The Big Bang Theory
| The Big Bang Theory | |
|---|---|
| File:BigBangTheoryTitleCard.png | |
| Genre | Sitcom[1] |
| Created by | Chuck Lorre Bill Prady |
| Directed by | Mark Cendrowski |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Barenaked Ladies |
| Opening theme | "Big Bang Theory Theme"[3][4] |
| Country of origin | Template:TVUS |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 157 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Chuck Lorre Bill Prady Steven Molaro |
| Producer | Faye Oshima Belyeu |
| Editor | Peter Chakos |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 18–22 minutes (without commercials) |
| Production companies | Chuck Lorre Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 24, 2007 – 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.[5] The seventh season premiered on September 26, 2013.[6]
The show is primarily centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, both physicists; 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, mechanical engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.[7][8]
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 girlfriend (later his wife), a microbiologist and former part-time waitress alongside Penny; neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, who joins the group after being matched to Sheldon on a dating website (and later becomes Sheldon's girlfriend), and Stuart Bloom, the cash-strapped owner of the comic book store the characters often visit.
In February 2014, CBS CEO Les Moonves confirmed an eighth season, when announcing the first half of the new season would air on a different night, due to CBS acquiring the rights to Thursday Night Football games. The show will return to its Thursday slot it has held for the past few seasons once the football games end.[9] In March 2014, CBS once again renewed the show for three additional years, through the 2016–17 television season.[10]
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 after Sheldon Leonard).[11] 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 replaced by Penny, portrayed by Kaley Cuoco, in the second pilot);[12][13] 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, Chuck 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 future DVD release, Lorre said, "Wow, that would be something, we will see. Show your failures..."[14]
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.[15] 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.[16] The show is filmed in front of a live audience,[17] and is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.[18] Production was halted on November 6, 2007, due to the Writers Guild of America strike. Nearly 3 months later, on February 4, 2008, the series was temporarily replaced by a short-lived sitcom, Welcome to the Captain. The series returned on March 17, 2008 in an earlier time slot[19] and ultimately only 17 episodes were produced for the first season.[20][21] 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.[22] With increasing ratings, the show received a two-year renewal through the 2010–11 season in 2009.[23][24] In 2011, the show was picked up for three more seasons.[25] In March 2014, the show was renewed again for three more years through the 2016–17 season. This marks the second time the series has gained a three-year renewal.[10]
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.[7] 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."[8]
Several of the actors in The Big Bang Theory previously worked together 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
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 after the producers attended one of the band's concerts in Los Angeles. By coincidence, Robertson had recently read Simon Singh's book, Big Bang,[26][27] and at the concert, he improvised a freestyle rap about the origins of the universe.[citation needed] Lorre and Prady phoned Robertson shortly thereafter and asked him to write the theme song. Having been asked to write songs for other films and shows only to have them rejected in favor of other artists' songs, Robertson agreed to write the theme only after learning that Lorre and Prady had not asked anyone else.
On October 9, 2007, a full-length (1 minute and 45 seconds) version of the song was released commercially.[28] Although some sources identify the song title as "History of Everything",[29] the cover art for the single identifies the title as Big Bang Theory Theme. A music video was also released via special features on The Complete Fourth Season DVD and Blu-ray set.[30][31] The theme was included on the band's greatest hits album, Hits from Yesterday & the Day Before, which was released on September 27, 2011.[32]
Actors' salaries
For the first three seasons, Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco, 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 per-episode pay will go up an additional $50,000 in each of the following three seasons, culminating in $350,000 per episode in the seventh season.[33][34]
Main cast
These actors are credited in all episodes of the series:
- Johnny Galecki[35] 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 in Pasadena. The writers immediately implied potential romance between him and neighbor Penny, and their tension is frequently explored including occasional dating. In Season 3, Leonard begins an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Penny, although the two continue to live separately. In Season 5, Leonard and Penny get back together, and begin what they refer to as a "relationship beta test", in which either Leonard or Penny would report a "bug" to the other person, and either one would address it.
- Jim Parsons[36] as Sheldon Cooper, M.A., Ph.D.[37] – Originally from Galveston, Texas,[38] 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 researching quantum mechanics and string theory, he has two master's degrees, a Ph.D., a Sc.D., and an IQ of 187. He exhibits a strict adherence to routine and 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. Sheldon is very egotistical, as he often boasts about his 'superior' intelligence, and sometimes underestimates that of his friends. Sheldon relies on his friends (usually Leonard) to drive him around, and he eventually tries to go for his driver's license in season 2, but fails to complete the task, as he finds many practical (even straightforward) aspects of life difficult to deal with. In the fourth season, he begins a relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler, who becomes his girlfriend during the fifth season, even though he is wary of germs and physical contact. He is a somewhat introverted and socially awkward character, except when it comes to getting his own way or belittling the accomplishments of his friends, which often comes across as petty and childlike. He can also be quite spiteful as he has no understanding of tact. When he becomes frustrated, fears he is losing an argument, or has trouble keeping a secret, he suffers from facial twitching which he finds difficult to control. Sheldon also follows an extremely ritualized way of living and has an obsession to see things completed (e.g., sitting in the same spot on the sofa or knocking on a door three times before saying the name of whom he's addressing and repeating this three times, to name a few examples).
- Kaley Cuoco[39] as Penny – From a town outside of Omaha, Nebraska,[40] she is an aspiring actress who lives across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard. Penny 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 until the seventh season. She is not a university graduate but has far more common sense and streetwise social awareness than the other main characters. There is, however, a running joke about her being slovenly and untidy. To date, her family name has not been revealed. She dated Leonard at the end of the first season, and during the third, fifth, and sixth seasons.[41] 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. Cuoco began being credited as Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, starting with the season seven episode, "The Convention Conundrum".
- Simon Helberg[42] as Howard Joel Wolowitz,[43] Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)[44] – 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 the elite MIT and that the apparatus he designs are launched into space, unlike the purely abstract work of his friends, including going to space himself in the Season 5 finale. He exhibits a good line in Jewish humor, which Leonard and Raj seem to occasionally appreciate. Prior to dating and marrying Bernadette, he fancied himself a ladies' man and devised outrageous pick-up lines, with suitably unimpressed reactions from Penny and limited success with other women. He claims to be a polyglot, speaking six different languages, including French, Russian, Mandarin, Farsi, Arabic and Klingon. He dates and later marries Bernadette Rostenkowski, and eventually moves into an apartment with her in the sixth season. In the fifth season, he trained as an astronaut, and went to space in the season finale to serve as a payload specialist on the International Space Station.
- Kunal Nayyar[45] as Rajesh Ramayan "Raj" Koothrappali, Ph.D. – Originally from New Delhi, India, he works as a particle astrophysicist at Caltech.[46] His family is very wealthy. He communicates with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. V.M. Koothrappali, via webcam. He was very shy around women and was physically unable to talk to them for the first six seasons of the show (except for his mother and his sister), unless he drank alcoholic beverages (or at least thought he had been drinking alcohol), or had taken experimental medications provided by the pharmacology department at the university. However, he often had better luck with women than his overly-confident best friend, Howard. In the final episode of season six, Raj overcomes his inability to speak to women, and can now address them without having alcohol in his system. He has very feminine tastes and often takes on a stereotypical female role in his close friendship with Howard, but he insists that he is not gay.[47] During the fourth season, his sister Priya (Aarti Mann) stays with him and she becomes Leonard's girlfriend (much to Raj's annoyance). In the Season 6 episode "The Tangible Affection Proof", Raj meets Lucy (Kate Micucci) in the comic book store and they begin a brief relationship. However, in the episode "The Bon Voyage Reaction", Lucy ended her relationship with Raj as she was too stressed when he wanted her to meet his friends. At the end of the episode, Raj finally spoke to Penny without consuming alcohol, after becoming heartbroken by his break-up with Lucy.
These actors were first credited as guest stars and later promoted to main cast:
- Sara Gilbert as Leslie Winkle, Ph.D. (recurring season 1, starring season 2, recurring season 3)[48][49] – 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 back to guest star status because producers could not generate enough content for the character.[48] 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-Wolowitz, Ph.D. (recurring season 3, starring since season 4)[50] – 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 research 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 become engaged near the end of season 4, and marry at the end of season 5.
- Mayim Bialik, Ph.D. as Amy Farrah Fowler, Ph.D. (guest starring season 3, starring since mid-season 4)[51] – 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 eventually becomes more interested in social and romantic interaction and is slightly more socially-aware than Sheldon. Once she and Sheldon meet, she becomes, as Sheldon puts it, a girl who is his friend, but not his "girlfriend". Their relationship slowly progresses through seasons 5 and 6. Amy also believes she and Penny are best friends ("besties", by her own definition), a sentiment that at first Penny respectfully indulges but does not share. Penny eventually becomes a real friend, overlooking Amy's Sheldon-like qualities. Amy's admiration for Penny has at times bordered on physical 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 girl who plays TV's Blossom" (Bialik) to their Physics Bowl team.
- Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom (recurring seasons 2–5, starring season 6, recurring season 7) – Stuart is a mild-mannered yet under-confident individual who runs the comic book store that the guys frequently visit. He is also a geek, but he has a talent for drawing, is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and possesses slightly better social skills than the rest of the guys. During Stuart's first appearance, the guys brought Penny along to the store and he managed to ask her on a date. They go on a few dates until Penny mistakenly calls him "Leonard", leaving him devastated. As Stuart runs a comic book store, he has vast knowledge of comic books and superheroes. In the Season 4 episode "The Toast Derivation", he implied he was in financial trouble and that the comic book store is now also his home. At Howard's bachelor party during "The Stag Convergence", Stuart uses his toasting turn to tell Howard how lucky he is and compares it to his own situation of living in the back of his comic book store. In Season 6, he is invited to be part of the guys' group while Howard is in space. Sheldon is not very accepting of this due to Stuart's art degree (which he considers inferior), but relents after Stuart offers him a 30% off discount in the comic book store.
The American television sitcom franchise The Big Bang Theory, began with the multi-cam laugh track sitcom of the same name created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, which premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007, and ended on May 16, 2019, followed by the single-camera spin-off prequel television series Young Sheldon, created and executive produced by Lorre alongside Jim Parsons and Steven Molaro, which premiered on CBS on September 25, 2017 and concluded on May 16, 2024, with the third series in the franchise, a multi-cam spin-off sequel to Young Sheldon entitled Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, premiering on October 17, 2024. A fourth series, a multi-cam spin-off sequel to The Big Bang Theory entitled Stuart, Denise & Bert, is slated to premiere in 2025.
The Big Bang Theory initially centers on five characters: Sheldon Lee Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, two physicists and roommates; Penny, their neighbor who is a waitress and aspiring actress; Sheldon and Leonard's friends and coworkers aerospace engineer Howard Joel Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali.
Over time, several supporting characters have been introduced and promoted to starring roles, including physicist Leslie Winkle, neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, microbiologist Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, comic book store proprietor and friend of the other characters Stuart Bloom. The series also features numerous supporting characters, each of whom plays a prominent role in a story arc. Included among them are parents of the main characters, their dates and their coworkers. Celebrities such as Stephen Hawking appear in cameo roles as themselves.
Young Sheldon initially centers on Sheldon Cooper at the age of nine, going to high school and living with his family in the fictional town of Medford, East Texas, Sheldon's mother, Mary; his father and the head football coach at Medford High, George Sr.; his twin sister, Missy; his older brother, George Jr.; and his grandmother, Constance "Connie" Tucker, also known as "Meemaw". The series also features numerous supporting characters, each of whom plays a prominent role in a story arc. Included among them are Sheldon's present and former classmates, their dates and coworkers, and those of his family. Celebrities such as Elon Musk appear in cameo roles as themselves. Jim Parsons, who portrays the adult Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, narrates the series and serves as an executive producer.
Main characters
Cast table
This section includes characters who have appeared in The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage series with main role.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the season.
- V indicates a voice-only role.
- = Main cast (credited)
- = Recurring cast (2+ episodes)
- = Guest cast (1 episode)
The Big Bang Theory main characters
Leonard Hofstadter
Leonard Leakey Hofstadter[52] (portrayed by Johnny Galecki; seasons 1–12) is an experimental physicist with an IQ of 173. Originally from New Jersey, he received his PhD at age 24, spending at least some of his time at Princeton University. He shared an apartment in Pasadena with colleague and friend Dr. Sheldon Cooper for much of the series. Unlike his equally geeky friends, Leonard is interested and adept in building relationships with other people. Compared to his friends, he is relatively successful with women. Leonard comes from an accomplished family. His mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, is a neuroscientist and world-renowned psychiatrist with whom he has a strained relationship. His sister is a medical researcher, his father, Dr. Alfred Hofstadter, is an anthropologist, and his brother Michael is a Harvard law professor. He and Penny date on and off throughout the series, eventually marrying and finding out that Penny is pregnant in the series finale.
Leonard makes a brief non-speaking cameo as a child in the Season 2 finale of Young Sheldon; he was portrayed by Isaac Harger as a child.
Sheldon Cooper
.jpg)
Sheldon Lee Cooper (portrayed by Jim Parsons; The Big Bang Theory seasons 1–12, Young Sheldon season 7; voiced by Parsons; narrator: Young Sheldon; and by Iain Armitage; guest: The Big Bang Theory season 7; main: Young Sheldon) is a theoretical physicist, possessing a B.S, M.S, M.A,[53] Ph.D, Sc.D, I.Q. of 187, and eidetic memory. Born in East Texas, he was a child prodigy and received his PhD at age 16 from the California Institute of Technology. He is a cold, condescending, self-centered, and immature person but is rarely malicious. He is obsessed with routines and any disruptions distress him enormously. He shows signs of obsessive–compulsive personality disorder, often shown through his compulsive need to knock three times on a door while saying the name of the person behind the door three times too and the superiority complex. Despite his lack of social graces, he does care about his friends and family. In seasons 1–9, he shares an apartment in Pasadena with friend and fellow physicist Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. From then after, he moves in with his girlfriend and eventual wife, Amy. It is revealed in Young Sheldon that they have kids too.
His interest in science fiction and comic books borders on the extreme. He has a particular affinity for Spock from the Star Trek franchise. Although he has the tendency to take things literally, he is fond of occasionally telling a joke or playing a prank, which he typically punctuates with his trademark exclamation, "Bazinga!"
As portrayed in Young Sheldon, he is a child prodigy who finishes primary school before his twin sister, Missy, and joins the same high-school class as his older brother, Georgie, at the age of nine. He reads widely and possesses an eidetic memory. He prefers to learn topics that interest him on his own—such as Faraday's law of induction and gravitational lensing—than the standard curriculum of grade school. In this series, the origins of his interests in the sciences, engineering, computers, trains, comic books, and science fiction (especially the character Spock from Star Trek) are revealed. Sheldon moves on to college while Missy remains in middle school. Despite their rivalry, Sheldon and Missy are closer than they first appear.
Iain Armitage, who plays young Sheldon on the spin-off, briefly appears in a video tape during a final season episode of The Big Bang Theory; it is the only time Parsons and Armitage have appeared together so far.
Penny
Kindhearted and outgoing, Penny (portrayed by Kaley Cuoco) is Leonard and Sheldon's neighbor across the hallway from the inception of the series, replacing the apartment's former occupant, Louis/Louise, a "transvestite with a skin condition" according to Sheldon. Originally from a small town outside Omaha, Nebraska, she was a waitress and occasional bartender at the local Cheesecake Factory until season seven, and is an aspiring actress. Sheldon describes her as a "good-natured simpleton" and is critical of her dropping out of community college.
Initially, not much is known about Penny's family, but it is mentioned in the series that her father, Wyatt (portrayed by Keith Carradine,[54]) raised her like a boy, her mother smoked marijuana while she was pregnant with her, her sister shot her husband while they were intoxicated, and her brother is a meth dealer. Her mother, Susan (Katey Sagal), and brother, Randall (Jack McBrayer), are finally seen in the first episode of season ten. Her last name is never revealed during the series. Leonard and Penny date on and off throughout the series which is a big plot point of the show, they eventually marry and find out they're pregnant in the series finale.
Penny makes a brief non-speaking cameo as a child in the Season 2 finale of Young Sheldon, she was portrayed by Quinn Aune as a child. Cuoco additionally voices the pool water, part of one of young Sheldon's nightmares, in the spinoff.
Howard Wolowitz
Howard Joel[55] Wolowitz, M.Eng. (portrayed by Simon Helberg; main: the Big Bang Theory seasons 1–12; guest: Young Sheldon season 5) is an aerospace engineer at Caltech's Department of Applied Physics who often hangs out at Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. Unlike Sheldon, Leonard, and Raj, Howard does not have a doctorate and often gets disparaged as a result, especially by Sheldon. He defends this by pointing out that he has a master's degree in Engineering from MIT and that the equipment he designs is launched into space, unlike the theoretical work of his friends. In the fifth-season finale, Howard goes to the International Space Station on Expedition 31.
Howard lives in Altadena with his domineering, belittling, and unseen mother, who treats him like a child. While he sometimes expresses irritation at this treatment, for the most part, he appears to prefer it.[56] Howard and his mother often communicate with each other from different rooms by yelling, a habit which Bernadette also adopts in later episodes. Howard fancies himself a ladies' man and attempts pick-up lines whenever a woman is present, although he drops this habit once he starts going out with Bernadette. He is a non-observant Jew. Over the course of the series, he and Bernadette marry and have two children.
In the pilot episode, he speaks English, French, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, and Persian, along with fictional languages like Klingon and Sindarin. Howard suffers from asthma, transient idiopathic arrhythmia, allergies to peanuts, almonds, and walnuts, and is prone to canker sores and pink eye.
Howard makes a brief non-speaking appearance in the Season 2 finale of Young Sheldon, in which he was portrayed by Ethan Stern as a child; he returns to reprise himself in a narration with Helberg's voiceover for a Season 5 episode.
Raj Koothrappali
Rajesh Ramayan[57][58] Koothrappali, PhD (portrayed by Kunal Nayyar) is Howard Wolowitz's best friend. Often called "Raj" by his friends, he is from New Delhi, India, and works in the physics department at Caltech, researching astroparticle physics. Raj comes from a very wealthy family in India, and often communicates with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Koothrappali, via webcam. He did at least part of his higher education at the University of Cambridge and like most of the scientists bar Howard he also has a PhD.[59] He has a younger sister, Priya. He lives in an apartment in Pasadena. As with his friends, he is mutually involved with and obsessed with science fiction and comic books in general. He is also a fan of Harry Potter and Indian music, but appreciates the Indian lullabies his mother sang and the catchiness of Hindi phrases. Unlike his male friends, Raj has many feminine interests, such as reading Archie comics and Twilight and watching chick flicks such as Bridget Jones's Diary. It is speculated that Raj might be gay due to his feminine interests and his close friendship with Howard, with whom he has arguments similar to those of a married couple. However, Raj has always stated that he is straight, but metrosexual. He was infatuated with Penny, and secretly wrote love poems about Bernadette.
Raj is a Hindu and believes in karma (reincarnation), but eats beef. He is very shy around women outside of his family, and during the first six seasons of the show, found himself unable to speak to women while in their presence unless he drank alcoholic beverages, or believed he had done so.[59] He eventually is able to get over this condition and starts to, unsuccessfully and for short periods, date women.
Raj makes a brief non-speaking cameo as a child in the Season 2 finale of Young Sheldon, he was portrayed by Rishabh Prabhat as a child.
Leslie Winkle
Leslie Winkle, PhD (portrayed by Sara Gilbert; main: season 2; recurring: season 1; guest: seasons 3 and 9) is an experimental physicist who shares her lab with Leonard. In appearance, she is essentially Leonard's female counterpart, equipped with black-framed glasses and sweat jackets. She suffers from lazy eye. She is one of Sheldon's archenemies due to their conflicting scientific ideas and takes every opportunity to insult Sheldon for mistreating her.
Bernadette Rostenkowski
.jpg)
Bernadette Maryann[60] Rostenkowski-Wolowitz,[61] PhD (portrayed by Melissa Rauch; main: seasons 4–12; recurring: season 3) is originally a waitress and co-worker of Penny's at The Cheesecake Factory, using her wages to pay for her graduate studies in microbiology. She is a smart, short-tempered, ruthless, competitive young woman. Despite her short stature and squeaky voice, she is regarded as being intimidating, largely because of her sharp tongue, aggressive demeanor and tendency to be a bully. A recurring joke in the series references Bernadette and her lab team handling dangerous or infectious specimens, leading to accidental byproducts.
While initially not getting along with Howard's mother, she eventually becomes like her, domineering and passive aggressive, even adopting her signature yell.
She and Howard have two children, Halley and Neil Michael (who they call Michael), in seasons 10 and 11 respectively.
Bernadette is of Polish origin and Catholic upbringing, and was originally seen wearing a cross necklace.
Bernadette makes a brief non-speaking cameo as a child in the Season 2 finale of Young Sheldon, she was portrayed by A. J. Coggeshall as a child.
Amy Fowler
_(cropped).jpg)
Amy Farrah Fowler, PhD (portrayed by Mayim Bialik; main The Big Bang Theory: seasons 4–12; guest: The Big Bang Theory season 3, Young Sheldon season 4, 7) is a neuroscientist with a research focus on addiction in primates and invertebrates, occasionally mentioning such experiments involving addiction. (Bialik herself has a PhD in neuroscience.) She is Sheldon's love interest in the series, and they marry at the end of season 11. They are revealed to have children in Young Sheldon.
Early on, Amy is essentially a female counterpart to Sheldon; as the series progresses, she begins a campaign to increase Sheldon's feelings for her by becoming more involved in his interests, including video games and Star Trek, and treating him as his mother did.
In 2020, a year after The Big Bang Theory went off the air, it was revealed that Kate Micucci, who ultimately got the role of Lucy, had auditioned for the role of Amy Farrah Fowler.[62]
Amy makes two appearances in Young Sheldon. She makes an appearance as a child in the Season 2 finale where she is portrayed in a non-speaking role by Lily Sanfelippo. Bialik returns to play Amy in the narration of the season 4 premiere, and in a physical appearance in the series finale.
Stuart Bloom
Stuart David Bloom[63][64] (portrayed by Kevin Sussman; main: seasons 6 and 8–12; recurring: seasons 2–5 and 7) runs the Comic Center in Pasadena,[65] the comic book store that the characters often visit. Stuart is characterized by his low self-esteem and loneliness, which often result in pathetic attempts to engage with women and win favor with the gang. This is despite owning his own business and being a talented portraiture artist who attended the Rhode Island School of Design.[66]
One of the running gags on the show is Stuart's medical situation. It is depicted as disastrous, so much so that he can be seen under various medical treatments. He is said to have depression and possible malnutrition, among other problems. In the last season, Stuart's life seems to be turning around. His comic store becomes successful and he gets a steady, long-term relationship.
Kevin Sussman was a recurring guest actor from seasons two to five, and was promoted to starring role for the sixth season onwards.[67]
Emily Sweeney
Emily Sweeney, M.D., (portrayed by Laura Spencer; main: season 9; recurring: seasons 7–8; guest: season 10) is a dermatology resident at Huntington Hospital, whom Raj finds on an online dating site. Raj enlists Amy's help to be his "online wingman" and talk to Emily in his behalf. Amy tells Emily about this and it puts her off. Amy and Emily end up hitting it off, having both gone to Harvard and both being into quilting. While Amy and Emily are at lunch together, Raj crashes the lunch. This drives Emily away from both Raj and Amy this time. Later, Raj and Emily meet again, accidentally and hit it off. They eventually double date with Howard and Bernadette, which horrifies Howard. He and Emily had a horrible date, which ended because Howard had gas station sushi, got food poisoning and clogged and overflowed her toilet. Emily is not afraid to stand up for herself or to others when necessary. She is shown to have a slightly alarming personality trait: she delights in the macabre. Raj ends up breaking up with her before Valentine's Day so he could be with Claire (Alessandra Olivia Toreson). Unfortunately for Raj, Claire had just gotten back together with her boyfriend. So, he eventually lost them both. Emily attempted to get back into Raj's good graces and did manage to sleep with him one last time, but it didn't last.
Laura Spencer was a recurring guest actress on the series in seasons seven and eight. During production of season 9, she was promoted to a "fractional" starring role; the upgraded status ensured her availability on an as-needed basis, without requiring her in every episode.[68] She returned as a guest in season 10.
Young Sheldon main characters
Sheldon Lee Cooper
Mary Cooper
Mary Cooper (née Tucker)[69] (portrayed by Laurie Metcalf in The Big Bang Theory; recurring: seasons 7 and 9–12; guest: seasons 1 and 3–5 and by Zoe Perry in Young Sheldon) is Sheldon's short-tempered, but loving and deeply religious mother from Texas. She is able to control Sheldon, with Leonard once describing her to Penny as "Sheldon's kryptonite". A devout Southern Baptist, she also has two other children — Sheldon's twin sister, Missy, and brother, Georgie, who is five years older than the twins. Her husband, a rambunctious alcoholic, was also named George, but he later died in Sheldon's childhood. To Mary's relief, her other children do not share Sheldon's precociousness, even once commenting to Leonard, "I thank the good Lord my other kids are as dumb as soup". Mary herself is not intellectual but is quite wise, though she is prone to making outdated and insensitive remarks. She is nevertheless kind at heart and is tolerant of other faiths. Leonard wishes his mother were as loving as Sheldon's mother, although Sheldon himself appears at best ambivalent about her parenting. Sheldon mentions that Mary once hit him with a Bible because he refused to eat his Brussels sprouts. She apparently thought something was wrong with her son while he was growing up since Sheldon will often remark after someone calls him crazy, "I'm not crazy; my mother had me tested!" Mary confirms this, though she wishes that she had taken him to Houston for further testing.
A younger version of Mary, played by Zoe Perry, is a main character in the prequel series Young Sheldon. Perry is Metcalf's real life daughter.
George Cooper Sr.
George Cooper Sr. (portrayed by Lance Barber; main: Young Sheldon; guest The Big Bang Theory season 11) was the husband of Mary Cooper and father of Georgie, Sheldon, and Missy. He was the high school football coach for Medford High. In The Big Bang Theory, it is established that he died when Sheldon and Missy were fourteen years old due to an off-screen heart attack.[70][71]
Barber previously portrayed Jimmy Speckerman in one episode of The Big Bang Theory (guest: season 5).
Georgie Cooper
George Marshall "Georgie" Cooper Jr. (portrayed by Jerry O'Connell as an adult; recurring: The Big Bang Theory seasons 11–12 and Montana Jordan as a youth; Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage) is Sheldon and Missy's older brother who resides in Texas and runs a car tire business. Often at odds while growing up, the Cooper brothers later reconcile their differences. George Jr. is a laid-back character who likes to make money and is a known womanizer. By season 12 of The Big Bang Theory, it is revealed that he has been twice married and divorced.
Missy Cooper
Melissa "Missy" Cooper (Courtney Henggeler as an adult; guest: seasons 1 & 7 & 11 and Raegan Revord as a child, main: Young Sheldon) is not as academically accomplished as her twin brother but displays better social skills. As a child, she was obsessed with Alf. In season three of Young Sheldon, Missy joins the baseball team in the fictional town of Medford. While Sheldon finishes high school and matriculates at university, Missy navigates the ordinary challenges of adolescence. Despite their differences, the twins are pretty close; they are both atheists.
As an adult in The Big Bang Theory, Missy is a tall, attractive woman who promptly catches the attention of Leonard, Howard, and Raj. She occasionally visits Sheldon, whom she calls a "rocket scientist" to her friends, much to his annoyance. She's the only character besides Sheldon who appeared in all episodes of Young Sheldon. She later married and had children but separated from her husband in Season 11.
Constance "Connie" Tucker ("Meemaw")
.jpg)
Constance "Connie" Tucker[69] (June Squibb in The Big Bang Theory; guest: season 9 and Annie Potts in Young Sheldon) is Mary's mother, George Sr.'s mother-in-law, and maternal grandmother to Georgie, Sheldon, and Missy, who call her "Meemaw". Like Sheldon's other family members, she is also native to Texas and is their neighbor in the town of Medford. Connie is depicted as free-spirited, adventurous and outspoken. Sheldon sees himself as her favorite grandchild, and Connie nicknames him "Moonpie". Sheldon, in turn, is very affectionate toward and protective of her. Meemaw is often mentioned by Sheldon but did not appear on the series until episode 14 of season nine, "The Meemaw Manifestation".
In Young Sheldon, recurring themes are her significant gambling habit and active dating life.
Pastor Jeff Difford
Pastor Jeff Difford (portrayed by Matt Hobby; main: Young Sheldon seasons 3–7; recurring: seasons 1–2) is the upbeat lead pastor of a local Baptist church in Medford that Sheldon's family attends in Young Sheldon. Like Mary, he, too, sometimes has friction with Sheldon's atheistic side but often encourages Sheldon to explore his own ideas logically.
Billy Sparks
Billy Sparks (portrayed by Wyatt McLure; main: Young Sheldon seasons 5–7; recurring: seasons 1–4) is a boy who lives with his parents and sister next to the Coopers and Meemaw. He has been mentioned in The Big Bang Theory as one of Sheldon's childhood bullies, although in Young Sheldon, he is rather good-natured and at times is friends with Sheldon but is shown to be extremely dim-witted.
Mandy McAllister
.jpg)
Amanda Elizabeth "Mandy" McAllister (portrayed by Emily Osment; main: Young Sheldon seasons 6–7 and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage; recurring: Young Sheldon season 5) is Georgie's wife; by the time of The Big Bang Theory, Georgie and Mandy have divorced as Sheldon receives congratulations on his Nobel Prize from several ex-sisters-in-law.
Supporting characters
Cast table
This section includes characters who have appeared in The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon series with recurring role.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the season.
- V indicates a voice-only role.
- P indicates a posthumous appearance using archived voice recording.
- = Recurring cast (2+ episodes)
- = Guest cast (1 episode)
The Big Bang Theory
Alex Jensen
Alex Jensen (Margo Harshman) is a Caltech graduate student who appears in season six. Sheldon hires her to review his kindergarten and elementary-school notebooks for any possible Nobel Prize–winning research and attend to the tasks that Sheldon perceives as a waste of his own valuable time, such as buying Amy a Valentine's Day gift.
Alex takes an interest in pursuing a relationship with Leonard (despite his involvement with Penny), though he is oblivious to her romantic overtures.
Althea Robinson
Althea Robinson (Vernee Watson) is a nurse and receptionist at the hospital. She operated the sperm clinic during the original (unaired) Pilot episode when Leonard and Sheldon were considering donating. She was also present when Howard needed assistance in buying time to keep Leonard from returning home to see his surprise party getting set up. In Season 4 when Howard had a 'mishap' with a robot arm, she freed him by shutting off the computer. In Season 10, she appears in "The Birthday Synchronicity", serving as the delivery room nurse when Bernadette was having her baby, and is confused by the presence of Stuart and Raj alongside Howard, wondering if it is a "Mamma Mia!" scenario. She is also the only character besides Leonard and Sheldon to be carried over from the original unaired pilot. Watson also portrays a younger version of Robinson in several episodes of Young Sheldon.
Anu
Anu (Rati Gupta) is the woman whom Raj's father wants him to marry. She first appears in season 12 and works at a hotel as a concierge.
Arthur Jeffries
Arthur Jeffries, or Professor Proton (Bob Newhart), is the star of a fictional in-universe science show that Sheldon and Leonard watched as children. The character is a homage to Mr. Wizard.[73] After the show was canceled, Jeffries was not taken seriously as a scientist and resorted to doing children's parties as his persona. When Sheldon asks for his wisdom, Jeffries tells Sheldon to appreciate everything in life, including his friends, and never take it for granted. After passing away, Jeffries appears as a force ghost, akin to Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Sheldon in a dream, and throughout the season, provides him advice, such as comforting him over taking his relationship further with Amy, his misgivings over Will Wheaton being cast in a Professor Proton reboot, and his first argument with Amy, as his wife. For his role as Jeffries, in 2013, Newhart won his first Primetime Emmy Award. Newhart played the same character on Young Sheldon.
Barry Kripke
Barry Kripke, PhD (John Ross Bowie) is a colleague working in plasma physics who frequently clashes with Sheldon. Kripke has a case of rhotacism in which he pronounces the letters "R" and "L" as "W" in much the same way as Elmer Fudd from Looney Tunes, Jimmy Five from Monica's Gang and Gilda Radner in her "Baba Wawa" sketches. He first appears in the Season 2 episode "The Killer Robot Instability" pitting his robot, the Kripke Krippler against that of the main characters. He is a recurring rival of Sheldon.
Bert Kibbler
Professor Bertram Kibbler (Brian Posehn) is a geologist at Caltech, who meets Amy while she was working there in her own lab in the episode "The Occupation Recalibration"—where he attempts to ask her on a date, but is disheartened to learn that she is already in a relationship. In Season 10 ("The Geology Elevation"), he wins the $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship grant from Caltech, which makes Sheldon jealous. In Season 11, Bert asks Sheldon to collaborate with him. He joins Raj and Howard in their band, and sings a song from the point of view of the boulder seen near the beginning of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). In season 12, Bert asks for Raj's help in cutting open a meteorite, and in the series finale, looks after Cinnamon for Raj, intending to use her to help him get girls.
Beverly Hofstadter
Beverly Hofstadter (Christine Baranski) is Leonard's unloving, emotionally/psychologically abusive and overly analytical mother who works as a neuroscientist, as well as a psychiatrist. She is Sheldon's female equivalent regarding neurotically strict speech patterns, disregard for social conventions, and compulsive attention to detail. The lack of Beverly's maternal feelings and actions toward Leonard has led to him having an obsessive need to please. Mrs. Hofstadter and Mrs. Cooper do not get along. She first appears in Season 2 ("The Maternal Capacitance"), visiting her son. For her role as Beverly, in both 2009 and 2010, Baranski was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Claire
Claire (Alessandra Torresani) is a writer for a children's science fiction series whom Raj and Howard meet in the comic book store in season 9. Claire wants to collaborate with Raj on the science portions of a movie script.
Chen
Chen (James Hong) is an elderly waiter at the Golden Dragon in Season 1 until it was revealed to be shut down the following season. He is not too fond of Sheldon after he accuses the restaurant of passing off Orange Chicken as Mandarin and refers to Howard as the guy who thinks he can speak Chinese.
Dan
Dan (Stephen Root) is a senior member of staff at Zangen, who first appears in "The Locomotion Interruption" when he interviews Penny for a pharmaceutical sales representative position as a favor to Bernadette, and later bonds with her, upon learning that they are both terrified of Bernadette.
Dave Gibbs
Dave Gibbs (Stephen Merchant) is a tall British man who dates Amy after she breaks up with Sheldon. He is recently divorced, his wife having had an affair with a French chef, which he remains bitter over. To Amy's horror, he is an avid fan of Sheldon's work, constantly asking questions about him after learning that he and Amy dated. Gibbs uses Merchant's native Bristol accent, after Penny, Amy and Bernadette had raved over 'sexy' English accents.
Denise
Denise (Lauren Lapkus) is the assistant manager at Stuart's comic book store. She is quite a comic book geek. She first appears, in season 11. At first, Sheldon does not like the change that comes with her hiring but later changes his mind because of her comic book knowledge and her ability to figure out his preferences in comic books. In Season 12, she enters a relationship with Stuart.
Dr. Eric Gablehauser
Dr. Eric Gablehauser (Mark Harelik) is the head of the Department of Physics, making him the boss of the main characters. Gablehauser later hosts the Physics Bowl,[74] and gives Raj attention when he is featured in a People article for discovering a planet. Dr. Gablehauser is well acquainted with Dr. Cooper, Dr. Hofstadter, Dr. Koothrappali and Mr. Wolowitz.
Dr. Greg Pemberton
Dr. Greg Pemberton (Sean Astin) is part of a team of physicists at Fermilab who accidentally confirmed the Super-Asymmetry paper published by Sheldon and Amy. He and Kevin Campbell plan on nominating themselves and Sheldon for the Nobel Prize, but Sheldon refuses.
Dr. V. M. Koothrappali
.jpg)
Doctor V. M. Koothrappali (Brian George) is Raj's father in India. He is a gynecologist and a wealthy man. His wife and he communicate with their son via Skype and constantly try to arrange dates for him. They want their son to marry a woman of Indian descent and give them grandchildren.[59] V. M. and his wife later divorce, devastating Raj.
Dr. Kevin Campbell
Dr. Kevin Campbell (Kal Penn) is one of the physicists at Fermilab who accidentally confirmed the Super-Asymmetry paper published by Sheldon and Amy. He and Greg Pemberton plan on nominating themselves and Sheldon for the Nobel Prize, but Sheldon refuses.
Mrs. Fowler
Mrs. Fowler (Annie O'Donnell (season 5); Kathy Bates (Seasons 11 and 12) is the mother of Amy Fowler. She is rather dominating of her husband, the mild mannered Mr. Fowler.
Mrs. Koothrappali
.jpg)
Mrs. Koothrappali (Alice Amter) is Raj's mother in India. Mrs. Koothrappali is especially worried that, despite Raj being old enough to marry, the closest they have to a daughter-in-law is "that little Jewish boy Howard".[75] Mrs. Koothrappali later divorces her husband, devastating Raj.
Janine Davis
Janine Davis (Regina King) is a human-resources representative working at the university. She first appears in Season 6 after Sheldon offends his assistant Alex while trying to deal with her crush on Leonard, leaving Mrs. Davis to handle Alex's sexual harassment complaint against Sheldon.
Kurt
Kurt (Brian Patrick Wade) is a tall, intimidating bodybuilder and Penny's ex-boyfriend at the beginning of the series. He physically belittles both Leonard and Sheldon when they go to collect Penny's things.
Larry Fowler
Larry Fowler (Teller) is the mild mannered and silent father of Amy Fowler. He is terrified of his wife.
Lucy
Lucy (Kate Micucci) shows up at a party at the comic-book store on Valentine's Day at an event for people who had no dates. She has social anxiety issues, something she shares in common with Raj. Originally, Kate Micucci had been one of the actresses considered for the Amy Farrah Fowler character.
Mike Rostenkowski
Mike Rostenkowski (Casey Sander) is Bernadette's father and a retired police officer. Mike has a rough and rude personality and often bullies others, although he deeply loves his daughter, whom he calls his "little girl". Before he is first seen, Bernadette establishes his personality by telling Howard a long list of subjects he cannot discuss with Mike, including Jimmy Carter, foreigners, homosexuals, and even Howard's Jewish identity. When an earlier opportunity opens for his to travel to space, he supports Howard, although he later struggles to form a relationship with him. Mike oddly enough gets on very well with Sheldon, filling a role in his life vacated by the latter's deceased father, George.
President Siebert
President Siebert (Joshua Malina) is the president of the California Institute of Technology. He invites the guys to a get-together with the university's donors. He later supports Sheldon and Amy when they are nominated for a Nobel Prize. He approves of the term, "quirky" in order to describe them to the press.
Priya Koothrappali
Priya Koothrappali (Aarti Mann) is Raj's younger sister. Having graduated at the top of her class at the University of Cambridge, where, like Sheldon, she had roommate from Texas. She is one of the lead attorneys at India's biggest car company. Leonard and Priya date for much of season 4 and part of 5 when she moves to Los Angeles.
Ramona Nowitzki
Ramona Nowitzki, Ph.D. (Riki Lindhome) first appears in the season 2 episode "The Cooper–Nowitzki Theorem" as a graduate student at Caltech. She is a huge fan of Sheldon's work and develops a crush on him.
Ruchi
Ruchi (Swati Kapila) is a new colleague of Bernadette's at Zangen who first appears in season 11.
Stephanie Barnett
Stephanie Barnett, MD (Sara Rue) is a doctor and highly distinguished surgical resident at Fremont Memorial. She did her medical internship at Lawrence Memorial in Galveston, Texas, where Sheldon was born.[76] Series co-creator Bill Prady described her role as "a chance for Leonard to learn that just because someone loves you, doesn't mean you'll love them back."[77]
Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton plays a fictionalized version of himself, who played Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a character that Sheldon idolized as a child. Wil Wheaton, LeVar Burton, Leonard Nimoy (in voice-over only), Brent Spiner, William Shatner and George Takei have all appeared on the show, making the Star Trek franchise the most represented franchise on the show in terms of guest appearances.
Marissa Johnson
Marissa Johnson (Lindsey Kraft) is married to Penny's ex-boyfriend, Zack Johnson.
Mrs. Wolowitz
Mrs Debbie[78] Melvina[79] Wolowitz (voiced by Carol Ann Susi) is Howard's over-protective, controlling, belittling, but loving and caring stereotypical Jewish mother. The character is not shown on-screen with only two exceptions: secondly in one episode in season six where her body but not her face is briefly shown, and firstly in the Season 5 finale where she can be seen, albeit barely, in the Google Earth satellite picture taken during Howard and Bernadette's wedding. Mrs. Wolowitz's raspy voice is heard usually in scenes at her house, where Howard also lives. She always talks to Howard always by yelling at him from another room, which results in awkward conversations with Howard having to respond by yelling back at her. She seems to be oblivious to Howard's work as an engineer and treats him as though he is still a child. She is a master at Wheel of Fortune and guessing answers at game shows. She frequently refers to Leonard, Sheldon, and Raj as Howard's "little friends" (as in, "I made some cookies and Hawaiian Punch for you and your little friends!") and often refers to Caltech as a "school". Due to the death of her actress, Mrs. Wolowitz character is retired with the fact that she died in her sleep while visiting family. Her death hit her son hard, though he is comforted by his friends. It is later revealed the gang were devastated too and paid tribute to her.
Wyatt
.jpg)
Wyatt (Keith Carradine) is Penny's father. He approves of Leonard as his daughter's boyfriend. Wyatt later attends Penny's wedding, and two years later, agrees to stand in her corner when she chooses to not have children. The first mention of Penny's father was in "The Maternal Capacitance", where she called him 'Bob'; however, his name was later changed to 'Wyatt'.
Zack Johnson
Zack Johnson (Brian Thomas Smith) is a dim-witted but friendly beefcake type whom Penny dates on and off after her second break-up with Leonard. He reveals that he has sold his menu company and become rich from the profits, and invites her and Leonard to dinner at his yacht with him and his new wife, Marissa Johnson.
Young Sheldon
Brenda Sparks
Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman) is Billy Sparks's mother who works at the bowling alley frequented by Meemaw. She frequently clashes with Mary due to her religious status.
Thomas
Thomas is the brother of Connie Tucker, making him maternal uncle of Mary Cooper and uncle-in-law of George Cooper Sr., maternal granduncle of Sheldon Cooper, Missy Cooper, and George Cooper Jr. He was mentioned in the pilot episode in a flashback scene set in 1973.
Rose
Rose is the mother of Connie Tucker, making her the maternal grandmother of Mary Cooper, grandmother-in-law of George Cooper Sr., maternal great-grandmother of Sheldon Cooper, Missy Cooper, and George Cooper Jr.
Dale Ballard
Coach Dale Ballard (Craig T. Nelson) is the owner of a sporting goods store and a part-time baseball coach who lets Missy play after he declined but Meemaw intervened. He also ends up dating Meemaw after her breakup with Dr. Sturgis.
Dr. John Sturgis
Dr. John Sturgis (Wallace Shawn) is a physics professor at the university East Texas Tech, which Sheldon attends part-time. Dr. Sturgis is initially a pen pal of Sheldon Cooper before the child prodigy audits his course on quantum chromodynamics. Dr. Sturgis is instantly smitten with Sheldon's grandmother, and they begin dating. He also shows some childish behavior, such as going to bed at 7:30 and asking Meemaw's permission to do things as if she were his mother. They later split up but remain friends.
Herschel Sparks
Herschel Sparks (Billy Gardell) is a neighbor of the Cooper family and Meemaw, the husband of Brenda Sparks, and the father of Billy and Bobbi Sparks. He runs his own garage, where he offers Georgie a part-time job. Georgie turns out to be a wonderful employee, something that makes George and Herschel happy and stunned. Herschel is often bossed around by his wife, something that he and George bond over since George is often bossed around by Mary as well. In the fourth season, he and Brenda get a divorce.
Paige Swanson
Paige Swanson (Mckenna Grace) is a 10-year-old child prodigy whom Sheldon meets in one of his classes with Dr. Sturgis. As his rival, she teases him about differentiating under the integral sign. She has higher social skills than Sheldon and is capable of being friends with nonintellectuals. She reacts negatively to her parents' divorce. Dr. Sturgis advises Sheldon to listen to her problems. He does, which results in Sheldon learning to listen. He attempts to console her by making her a hot beverage.
Robin
Robin (Mary Grill) is a police officer and Pastor Jeff's second wife. Pastor Jeff meets Robin in "A Broken Heart and a Crock Monster" when she stops him for passing a red light. She takes an interest in him and because of that, refuses to give him a ticket.
Tam Nguyen
Tam Nguyen (Ryan Phuong – YS / Robert Wu – TBBT) is a Vietnamese-American Catholic boy who, in Young Sheldon, is Sheldon's classmate and only friend. His father Le Nguyen and mother Trang Nguyen run a store, Medford Mart. He has a troubled relationship with his parents, having been treated badly by both of them after moving to the United States. He has two sisters, Mai and Kim-Ly, with whom he has a good relationship. Tam laments his difficult childhood in war-torn Vietnam, which included his father being incarcerated in a re-education camp to "become a good communist", and his encounter with the Ku Klux Klan when he first arrived in America.
Veronica Duncan
Veronica Duncan (Isabel May) is Georgie Cooper's first love interest on Young Sheldon. Initially introduced as a popular and "easy" girl, Veronica becomes a devout Christian after going through a "Hell house" one Halloween. Georgie is obsessed with her and frequently takes every advantage he can to be close to her or impress her in any way.
Minor characters
.jpg)
- Dr. Alfred Hofstadter (Judd Hirsch): Leonard's father, an anthropologist who once worked with famed archaeologist Louis Leakey. (Leonard's middle name is Leakey in consequence.) He was miserable in his marriage to Leonard's mother Beverly. Alfred later attends his son's wedding to Penny, and takes an interest in Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mother.
- Captain Sweatpants (Ian Scott Rudolph) and Lonely Larry (Owen Thayer): sometimes seen at the guys' favorite comic-book store. Captain Sweatpants is a middle-aged bald man who wears grey sweatpants and a T-shirt with the "Statesman Star" logo from defunct MMORPG City of Heroes. Lonely Larry wears a brown suit and is extremely thin. They are also friends with Wil Wheaton. Both attend Howard's bachelor party.
- Cheryl (Erin Allin O'Reilly), an attendee at Penny's Halloween party in season one, episode six, "The Middle-Earth Paradigm". Cheryl is the very talkative, short-haired brunette dressed as a ladybug, who shows interest in Raj. She is not identified within the episode, but her name is listed in the credits. She appears again as a Cheesecake Factory waitress in "The Pancake Batter Anomaly".
- Dale (Josh Brener), a replacement for Stuart at the comic-book store when Stuart goes on a date with Amy in "The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition". Also appears in "The Tangible Affection Proof" at Stuart's Valentine's Day party.
- Dimitri Rezinov (Pasha Lychnikoff), a Russian cosmonaut who is Howard's colleague on his Soyuz mission to the International Space Station.
- Dr. David Underhill (Michael Trucco), a MacArthur Grant recipient and a successful physicist in the episode "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"
- Jeanie (Kara Luiz) is the second-cousin with whom Howard lost his virginity in a Toyota Corolla after his Uncle Murray Wolowitz's funeral. Jeanie is mentioned by Howard in The Creepy Candy Corollary and The Adhesive Duck Deficiency (both episodes in season 3) but appears for the first and only time in The Prom Equivalency (season 8) as Stuart's date.
- Halley Wolowitz (Pamela Adlon, voice only), Howard and Bernadette's baby daughter, born in the episode "The Birthday Synchronicity".
- Neil Michael Wolowitz, Howard and Bernadette's baby son, born in the episode "The Neonatal Nomenclature".
Guest stars
The Big Bang Theory
- Abby (Danica McKellar) and Martha (Jen Drohan), two women whom Raj and Sheldon meet at a university mixer. Abby takes a liking to Raj, and Martha takes a liking to Sheldon. While Raj is welcoming of Abby's moves, Sheldon rejects Martha.
- Alice (Courtney Ford), an attractive comic book enthusiast whom Leonard meets after Priya moves back to India. Meeting Alice triggers a chain of events which ends with Leonard and Priya splitting.
- Mandy Chao (Melissa Tang): a colleague of Leonard at the university who made out with him once when they were both drunk. The incident, which happened prior to Leonard's marriage to Penny, almost sabotages the marriage after Leonard tells Penny about it.
- Professor Crawley (Lewis Black), a former entomologist at the university with whom Sheldon, Howard, and Raj confer about a cricket; reveals he was given the nickname "Creepy Crawley"
- Issabella Maria Concepcion (Maria Canals-Barrera) a Cuban-American janitor working in Raj's telescope building whom Raj wants to date.
- Kenny Fitzgerald (Michael Rapaport): an intelligent thief who sells stolen liquid helium to Leonard and Sheldon. He later strikes up a friendship with the duo and they watch Ernest Goes to Jail together.
- Dr. Gallo (Jane Kaczmarek): a therapist to whom Penny attempts to sell products. She winds up conducting therapy on both Penny and Leonard.
- Jesse (Josh Peck): the owner of the comic book store Capitol Comics and Stuart's rival.
- Mrs. Latham (Jessica Walter): a donor for the university who goes on two dates with Leonard.
- Toby Loobenfield (DJ Qualls): a scientist at Caltech whom Sheldon hires to play his fictional drug-addicted cousin Leo
- Dr. Oliver Lorvis (Billy Bob Thornton): a medical doctor to whom Penny sells products. He misreads her flirtations and locks the guys in his basement while he goes to woo her (as well as Amy and Bernadette).
- Sunny Morrow (Ciara Renée): a newscaster who interviews Raj on the local news about an upcoming astronomical event.
- Octavia (Octavia Spencer): a DMV clerk with whom Sheldon interacts
- Agent Angela Page (Eliza Dushku): an FBI agent assigned to interview Howard's acquaintances to determine his eligibility to use the Defense Department Laser Equipped Surveillance Satellite team.
- Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton (Judy Greer): an acquaintance of Sheldon's, who, upon visiting, engages in sexual roleplay with Leonard, Howard, and Raj
- Randall (Jack McBrayer): Penny's brother who first appears in the season 10 premiere "The Conjugal Conjecture" when he attends his sister's re-wedding to Leonard. He has served several prison terms and had several other "troubles" over the years.
- Sandy (Yeardley Smith): interviewing clerk at a job center when Sheldon tries to find a menial part-time job to clear his head
- Jimmy Speckerman (Lance Barber), a former high school classmate of Leonard who used to bully Leonard during their high school days on a regular basis. He comes to visit with Leonard, not realizing that his actions in high school constituted bullying. In the prequel series, Young Sheldon, and in "The VCR Illumination", Barber plays Sheldon's father, George Cooper, Sr.
- Spock (Leonard Nimoy, voice only): appears in Sheldon's dream
- Susan (Katey Sagal): Penny's mother who first appears in the season 10 premiere "The Conjugal Conjecture" when she attends her daughter's re-wedding to Leonard. Sagal and Cuoco previously appeared in the main cast of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. Sagal plays Cuoco's mother in that series as well.
- Trevor (Blake Anderson): an individual with whom Sheldon has conflict when he cuts in front of them at the movie theater
- Josh Wolowitz (Matt Bennett): Howard's half brother.
- Theodore (Christopher Lloyd): An old man to whom Sheldon rents his room in "The Property Division Collision". However, the rental is apparently for one night only since he soon leaves and is never seen again.
- Sebastian (Steven Yeun): Sheldon's roommate before Leonard who was intolerant toward Sheldon's behavior in "The Staircase Implementation". He also warned Leonard to "Run away, dude". His intolerance of Sheldon becomes apparent when Leonard enters Sebastian's former room and sees the phrase "DIE SHELDON, DIE" written on the wall in red paint.
Young Sheldon
- Anjelika Washington as Libby, an eleventh grader who aspires to be a geologist and whom Sheldon and Tam befriend
- Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler, Sheldon's future lover and wife. This role is reprised from The Big Bang Theory. She appears as part of the narration.
- Melanie Lynskey as Professor Dora Ericson, who teaches Sheldon philosophy in college
- Ming-Na Wen as Dr. Carol Lee, a cosmologist from UC Berkeley brought in to lead a project that Sheldon, Dr. Sturgis, and Dr. Linkletter are working on
- Taylor Spreitler as Sam, a member of Sheldon's project group.
Guest stars appearing as themselves
Various Hollywood celebrities and famous scientists and engineers have made appearances on the show as themselves. In most cases, the appearances are brief cameo appearances. These appearances are in contrast to Wil Wheaton who, as described above, plays a character on the show which is a fictionalized version of himself.
The Big Bang Theory
- Adam Nimoy: Appearing in "The Spock Resonance", Adam is the son of Leonard Nimoy, the actor of Spock. He records Sheldon for a documentary about his father, on a recommendation from Will Wheaton.
- Adam West: Appearing in "The Celebration Experimentation", as a former Batman actor, Leonard hires Adam to attend Sheldon's birthday party, after hearing a sad story about how his sister Missy told him that Batman would come to his party.[80]
- Analeigh Tipton: Appearing in "The Panty Piñata Polarization", is a model that Howard and Raj meet at the house used in America's Top Model.[g]
- Bill Gates: Appearing in "The Gates Excitation" he spends the day with Penny at her company. Leonard tracks him down and breaks down in tears in front of him.
- Bill Nye: First appearing in "The Proton Displacement", he meets Professor Proton, and in "The Conjugal Configuration" is intimidated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
- Brent Spiner: Appearing in "The Russian Rocket Reaction", he attends Will Wheaton's party, where, he becomes Sheldon's mortal enemy of Sheldon after opening a signed, mint-condition, limited-edition Wesley Crusher action figure.
- Brian Greene: Appearing in "The Herb Garden Germination", he is a Columbia University string theorist known to the general public for popularizing physics with his books. Sheldon and Amy attend one of his book signings for The Hidden Reality, amusing them, as they find him hysterical.
- Buzz Aldrin: Appearing in "The Holographic Excitation", is a former NASA Astronaut. He appears in a video watched by Howard, bragging about his career in space to children collecting Halloween candy.
- Carrie Fisher: Appearing in "The Convention Conundrum", James Earl Jones and Sheldon ring on her doorbell before running away.
- Charlie Sheen: Appearing in "The Griffin Equivalency", Raj talks to him briefly about appearing in People magazine.
- Ellen DeGeneres: First appearing in "The Geology Elevation", as Sheldon and Bert attend a live recording of her show, she then appears in "The Laureate Accumulation", interviewing Dr. Greg Pemberton and Dr. Campbell.
- Elon Musk: Appearing in "The Platonic Permutation", he volunteers at the same soup kitchen as Howard and gives him his contact information.
- Frances Arnold: Appearing in "The Laureate Accumulation", is a Nobel Laureate who attends the university reception for Amy and Sheldon.
- George Smoot: First appearing "The Terminator Decoupling", as the guys travel to see his conference in San Francisco, and then "The Laureate Accumulation", attending the university reception held for Amy and Sheldon.
- George Takei: Appearing in "The Hot Troll Deviation" he appears in Howard's daydream whilst contemplating his feelings for Bernadette.
- Howie Mandel: Appearing in "The Re-Entry Minimization", he gets off the same plane as Howard following his return from space.
- Ira Flatow: First appearing in "The Vengeance Formulation" as a voice only, is a science radio host, in "The Discovery Dissipation" he interviews Sheldon, and in "The Retraction Reaction" he interviews Leonard.
- James Earl Jones: Appearing in "The Convention Conundrum", when Sheldon cannot go to Comic-Con, he is sent on starting his own convention, and tracks down James Earl Jones to convince him to join, but ends up spending the evening with him, going on a Ferris wheel, singing karaoke, pranking Carrie Fisher, going to a strip club and going to a sauna.
- Joe Manganiello: Appearing in "The D&D Vortex", he is a member of Will Wheaton's Dungeons and Dragons group.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Appearing in "The D&D Vortex", he is a member of Will Wheaton's Dungeons and Dragons group.
- Katee Sackhoff: First appearing in "The Vengeance Formulation", and then in "The Hot Troll Deviation", in both she appears in Howard's daydream whilst contemplating his feelings for Bernadette.
- Kevin Smith: First appearing in "The Fortification Implementation", he is interviewed by Will Wheaton for his podcast, alongside Penny, and offers her an audition, and in "The D&D Vortex" he is a member of Will Wheaton's Dungeons and Dragons group.
- Kip Thorne: Appearing in "The Laureate Accumulation", is a Nobel Laureate who attends the university reception for Amy and Sheldon.
- LeVar Burton: First appearing in "The Toast Derivation", he receives an invitation to hang out by Sheldon, after the group has moved to Raj's place, whilst in "The Habitation Configuration" and "The Champagne Reflection", he is a guest on Sheldon's web show, Fun with Flags.
- Mark Hamill: Appearing in "The Bow Tie Asymmetry", after his dog is found by Howard, Hamill officiates Sheldon and Amy's wedding, which brings him to tears.
- Mike Massimino: First appearing in "The Friendship Contraction", he nicknames Howard "Fruit Loops" for the space mission, and appears in "The Countdown Reflection", "The Decoupling Fluctuation", "The Re-Entry Minimization", as a fellow NASA Astronaut who bullies Howard. and offers Howard advice in "The Table Polarization" and "The First Pitch Insufficiency".
- Nathan Fillion: Appearing in "The Comic Book Store Regeneration", he attempts to prove to Leonard and Raj that he is not Fillion, but relents and allows them to take a photo with them.
- Neil Gaiman: Appearing in "The Comet Polarization", he provides a favorable review of Stuart's comic book store, providing it a much needed boost.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson: First Appearing in "The Apology Insufficiency", Neil butts heads with Sheldon, due to his history with Pluto, and in "The Conjugal Configuration" enters a tweet feud with Raj.
- Samantha Potter: Appearing in "The Panty Piñata Polarization", is a model that Howard and Raj meet at the house used in America's Top Model.[h]
- Sarah Michelle Gellar: Appearing in "The Stockholm Syndrome", after sitting next to her on the plane, Raj invites her as his plus one to Sheldon and Amy Nobel acceptance ceremony.
- Stan Lee: Appearing in "The Excelsior Acquisition", after Sheldon misses Stan Lee's signing at Stuart's store, Penny gets his address and takes Sheldon to meet him at his house, resulting in him getting a restraining order from him.
- Stephen Hawking: First appearing in "The Hawking Excitation", Hawking meets Sheldon after Howard gives him his work, and provides Sheldon advice in "The Extract Obliteration", "The Relationship Diremption", "The Troll Manifestation", "The Celebration Experimentation", "The Geology Elevation" and "The Proposal Proposal".
- Steve Wozniak: Appearing in "The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification", whilst using Shel-Bot to move around, Sheldon meets him at the Cheesecake factory.
- Summer Glau: Appearing in "The Terminator Decoupling", the guys spot her whilst taking a train to San Francisco, and Raj, Howard and Leonard all attempt to approach her.
- William Shatner: Appearing in "The D&D Vortex", he meets Sheldon whilst appearing on Will Wheaton's reboot of Professor Proton, and Sheldon subsequently vomits on him, and he is also a member of Will Wheaton's Dungeons and Dragons group.
Young Sheldon
- David Hasselhoff: "Cowboy Aerobics and 473 Grease-Free Bolts"
- Stephen Hawking: "The Grand Chancellor and a Den of Sin" (voice only)
- Cyndi Lauper: "A Baby Tooth and the Egyptian God of Knowledge" (voice only, saying the words of the title of her song, "girls just want to have fun")
- Elon Musk: "A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac®" in a flashforward scene set 27 years into the future.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The Young Sheldon season 2 finale features a montage in which several characters from The Big Bang Theory are shown as children. None of the children had a speaking role. Leonard is portrayed by Isaac Harger; Penny by Quinn Aune; Howard by Ethan Reed Stern; Raj by Rishabh Prabhat; Bernadette by A. J. Coggeshall; and Amy by Lily Sanfelippo.
- ^ Voice only, except in the series finale, where he makes a physical appearance as adult Sheldon.
- ^ a b Cuoco also makes a voice appearance in episode 10 of Season 3 of Young Sheldon, voicing the pool in which Sheldon is afraid to swim.
- ^ In the fourth season, Bialik is initially credited as a guest star before being promoted to the main cast in the eighth episode.
- ^ In the sixth season, Sussman is initially credited as a series regular before being demoted to a guest star in the sixteenth episode onwards.
- ^ a b Barber also makes an appearance in the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory as a different character, Jimmy Speckerman, Leonard's former high school colleague who used to bully him.
- ^ Tipton also makes an appearance in the season 9 episode The Mystery Date Observation as a minor character named Vanessa Bennett who correctly solves Sheldon's challenge, but misses the deadline by 15 seconds.
- ^ Appearance is credited, but did not have a speaking role.
References
- ^ "Shows A-Z – big bang theory, the on CBS". the Futon Critic. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory Makes 'Stuart' a Series Regular". TVLine.com. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory Theme – Single". iTunes. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory Theme". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: Cast & Details". TV Guide. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "CBS Announces 2013–2014 Premiere Dates Including 'How I Met Your Mother', 'Intelligence', 'Survivor', 'Mom', 'Person of Interest' & More". Tv by the Numbers. June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ a b Gary Strauss (April 11, 2007). "There's a science to CBS' Big Bang Theory". USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
- ^ a b Scott D. Pierce (October 8, 2007). "He's a genius". Deseret News. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
- ^ Lieberman, David (February 12, 2014). "CBS Will Launch 'Big Bang Theory' On Different Night As NFL Begins Season On Thursdays". Deadline. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
- ^ a b Goldman, Eric (March 12, 2014). "The Big Bang Theory Renewed For Three More Seasons, Up to Season 10". IGN. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ Chuck Lorre (October 15, 2007). "CLP – Vanity Card #187". Chuck Lorre Productions. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Breaking News – Development Update: May 22–26 (Weekly Round-Up)". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ "'Big Bang Theory': 'We didn't anticipate how protective the audience would feel about our guys'". Variety. May 8, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "CCI: "The Big Bang Theory"". Comic Book Resources. July 31, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "CBS PICKS UP 'BANG,' 'POWER' PLUS FOUR DRAMAS". The Futon Critic. May 14, 2007.
- ^ "Breaking News – Cbs Gives Freshman Comedy "The Big Bang Theory" And Drama "The Unit" Full Season Orders" (Press release). CBS. October 19, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory Tickets". Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ Pierce, Scott D. (September 22, 2007). "Yes, it's a 'Big Bang.'". Deseret Morning News. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
- ^ ""The Big Bang Theory" And "How I Met Your Mother" to Swap Time Periods" (Press release). The Futon Critic; CBS. February 20, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
{{cite press release}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "CBS Sets Series Return Dates". Retrieved February 13, 2008.
- ^ "Production Stops on at least 6 Sitcoms". Retrieved November 6, 2007.[dead link]
- ^ "CBS Picks Up 11 Series". The Futon Critic. February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory: Deal Is Done for Two More Seasons!". Retrieved November 3, 2009.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 18, 2009). "CBS renews 'Men,' 'Big Bang'". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ Crider, Michael (January 13, 2011). "'The Big Bang Theory' Gets 3 More Seasons; 'Raising Hope' Renewed". screenrant.com. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson talks "Big Bang Theory" theme song". November 2, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
- ^ "Barenaked Ladies Talk about Big Bang Theme Song". April 2, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
- ^ Barenaked Ladies. "Big Bang Theory Theme". Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
- ^ "History Of Everything Lyrics". metrolyrics.com. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fourth Season (2010)". Amazon.com. September 13, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-ray] (2010)". Amazon.com. September 13, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Hits From Yesterday & The Day Before: Barenaked Ladies: Music". Amazon.com (US) Amazon.com, Inc. September 27, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (November 23, 2010). "'The Big Bang Theory' salary renegotiations: Do they all deserve the same pay?". Entertainment Weekly.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 15, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: 'Big Bang Theory' Stars Score Huge Paydays After Hardball Bargaining; Jim Parsons Told 'Take It Or Leave It' Today". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
That effectively adds another $50,000 to their per-episode paycheck over the life of the deal.
- ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Johnny Galecki". CBS. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Jim Parsons". CBS. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ "The Love Car Displacement". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 13. January 20, 2011. 16:39 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The White Asparagus Triangulation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 9. November 24, 2008. 04:21 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Kaley Cuoco". CBS. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ "The Robotic Manipulation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 1. September 23, 2010. 12:24 minutes in. CBS.
I, myself, grew up in Nebraska. Small town, outside of Omaha.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Big Bang Theory: 'We didn't anticipate how protective the audience would feel about our guys'". Variety. May 8, 2009. [1]
- ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Simon Helberg". CBS. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ "The Apology Insufficiency". The Big Bang Theory. November 4, 2010. No. 07, season 4
- ^ "The Jerusalem Duality". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 12. April 14, 2001. 09:26 minutes in.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Kunal Nayyar". CBS. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ CBS (2007). "About The Big Bang Theory". CBS. Retrieved June 24, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ Season 5, Episode 20 – The Transporter Malfunction
- ^ a b "'Big Bang Theory' scoop: Sara Gilbert taken off contract | The Big Bang Theory | Ausiello Files | EW.com". Ausiellofiles.ew.com. January 23, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ "Sara Gilbert". Imdb.com. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ "Exclusive: 'Big Bang Theory' promotes Melissa Rauch to series regular". Ausiellofiles.ew.com. October 25, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
- ^ Michael Ausiello (November 15, 2010). "'Bang Theory' Ups Mayim Bialik to Regular". www.deadline.com. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ "The Middle Earth Paradigm". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 6. October 29, 2007. 5:18 minutes in.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory – best scene ever!". YouTube. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "The Boyfriend Complexity". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 9. November 18, 2010. 3:30 minutes in.
- ^ "The Apology Insufficiency". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 7. November 4, 2010. 12:50 minutes in.
- ^ "The Habitation Configuration". The Big Bang Theory. Season 6. Episode 7. November 8, 2012.
- ^ "The Vegas Renormalization". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 21. April 27, 2009. 9:42 minutes in.
- ^ "The Psychic Vortex". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 12. January 11, 2010. 8:25 minutes in.
- ^ a b c "The Grasshopper Experiment". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 8. November 12, 2007.
- ^ "The Herb Garden Germination". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 20. April 7, 2011. 19:08 minutes in.
- ^ "The Stag Convergence". The Big Bang Theory. Season 5. Episode 22. April 26, 2012. 07:41 minutes in. CBS.
- ^ Dumaraog, Ana (June 22, 2020). "The Big Bang Theory Actress Who Almost Played Amy Farrah Fowler". Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "The Commitment Determination". The Big Bang Theory. Season 8. Episode 24. May 4, 2015. Event occurs at 13:35. CBS. Howard tells Bernadette his middle name, because he wants her to make him move out of his mother's house.
- ^ "The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition". The Big Bang Theory. Season 5. Episode 10. November 17, 2011. Event occurs at 11:44. CBS. Sheldon is viewing Stuart's Facebook page, where his name is shown as "Stuart Bloom".
- ^ "The Comet Polarization". The Big Bang Theory. Season 11. Episode 21. April 19, 2018. CBS.
- ^ "The Hofstadter Isotope". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 20. April 13, 2009. CBS.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 22, 2012). "Big Bang Theory's Kevin Sussman Upped To Regular". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 12, 2015). "The Big Bang Theory: Laura Spencer Promoted to Series Regular". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ a b Young Sheldon episode "Jiu-Jitsu, Bubble Wrap, and Yoo-Hoo"
- ^ Rice, Lynette (May 10, 2024). "'Young Sheldon': How Producers Addressed The Inevitable Tragedy That Rocks The Cooper Family". Deadline. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Alexander, Bryan. "'Young Sheldon' tragedy: George Cooper's death is flawed father's 'Big Bang' redemption". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Dumaraog, Ana (July 5, 2020). "Why Big Bang Theory Killed Off Howard's Mom, Mrs Wolowitz". Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ^ Strecker, Erin (November 7, 2013). "'Big Bang Theory': Bill Nye's preview". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ "The Bat Jar Conjecture". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 13. April 21, 2008.
- ^ "The Cornhusker Vortex". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 6. November 2, 2009.
- ^ "The White Asparagus Triangulation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 9. November 24, 2008.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory: We didn't anticipate how protective the audience would feel about our guys". Variety. May 5, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ "The Status Quo Combustion". The Big Bang Theory. Season 7. Episode 24. May 15, 2014. 20:01 minutes in. CBS.
- ^ "The Birthday Synchronicity". The Big Bang Theory. Season 10. Episode 11. December 15, 2016. CBS.
- ^ Prudom, Laura (February 3, 2016). "'Big Bang Theory' 200th Episode: Wil Wheaton, Adam West Among Guest Stars". Variety. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
External links
The Big Bang Theory franchise | |
|---|---|
| Television series | |
| Characters | |
| Related | |
Recurring themes and elements
Science
Much of the show focuses on science, particularly physics. The four main male characters are employed at Caltech and have science-related occupations, as do Bernadette and Amy. 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.[1] 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 envious and resulted in Howard confronting Leonard, and Penny asking Sheldon to teach her physics.[2] Sheldon and Amy also briefly ended their relationship after an argument over which of their fields was superior to the other's.[3]
David Saltzberg, who has a Ph.D. in physics, has served as science consultant for the show for six seasons and attends every taping.[4] While Saltzberg knows physics, he sometimes needs assistance from Mayim Bialik, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience.[5] Saltzberg 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 during a taping unless a lot of science, and especially the whiteboard, is involved.[5]
Sci-fi, fantasy, comic book fandom and gaming
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?!").[6] 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 Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton have had cameos as themselves,[7][8] while Wil Wheaton has a recurring role as a fictionalized version of himself. All four male characters can speak Klingon to varying degrees—the opening of the episode "The Panty Piñata Polarization" shows them playing "Klingon Boggle". In the ending of the episode "The Launch Acceleration", Amy and Sheldon were seen playing doctor with Amy dressed in a Star Trek medical uniform.[9] In the episode "The Bakersfield Expedition", the four male leads dress up as Star Trek: The Next Generation characters for a Star Trek convention. When they return home, they hear the women discussing comic books. They believe that they have crossed into an alternate reality in which their girlfriends care for such things, and set their phasers to stun and investigate.
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,[10] 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.[11] In the episode "The Ornithophobia Diffusion", the nerds intend to watch Star Wars on Blu-ray, and Howard also exaggerates about George Lucas' controversial alterations to the films: "If we don't start soon, George Lucas is going to change it again.". In 2009, Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica appeared as herself in "The Vengeance Formulation" as Howard's fantasy dream girl. She appears again in the season 4 episode "The Hot Troll Deviation", in the same role. Leonard likes Babylon 5, but Sheldon refuses to watch it, calling it derivative.[clarification needed][12][n 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.
The four males are also fans of fantasy and make references to The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter novels and movies. Howard can speak Sindarin, one of the two Elvish languages from The Lord of the Rings. In one episode, they find a prop of the One Ring and they all fight over who gets to keep it, and what to do with it. Leonard once wore a Frodo Baggins costume and Raj once bought what he thought was a "hand crafted" Harry Potter wand on eBay. Raj, who is a fan of Harry Potter, makes many references to the franchise. Sheldon, in the episode "The Spoiler Alert Segmentation", gives Leonard a spoiler to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that Dumbledore dies. After getting into an argument with Leonard about the spoiler (which causes Leonard to briefly move out), Sheldon intentionally spoils Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to Leonard, in which Dobby The Elf dies. Sheldon can be seen as fond of The Lord of the Rings franchise. He has a Gollum action figure on his desk. Next to football, Sheldon knows a lot about the fantasy sport of Quidditch in Harry Potter. Leonard and Sheldon have a fantasy sword collection.
Wednesday night is the group's designated "comic book night"[13] because that is the day of the week when new comic books are released. The comic book store in question is 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, The Doctor, Green Lantern, and Thor.[14] As a consequence of losing a bet to Stuart, the group members are forced to visit the comic book store dressed as Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl.[15] Sheldon often wears t-shirts depicting Batman, Superman, Flash, or Green Lantern. DC Comics announced that, to promote its comics, the company will sponsor Sheldon wearing Green Lantern t-shirts.[16]
The male characters are also fans of the Indiana Jones series, and were willing to spend several hours in line outside of a theater to watch a special screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark with 21 seconds of new footage.[17]
Various games have been featured, as well as referenced, on the show (e.g. World of Warcraft, Halo, Mario, etc.), including fictional games like Mystic Warlords of Ka'a (which became a reality in 2011)[18] and Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.
Leonard and Penny's relationship
One of the recurring plot lines is the relationship between Leonard and Penny. Leonard becomes attracted to Penny within a short time 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 are not good enough for Leonard and that he may become bored in the first episode of season 2 ("The Bad Fish Paradigm"). Her excuse for breaking up with Leonard was when he showed her some brochures from a local community college and she took it as a knock against her schooling level and that she felt that he would only date someone 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 three-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 Raj that she misses Leonard in "The Roommate Transmogrification". 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" (season 3).
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 fourth season, in "The Roommate Transmogrification" episode, 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. 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. 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 intoxicated and ended up in bed. Leonard assumes the worst when they emerge from his room, although Penny assures the group "It's not what it looks like." In the premiere of season 5 ("The Skank Reflex Analysis"), Penny learns from Raj that they did not have intercourse, but agrees not to tell anybody. Leonard forgives both Raj and Penny, and never learns the truth about what really 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 a former boyfriend, and they break up in "The Good Guy Fluctuation".
Penny is still single and dating, though when inebriated has confessed that she regrets breaking up with Leonard, as in "The Roommate Transmogrification". In "The Ornithophobia Diffusion" (season 5), 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 has 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 in "The Wheaton Recurrence".
In the sixth season episode, "The 43 Peculiarity", Penny finally tells Leonard that she loves him. When Sheldon's assistant Alex Jensen asks Leonard out to dinner, the dynamics of their relationship is reversed with Leonard feeling good at the extra female attention and Penny insecure about their relationship. In "The Egg Salad Equivalency', when Leonard is the object of attention of both Alex and Penny, and Leonard confesses that Alex's interest makes him feel giddy, Penny feels insecure about the relationship. To deal with her insecurities, she buys a pair of stereotypical "smart" glasses to look the part. Leonard finds this alluring, then immediately pulls her into his bedroom. In "The Tangible Affection Proof", it is Valentine's Day, and in the middle of their dinner, Penny sees a former boyfriend proposing to the woman who stole him from her. Leonard then tries to propose again, but Penny stops him cold. They make up in the end, but Leonard tells Penny that if she ever wants to get married, then she should be the one to propose. Penny does ask him to be her Valentine. By the season finale, "The Bon Voyage Reaction", she is secure enough in their relationship to send him off on an exciting four-month expedition, missing him, but not worrying about the two of them.
Sheldon and Amy's relationship
A storyline that began in the third season finale is 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 online 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 refers to Sheldon and Amy collectively as "Shamy" in "The Shiny Trinket Maneuver", but discontinues this after Amy indicates that she dislikes that nickname.
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, Sheldon asks Amy to be his girlfriend, interrupting her date with Stuart, with the stipulation that no other changes occur in their current relationship. Amy says yes, and Sheldon then lets her and Stuart continue their date. The same night and episode, he draws up "The Relationship Agreement" to verify the ground rules of him as her boyfriend and vice versa (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 coitus.
In the episode "The Launch Acceleration", Amy says she would 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 would 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 is 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 has 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 is not happy about it but makes no attempt to stop her. In the final fifth season episode "The Countdown Reflection", Sheldon takes Amy's hand as Howard is launched into space. Amy glances over at him looking quite surprised.
In the sixth season premiere episode "The Date Night Variable", after a dinner in which Sheldon fails to live up to this expectation, Amy gives Sheldon an ultimatum that their relationship is over unless he tells her something from his heart. Sheldon gives a romantic speech about his new and conflicting emotions, only to reveal that he quoted the first Spider-Man movie. Despite this, Amy accepts it. In "The Fish Guts Displacement", Sheldon takes care of a sick Amy. Sheldon rubs VapoRub on her chest, unknowingly arousing Amy. The following day, Sheldon is angry because her throat culture showed that she was no longer sick, and that Amy was pretending to be sick after initially feeling better. Amy apologizes, but Sheldon thinks that she needs to be punished (which Sheldon thinks in terms of corporal punishment, but Amy thinks in terms of erotic spanking). The episode ends with Sheldon placing Amy across his knees for a spanking, which Amy also enjoys to some mood music.
In "The Cooper/Kripke Inversion", Penny asks Sheldon whether he would ever consider a sexual relationship with Amy. Sheldon states that he has been working on his haphephobia, and admits "it's a possibility" that he could one day get physical with Amy. In "The Tangible Affection Proof", it is Valentine's Day, and Sheldon keeps a gift that he was supposed to give Amy, but Amy gives Sheldon the perfect Valentine's Day by staying in his apartment and doing exactly what he wants to do: watch a favorite movie and have pizza. Sheldon makes Amy his emergency point of contact, which sends her to tears as she is now responsible for his well-being. In "The Love Spell Potential", the girls participate in a game of Dungeons & Dragons along with the boys. Penny says that Sheldon and Amy's game characters should "do it" in the game, believing that Sheldon and Amy would not get physical anytime soon. Bernadette then casts a love spell on both of them. Amy gets upset and leaves and Sheldon is sent to look after her. Amy tells him that their friends think that their relationship is a joke and asks him if they are ever going to get intimate. Sheldon does not think that they are a joke, explaining that he never thought about intimacy with anyone before Amy, and says he would not rule it out. Sheldon then plays out the love potion scenario with Amy, much to her delight.
In "The Locomotive Manipulation", Amy plans a romantic Valentine's Day with Sheldon at a bed-and-breakfast on a vintage train with Bernadette and Howard. Sheldon meets a fellow train enthusiast and spends most of the trip talking with him instead of Amy. Amy gets angry and confronts Sheldon, furious about how insensitive his is to her feelings of wanting a romantic vacation. Sheldon accuses Amy of trying to force a romantic atmosphere by manipulating him with his passion for trains. In a fit of sarcasm in being romantic, Sheldon kisses Amy for the first time, and admits that he enjoyed the feeling.
Religion
A recurrent theme is Sheldon's conflict with his devout mother, Mary, who is a creationist, and whose beliefs occasionally clash with Sheldon's understanding of evolution. In "The Lunar Excitation", Sheldon mentions his promise to his mother to attend church once a year.[19] Evidence of Sheldon's agnostic atheism is seen when he is heard exclaiming "Why hast thou forsaken me, o deity whose existence I doubt?" upon the discovery that his World of Warcraft account has been hacked.[20] According to Raj, Sheldon also begged the deity in which he did not believe to kill him quickly upon getting food poisoning at the Rose Bowl.[n 1] On the other hand Sheldon says he wishes "to employ his rare and precious mental faculties to tear the mask off nature and stare at the face of God."[21] Sheldon's religious upbringing leads to moments of religious interjection when his emotions are high – on one occasion, he happily exclaims "Thank you, Jesus!" when he scores a strike in bowling, quickly adding "As my mother would say."[22] In addition, he frequently says the word "Lord" when he is upset.
At the same time, a running gag in the series is the fact that Howard, who is Jewish and Raj, who is Hindu, frequently defy many of their respective religious customs without worry, such as their constant flouting of dietary prohibitions. They both also tend to give each other grief about them. In the episode "The Financial Permeability", Raj quotes from the book of Leviticus after Howard eats pork, and Howard counters with the fact that he keeps quiet when Raj eats a Whopper.[23] Nevertheless, they are seen to be semi-observant. Raj, for example, occasionally mentions reincarnation and explains his belief in karma, stating that he believes it to be "practically Newtonian – for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Howard celebrates at least some Jewish holidays, once refused to pray in a Christian church so he does not "burst into flames" and also wore tattoo sleeves instead of getting real tattoos so he "still can be buried in a Jewish cemetery".[24]
Another frequent theme is Penny's confidence in beliefs that frequently conflict with Leonard and Sheldon's scientific beliefs and knowledge, such as ghosts, astrology, psychics and voodoo. This is first seen in her very first appearance, when she makes reference to her being a Sagittarius, to which Sheldon criticises her belief in astrology, but is most frequently seen in an episode in which she and Leonard had a falling out over the validity of psychics.[25]
Howard's mother
In scenes set at Howard's home in which he interacts with his never-seen mother (voiced by Carol Ann Susi), he always does so via shouting conversations between the rooms in his house, and she similarly interacts with other characters in this manner, though she did appear momentarily in the overhead photo of Howard and Bernadette's wedding and from the side in "The Spoiler Alert Segmentation" episode, though her face was not shown.[26] She reflects the Jewish mother stereotype in some ways, such as being overly controlling of Howard's adult life and sometimes trying to make him feel guilty about causing her trouble. She is dependent on Howard, as she requires him to help her with her wig and makeup in the morning. Howard in turn is attached to his mother to the point where she still cuts his meat for him, takes him to the dentist, does his laundry and "grounds" him when he returns home after briefly moving out.[27] Until Howard's marriage to Bernadette in the fifth season finale, Howard's former living situation led Leonard's psychiatrist mother to speculate that he may suffer from some type of pathology,[28] and Sheldon to refer to their relationship as Oedipal.[29] Her tendency to communicate with Howard by shouting between rooms has led Bernadette and Raj to do impressions of her,[30][31] and Bernadette to attempt to communicate with her in one episode by imitating her style of shouting.[32]
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, followed by the Warner Bros. Television closing logo. These cards are archived on Lorre's website.[33]
Reception
Critical reception
Season 1 of The Big Bang Theory received a score of 57/100 from review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Tom Shales of The Washington Post gave the show a positive review, saying "Big Bang is the funniest new sitcom of the season".[34] 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".[35] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review, stating "It's just the same joke endlessly repeated – the everyday translated into geek-speak, and the obscure and difficult treated as if it were common knowledge".[36] Mike Duffy of the Detroit Free Press gave a negative review, stating "This is by far the least charming—the lame, leering sitcom tales of two brainiac losers goofily smitten by the babelicious girl next door. It's about as witty as a pocket protector".[37][38]
James Chamberlin of IGN gave season 2 an 8.4 out of 10 score, saying, "This may be a show about nerds, but you don't have to be a brainiac to enjoy it."[39] Amanda Sloane Murray, writing for the same website, gave season three nine out of 10, describing it as "more intelligent than most sitcoms in recent memory".[40] The American Film Institute ranked season three one of the 10 best television seasons of 2009.[41]
Leigh H. Edwards of PopMatters gave season 4 an 8/10, commenting "The comic commentary may be poking gentle fun at nerds, but the real target of the show's sharp satire is the arbitrary, self-serving stupidity of mainstream culture".[42]
Tom Gliatto of People remarked of season 5, "It's bright and obvious as a cartoon yet written with a clean, precise patter of jokes. It's also very well cast".[43]
Kate Ward of Entertainment Weekly gave season 6 a 91/100, remarking "Bialik manages to steal scenes from Parsons as if she's been with the crew since, well, the big bang".[44] Robert Bianco continued to give a positive review, noting "When it comes to making viewers catch their breath from laughing, no show tops Big Bang, and that's an ability that should never be undervalued in a comedy. Bang is one of those rare series where just thinking about some of the plots is enough to make you laugh all over again".[45]
U.S. standard ratings
The Big Bang Theory has been highly rated since its premiere. 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.[46] After the first three seasons aired at different times on Monday nights, CBS moved the show to Thursdays at 8:00 ET for the 2010–2011 schedule, to be in direct competition with NBC's Comedy Block.[47] 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 18–49 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.[48]
The sixth season boasts some of the highest-rated episodes for the show so far, with a then-new series high set with "The Bakersfield Expedition" (Season 6, Episode 13), with 20 million viewers,[49] a first for the series, which along with NCIS, made CBS the first network to have two scripted series reach that large an audience in the same week since 2007. In the sixth season, the show became the highest rated and viewed scripted show in the 18–49 demographic, trailing only NBC's Sunday Night Football coverage,[50][51] and was third in total viewers, trailing NCIS and Sunday Night Football.[52] Season seven of the show opened strong, continuing the success gained in season six, with the second episode of the premiere, "The Deception Verification", setting the new series high in viewers with 20.44 million.[53][54]
Showrunner Steve Molaro, who took over from Bill Prady with the sixth season, credits some of the show's success to the sitcom's exposure in off-network syndication, particularly on TBS, while Michael Schneider of TV Guide attributes it to the timeslot move two seasons earlier. Chuck Lorre and CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler also credit the success to the influence of Molaro, in particular the deepening exploration of the firmly established regular characters and their interpersonal relationships, such as the on-again, off-again relationship between Leonard and Penny.[55] Throughout much of the 2012–13 season, The Big Bang Theory placed first in all of syndication ratings, receiving formidable competition from only Judge Judy and Wheel of Fortune (first-run syndication programs). By the end of the 2012–13 television season, The Big Bang Theory had dethroned Judge Judy as the ratings leader in all of syndicated programming with 7.1, Judy descending to second place for that season with a 7.0.[56]
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | No. of episodes |
Rank | Avg. viewers (in millions) |
Most watched episode | Viewers (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 | 17 | 68 | 8.31[57] | "The Dumpling Paradox" | 9.68[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 | 23 | 44 | 10.00[59] | "The Maternal Capacitance" | 13.11[60] |
| 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 | 23 | 12 | 14.14[61] | "The Precious Fragmentation" | 16.32[62] |
| 4 | Thursday 8:00 pm | September 23, 2010 | May 19, 2011 | 2010–11 | 24 | 15 | 13.14[63] | "The Robotic Manipulation" | 14.04[64] |
| 5 | September 22, 2011 | May 10, 2012 | 2011–12 | 24 | 8 | 15.82[65] | "The Friendship Contraction" | 16.54[66] | |
| 6 | September 27, 2012 | May 16, 2013 | 2012–13 | 24 | 3 | 18.68[52] | "The Bakersfield Expedition" | 20.00[49] | |
| 7 | September 26, 2013 | TBD | 2013–14 | 24 | — | — | "The Deception Verification" | 20.44[53] |
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.[67]
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 program for that week.[68] 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.[69]
Season 6 premiered on E4 on November 15, 2012 with 1.89 million viewers and a further 469,000 on the time shift channel, bringing the total to 2.31 Million – E4's highest viewing ratings of 2012, and the highest the channel has received since June 2011.[70]
Canadian ratings
The Big Bang Theory started off quietly in Canada, but managed to garner major success later on in further seasons. The Big Bang Theory is telecast throughout Canada via the CTV Television Network in simultaneous substitution with cross-border CBS affiliates. Now immensely popular in Canada, The Big Bang Theory is also rerun daily on the Canadian cable channel The Comedy Network.
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 entertainment television show in Canada.[71]
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Viewers rank | U.S. Viewers (millions) | 18–49 rank | 18–49 rating/share | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||||
| 1 | 17 | September 24, 2007 | May 19, 2008 | 68[72] | 8.34 | 46[73] | 3.3/8 | |
| 2 | 23 | September 22, 2008 | May 11, 2009 | 40[74] | 10.07 | — | — | |
| 3 | 23 | September 21, 2009 | May 24, 2010 | 12 | 14.22 | 5[75] | 5.3/13 | |
| 4 | 24 | September 23, 2010 | May 19, 2011 | 13 | 13.21 | 7[76] | 4.4/13 | |
| 5 | 24 | September 22, 2011 | May 10, 2012 | 8 | 15.82 | 6[77] | 5.5/17 | |
| 6 | 24 | September 27, 2012 | May 16, 2013 | 3 | 18.68 | 2[78] | 6.2/19 | |
| 7 | 24 | September 26, 2013 | May 15, 2014 | 2 | 19.96 | 2[79] | 6.2/20 | |
| 8 | 24 | September 22, 2014 | May 7, 2015 | 2 | 19.05 | 4[80] | 5.6/17 | |
| 9 | 24 | September 21, 2015 | May 12, 2016 | 2 | 20.36 | 3[81] | 5.8/19 | |
| 10 | 24 | September 19, 2016 | May 11, 2017 | 2 | 18.99 | 3[82] | 4.9/19 | |
| 11 | 24 | September 25, 2017 | May 10, 2018 | 1 | 18.63 | 5[83] | 4.4 | |
| 12 | 24 | September 24, 2018 | May 16, 2019 | 2 | 17.31 | 6[84] | 3.6 | |
Broadcast
The Big Bang Theory premiered in the United States on September 24, 2007 on CBS. The series debuted in Canada on CTV in September 2007.[85] The Canadian network Vrak.TV began airing a version of the series dubbed in French on August 28, 2012.[86][failed verification] On March 12, 2008, Nine Network in Australia debuted the series.[87][failed verification] Broadcast of Big Bang Theory on Irish networks 3e and RTÉ Two began September 9, 2008.[88][failed verification] On February 14, 2008, the series debuted in the United Kingdom on channels E4 (HD) and Channel 4.[89] New Zealand network TV2 started broadcasting the series September 17, 2008.[90][failed verification]
DVD/Blu-ray releases
| Name | Release dates | Ep # | Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| The Complete First Season | September 2, 2008[91] | January 12, 2009[92] | April 3, 2009[93] | 17 | The three-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[94] | October 19, 2009[95] | March 3, 2010[96] | 23 | The four-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[97] | September 27, 2010[98] | October 13, 2010[99] | 23 | The three-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 two-disc set, in conjunction with the DVD release. Running Time: 472 minutes. |
| The Complete Fourth Season | September 13, 2011[100] | September 26, 2011 | October 5, 2011 | 24 | The three-disc box set includes all 24 episodes. Special features include the story behind the show's theme song with Barenaked Ladies, along with the music video for the theme song, cast interviews with each other, and a gag reel. Running time: 529 minutes. Also available on Blu-ray as a two-disc set, with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the taping of "The Wildebeest Implementation". |
| The Complete Fifth Season | September 11, 2012[101] | September 3, 2012 | October 1, 2012 | 24 | The three-disc box set includes all 24 episodes. Special features include "The Big Bang Theory at 100", a featurette on the show's 100th episode, "The Big Bang Theory's Laws of Reflection", "Professors of Production", and a gag reel. Running time: 552 minutes. Also available on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with UltraViolet download. |
| The Complete Sixth Season | September 10, 2013[102] | September 2, 2013[103] | September 18, 2013 | 24 | The three-disc box set contains all 24 episodes. Special features include "The Big Bang Theory: The Final Comedy Frontier", where astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Mike Massimino join the cast to analyze Howard's space mission, "Houston, We Have a Sitcom", "Electromagnetism: The Best Relationship Moments in Season 6", "The Big Bang Theory at Paleyfest 2013", and a gag reel. Running time: 477 minutes. Also available on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with UltraViolet download. |
- Despite the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth 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.[104]
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.[105] 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.[106] In the episode he meets Sheldon Cooper and points out a mistake in Sheldon's new Higgs boson analysis. Hawking also speaks on the phone at the end of the episode "The Extract Obliteration" with Sheldon, but is not seen on-camera. In the end of season 5 and the beginning of season 6 NASA astronaut Michael J. Massimino was featured as himself multiple times in the role of Howard's fellow astronaut.
Online media
Warner Bros. Television controls the online rights for the show.[107][108] Full episodes are available at tv.com, while short clips and recently aired full episodes are available on cbs.com.[109] In Canada, recent episode(s) and pictures are available on CTV.ca.[110] 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 had been picked up for syndication, mainly among Fox's owned and operated stations 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).[111] 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".[112] CTV holds national broadcast syndication rights in Canada, while sister cable network The Comedy Network holds cable rights.
Awards and nominations
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2013) |
In August 2009, the sitcom won the best comedy series TCA award and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) won the award for individual achievement in comedy.[113] 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.[114] 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. On September 18, 2011, Parsons was again awarded an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. On January 9, 2013, the show won People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy for a second time.
| 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 | ||
| 25th TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Won | Cast and Crew | |
| Individual Achievement in Comedy | Won | Jim Parsons | ||
| Satellite Awards 2009 | 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 | ||
| 26th TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | Cast and Crew | |
| Individual Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | 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 | |||
| 1st Critics' Choice Awards | Best Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Won | Jim Parsons | ||
| 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 | ||
| CBS Fan Awards | Best Meltdown Moment | Won | "The Recombination Hypothesis" | |
| Best Catchphrase | Won | "Bazinga" | ||
| Favorite ROTFL Moment | Won | "The Transporter Malfunction" | ||
| Best Dramatic Pause | Won | "The Friendship Contraction" | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Comedy | Nominated | ||
| 28th TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Individual Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| 64th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Mayim Bialik | ||
| Multi Camera Picture Editing in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Peter Chakos | ||
| Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control | Nominated | Cast and Crew | ||
| Satellite Awards 2012 | Best TV Comedy | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | Johnny Galecki | ||
| Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Won | Kaley Cuoco | ||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Mayim Bialik | ||
| 2nd Critics' Choice Awards | Best Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| 2013 | 39th People's Choice Awards | Favorite Network TV Comedy | Won | |
| Favorite TV Comedy Actor | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| Favorite TV Comedy Actress | Nominated | Kaley Cuoco | ||
| 19th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Jim Parsons | |
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Cast | ||
| 70th Golden Globe Awards | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | Jim Parsons | |
| Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | Cast | ||
| 65th Annual Directors Guild of America Award[115] | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series | Nominated | Mark Cendrowski "The Date Night Variable" | |
| 18th National Television Awards | Situation Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards[116] | Choice TV: Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Choice TV: Actor Comedy | Won | Jim Parsons | ||
| Choice TV: Actress Comedy | Nominated | Kaley Cuoco | ||
| 3rd Critics' Choice Awards[117] | Best Comedy Series | Won | ||
| Best Actor In A Comedy Series | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series | Won | Simon Helberg | ||
| Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series | Won | Kaley Cuoco | ||
| Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series | Nominated | Melissa Rauch | ||
| Best Guest Performer In A Comedy Series | Nominated | Bob Newhart | ||
| 29th TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Won | ||
| CBS Fan Awards[118] | Best Tell it Like It Is | Nominated | "The Tenure Turbulence" | |
| Best Butt-Kicking Moment | Nominated | "The Re-Entry Minimization" | ||
| Best Chemistry | Nominated | "The Holographic Excitation" | ||
| 65th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series | Won | Jim Parsons | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series | Nominated | Mayim Bialik | ||
| Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series | Won | Bob Newhart | ||
| Outstanding Art Direction For A Multi-Camera Series | Nominated | Crew for: "The Date Night Variable" "The Bakersfield Expedition" "The Love Spell Potential" | ||
| Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series | Nominated | Peter Chakos "The Love Spell Potential" | ||
| Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special | Nominated | Crew for: "The Bakersfield Expedition" | ||
| Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series | Won | Crew for: "The Higgs Boson Observation" | ||
| Kids' Choice Awards Brazil | Favorite Character | Nominated | Sheldon Cooper | |
| 2014 | 40th People's Choice Awards | Favorite Network TV Comedy | Won | |
| Favorite TV Comedy Actor | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| Favorite TV Comedy Actress | Won | Kaley Cuoco | ||
| 71st Golden Globe Awards | Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | Cast | |
| Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Cast | |
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Jim Parsons | ||
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Mayim Bialik | ||
| National Television Awards | Best Comedy | Nominated | ||
| 2014 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Show | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Funny Star | Nominated | Kaley Cuoco |
The Theorists controversy
Through the use of his vanity cards at the end of episodes, Lorre alleged that the program had been plagiarized 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.[119] 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.[120]
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.[121] 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".[122]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b During season 5, episode 21 ("The Hawking Excitation"), Raj states that Sheldon had begged three times before: He begged the Fox network not to cancel Firefly, he begged TNT to cancel Babylon 5, and when he got food poisoning, he begged a deity he does not believe in to end his life quickly.
References
- ^ "The Codpiece Topology". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 2. September 29, 2008. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Gorilla Experiment". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 10. December 7, 2009. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Zazzy Substitution". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 3. October 7, 2010. 12:00 minutes in. CBS.
I move our relationship terminate immediately
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 17, 2013). "'Big Bang Theory': A Behind the Scenes Diary of the Sweet Season 6 Finale". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- ^ a b Watercutter, Angela (September 22, 2011). "TV Fact-Checker: Dropping Science on The Big Bang Theory". wired.com. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ^ "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 11. December 15, 2008. Event occurs at 18:00. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Russian Rocket Reaction". The Big Bang Theory. Season 5. Episode 5. October 13, 2011. Event occurs at 19:48. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Toast Derivation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 17. February 24, 2011. 20:47 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Launch Acceleration". The Big Bang Theory. Season 5. Episode 23. May 3, 2012. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Vegas Renormalization"". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 21. April 27, 2009. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Euclid Alternative". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 5. October 20, 2008. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Large Hadron Collision". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 15. February 8, 2010. 12:02 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Hofstadter Isotope". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 20. April 13, 2009. 1:01 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Middle-Earth Paradigm". The Big Bang Theory. Season 1. Episode 6. October 29, 2007. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Wheaton Recurrence". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 19. April 12, 2010. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ Did You Notice Sheldon's Green Lantern T-Shirt Last Night? | DC Comics
- ^ "The 21-Second Excitation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 8. November 11, 2010. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Big Bang Theory" Fake Game Turns Real, Chris Marlow, Digital Media Wire, September 23, 2011
- ^ "The Lunar Excitation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 23. May 24, 2010. 19:00 minutes in. CBS.
Interesting, my mother and I have the same agreement about church
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Zarnecki Incursion". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 19. March 31, 2011. 0:00 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ http://bigbangtrans.wordpress.com/series-4-episode-15-the-benefactor-factor/
- ^ "The Wheaton Recurrence". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 19. April 12, 2010. 17:30 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Financial Permeability". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 14. February 2, 2009. 13:41 minutes in. CBS.
Leviticus 11:3, only that which part of the hoof and chew with the gut among the beasts shall we eat. – Hey, do I mock you with the Bhagavad Gita every time you scarf down a Whopper?
{{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|serieslink=(help); Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Gothowitz Deviation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 3. October 5, 2009. 05:41 minutes in. CBS.
take them off and I can still be buried in a Jewish cemetery
{{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|serieslink=(help); Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Psychic Vortex". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 12. January 11, 2010. 17:11 minutes in. CBS.
You know I believe in ghosts too. – Great. And Astrology. – I know, and pyramid power and healing crystals. Oh no, no, no, crystals don't work. – Really, that's the line? – Psychics are real, but crystals are Voodoo? Oh, Voodoo's real, you don't want to mess with Voodoo.
{{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|serieslink=(help); Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Countdown Reflection". The Big Bang Theory. Season 5. Episode 24. May 10, 2012. 19:54 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Cohabitation Formulation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 16. February 17, 2011. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Maternal Capacitance". The Big Bang Theory. Season 2. Episode 15. February 9, 2009. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Apology Insufficiency". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 7. November 4, 2010. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Engagement Reaction". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 23. May 12, 2011. 19:54 minutes in. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Boyfriend Complexity". The Big Bang Theory. Season 4. Episode 9. November 18, 2010. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Pulled Groin Extrapolation". The Big Bang Theory. Season 5. Episode 3. September 29, 2011. CBS.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Chuck Lorre Productions – Vanity Cards". Chucklorre.com. May 19, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ Shales, Tom (September 24, 2007). "Way to Go, 'Chuck'!". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ Bianco, Robert (September 24, 2007). "'Big Bang Theory' both smart, funny". USA Today. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ Lloyd, Robert (September 24, 2007). "Between the devil and the CIA: two comedies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ "'Big Bang Theory' and the comedy of contempt". Chicago Tribune. September 21, 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ "Geeks and freaks". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: Season 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: Season 3 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "AFI Awards 2009". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "'The Big Bang Theory' Season Four Premiere". PopMatters. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: Season 5". Metacritic. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ Baez, Christina. "Tonight's Best TV". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ Bianco, Robert (October 6, 2010). "These TV series are back, but are they better than ever?". USA Today. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ "CBS opens the new season with a big bang "The Big Bang Theory" Premieres with its largest audience ever and highest adult 3–12 rating". Cbspressexpress.com. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ Hinckley, David (July 29, 2010). "CBS moves 'The Big Bang Theory' to Thursday nights this fall to 'challenge' other shows". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (September 23, 2011). "Thursday Finals: 'Big Bang Theory,' 'The X Factor,' 'Parks & Recreation' and 'Whitney' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (January 11, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', '30 Rock' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Scandal'". Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (May 29, 2013). "Complete List Of 2012–13 Season TV Show Ratings: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'The Voice' & 'Modern Family'". Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ Patten, Dominic. "Full 2012–2013 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- ^ a b Patten, Dominic (May 23, 2013). "Full 2012–2013 TV Season Series Rankings". Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (September 27, 2013). "'The Big Bang Theory' Hits New Viewer Record". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ "Hot List 2013". TV Guide. p. 21.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (January 28, 2013). "Bigger Bang Than Ever". TV Guide. pp. 6 and 7.
- ^ "Syndication Ratings: At Syndie Season's End, 'Phil,' 'Judy,' 'ET,' 'Wheel,' 'Big Bang' on Top – September 4, 2013 17:41:39 | Broadcasting & Cable". Broadcastingcable.com. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ "SEASON PROGRAM RANKINGS (THROUGH 5/25)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. May 28, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (November 6, 2007). "Overnight Results 11/5: Dance, Dance, Dance". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ "ABC Medianet". ABC Medianet. May 19, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (February 10, 2009). "Loud BANG at 9:30pm". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- ^ "Final 2009–10 Broadcast Primetime Show Average Viewership". TV by the Numbers. June 16, 010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Editor's Note: With final Monday ratings in, THE BIG BANG THEORY has now reached a new series high in viewers (16.32m) and was the night's top program in adults 18–49 (5.9/15), up a tenth from this morning. – "TWO AND A HALF MEN" SOARS TO ITS BEST ADULT 18–49 RATING IN THREE YEARS". CBS. March 9, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (June 1, 2011). "2010–11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (September 28, 2010). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: "Sunday Night Football", "Glee", "Grey's Anatomy", "Dancing with the Stars" Top Premiere Week". Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ "'American Idol' to 'The Vampire Diaries': The top-rated TV shows on each network for 2011–12 – Zap2it". Blog.zap2it.com. May 27, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (February 3, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol,' 'Big Bang Theory,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Office,' 'Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'Rob' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ 14, 2008 "Overnights February 14, 2008". Channel 4 Sales. February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help)[dead link] - ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes". Barb.co.uk. July 17, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2011.[dead link]
- ^ "'Big Bang Theory' returns to form for E4 with 1.4m". Digital Spy. May 18, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (November 16, 2012). "'Big Bang Theory' becomes E4's most-watched show of the year – TV News". Digital Spy. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ "No Theory: Big Bang Canada's No. 1 Show". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ Van De Kamp, Justin (June 1, 2008). "TV Ratings: 2007–2008 Season Top-200". Televisionista. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ^ Hibberd, James (May 22, 2008). "2007–08 Season Wrap" (PDF). The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ^ "Season Program Rankings (Through 5/31)" (Press release). ABC Medianet. June 2, 2009. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (May 27, 2010). "Full Series Rankings For The 2009–10 Broadcast Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ "Full 2010–2011 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 27, 2011. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 24, 2012). "Full 2011-2012 Season Series Ratings - Deadline.com". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (May 23, 2013). "Full 2012–2013 TV Season Series Rankings". Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Kissell, Rick (May 20, 2014). "NBC Wraps TV Season As Demo Champ for First Time Since '04". Variety. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 21, 2015). "Full 2014–15 TV Season Series Rankings: Football & 'Empire' Ruled". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ "Full 2015–16 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2015. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ "Final 2016-17 TV Rankings: 'Sunday Night Football' Winning Streak Continues". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2017. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 22, 2018). "2017-18 TV Series Ratings Rankings: NFL Football, 'Big Bang' Top Charts". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 21, 2019). "2018-19 TV Season Ratings: CBS Wraps 11th Season At No. 1 In Total Viewers, NBC Tops Demo; 'Big Bang Theory' Most Watched Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ "TV Thursday: The Big Bang Theory". Postmedia News, Canada.com. January 3, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2013.[dead link]
- ^ – astraltvplus. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory". Channelnine.ninemsn.com.au. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ Next Time. "The Big Bang Theory". Channel 4. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Next Time. "The Big Bang Theory". Channel 4. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ About The Big Bang Theory | The Big Bang Theory | Television New Zealand | Television | TV One, TV2, TVNZ 6, TVNZ 7 – TVNZ. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory – The Complete First Season: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory – Season 1 [DVD] [2007]: Amazon.co.uk: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory – Complete 1st Season". mightyape.co.nz.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory Season 2 DVD coming in September". The-big-bang-theory.com. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory – Season 2 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory – Complete 2nd Season (4 Disc Set)". mightyape.co.nz.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season DVD – Warner Bros.: WBshop.com – The Official Online Store of Warner Bros. Studios". WBshop.com. October 13, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory – Season 3 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk.
- ^ "Buy Big Bang Theory, The – The Complete 3rd Season (3 Disc Set) @ EzyDVD". Ezydvd.com.au. September 29, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fourth Season DVD – Warner Bros.: WBshop.com – The Official Online Store of Warner Bros. Studios". WBshop.com. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray)". Warner Bros. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory – Blu-rays, DVDs for 'The Complete 6th Season': Possible Date, Cost, Box Art". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory – Season 6 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory DVD news: Blu-ray Release for The Complete 1st Season and The Complete 2nd Season". TVShowsOnDVD. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Sanders, Robert (February 23, 2009). "Cosmologist George Smoot meets TV's 'Big Bang' nerds". University of California Berkley.
- ^ "Professor Stephen Hawking films Big Bang Theory cameo". BBC. March 12, 2012.
- ^ "Company credits for "The Big Bang Theory"". IMDB. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
- ^ James McQuivey. "Why CBS pulled The Mentalist from CBS.com". OmniVideo. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
- ^ "The Big Bang Theory: Watch Episodes and Video and Join the Ultimate Fan Community". CBS. Retrieved February 19, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Watch the Big Bang Theory Online on CTV". Shows.ctv.ca. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Pavan (August 1, 2011). "TBS Fall 2011 Schedule; ION Adds Monk, Psych This Month, House in Fall 2012 – SitcomsOnline.com News Blog". Blog.sitcomsonline.com. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ Stelter, Brian (May 16, 2010). "'The Big Bang Theory' Gets Syndication Deal". New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
- ^ "The TCA Awards turn 25 – Sepinwall on TV | New Jersey Entertainment – TV & Film". NJ.com. August 2, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "61st Primetime Emmy Awards | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". Cdn.emmys.tv. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ "DGA Awards Feature Film, Television and Commercial Nominees Announced". dga.org. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "FIRST WAVE OF "TEEN CHOICE 2013" NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". Teen Choice Awards. May 22, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- ^ "THE BROADCAST TELEVISION JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS FOR 3rd ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE TELEVISION AWARDS". Critics' Choice Awards. May 23, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
- ^ "CBS Fan Awards".
- ^ 'The Theorists': 'Big Bang Theorys big Belarusian rip-off – Entertainment Weekly
- ^ Vanity Card #277 – Chuck Lorre Productions
- ^ STV cancelled the pirated show "The Theorists" Template:Ru icon
- ^ "The Theorists" actors don't want to stay with a stolen project Template:Ru icon
External links
Media related to The Big Bang Theory at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Vanity Cards Archive for The Big Bang Theory
- The Big Bang Theory at IMDb
The Big Bang Theory franchise | |
|---|---|
| Television series | |
| Characters | |
| Related | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- Lists of American sitcom television characters
- The Big Bang Theory characters
- The Big Bang Theory
- 2007 American television series debuts
- 2000s American comedy television series
- 2010s American comedy television series
- American television sitcoms
- CBS network shows
- English-language television programming
- Physics in fiction
- Romantic comedy television series
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television
- Television series shot in 35 mm
- Television shows set in Los Angeles, California
- Television series created by Chuck Lorre
- Nerd culture