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= The Big Bang Theory =
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Introduction
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'The Big Bang Theory' is an American television sitcom created by
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers
and head writers on the series, along with Steven Molaro. It aired on
CBS from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons
and 279 episodes.
The show originally centered on five characters living in Pasadena,
California: Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper
(Jim Parsons), both physicists at Caltech, who share an apartment;
Penny (Kaley Cuoco), a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across
the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's similarly geeky and socially
awkward friends and coworkers, aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz
(Simon Helberg) and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar).
Over time, supporting characters were promoted to starring roles,
including neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik),
microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), and comic book
store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman).
The show was filmed in front of a live audience and produced by Chuck
Lorre Productions, with Warner Bros. Television handling distribution.
It received mixed reviews throughout its first season, but reception
was more favorable in the second and third seasons. Despite early
mixed reviews, seven seasons were ranked within the top ten of the
final season ratings, and it ultimately reached the No. 1 spot in its
eleventh season. It was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding
Comedy Series from 2011 to 2014 and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series four times for Parsons, totaling seven
Emmy Awards from 46 nominations. Parsons also won the Golden Globe for
Best Actor in a Television Comedy Series in 2011.
The series' success launched a multimedia franchise. A prequel series,
titled 'Young Sheldon' and based on Parsons' character Sheldon Cooper,
aired from 2017 to 2024, with Parsons reprising his role as the
narrating adult Sheldon. The third series in the franchise, a sequel
series to 'Young Sheldon' titled 'Georgie & Mandy's First
Marriage', premiered in October 2024 and follows Sheldon's older
brother, Georgie, and his wife, Mandy. A fourth series, following
Stuart, his girlfriend Denise, and geologist Bert Kibbler, is in
development for Max.
Cast and characters
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* Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter: An experimental physicist with
an IQ of 173, who received his Ph.D. when he was 24 years old. Leonard
is a nerd who loves video games, comic books, and 'Dungeons &
Dragons'. Leonard is the straight man of the series, sharing an
apartment in Pasadena, CA, with Sheldon Cooper. Leonard is smitten
with his new neighbor Penny when they first meet, and they eventually
marry.
* Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper: Originally from Galveston, Texas,
Sheldon was a child prodigy with an eidetic memory who began college
at the age of eleven and earned a Ph.D. at age sixteen. He is a
theoretical physicist researching quantum mechanics and string theory,
and, despite his IQ of 187, he finds many routine aspects of social
situations difficult to grasp. He is determined to have his own way,
continually boasts of his intelligence, and has an extremely
ritualized way of living. Despite these quirks, he begins a
relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler, and they eventually marry.
* Kaley Cuoco as Penny: An aspiring actress from Omaha, Nebraska.
Penny moves in across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard. She waits
tables and occasionally tends the bar at The Cheesecake Factory. After
giving up hope of becoming a successful actress, Penny becomes a
pharmaceutical sales representative. Penny becomes friends with
Bernadette and Amy, and they often hang out in each other's
apartments. Penny and Leonard form a relationship and eventually
marry.
* Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz: An aerospace engineer who got his
master's degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Howard
is Jewish and lived with his mother, Debbie (Carol Ann Susi). Unlike
Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Bernadette, and Amy, Howard does not hold a
doctorate. He trains as an astronaut and goes into space as a payload
specialist on the International Space Station. Howard initially
fancies himself as a ladies man, but he later starts dating
Bernadette, and they get engaged and married. Howard also has a
tendency to waste money on toys and argues with Bernadette because of
his oddly low income as an engineer and her high income as a
pharmaceutical biochemist.
* Kunal Nayyar as Rajesh Koothrappali: A particle astrophysicist
originally from New Delhi, India. Initially, Raj had selective mutism,
rendering him unable to talk to or be around women unless under the
influence of alcohol. Raj also has very feminine tastes and often
takes on a stereotypical female role in his friendship with Howard as
well as in the group of four men. Raj later dates Lucy (Kate Micucci),
who also suffers from social anxiety, but it eventually ends. He later
speaks to Penny without alcohol, overcoming his selective mutism. He
begins dating Emily Sweeney, and their relationship later becomes
exclusive. In the series' final season, Raj has an on-again, off-again
engagement with a fellow Indian, a hotel concierge named Anu (Rati
Gupta). He also has a Yorkshire Terrier named Cinnamon, given by
Howard and Bernadette.
* Sara Gilbert as Leslie Winkle (recurring season 1, starring season
2, guest seasons 3, 9): A physicist who works in the same lab as
Leonard. In appearance, she is essentially Leonard's female
counterpart and has conflicting scientific theories with Sheldon.
Leslie has casual sex with Leonard and later Howard. Gilbert was
promoted to a main cast member during the second season but resumed
guest star status because producers could not come up with enough
material for the character. Gilbert returned to 'The Big Bang Theory'
for its 200th episode.
* Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz (recurring season
3, starring seasons 4-12): A young woman who initially is a co-worker
at The Cheesecake Factory with Penny to pay her way through graduate
school, where she is studying microbiology. Bernadette is introduced
to Howard by Penny; at first, they do not get along, apparently having
nothing in common. They date and later get engaged and married.
Although generally a sweet and good-natured person, Bernadette has a
short fuse and can be vindictive and lash out when provoked.
* Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler (guest star season 3, starring
seasons 4-12): A woman selected by an online dating site as Sheldon's
perfect mate, Amy is from Glendale, California. While she and Sheldon
initially share social cluelessness, after befriending Penny and
Bernadette, she eventually becomes more interested in social and
romantic interaction. Her relationship with Sheldon slowly progresses
to the point where Sheldon considers her his girlfriend, and
eventually, they get married. Amy believes she and Penny are best
friends, a sentiment that Penny does not initially share. Amy has a
Ph.D. in neurobiology.
* Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom (recurring seasons 2-5, 7, starring
seasons 6, 8-12): A mild-mannered, under-confident owner of a comic
book store. A competent artist, Stuart is a graduate of the
prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. Though he is socially
awkward, he possesses slightly better social skills. Stuart implies he
is in financial trouble and that the comic book store now also is his
home. He is later invited to join the guys' group while Howard is in
space. Stuart gets a new job caring for Howard's mother later. After
Mrs. Wolowitz's death, Stuart continues to live in her home, along
with Howard and Bernadette, until he finds a place of his own.
* Laura Spencer as Emily Sweeney (recurring seasons 7-8, 10, starring
season 9): A dermatologist at Huntington Hospital. Emily went to
Harvard and delights in the macabre, and she states that she likes her
job because she can cut things with knives. Prior to meeting Raj,
Emily was set up on a blind date with Howard. After finding Emily's
online dating profile, Raj has Amy contact her as his wingman instead.
Their relationship becomes exclusive, but Raj later breaks up with
Emily when he becomes infatuated with Claire (Alessandra Torresani), a
bartender and children's author.
Production
======================================================================
The show's pilot episode premiered on September 24, 2007. This was the
second pilot produced for the show. A different pilot was produced for
the 2006-07 television season but never aired. The structure of the
original unaired pilot was different from the series' current form.
The only main characters retained in both pilots were Leonard (Johnny
Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons), who are named after Sheldon
Leonard, a longtime figure in episodic television as a producer,
director, and actor. A minor character, Althea (Vernee Watson),
appeared in the first scene of both pilots that was retained generally
as-is. The first pilot included two female lead characters - Katie, "a
street-hardened, tough-as-nails woman with a vulnerable interior"
(played by Canadian actress Amanda Walsh), and Gilda, a scientist
colleague and friend of the male characters (played by Iris Bahr).
Sheldon and Leonard meet Katie after she breaks up with a boyfriend,
and they invite her to share their apartment. Gilda is threatened by
Katie's presence. Test audiences reacted negatively to Katie, but they
liked Sheldon and Leonard. The original pilot used Thomas Dolby's hit
"She Blinded Me with Science" as its theme song.
Although the original pilot was not picked up, its creators were given
an opportunity to retool it and produce a second pilot. They brought
in the remaining cast and retooled the show to its final format. Katie
was replaced by Penny (Kaley Cuoco). 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 the
original pilot on a future DVD release, Lorre said, "Wow, that would
be something. We will see. Show your failures..."
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. Prior to its
airing on CBS, the pilot episode was distributed on iTunes free of
charge. The show premiered on September 24, 2007, and was picked up
for a full 22-episode season on October 19, 2007. The show is filmed
in front of a live audience, and it is produced by Chuck Lorre
Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Production was halted on
November 6, 2007, due to the Writers Guild of America strike. Nearly
three 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, and ultimately
only 17 episodes were produced for the first season.
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. With increasing ratings, the show received a
two-year renewal through the 2010-11 season in 2009. In 2011, the show
was picked up for three more seasons. In March 2014, the show was
renewed again for three more years through the 2016-17 season. This
marked the second time the series gained a three-year renewal. In
March 2017, the series was renewed for two additional seasons,
bringing its total to 12, and running through the 2018-19 television
season.
Several of the actors on 'The Big Bang Theory' previously worked
together on the sitcom 'Roseanne', including Johnny Galecki, Sara
Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf (who plays Sheldon's mother, Mary Cooper), and
Meagen Fay (who plays Bernadette's mother). Additionally, Lorre was a
writer on the series for several seasons.
Science consultants
=====================
David Saltzberg, a professor of physics and astronomy at the
University of California, Los Angeles, checked scripts and provided
dialogue, mathematics equations, and diagrams used as props. According
to series co-creator Bill Prady, Sheldon was given an actual equation
to be worked on throughout the first season, with the actual progress
displayed on whiteboards in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment.
Saltzberg, who has a Ph.D. in physics, served as the science
consultant for the show for six seasons and attended every taping. He
saw early versions of scripts that needed scientific information added
to them, and he also pointed out where the writers, despite their
knowledge of science, had made a mistake. He was usually not needed
during a taping unless a lot of science, and especially the
whiteboard, was involved.
Saltzberg sometimes consulted with Mayim Bialik, who has a Ph.D. in
neuroscience, on the subject of biology.
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. Co-lead singer Ed Robertson 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. Coincidentally,
Robertson had recently read Simon Singh's book 'Big Bang', and at the
concert he improvised a freestyle rap about the origins of the
universe. Lorre and Prady phoned him shortly thereafter and asked him
to write the theme song. Having been asked to write songs for other
films and shows, but ending up being rejected because producers
favored songs by other artists, 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. Although some unofficial pages
identify the song title as "History of Everything," the cover art for
the single identifies the title as "Big Bang Theory Theme." A music
video also was released via special features on 'The Complete Fourth
Season' DVD and Blu-ray set. The theme was included on the band's
greatest hits album, 'Hits from Yesterday & the Day Before',
released on September 27, 2011. In September 2015, TMZ uncovered court
documents showing that Steven Page sued former bandmate Robertson over
the song, alleging that he was promised 20 percent of the proceeds,
but that Robertson has kept that money for himself.
Actors' salaries
==================
For the first three seasons, Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco, the three
main stars of the show, received up to $60,000 per episode. Their
salaries rose to $200,000 per episode for the fourth season, then went
up an additional $50,000 in each of the following three seasons,
culminating in $350,000 per episode in the seventh season. In
September 2013, Bialik and Rauch renegotiated the contracts they held
since they were introduced to the series in 2010. On their old
contracts, each was making $20,000-$30,000 per episode, while the new
contracts doubled that, beginning at $60,000 per episode, increasing
steadily to $100,000 per episode by the end of the contract, as well
as adding another year for both.
By season seven, Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco were also receiving
0.25percent of the series' back-end money. Before production began on
the eighth season, the three plus Helberg and Nayyar looked to
renegotiate new contracts, with Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco seeking
around $1million per episode, as well as more back-end money.
Contracts were signed in the beginning of August 2014, giving the
three principal actors an estimated $1million per episode for three
years, with the possibility to extend for a fourth year. The deals
also include larger pieces of the show, signing bonuses, production
deals, and advances towards the back-end. Helberg and Nayyar were also
able to renegotiate their contracts, giving them a per-episode pay in
the "mid-six-figure range", up from around $100,000 per episode they
each received in years prior. The duo, who were looking to have salary
parity with Parsons, Galecki, and Cuoco, signed their contracts after
the studio and producers threatened to write the characters out of the
series if a deal could not be reached before the start of production
on season eight. By season 10, Helberg and Nayyar reached the
$1million per episode parity with Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco, due to
a clause in their deals signed in 2014.
In March 2017, the main cast members (Galecki, Parsons, Cuoco,
Helberg, and Nayyar) took a 10percent pay cut to allow Bialik and
Rauch an increase in their earnings. This put Galecki, Parsons, Cuoco,
Helberg and Nayyar at $900,000 per episode, with Parsons, Galecki, and
Helberg also receiving overall deals with Warner Bros. Television. By
the end of April, Bialik and Rauch had signed deals to earn $500,000
per episode each, with the deals also including a separate development
component for both actors. The deal was an increase from the
$175,000-$200,000 the duo had been making per episode.
Science
=========
Much of the series 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 breaks up with Leonard when he sides with Sheldon in his
support for string theory rather than loop quantum gravity. When
Leonard joins Sheldon, Raj, and Howard on a three-month Arctic
research trip, it separates Leonard and Penny at a time when their
relationship is budding. When Bernadette takes an interest in
Leonard's work, it makes both Penny and Howard envious and results in
Howard confronting Leonard and Penny asking Sheldon to teach her
physics. Sheldon and Amy also briefly end their relationship after an
argument over which of their fields is superior.
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 the second season. Chemical engineer and Nobel laureate
Frances Arnold portrayed herself in the 12th season. Theoretical
physicist Brian Greene appeared in the fourth season, as well as
astrophysicist, science popularizer, and physics outreach specialist
Neil deGrasse Tyson, who also appeared in the twelfth season.
Cosmologist Stephen Hawking made a short guest appearance in a
fifth-season episode; in the eighth season, Hawking video conferences
with Sheldon and Leonard, and he makes another appearance in the 200th
episode. In the fifth and sixth seasons, NASA astronaut Michael J.
Massimino played himself multiple times in the role of Howard's fellow
astronaut. In the sixth season, NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin had a cameo
appearance. Bill Nye appeared in the seventh and twelfth seasons.
"Nerd" media
==============
The four main male characters are all avid fans of nerd culture. Among
their shared interests are science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and
collecting memorabilia.
'Star Trek' in particular is referred to frequently, and Sheldon
identifies strongly with the character of Spock, so much so that 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?!"). 'Star Trek: The Original Series'
cast members William Shatner and George Takei have made cameos, and
Leonard Nimoy made a cameo as the voice of Sheldon's vintage Mr. Spock
action figure. 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' cast members Brent
Spiner and LeVar Burton have had cameos as themselves, while Wil
Wheaton has a recurring role as a fictionalized version of himself.
Leonard and Sheldon have had conversations in Klingon.
They are also fans of 'Star Wars', 'Battlestar Galactica', and 'Doctor
Who'. James Earl Jones, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill make guest
appearances. In the episode "The Ornithophobia Diffusion", when there
is a delay in watching 'Star Wars' on Blu-ray, Howard complains, "If
we don't start soon, George Lucas is going to change it again"
(referring to Lucas' controversial alterations to the films). In "The
Hot Troll Deviation", Katee Sackhoff of 'Battlestar Galactica'
appeared as Howard's fantasy dream girl. The characters have different
tastes in franchises, with Sheldon praising 'Firefly' but disapproving
of Leonard's enjoyment of 'Babylon 5'. With regard to fantasy, the
four make frequent references to 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Harry
Potter' novels and movies. Additionally, Howard can speak Sindarin,
one of the two Elvish languages from 'The Lord of the Rings'.
Wednesday night is the group's designated "comic book night" because
that is the day of the week when new comic books are released. The
comic book store 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. As a
consequence of losing a bet to Stuart and Wil Wheaton, the group
members are forced to visit the comic book store dressed as Catwoman,
Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl. DC Comics announced that, to
promote its comics, the company would sponsor Sheldon wearing Green
Lantern T-shirts.
Various games have been featured, as well as referred to, on the
series (e.g. 'World of Warcraft', 'Halo', 'Mario', Donkey Kong, etc.),
including fictional games like 'Mystic Warlords of Ka'a' (which became
a reality in 2011) 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 in the pilot episode,
and his need to do favors for her is a frequent point of humor in the
first season. Meanwhile, Penny dates a series of muscular,
stereotypically "attractive," unintelligent, and insensitive jocks.
Their first long-term relationship begins when Leonard returns from a
three-month expedition to the North Pole in the season 3 premiere.
However, when Leonard tells Penny that he loves her, she realizes she
cannot say it back, and they break up. Both Leonard and Penny go on to
date other people, most notably with Leonard dating Raj's sister Priya
for much of season 4. This relationship is jeopardized when Leonard
mistakenly comes to believe that Raj has slept with Penny, and it
ultimately ends when Priya sleeps with a former boyfriend in "The Good
Guy Fluctuation".
Penny, who admits to missing Leonard in "The Roommate
Transmogrification", accepts his request to renew their relationship
in "The Beta Test Initiation". After Penny suggests having sex in "The
Launch Acceleration", Leonard breaks the mood by proposing to her.
Penny says "no" but does not break up with him. She stops a proposal a
second time in "The Tangible Affection Proof". In the sixth-season
episode, "The 43 Peculiarity", Penny finally tells Leonard that she
loves him. Although they both feel jealousy when the other receives
significant attention from the opposite sex, Penny is secure in their
relationship, even when he leaves on a four-month expedition to the
North Sea in "The Bon Voyage Reaction". After he returns, the
relationship blossoms over the seventh season. In the penultimate
episode "The Gorilla Dissolution", Penny admits that they should marry
and when Leonard realizes that she is serious, he proposes with a ring
that he has been carrying for years. Leonard and Penny decide to elope
to Las Vegas in the season 8 finale, but beforehand, wanting no
secrets, Leonard admits to kissing another woman, Mandy Chow (Melissa
Tang) while on the expedition. Despite this, Leonard and Penny finally
marry in the season 9 premiere and remain happy. By the Season 9
finale, Penny and Leonard decide to have a second wedding ceremony for
their family and friends, to make up for eloping. In season 10,
Sheldon moves into Penny's old apartment with Amy, allowing Penny and
Leonard to finally live on their own as husband and wife.
In season 12, Penny announces that she does not want to have any
children and Leonard reluctantly supports her decision. Later, her old
boyfriend Zack and his new wife want Leonard to be a surrogate father
to their kid since Zack is infertile. Penny reluctantly agrees to let
Leonard donate his sperm. However, when she tries to seduce Leonard
despite knowing he has to be abstinent for a few days, her visiting
father, Wyatt, points out to Penny that her own actions suggest she is
more conflicted over having kids than she lets on, and she admits she
feels bad about letting him and Leonard down if she never has
children. He says that despite her flaws, parenthood is the best thing
that ever happened to him, and he does not want her to miss out, but
that he will support her no matter what she does. Leonard eventually
changes his mind, not wanting a child in the world that he cannot
raise. In the series finale, Penny is pregnant with Leonard's baby,
and she has changed her mind about not wanting children.
Sheldon and Amy's relationship
================================
In the third-season finale, Raj and Howard sign Sheldon up for online
dating to find a woman compatible with Sheldon, and they discover
neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler. Like Sheldon, she has a history of
social ineptitude and participates in online dating only to fulfill an
agreement with her mother. This spawns a story line in which Sheldon
and Amy communicate daily while insisting to Leonard and Penny that
they are not romantically involved. In "The Agreement Dissection",
Sheldon and Amy talk in her apartment after a night of dancing, and
she kisses him on the lips. Instead of getting annoyed, Sheldon says
"fascinating" and later asks Amy to be his girlfriend in "The Flaming
Spittoon Acquisition". The same night 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 had a lawyer read through it.
In "The Launch Acceleration", Amy tries to use her "neurobiology bag
of tricks" to increase the attraction between herself and Sheldon. Her
efforts appear to be working because Sheldon is not happy, but he
makes no attempt to stop her. In the fifth-season finale, "The
Countdown Reflection", Sheldon takes Amy's hand as Howard is launched
into space. In the sixth-season premiere, "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. Amy accepts Sheldon's romantic
speech even after learning that it is a line from the first
'Spider-Man' movie. In "The Cooper/Kripke Inversion", Sheldon states
that he has been working on his discomfort about physical contact and
admits that "it's a possibility" that he could one day have sex with
Amy. Amy is revealed to have similar feelings in "The Love Spell
Potential". Sheldon explains that he never thought about intimacy with
anyone before Amy.
"The Locomotive Manipulation" is the first episode in which Sheldon
initiates a kiss with Amy. Although initially done in a fit of
sarcasm, he discovers that he enjoys the feeling. Consequently,
Sheldon slowly starts to open up over the rest of the season, and he
starts a more intimate relationship with Amy. However, in the season
finale, Sheldon leaves town temporarily to cope with several changes
and Amy becomes distraught. However, 45 days into the trip, Sheldon
gets mugged and calls for Leonard to drive him home, only to be
confronted by Amy, who is upset over not being contacted by him in
weeks. When Sheldon admits he did not call her because he was too
embarrassed to admit that he could not make it on his own, Amy accepts
that he is not perfect. In "The Prom Equivalency", Sheldon hides in
his room to avoid going to a mock prom reenactment with her. In the
resulting standoff, Amy is about to confess that she loves Sheldon,
but he surprises her by saying that he loves her too. This prompts Amy
to have a panic attack.
In the season-eight finale, Sheldon and Amy get into a fight about
commitment on their fifth anniversary. Amy tells Sheldon that she
needs to think about the future of their relationship, unaware that
Sheldon was about to propose to her. Season nine sees Sheldon
harassing Amy about making up her mind until she breaks up with him.
Both struggle with singlehood and trying to be friends for the next
few weeks until they reunite in episode ten and have sex for the first
time on Amy's birthday. In season ten, Amy's apartment is flooded, and
she and Sheldon decide to move in together into Penny's apartment as
part of a five-week experiment to determine compatibility with each
other's living habits. It goes well and they decide to make the
arrangement permanent.
In the Season 11 premiere, Sheldon proposes to Amy, and she accepts.
The two get married in the eleventh-season finale.
"Soft Kitty"
==============
The song "Soft Kitty" is described by Sheldon as a song sung by his
mother when he was ill. Its repeated use in the series popularized the
song. A scene showing the origin of the song in Sheldon's childhood is
depicted in an episode of 'Young Sheldon', which aired on February 1,
2018. It shows Sheldon's mother, Mary, singing the song to her son,
who has the flu.
Howard's mother
=================
In scenes set at Howard's home, he interacts with his rarely seen
mother (voiced by Carol Ann Susi until her death) by shouting from
room to room in the house. She similarly interacts with other
characters in this manner. 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. 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 and Sheldon to refer to their
relationship as Oedipal. In season 8, Howard's mother dies in her
sleep while in Florida, which devastates Howard and Stuart, who
briefly lived with Mrs. Wolowitz.
Apartment building elevator
=============================
In the apartment building where Sheldon, Leonard, and Penny (and later
Amy) live, the elevator has been out of order throughout most of the
series, forcing characters to have to use the stairs. Stairway
conversations between characters occur in almost every episode, often
serving as a transition between longer scenes. The Season 3 episode,
"The Staircase Implementation" reveals that the elevator was broken
when Leonard was experimenting with rocket fuel. In the penultimate
episode of the series, the elevator is returned to an operational
state, causing Sheldon some angst, until he realizes that the fixed
elevator reverted things to the "status quo".
Vanity cards
==============
Like most shows created by Chuck Lorre, 'The Big Bang Theory' ends by
showing for one second 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. The series' final vanity card
reads simply "The End".
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.
On February 14, 2008, the series debuted in the United Kingdom on
channels E4 and Channel 4. In Australia the first seven seasons of the
series began airing on the Seven Network and 7mate from October 2015
and also gained the rights to season 8 in 2016, although the Nine
Network has rights to air seasons nine & ten. On January 22, 2018,
it was announced that Nine had acquired the rights to Season 1-8.
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
episodes began airing in September 2011. TBS now airs the series in
primetime on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with evening
broadcasts on Saturdays (TBS's former local sister station in Atlanta
also holds local weeknight rights to the series). 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". CTV
holds national broadcast syndication rights in Canada, while sister
cable network The Comedy Network holds cable rights.
Online media
==============
Warner Bros. Television controls the online rights for the show. Full
episodes were available at , while short clips and recently aired full
episodes were available on cbs.com and later in its run on CBS All
Access. In Canada, recent episode(s) and pictures are available on
CTV.ca. Additionally in Canada, the first six seasons are available
for streaming on Bell Media's CraveTV. After the show has aired in New
Zealand the shows are available in full online at TVNZ's on demand web
service.
In 2020, the show became available in the United States on HBO Max.
Home media
============
Name No. of episodes Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Complete First Season |17 September 2, 2008 January 12, 2009
April 3, 2009
The Complete Second Season |23 September 15, 2009 October 19, 2009
March 3, 2010
The Complete Third Season |23 September 14, 2010 September 27, 2010
October 13, 2010
The Complete Fourth Season |24 September 13, 2011 September 26, 2011
October 5, 2011
The Complete Fifth Season |24 September 11, 2012 September 3, 2012
October 3, 2012
The Complete Sixth Season |24 September 10, 2013 September 2, 2013
October 11, 2013
The Complete Seventh Season |24 September 16, 2014 September 8, 2014
September 17, 2014
The Complete Eighth Season |24 September 15, 2015 September 14, 2015
September 16, 2015
The Complete Ninth Season |24 September 13, 2016 August 29, 2016
August 31, 2016
The Complete Tenth Season |24 September 12, 2017 September 11, 2017
September 13, 2017
The Complete Eleventh Season |24 September 11, 2018 September 24,
2018 September 12, 2018
The Twelfth and Final Season |24 November 12, 2019 November 11, 2019
November 13, 2019
The Complete Series |279 November 12, 2019 November 11, 2019 November
13, 2019
The first and second seasons were only available on DVD at their time
of release in 2008 and 2009. Starting with the release of the third
season in 2010 and continuing every year with every new season, a
Blu-ray disc set has also been released in conjunction with the DVD.
In 2012, Warner Bros. released the first two seasons on Blu-ray,
marking the first time that all episodes were available on the Blu-ray
disc format.
Critical response
===================
Although the initial reception was mixed, the show went on to receive
a more positive reception. The review aggregation website Rotten
Tomatoes reports an 81% approval rating from critics. On Metacritic,
the series holds a score of 61 out of 100, based on reviews from 27
critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. In 2013, 'TV Guide'
ranked the series #52 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time.
U.S. ratings
==============
'The Big Bang Theory' started off slowly in the ratings, failing to
make the top 50 in its first season (ranking 68th), and ranking 40th
in its second season. When the third season premiered on September 21,
2009, however, '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. 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 and Fox's 'American Idol' (then
the longest reigning leading primetime show on U.S. television from
2004 to 2011). During its fourth season, it became television's
highest rated comedy, just barely beating out 'Two and a Half Men'
(which held the position for the past 8 years). 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.
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", with 20 million viewers, 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 the live regular
'NBC Sunday Night Football' coverage, and was third in total viewers,
trailing 'NCIS' and 'Sunday Night Football'. Season seven of the
series 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.
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. Throughout much of the 2012-13
season, 'The Big Bang Theory' placed first in all of the 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 the syndicated programming with
7.1, 'Judy' descending to second place for that season with a 7.0.
'The Big Bang Theory' did not place first in syndication ratings for
the 2013-14 television season, beaten out by 'Judge Judy'.
{{Television season ratings
| link1 = The Big Bang Theory season 1
| timeslot1 = Monday 8:30pm Monday 8:00pm
| episodes1 = 17
| start1 =
| end1 =
| startrating1 = 9.52
| endrating1 = 7.34
| season1 = 2007-08
| rank1 = 68
| viewers1 = 8.31
| 18_49_rank1 = 46
| 18_49_rating1 = 3.3/8
| link2 = The Big Bang Theory season 2
| timeslot2 = Monday 8:00 pm
| episodes2 = 23
| start2 =
| end2 =
| startrating2 = 9.32
| endrating2 = 9.76
| season2 = 2008-09
| rank2 = 40
| viewers2 = 10.03
| 18_49_rank2 =
| 18_49_rating2 =
| link3 = The Big Bang Theory season 3
| timeslot3 = Monday 9:30 pm
| episodes3 = 23
| start3 =
| end3 =
| startrating3 = 12.96
| endrating3 = 15.02
| season3 = 2009-10
| rank3 = 12
| viewers3 = 14.22
| 18_49_rank3 = 5
| 18_49_rating3 = 5.3/13
| link4 = The Big Bang Theory season 4
| timeslot4 = Thursday 8:00pm
| timeslot_length4 = 4
| episodes4 = 24
| start4 =
| end4 =
| startrating4 = 14.04
| endrating4 = 11.30
| season4 = 2010-11
| rank4 = 13
| viewers4 = 13.21
| 18_49_rank4 = 7
| 18_49_rating4 = 4.4/13
| link5 = The Big Bang Theory season 5
| episodes5 = 24
| start5 =
| end5 =
| startrating5 = 14.30
| endrating5 = 13.72
| season5 = 2011-12
| rank5 = 8
| viewers5 = 15.82
| 18_49_rank5 = 6
| 18_49_rating5 = 5.5/17
| link6 = The Big Bang Theory season 6
| episodes6 = 24
| start6 =
| end6 =
| startrating6 = 15.66
| endrating6 = 15.48
| season6 = 2012-13
| rank6 = 3
| viewers6 = 18.68
| 18_49_rank6 = 2
| 18_49_rating6 = 6.2/19
| link7 = The Big Bang Theory (season 7)
| episodes7 = 24
| start7 =
| end7 =
| startrating7 = 18.99
| endrating7 = 16.73
| season7 = 2013-14
| rank7 = 2
| viewers7 = 19.96
| 18_49_rank7 = 2
| 18_49_rating7 = 6.2/20
| link8 = The Big Bang Theory (season 8)
| timeslot8 = Monday 8:00pm Thursday 8:00pm
| timeslot_length8 = 5
| episodes8 = 24
| start8 =
| end8 =
| startrating8 = 18.08
| endrating8 = 14.64
| season8 = 2014-15
| rank8 = 2
| viewers8 = 19.05
| 18_49_rank8 = 4
| 18_49_rating8 = 5.6/17
| link9 = The Big Bang Theory (season 9)
| episodes9 = 24
| start9 =
| end9 =
| startrating9 = 18.20
| endrating9 = 14.73
| season9 = 2015-16
| rank9 = 2
| viewers9 = 20.36
| 18_49_rank9 = 3
| 18_49_rating9 = 5.8/19
| link10 = The Big Bang Theory (season 10)
| episodes10 = 24
| start10 =
| end10 =
| startrating10 = 15.82
| endrating10 = 12.99
| season10 = 2016-17
| rank10 = 2
| viewers10 = 18.99
| 18_49_rank10 = 3
| 18_49_rating10 = 4.9/19
| link11 = The Big Bang Theory (season 11)
| episodes11 = 24
| start11 =
| end11 =
| startrating11 = 17.65
| endrating11 = 15.51
| season11 = 2017-18
| rank11 = 1
| viewers11 = 18.63
| 18_49_rank11 = 5
| 18_49_rating11 = 4.4
| link12 = The Big Bang Theory (season 12)
| episodes12 = 24
| start12 =
| end12 =
| startrating12 = 12.92
| endrating12 = 18.52
| season12 = 2018-19
| rank12 = 2
| viewers12 = 17.31
| 18_49_rank12 = 6
| 18_49_rating12 = 3.6
}}
UK distribution and ratings
=============================
The show made its United Kingdom debut on Channel 4 on February 14,
2008. The show was also shown as a 'first-look' on Channel 4's digital
offshoot E4 prior to the main channel's airing. While the show's
ratings were not deemed strong enough to warrant broadcast on the main
channel, they were considered the opposite for E4. For each following
season, all episodes were shown first-run on E4, with episodes only
aired on the main channel in a repeat capacity, usually on a weekend
morning. From the third season, the show aired in two parts, being
split so that it could air new episodes for longer throughout the
year. This was due to rising ratings. The first part began airing on
December 17, 2009, at 9:00 p.m. while the second part, containing the
remaining eleven episodes, began airing in the same time period from
May 6, 2010. The first half of the fourth season began airing on
November 4, 2010, at 9:00 p.m., drawing 877,000 viewers, with a
further 256,000 watching on the E4+1 hour service. This gave the show
an overall total of 1.13 million viewers, making it E4's most-watched
programme for that week. The increased ratings continued over
subsequent weeks.
The fourth season's second half began on June 30, 2011. Season 5 began
airing on November 3, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. as part of E4's Comedy
Thursdays, acting as a lead-in to the channel's newest comedy,
'Perfect Couples'. Episode 19, the highest-viewed episode of the
season, attracted 1.4 million viewers. Season 6 premiered 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 had received
since June 2011. The sixth season returned in mid-2013 to finish
airing the remaining episodes. Season 7 premiered on E4 on October 31,
2013, at 8:30 pm and hit multiple ratings records this season. The
second half of season seven aired in mid 2014. The eighth season
premiered on E4 on October 23, 2014, at 8:30 pm. During its eighth
season, 'The Big Bang Theory' shared its 8:30 pm time period with
fellow CBS comedy, '2 Broke Girls'. Following the airing of the first
eight episodes of that show's fourth season, 'The Big Bang Theory'
returned to finish airing its eighth season on March 19, 2015.
Netflix UK & Ireland announced on February 13, 2016, that seasons
1-8 would be available to stream from February 15, 2016.
Canadian ratings
==================
'The Big Bang Theory' started off quietly in Canada, but managed to
garner major success in later 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 was the largest audience for a sitcom since the series
finale of 'Friends'. The show later increased in viewership and became
the most-watched entertainment television show in Canada.
Accolades
===========
In August 2009, the sitcom won the best comedy series TCA award and
Jim Parsons (Sheldon) won the award for individual achievement in
comedy. 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. 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 the second time. August 25, 2014,
Jim Parsons was awarded an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
'The Big Bang Theory' also won the 2016 People's Choice Awards for
under 'Favorite TV Show' and 'Favorite Network TV Comedy' with Jim
Parsons winning Favorite Comedic TV Actor. On January 20, 2016, The
Big Bang Theory also won the International category at the UK's
National Television Awards.
Merchandise
======================================================================
On March 16, 2014, a Lego Ideas project portraying the living room
scene in Lego style with the main cast as mini-figures reached 10,000
supporters on the platform, which qualified it to be considered as an
official set by the Lego Ideas review board. On November 7, 2014, Lego
Ideas approved the design and began refining it. The set was released
in August 2015, with an exclusive pre-sale taking place at San Diego
Comic-Con.
Plagiarized series
====================
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 in 2010. Officially titled ' ('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. Lorre expressed annoyance and described his inquiry with
the Warner Bros. 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.
However, no legal action was required to end production of the other
show: as soon as it became known that the show was unlicensed, the
actors quit and the producers canceled it. (who plays Leonard's
counterpart, "Seva") said in an interview,
''Young Sheldon''
===================
In November 2016, it was reported that CBS was in negotiations to
create a spin-off of 'The Big Bang Theory' centered on Sheldon as a
young boy. The prequel series, described as "a 'Malcolm in the
Middle'-esque single-camera family comedy" would be executive-produced
by Lorre and Molaro, with Prady expected to be involved in some
capacity, and intended to air in the 2017-18 season alongside 'The Big
Bang Theory'. The initial idea for the series came from Parsons, who
passed it along to 'The Big Bang Theory' producers. In early March
2017, Iain Armitage was cast as the younger Sheldon, as well as Zoe
Perry as his mother, Mary Cooper. Perry is the real-life daughter of
Laurie Metcalf, who portrays Mary Cooper on 'The Big Bang Theory'.
On March 13, 2017, CBS ordered the spin-off 'Young Sheldon' series.
Jon Favreau directed and executive produced the pilot. Created by
Lorre and Molaro, the series follows 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper as he
attends high school in East Texas. Alongside Armitage as 9-year-old
Sheldon Cooper and Perry as Mary Cooper, Lance Barber stars as George
Cooper, Sheldon's father; Raegan Revord stars as Missy Cooper,
Sheldon's twin sister; and Montana Jordan stars as George Cooper Jr.,
Sheldon's older brother. Jim Parsons reprises his role as adult
Sheldon Cooper, as narrator for the series. Parsons, Lorre, Molaro and
Todd Spiewak also serve as executive producers on the series, for
Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The show's pilot
episode premiered on September 25, 2017. Subsequent weekly episodes
began airing on November 2, 2017, following the broadcast of the 237th
episode of 'The Big Bang Theory'.
Armitage appeared on the series' 265th episode, "The VCR
Illumination", by way of a videotape recorded by the younger Sheldon
and viewed by the current-day Sheldon.
On January 6, 2018, the show was renewed for a second season. On
February 22, 2019, CBS renewed the series for both the third and
fourth seasons. On March 30, 2021, CBS renewed the series for a fifth,
sixth, and seventh season.
The prequel series came to an end on May 16, 2024, with an hour long
episode which included George Cooper's funeral and a cameo from Jim
and Mayim as their older characters. We learn that Young Sheldon has
been a memoir of Sheldon's life all along.
''Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage''
======================================
In January 2024, it was announced that there will be a spin-off series
of 'Young Sheldon' focused on Georgie Cooper and Mandy McAllister that
will be slated for the 2024-25 season on CBS.
Third untitled spin-off
=========================
On April 12, 2023, it was announced that a spin-off of the original
series was in development. On October 10, 2024, it was announced that
the third spin-off will feature Stuart Bloom, Denise, and Bert
Kibbler, with Kevin Sussman, Lauren Lapkus, and Brian Posehn reprising
their roles.
Television special
====================
On May 16, 2019, a television special titled 'Unraveling the Mystery:
A Big Bang Farewell' aired following the series finale of 'The Big
Bang Theory'. It is a backstage retrospective featuring Johnny Galecki
and Kaley Cuoco.
Lawsuit
======================================================================
In March 2023, political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar filed a court case
in Mumbai against Netflix due to the series insulting Madhuri Dixit in
an episode of season 2 by calling her a "leprous prostitute".
License
=========
All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA
License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory