Mario Bros. theme song. Sheldon catches on, and calls Amy out on the fact that she’s trying to engage his feelings of the happiest times of his life as he starts to hum along. This is further reinforced when she offers Sheldon his favorite drink, Strawberry Quik. She also prepared spaghetti with little pieces of hot dog cut up for dinner, which is Sheldon's favorite since his mother used to make it for him. Sheldon is thrilled, and says they should do this more often – instantly realizing he’s been caught in Amy's "trap" as Amy stands next to him with a big smile. At the end of the episode, they were playing doctor "Star Trek style" (Amy dressed in Star Trek attire). Amy’s actions seem to work on Sheldon, who isn’t happy about it but makes no attempt to stop her.

In the final fifth season episode "The Launch Reflection", Sheldon takes Amy's hand as Howard is launched into space. Amy glances over at him looking quite surprised.

Religion

Religion plays a minor role in the series. Sheldon was raised in a fundamentalist Christian household. He refers to his childhood as "hell" during his date in "The Robotic Manipulation", and a recurrent theme is his conflict with his devout mother, Mary, whose creationist beliefs often clash with Sheldon's understanding of evolution. In "The Lunar Excitation", Sheldon mentions his promise to Mary to attend church once a year.[episode needed] In "The Wheaton Recurrence", after scoring a spare in bowling, Sheldon happily exclaims "Thank you, Jesus! ...as my mother would say."[episode needed] In the episode "The Zarnecki Incursion", Sheldon can be heard exclaiming "Why hast thou forsaken me, o deity whose existence I doubt?"[episode needed] According to Raj, when Sheldon got food poisoning at the Rose Bowl, he begged the deity in which he didn't believe to kill him quickly.[note 1]

Howard is Jewish and Raj Hindu, both semi-observant, apparently defying many religious customs without worry.[episode needed] They frequently flout dietary prohibitions and tend to give each other grief about them—Raj quotes from the Torah after Howard eats pork,[episode needed] and Howard sharply says he holds his tongue when Raj eats a Big Mac.[episode needed] Still, Raj mentions reincarnation and karma, and Howard celebrates at least some Jewish holidays and refuses to get tattoos so he "can be buried in a Jewish cemetery".[53]

Neither Leonard's nor Penny's religious convictions are made clear. Leonard approaches Christianity with less skepticism than Sheldon.[episode needed] Penny has expressed belief in ghosts, astrology, psychics and voodoo.[54] Bernadette is Catholic, and is frequently seen wearing a necklace with a cross, while Amy is agnostic, stating in "The Lunar Excitation" that she understands the notion of a deity but is skeptical of one that would take attendance.[episode needed]

Howard's mother

In many episodes, Howard has shouting conversations with his overprotective mother (portrayed by Carol Ann Susi). She is dependent on Howard, as he is on her. She speaks with a Brooklyn-esque accent, though she comes from New Jersey.[episode needed] Other characters frequently do impressions of her, and Bernadette's rendition is especially accurate.[episode needed] She always interacts with the cast from another room or on the telephone. She has never been seen, though she did appear momentarily in the overhead photo of Howard and Bernadette's wedding.[citation needed] But still, her face was never shown.

Vanity card

Like most shows created by Chuck Lorre, The Big Bang Theory ends by showing a vanity card written by Lorre after the credits. These cards are archived on Lorre's website.[55]

Ratings

U.S. standard ratings

The Big Bang Theory has been highly rated since its premiere. During its fourth season, it became television's highest rated comedy, just barely beating out eight-year champ Two and a Half Men. However, in the age 14–49 demographic (the show's target age range), it was the second highest rated comedy, behind ABC's Modern Family. The fifth season opened with viewing figures of over 14 million,[56] and boasts the highest-rated episode for the show so far, "The Friendship Contraction" (Season 5, Episode 15), which garnered 16.54 million viewers.[57]

Season Timeslot (ET) Season premiere Season finale TV season Rank Avg. 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 2007–08 #59 8.31[58]
2 Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 22, 2008 – May 11, 2009)
Monday 9:30 P.M. (February 9, 2009) 		September 22, 2008 May 11, 2009 2008–09 #44 10.00[59]
3 Monday 9:30 P.M. (September 21, 2009 – May 24, 2010)
Monday 9:00 P.M. (May 3, 2010) 		September 21, 2009 May 24, 2010 2009–10 #12 14.14[60]
4 Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 23, 2010 – May 19, 2011) September 23, 2010 May 19, 2011 2010–11 #15 13.14[61]
5 Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 22, 2011 – May 10, 2012) September 22, 2011 May 10, 2012 2011–12 #8 15.82[62]
6 Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 27, 2012 – May 2013) September 27, 2012 May 2013 2012-13 N/A N/A[63]

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, and brings in 400,000 viewers on average. The fifth episode received 880,000 viewers. After the first five 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.[64]

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.

As of December 5, 2009, all 23 episodes of Season 2 were also made available on Virgin Media TV Choice On Demand Service, but both seasons have now been removed.

Season 3 began airing on E4 and E4 HD on December 17, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. but was on hiatus between February 25, 2010 until May 6, 2010 when the final 11 episodes of the season aired.

Season 4 began airing on E4 on November 4, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. It drew 877,000 viewers, with a further 256,000 watching on the E4+1 hour service. This gave the show an overall total of 1.13 million viewers, making it E4's most watched programme for that week.[65] E4 broke season four after 12 episodes in January 2011. Season four returned on E4 from June 30, 2011 for the remaining episodes.

Season 5 began airing in 2012 at 8:00 p.m. as part of E4 Comedy Thursdays, as a lead-in to Perfect Couples. Episode 19, the highest-viewed episode of the season, attracted 1.4 million viewers.[66]

Canadian ratings

The Big Bang Theory started off quietly in Canada, but managed to garner major success later on in further seasons. The season 4 premiere garnered an estimated 3.1 million viewers across Canada. This is the largest audience for a sitcom since the series finale of Friends. The Big Bang Theory has pulled ahead and has now become the most watched show in Canada.[67]

Episodes

Main article: List of The Big Bang Theory episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedViewers
rank		U.S. Viewers
(millions)		18–49
rank		18–49
rating/share
First airedLast aired
117September 24, 2007 (2007-09-24)May 19, 2008 (2008-05-19)68[68]8.3446[69]3.3/8
223September 22, 2008 (2008-09-22)May 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)40[70]10.07——
323September 21, 2009 (2009-09-21)May 24, 2010 (2010-05-24)1214.225[71]5.3/13
424September 23, 2010 (2010-09-23)May 19, 2011 (2011-05-19)1313.217[72]4.4/13
524September 22, 2011 (2011-09-22)May 10, 2012 (2012-05-10)815.826[73]5.5/17
624September 27, 2012 (2012-09-27)May 16, 2013 (2013-05-16)318.682[74]6.2/19
724September 26, 2013 (2013-09-26)May 15, 2014 (2014-05-15)219.962[75]6.2/20
824September 22, 2014 (2014-09-22)May 7, 2015 (2015-05-07)219.054[76]5.6/17
924September 21, 2015 (2015-09-21)May 12, 2016 (2016-05-12)220.363[77]5.8/19
1024September 19, 2016 (2016-09-19)May 11, 2017 (2017-05-11)218.993[78]4.9/19
1124September 25, 2017 (2017-09-25)May 10, 2018 (2018-05-10)118.635[79]4.4
1224September 24, 2018 (2018-09-24)May 16, 2019 (2019-05-16)217.316[80]3.6

International broadcast

Country / Region Network(s) Aired Notes Source(s)
 Bangladesh STAR World (HD) Fourth season airs from June 8, 2011. Monday-Thursday 11 p.m. 1st season also aired from December 1. [81]
Zee Café [82]
 China Sohu TV September 23, 2010 – present The dialogue is subtitled in Simplified Chinese and English. [83]
 Croatia RTL, RTL 2 July 2010 – present The dialogue is subtitled. Aired as Teorija velikog praska. Season 5 is currently being aired. [84]
 Germany ProSieben July 11, 2009 – present The dialogue is dubbed. [85]
 Guatemala Warner Channel The dialogue is subtitled. [86]
 Hong Kong aTV World March 3, 2011 – present First two seasons aired in 2011. The dialogue is subtitled. [87]
 India STAR World The dialogue is subtitled in English.Season 4 currently being rerun. [81]
Zee Café [82]
 Japan Super! drama TV November 7, 2009 – present Bilingual broadcast, in Japanese and English [88]
 Nepal STAR World (HD) [81]
Zee Café [82]
 New Zealand TV2 September 17, 2008 – present Wednesday 8:30 p.m. Previously aired on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. [89]
 Romania PRO Cinema May 23, 2011 – present The dialogue is subtitled. Aired as Teoria Big Bang. [90]
 Serbia B92 November 14, 2011 – present The dialogue is subtitled. Aired as Štreberi. [91]
 Sweden Kanal 5 Monday-Friday 7 p.m. & 12 a.m (Also 9 p.m. on Kanal 5 HD). The dialogue is subtitled. First five seasons aired until now.[when?] [92]
 Sri Lanka STAR World (HD) Monday-Friday 11 p.m. on Star World Seasons 1–4. The dialogue is not dubbed. First three seasons aired until now.[when?] [81]
Zee Café [82]
 Switzerland ProSieben (Germany) July 11, 2009 – present The dialogue is dubbed. [85]
 Turkey CNBC-e September 9, 2008 – present The dialogue is subtitled. [93]
 United States CBS September 2007 – present Initial broadcast. —

DVD/Blu-ray releases

DVD Name Release dates Ep # Additional Information
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Complete First Season September 2, 2008[94] January 12, 2009[95] April 3, 2009[96] 17 The 3-disc box set includes all 17 episodes. The one 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: 355 minutes.
The Complete Second Season September 15, 2009[97] October 19, 2009[98] March 3, 2010[99] 23 The 4-disc box set includes all 23 episodes. 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." Running Time: 481 minutes.
The Complete Third Season September 14, 2010[100] September 27, 2010[101] October 13, 2010 [102] 23 The 3-disc box set includes all 23 episodes. Special features include a set tour with Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, an inside look on the third season and a gag reel. This is the first time a season of the show was released on Blu-ray Disc in a 2-Disc Set, in conjunction with the DVD release. Running Time: 472 minutes.
The Complete Fourth Season September 13, 2011[103] September 26, 2011 October 5, 2011 24 The 3-disc box set includes all 24 episodes. Special features include the story behind the show's theme song with Barenaked Ladies, cast interviews with each other and a gag reel. Running time: 529 minutes. Also available on Blu-ray as a 2-disc set, with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the taping of "The Wildebeest Implementation."
The Complete Fifth Season September 11, 2012[104] September 3, 2012 October 1, 2012 24 The 3-disc box set includes all 24 episodes. Special features include a featurette on the show's 100th episode, interviews and a gag reel. Running time: 552 minutes. Also available on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with UltraViolet download.
  • Despite the third and fourth seasons receiving Blu-ray releases in conjunction with their DVD releases, the first and second seasons were only available on DVD upon their time of release. Warner Bros. has since released the first two seasons on Blu-ray/DVD combo packs with UltraViolet downloads on July 10, 2012. All of the episodes from seasons 1 & 2 on Blu-ray received newly remastered surround-sound audio, with the first season sporting a never-before-seen gag reel, which was not included during the initial first season DVD release.[105]

Scientist cameos

As the theme of the show revolves around science, many distinguished and high profile scientists have appeared as guest stars on the show. Famous astrophysicist and nobel laureate George Smoot had a cameo appearance in episode 17 "The Terminator Decoupling", of the second season.[106] Theoretical physicist Brian Greene also appeared on the show in "The Herb Garden Germination", episode 20 of the fourth season. Astrophysicist and science populizer Neil deGrasse Tyson appeared in "The Apology Insufficiency", episode 7 of the fourth season. Cosmologist Stephen Hawking made a short guest appearance in the fifth-season episode "The Hawking Excitation" on April 5, 2012.[107] In the episode he meets Sheldon Cooper and points out a mistake in his new Higgs boson analysis.

Online media

Warner Brothers Television controls the online rights for the show.[108][109] Full episodes are available at tv.com, while short clips and recently aired full episodes are available on cbs.com.[110] Full episodes are also available on Sohu.com in China.[111] In Canada, recent episode(s) and pictures are available on CTV.ca.[112] After the show has aired in New Zealand the shows are available in full online at TVNZ's on demand web service.

Syndication

In May 2010, it was reported that the show has been picked up for syndication, mainly among Fox's O&O group and other local stations, with Warner Bros. Television's sister cable network TBS holding the show's cable syndication rights. Broadcast of old shows began airing in September 2011. TBS now airs the series in primetime on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with evening broadcasts on Saturdays (TBS's local sister station in Atlanta also holds local weeknight rights to the series).[113] Although details of the syndication deal have not been revealed, it was reported the deal "set a record price for a cable off-network sitcom purchase".[114] CTV holds national broadcast syndication rights in Canada, while sister cable network The Comedy Network holds cable rights.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Show Category Result Recipient(s)
2008 1st Ewwy Awards Best Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated Jim Parsons
Best Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated Kaley Cuoco
Best Comedy Series Nominated Cast and Crew
2009 61st Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated Jim Parsons
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated Christine Baranski
Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series Nominated Crew
TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Won Cast and Crew
Individual Achievement in Comedy Won Jim Parsons
Satellite Awards Best Television Comedy or Musical Series Nominated Cast and Crew
Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Series Nominated Jim Parsons
American Film Institute The Best 10 Television Programs of the year Won Cast and Crew
2nd Ewwy Awards Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Won Kaley Cuoco
Best Comedy Series Nominated Cast and Crew
2010 36th People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Comedy Won
Favorite TV Comedy Actor Nominated Jim Parsons
TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Nominated Cast and Crew
Individual Achievement in Comedy Nominated Jim Parsons
Teen Choice Award Choice TV Comedy Nominated
Choice TV Actor: Comedy Nominated Jim Parsons
Choice TV Actress: Comedy Nominated Kaley Cuoco
Choice Scene Stealer: Male Nominated Johnny Galecki
Choice Scene Stealer: Male Nominated Simon Helberg
62nd Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series Nominated Cast and Crew
Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic) Nominated Cast and Crew
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Won Jim Parsons
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated Christine Baranski
Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series Nominated Cast and Crew
3rd Ewwy Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated Kunal Nayyar
Best Comedy Series Won Cast and Crew
2011 68th Golden Globe Awards Best Series – Musical or Comedy Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy Won Jim Parsons
People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Comedy Nominated
Favorite TV Comedy Actor Nominated Jim Parsons
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Comedy Nominated
Choice TV: Actor Comedy Nominated Jim Parsons
Choice TV: Actress Comedy Nominated Kaley Cuoco
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated Johnny Galecki
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Won Jim Parsons
Outstanding Comedy Series Nominated
2012 69th Golden Globe Awards Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated Johnny Galecki
People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Comedy Nominated
Favorite TV Comedy Actor Nominated Jim Parsons
Favorite TV Comedy Actress Nominated Kaley Cuoco
18th Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated Cast
Kerrang! Awards Best TV Show Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Comedy Pending
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Pending
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Pending Jim Parsons
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Pending Mayim Bialik

The Theorists controversy

Through the use of his vanity cards at the end of episodes, Lorre alleged that the program had been plagiarised by a show produced and aired in Belarus. Officially titled Теоретики (The Theorists), the show features "clones" of the main characters, a similar opening sequence, and what appears to be a very close Russian translation of the scripts.[115] Lorre expressed annoyance and described his inquiry with the Warner Brothers legal department about options. The television production company and station's close relationship with the Belarus government was cited as the reason that any attempt to claim copyright infringement would be in vain because the company copying the episodes is operated by the government.[116]

However, no legal action was required to end production of the other show: as soon as the word got out that the show was unlicensed, the actors quit and the producers cancelled it.[117] Dmitriy Tankovich (who plays Leonard's counterpart, "Seva") said in an interview: "I'm upset. At first, the actors were told all legal issues were resolved. We didn't know it wasn't the case, so when the creators of The Big Bang Theory started talking about the show, I was embarrassed. I can't understand why our people first do, and then think. I consider this to be the rock bottom of my career. And I don't want to take part in a stolen show".[118]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c During Season 5, Episode 21 - The Hawking Excitation, Raj states that Sheldon had begged three times before: (1) He begged the Fox Network not to cancel Firefly, (2) He begged TNT to cancel Babylon 5, and when he got food poisoning, he begged a deity he doesn't believe in to end his life quickly

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  116. ^ Vanity Card #277 – Chuck Lorre Productions
  117. ^ STV cancelled the pirated show "The Theorists" Template:Ru icon
  118. ^ "The Theorists" actors don't want to stay with a stolen project Template:Ru icon
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