The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers. It premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007.[3]
The show is centered on five characters: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, two physicists who work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech); Penny, a blonde waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.[4][5] Three other supporting characters have also been promoted to starring roles: Leslie Winkle, a physicist colleague at Caltech and, at different times, a lover of both Leonard and Howard who left the show after season 3; Bernadette Rostenkowski, Howard's fiancée and now wife, who is a microbiologist and former part-time waitress alongside Penny; and Amy Farrah Fowler, a neurobiologist who joins the group after being matched to Sheldon on a dating website.
The show is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.[6] In August 2009, the sitcom won the best comedy series TCA award and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) won the award for individual achievement in comedy.[7] In 2010, the show won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy, while Parsons won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.[8] On January 16, 2011, Parsons was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical, an award that was presented by co-star Kaley Cuoco (Penny). On September 18, 2011, Parsons was again awarded an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
When the third season premiered on September 21, 2009, The Big Bang Theory ranked as CBS's highest-rated show of that evening in the adults 18–49 demographic (4.6/10), along with a then-series-high 12.83 million viewers.[9] On May 19, 2010, it was announced that CBS would be moving the show to Thursdays at 8:00 ET for the 2010–2011 schedule. On January 12, 2011, CBS announced that the show had been renewed for an additional three years, extending it through the 2013–2014 season.[10] The fifth season premiered on September 22, 2011, in its usual time slot with two back-to-back episodes.[11][12] The fifth season completed airing on May 10, 2012. The sixth season is expected to premiere in Fall 2012.
The show's initial pilot, developed for the 2006–07 television season, was substantially different from its current form. The only characters from the initial pilot that were kept for the reshot pilot for the series were Leonard and Sheldon (portrayed by Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons respectively and named for comedy great Sheldon Leonard[citation needed]). The cast was rounded off by two female leads: Canadian actress Amanda Walsh as Katie, "a street-hardened, tough-as-nails, woman with a vulnerable interior" who the boys meet after she breaks up with her boyfriend and invite to live in their apartment (Katie was effectively replaced by Penny in the second pilot);[13][14] and Iris Bahr as Gilda, a scientist colleague and friend of the boys who was threatened by Katie's presence. The initial pilot used Thomas Dolby's hit "She Blinded Me With Science" as theme music.
The series was not picked up, but the creators were given an opportunity to retool the show and produce a second pilot. They brought in the remaining cast and retooled the show to its final format. The original unaired pilot has never been officially released, but it has circulated on the Internet. On the evolution of the show, Lorre said "We did the 'Big Bang Pilot' about two and a half years ago, and it sucked... but there were two remarkable things that worked perfectly, and that was Johnny and Jim. We rewrote the thing entirely, and then we were blessed with Kaley and Simon and Kunal." As to whether the world will ever see that original pilot, maybe on a DVD, Lorre said "Wow that would be something, we will see. Show your failures..."[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] However, production was halted on November 6, 2007 due to the Writers Guild of America strike. The series returned on March 17, 2008 in an earlier time slot[18] and ultimately only 17 episodes were produced.[19][20] 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.[21] With increasing ratings, the show received a two-year renewal through the 2010–11 season.[22][23] Since then, the show has been picked up for three more seasons.[24]
David Saltzberg, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles, checks scripts and provides dialogue, mathematics equations, and diagrams used as props.[4] According to executive producer/co-creator Bill Prady, "We're working on giving Sheldon an actual problem that he's going to be working on throughout the [first] season so there's actual progress to the boards ... We worked hard to get all the science right."[5]
Several of the actors in The Big Bang Theory worked together previously on Roseanne including Johnny Galecki, Sara Gilbert, and Laurie Metcalf (who plays Sheldon's mother, Mary Cooper). Additionally, Lorre was a writer on the series for several seasons.
The Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies wrote and recorded the show's theme song, which describes the history and formation of the universe and the Earth. Ed Robertson, lead singer and guitarist in the band, was asked by Lorre and Prady to write a theme song for the show. Having been asked to write songs for other films and shows only to have them rejected in favor of another artist's, Robertson agreed to write a theme only after learning that he was the sole writer that Lorre and Prady had asked. He drew inspiration from Simon Singh's book, Big Bang, which he had coincidentally just finished reading.[25][26]
On October 9, 2007, a full-length (1 minute and 45 seconds) version of the song was released commercially.[27] In a 2010 issue of TV Guide, the show's opening title sequence ranked No.6 on a list of television's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers.[28]
For the first three seasons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons, the three main stars of the show, received at most $60,000 per episode. The salary for the three went up to $200,000 per episode for the fourth season. According to their contracts, their pay will go up an additional $50,000 per episode in each of the following three seasons, culminating in $350,000 per episode in the seventh season.[29][30]
These actors have been credited in all episodes of the series:
- Johnny Galecki[31] as Leonard Hofstadter, Ph.D. – An experimental physicist with an IQ of 173, he received his Ph.D. when he was 24 years old. The straight man of the series, he shares an apartment with colleague and friend Sheldon Cooper. The writers immediately implied potential romance between him and neighbor Penny, and their sexual tension is frequently explored.
- Jim Parsons[32] as Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D. – Originally from East Texas, he was a child prodigy with an eidetic memory who began college at the age of 11 (after completing the fifth grade), started graduate studies at 14, and earned a Ph.D. at 16. A theoretical physicist focusing on quantum mechanics and string theory, he has a master's degree, a Ph.D., an Sc.D., and an IQ of 187. He exhibits a strict adherence to routine; a lack of understanding of irony and sarcasm; he is also uninterested in many of the romantic hijinks of his friends. Sheldon shares an apartment with Leonard Hofstadter, across the hall from Penny, and relies on both for advice in social situations. In the fourth season, he begins a relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler, who becomes his first girlfriend during the fifth season.
- Kaley Cuoco[33] as Penny – From a small town outside of Omaha, Nebraska,[34] a blonde who lives across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard. She is pursuing a career in acting, and has been on casting calls and auditions but has not been very successful thus far. To pay the bills, she is a waitress and occasional bartender at The Cheesecake Factory. To date, her last name has not been revealed. She dated Leonard at the end of the first season, and during the third and fifth seasons.[35] By season four, Bernadette, Amy and Penny have formed their own group, who like to hang out in Penny's apartment or go out together.
- Simon Helberg[36] as Howard Wolowitz, M.Eng.[37] – He works as an aerospace engineer. He is Jewish, and lives with his mother. Unlike Sheldon, Leonard, and Raj, Howard lacks a Ph.D. He defends this by pointing out that he has a master's degree in engineering from MIT and that the apparatus he designs are launched into space, unlike the purely abstract work of his friends. He provides outrageous pick-up lines and fancies himself a ladies' man with suitably unimpressed reactions from Penny; however, he has shown limited success with other women. He claims to be a polyglot. He dates and later marries Bernadette Rostenkowski. In the fifth season, he trained as an astronaut and blasted off into space in the season finale.
- Kunal Nayyar[38] as Rajesh Koothrappali, Ph.D. – Originally from New Delhi, India, and works as a particle astrophysicist at Caltech.[39] His family is very well off. He communicates with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. V.M. Koothrappali, via webcam. He is very shy around women and is physically unable to talk to them unless he drinks alcohol (or thinks he has been drinking alcohol). However, he has often had better luck with women than his overly-confident best friend Howard. During the fourth season, his sister Priya (Aarti Mann) stays with him and became Leonard's girlfriend.
These actors were first credited as guest stars and later promoted to main cast. However, even after promotion, they are only credited in episodes in which they appear:
- Sara Gilbert as Leslie Winkle, Ph.D. (recurring season 1, starring season 2, recurring season 3)[40][41] – a physicist who works in the same lab as Leonard. In appearance she is essentially Leonard's female counterpart, equipped with the black framed glasses and sweat jackets. She is an enemy of Sheldon's, due to their conflicting scientific theories. Though each considers the other to be intellectually inferior, Leslie is much wittier than Sheldon, regularly calling him "dumbass", and she usually bests him in their repartee. Leslie has had casual sex with Leonard and later Howard; in the case of the former, it reunited Gilbert and Galecki on-screen after the two played the on-screen couple of Darlene Connor and David Healy during the run of Roseanne. Gilbert was promoted to a main cast member during the second season but was demoted again because producers could not generate enough content for the character.[40] Gilbert left the series after season 3 concluded to focus her efforts on The Talk, on which she serves as executive producer for CBS.
- Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski, Ph.D. (recurring 3x05–3x14, starring since 4x04)[42] – a young woman who is initially a waitress and co-worker of Penny's, paying her way through graduate school microbiology studies, she defends her doctoral thesis and lands a high-paying science position at the end of season 4. Bernadette is introduced to Howard by Penny. At first they do not get along, apparently having nothing in common. When they find out that they both have overbearing mothers, they feel a connection. They became engaged near the end of season 4, and are married at the end of season 5.
- Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler, Ph.D. (guest 3x23 until 4x05, starring since 4x08)[43] – a woman Raj and Howard met on an online dating site after secretly setting up an account using Sheldon's name and information. The site matches her to Sheldon, and the two share many similar traits though Amy is more interested in social and romantic interaction. Once she and Sheldon meet, she becomes, as Sheldon puts it, a girl who is his friend, but not his "girlfriend". In Season 5, Amy made Sheldon jealous by going on a date with comic book store owner, Stuart, causing Sheldon to solidify their relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend. Sheldon then insisted that Amy sign a 31-page "Relationship Agreement". She also believes she and Penny are best friends, a sentiment Penny doesn't seem to share but respectfully indulges. Her admiration for Penny has at times bordered on attraction. Amy Fowler has a Ph.D. in neurobiology, while Bialik herself has a doctorate in neuroscience; in the season 1 episode "The Bat Jar Conjecture", Raj suggests recruiting the real-life Bialik to their Physics Bowl team.
Much of the show focuses on science, particularly physics. The four main male characters are employed at Caltech and have science-related occupations. The characters frequently banter about scientific theories or news (notably around the start of the show), and make science-related jokes.
Science has also interfered with the characters' romantic lives. Leslie broke up with Leonard when he sided with Sheldon in his support for string theory rather than her support for loop quantum gravity. When Leonard joined Sheldon, Raj and Howard on a three-month Arctic research trip, it separated Leonard and Penny at a time their relationship was budding. When Bernadette took an interest in Leonard's work, it made both Penny and Howard jealous and resulted in Howard confronting Leonard, and Penny asking Sheldon to teach her physics. Sheldon and Amy also briefly ended their relationship after an argument over which of their fields was superior to the other's.
David Saltzberg, who has a Ph.D. in physics, has served as science consultant for the show for five seasons. While Salzberg knows physics, he sometimes needs assistance from Mayim Bialik, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Salzberg sees early versions of scripts which need scientific information added to them, and he also points out where the writers, despite their knowledge of science, have made a mistake. He is usually not needed in a taping unless a lot of science, and especially the whiteboard, is involved.[44]
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 almost overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude ("I possess the DNA of Leonard Nimoy?!"). Star Trek: The Original Series cast member George Takei has made a cameo, and Leonard Nimoy made a cameo as the voice of Sheldon's vintage Mr. Spock action figure (both cameos were in dream sequences). Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members Wil Wheaton, Brent Spiner, and LeVar Burton have all had cameos as themselves. In one episode, Sheldon also admits that despite considering Star Trek V: The Final Frontier basically a dumb sequel, he personally found The Motion Picture even more boring. All four male characters can speak Klingon to varying degrees—the opening of the episode "The Panty Piñata Polarization" shows them playing "Klingon Boggle". During the "The Launch Acceleration" episode, Amy and Sheldon were seen playing doctor with Amy dressed in a Star Trek medical uniform.
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, Howard once likens Sheldon to C-3PO, an intelligent, yet semi-annoying protocol droid in the Star Wars series. Ssn2 ep05, we see Sheldon wanting to return a set of (white) Star Wars sheets to 'Pottery Barn' as they are too (exciting) for sleeping in.
Wednesday night is the group's designated "comic book store night", the store in question being run by fellow geek and recurring character Stuart. On a number of occasions, the group members have dressed up as pop culture characters, including The Flash, Aquaman, Frodo Baggins, Superman, Batman, Spock, the Doctor, Green Lantern, and Thor (albeit as the original Norse god and not the Marvel Comics character). As a consequence of losing a bet to Stuart in the episode "The Wheaton Recurrence", the group members are forced to visit the comic book store dressed as Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl. Sheldon often wears t-shirts depicting Batman, Superman, Flash, Greatest American Hero, or Green Lantern. DC Comics announced that, to promote its comics, the company will sponsor Sheldon wearing Green Lantern t-shirts.[45]
The characters are also fans of the Indiana Jones series, and willing to spend several hours in line outside of a theater to watch a special screening of the film with 21 seconds of new footage.
One of the recurring topics is the relationship between Leonard and Penny. Leonard becomes attracted to Penny within seconds of seeing her in the pilot episode. The season frequently featured Leonard's attraction to Penny as a basis for humor. Leonard and Penny go on a date that started the final episode of the first season and ended at the start of the second season; however, Penny quickly breaks up with Leonard because she is afraid that her educational attainments aren't good enough for Leonard and that he may become bored.
The two date other people throughout the second season, but clearly still have feelings for each other. When Leonard returns from a 3-month expedition to the North Pole in the season 3 premiere, they commence a relationship which lasts for most of the season until Leonard tells Penny that he loves her and she realizes she cannot say it back, and she reluctantly breaks up with him after Wil Wheaton meddled with their relationship.
Again, both Leonard and Penny go on to date other people; most notably with Leonard dating Raj's sister Priya for much of season 4. Penny has shown regret towards her decision to break up with Leonard by admitting to her girlfriends that she misses Leonard. She also exhibits jealousy towards Priya, especially after Priya demanded Leonard stay away from her. After dating Leonard, Penny also has negative reactions to her male dates who are not very intelligent.
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. Later in the season, Leonard is at Raj's apartment, making out with Priya, when her parents call from India, and she has Leonard leave the room as she answers the call. 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 drunk and ended up in bed. Leonard assumes the worst when they emerge from his room, only to learn the truth later – nothing happened.
In season five, Leonard resumes his relationship with Priya online. It seems to work for Leonard, but he is conflicted when he meets Alice, a girl who is really into him, at the comic book store. Leonard decides he must be faithful to Priya, ending things with Alice. Leonard confesses to Priya about going out with Alice, only to discover that Priya has slept with an ex-boyfriend, and they break up.
Penny is still single and dating, though when drunk has confessed that she regrets breaking up with Leonard. In "The Ornithophobia Diffusion" Leonard and Penny go to the movies as friends. Leonard decides that since they are no longer dating he can be honest and does not have to pay for everything or do whatever Penny wants to make Penny like him and have sex with him. The two bicker all evening and sabotage each other's attempts to chat up people in the bar. Penny decides that she likes the new more assertive Leonard. Leonard sees this as another opportunity to grovel and try to get Penny to sleep with him, so she leaves.
On the spur of the moment in "The Recombination Hypothesis", Leonard asks Penny out on a date after he imagined what getting back with her might be like. Their real date ends successfully, and they agree to try to renew their relationship slowly in "The Beta Test Initiation". They share a kiss. During her renewed relationship with Leonard she has dismissed comments about him ever leaving or dumping her or about worrying about his unfaithfulness around other women and strippers as in the episode "The Stag Convergence." After Penny suggested having sex in "The Launch Acceleration" , Leonard breaks the mood by proposing to her. They later meet and Penny does have the courage to tell him "no" and not break up with him as she did two years previously when he told her that he loved her.
A new recurring subject is the status of Sheldon and Amy Farrah Fowler, Ph.D., a neurobiologist whom Raj and Howard found as a possible match for Sheldon through an internet dating service (without Sheldon's knowledge). By Sheldon's own admission, she is most like him by any standard. 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).
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. Sheldon, however, did not consider Amy his girlfriend. Penny later suggests that they should go on a date and ends up driving them, having dinner with them in "The Robotic Manipulation." Penny occasionally refers to Sheldon and Amy collectively as "Shamy."
In the episode "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 and clash of personalities in the relationship of the more scientific, masculine Sheldon, and the more socially open, feminine, and annoyed Amy.
In "The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition", after Amy agrees to go on a date with Stuart the comic book store owner, Sheldon asks Amy to be his girlfriend with no other change to their current relationship. Soon after, he draws up "The Relationship Agreement" to verify the ground rules of him as her boyfriend and her as his girlfriend (similar to his "Roommate Agreement" with Leonard). Amy agrees but later regrets not having a lawyer read through it.
After Penny and Bernandette go wedding shopping without Amy in "The Isolation Permutation", Sheldon comforts a depressed Amy by cuddling with her on her couch; however, Amy first suggests that they have sex.
Religion plays a minor role in the series. Sheldon was raised in a fundamentalist Christian household. He refers to his childhood as "hell", and a recurrent theme is his conflict with his devout mother, Mary, whose creationist beliefs often clash with Sheldon's understanding of evolution. In "The Lunar Excitation", Sheldon mentions his promise to Mary to attend church once a year. In "The Wheaton Recurrence", after scoring a spare in bowling, Sheldon happily exclaims "Thank you, Jesus! ...as my mother would say." In the episode "The Zarnecki Incursion", Sheldon can be heard exclaiming "Why hast thou forsaken me, o deity whose existence I doubt?"
Howard is Jewish and Raj Hindu, both semi-observant, apparently defying many religious customs without worry. They frequently flout dietary prohibitions and tend to give each other grief about them—Raj quotes from the Talmud after Howard eats pork, and Howard sharply says he holds his tongue when Raj eats a Big Mac. Still, Raj mentions reincarnation and karma, and Howard celebrates at least some Jewish holidays and refuses to get tattoos so he "can be buried in a Jewish cemetery".
Neither Leonard's nor Penny's religious convictions are made clear. Leonard approaches Christianity with less skepticism than Sheldon. Penny has expressed belief in ghosts, astrology, psychics and voodoo. Bernadette is Catholic, and is frequently seen wearing a necklace with a cross. And Amy is agnostic, stating in "The Lunar Excitation" that she understands the notion of a deity but is skeptical of one that would take attendance.
In many episodes, Howard has aggravated shouting conversations with his overprotective mother (portrayed by Carol Ann Susi) who speaks with a Brooklyn-esque accent. Always in a different area of the house or on the phone, she has never appeared onscreen. She is dependent on Howard, as he is on her. Other characters frequently do impressions of her. Bernadette's rendition is especially accurate.
Like most shows created by Chuck Lorre, The Big Bang Theory ends by showing a vanity card written by Lorre after the credits. These cards are archived on Lorre's website.[46]
The Big Bang Theory has been highly rated since its premiere. During its fourth season, it became television's highest rated comedy, just barely beating out eight-year champ Two and a Half Men. However, in the age 14–49 demographic (the show's target age range), it was the second highest rated comedy, behind ABC's Modern Family. The fifth season opened with viewing figures of over 14 million,[47] and boasts the highest-rated episode for the show so far, "The Friendship Contraction" (Season 5, Episode 15), which garnered 16.54 million viewers.[48]
| Season |
Timeslot (ET) |
Season premiere |
Season finale |
TV season |
Rank |
Avg. viewers
(in millions) |
| 1 |
Monday 8:30 P.M. (September 24 – November 12, 2007)
Monday 8:00 P.M. (March 17 – May 19, 2008) |
September 24, 2007 |
May 19, 2008 |
2007–08 |
#59 |
8.31[49] |
| 2 |
Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 22, 2008 – May 11, 2009)
Monday 9:30 P.M. (February 9, 2009) |
September 22, 2008 |
May 11, 2009 |
2008–09 |
#44 |
10.00[50] |
| 3 |
Monday 9:30 P.M. (September 21, 2009 – May 24, 2010)
Monday 9:00 P.M. (May 3, 2010) |
September 21, 2009 |
May 24, 2010 |
2009–10 |
#12 |
14.14[51] |
| 4 |
Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 23, 2010 – May 19, 2011) |
September 23, 2010 |
May 19, 2011 |
2010–11 |
#15 |
13.14[52] |
| 5 |
Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 22, 2011 – May 10, 2012) |
September 22, 2011 |
May 10, 2012 |
2011–12 |
#8 |
15.82[53] |
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.[54]
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.
The third season began airing on E4 and E4 HD on December 17, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. but was on hiatus between February 25, 2010 until May 6, 2010 when the final 11 episodes of the season aired.
Season 4 began airing on E4 on November 4, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. It drew 877,000 viewers, with a further 256,000 watching on the E4+1 hour service. This gave the show an overall total of 1.13 million viewers, making it E4's most watched programme for that week.[55] E4 broke season four after 12 episodes in January 2011. Season four returned on E4 from June 30, 2011 for the remaining episodes.
The fifth season began airing at 8:00 p.m. as part of E4 comedy Thursday's as a lead-in to Perfect Couples in the UK. Where after its mid-season break on E4 episode 19, attracted 1.4 million viewers, the highest viewed episode of the season, and highest viewed programme on Cable TV for the entire year. [56]
The Big Bang Theory started off quietly in Canada, but managed to garner major success later on in further seasons. The season 4 premiere garnered an estimated 3.1 million viewers across Canada. This is the largest audience for a sitcom since the series finale of Friends. The Big Bang Theory has pulled ahead and has now become the most watched show in Canada.[57]
| Seasons |
Episodes |
Originally aired |
DVD release date |
Nielsen ratings |
| Season premiere |
Season finale |
Region 1 |
Region 2 |
Region 4 |
U.S. viewers
(millions) |
Rank |
18–49 Rating/Share
(rank) |
|
1 |
17 |
September 24, 2007 (2007-09-24) |
May 19, 2008 (2008-05-19) |
September 2, 2008 |
January 12, 2009 |
April 3, 2009 |
8.31[50] |
#59[50] |
3.3/9 (TBA) |
|
2 |
23 |
September 22, 2008 (2008-09-22) |
May 11, 2009 (2009-05-11) |
September 15, 2009 |
October 19, 2009 |
March 3, 2010 |
10.00[58] |
#42[58] |
3.8/10 (TBA) |
|
3 |
23 |
September 21, 2009 (2009-09-21) |
May 24, 2010 (2010-05-24) |
September 14, 2010 |
September 27, 2010 |
October 13, 2010 |
14.12 |
#12 |
5.3/13 (#5)[59] |
|
4 |
24 |
September 23, 2010 (2010-09-23) |
May 19, 2011 (2011-05-19) |
September 13, 2011[60] |
September 26, 2011[61] |
October 5, 2011[62] |
13.14 |
#13 |
4.4/13 (#7)[63] |
|
5 |
24 |
September 22, 2011 (2011-09-22) |
May 10, 2012 (2012-05-10) |
N/A |
September 24, 2012[64] |
October 3, 2012[65] |
15.82 |
#8 |
5.5/16 (#5) |
| Country / Region |
Network(s) |
Aired |
Notes |
 Albania |
Digi+ |
April 19, 2009 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Argentina |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Australia |
Nine Network |
Late 2007 – present |
Repeats currently airing 7:00 p.m. on weeknights. The second half of Season 5 is expected to air in early 2012. |
| GO! |
August 9, 2009 – present |
Repeat episodes airing in numerous timeslots throughout the week |
| The Comedy Channel |
2010 – present |
Repeats of first and second seasons and began airing third season in early 2012. |
 Austria |
ORF1 |
March 13, 2010 – present |
The dialogue is dubbed. Season 1 is shown as double episodes and will be aired in both SD and HD. |
 Bangladesh |
STAR World (HD) [66]
Zee Café [67] |
|
Fourth season airs from June 8, 2011. Monday-Thursday 11 p.m. 1st season also aired from December 1. |
 Belgium |
La Une (in French) |
August 31, 2008 – present |
The dialogue is dubbed. |
| 2BE |
December 21, 2009 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Bolivia |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
| UNITEL |
2011 – present |
The dialogues are dubbed in Spanish. |
 Brazil |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is in English with audio captions with the exception of a version used by the Brazilian company TAM Airlines on planes. |
| SBT |
August 2010 – present |
The dialogues are dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese. |
 Bulgaria |
Nova Television
Diema 2 – Repeats |
November 5, 2008 – present
January 11, 2010 – present |
The dialogue is dubbed. |
 Canada |
A
CTV
The Comedy Network
CTV Two |
2007–08, 2009–10
2008–09, 2010–present
September 20, 2010 – present
2011 – present |
|
 Chile |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 China |
Sohu TV |
September 23, 2010 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled in Simplified Chinese and English. |
 Colombia |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Costa Rica |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
| Teletica |
August 2009 – present |
The dialogue is dubbed. |
 Croatia |
RTL, RTL 2 |
July 2010 – present
|
The dialogue is subtitled. Aired as Teorija velikog praska. It's airing every Tuesday night. The whole first season will be emitted in that timeslot. In an ad for the series there are parts from the second season, but dates of airing aren't confirmed. |
 Cuba |
Multivisión |
1st and 2nd seasons |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Cyprus |
LTV |
November 2008 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Czech Republic |
Prima Cool |
April 7, 2009 – present |
The dialogue is dubbed, aired as Teorie velkého třesku. Since 2011 aired also as The Big Bang Theory with subtitles for people who prefer the original dialogue. |
 Denmark |
Kanal 5 |
2009 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. Airing every night from Monday to Friday from 7:00 pm – 8:00pm |
 Dominican Republic |
Warner Channel |
|
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Ecuador |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 El Salvador |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Fiji |
Mai TV |
|
|
 Finland |
Sub |
September 8, 2008 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. Aired as Rillit huurussa (Foggy Goggles). |
 France |
TPS Star
NRJ 12
MTV France |
October 18, 2008 – present
October 5, 2009 – present
January 2011–present |
The dialogue is dubbed. |
 Greece |
Star Channel |
September 2009 – present |
Double episodes. The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Germany |
ProSieben |
July 11, 2009 – present[68] |
The dialogue is dubbed. |
 Guatemala |
Warner Channel |
|
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Honduras |
Warner Channel |
|
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Hong Kong |
aTV World |
March 3, 2011 – present[69] |
First two seasons aired in 2011. The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Hungary |
Cool TV |
December 27, 2009 – 2010 |
The dialogue is dubbed. Aired as Agymenők. First two series aired till now. |
 Iceland |
Stöð 2 |
August 19, 2008 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 India |
STAR World [66]
Zee Café [67] |
Mon-Fri at 11 P.M. |
The dialogue is subtitled in English.Season 4 currently being rerun. |
 Ireland |
Terrestrial:
RTÉ Two
RTE Two HD
Cable/Satellite: Sky Ireland and UPC:
Channel 4 Ireland,
E4 Ireland,
E4 HD,
Channel 4 HD
|
RTE Two : July 11, 2008 – present
E4: Season 4, January 27, 2011 – present, HD feed on E4 and Channel 4. |
Seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4 already aired.
Channel 4 / E4 UK & Ireland broadcast is usually 4 months behind US air date
|
 Israel |
yes Comedy |
July 2008 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled, season 5 is currently being broadcast |
 Italy |
Steel |
January 19, 2008 – present |
|
| Italia 1 |
September, 2010 – present |
The show received a lot of criticism due to the poor quality of dubbing, which allegedly "dumbed down" most of the nerdy-geeky jokes. To fix this, since episode 9 of season one, the dubbing has been changed to a significantly better quality, characterized by a more faithful translation. |
 Japan |
Super! drama TV |
November 7, 2009 – present[70] |
Bilingual broadcast, in Japanese and English |
 Latvia |
Fox life |
March 1, 2012 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Lithuania |
TV1 |
February 21, 2010 – present |
The dialogue is dubbed. |
 Macedonia |
Kanal 5 |
|
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Malawi |
M-Net
|
|
S1, S2 and season 3 aired, season 4 currently being aired. |
 Mexico |
Warner Channel |
November 2008 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
| Canal 5 (Televisa) |
Season 1: January 11, 2010 |
The dialogue was completely dubbed to Spanish, aired as La Teoría del Big Bang, two episodes daily from Monday through Thursday. The show received criticism due to the quality of dubbing. |
 Nepal |
STAR World (HD) [66]
Zee Café [67] |
|
|
 Netherlands |
Veronica |
March 2, 2009 / August 23, 2010 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 New Zealand |
TV2 |
September 17, 2008 – present |
Wednesday 8:30 p.m.[71] Previously aired on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. |
 Nicaragua |
Warner Channel |
|
|
 North Korea |
Warner Channel |
|
|
 Norway |
TVNorge
MAX |
|
The dialogue is subtitled. It's also available in HD (TVNorge HD). |
 Pakistan |
Super Comedy
Filmax
Star World |
|
|
 Panama |
Warner Channel |
|
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Paraguay |
Warner Channel |
March 2008 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Peru |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. Also available in dubbed audio. |
 Philippines |
Jack TV |
|
Aired on Jack TV |
 Poland |
TVN Siedem, Comedy Central |
November 20, 2008 – present |
Aired as Teoria wielkiego podrywu. The dialogue is juxtaread by a speaker. |
 Portugal |
SET, RTP2, ANIMAX |
July 14, 2008 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. Aired as A Teoria do Big Bang. |
 Romania |
PRO Cinema |
May 23, 2011 – present[72] |
The dialogue is subtitled. Aired as Teoria Big Bang. |
 Russia |
NTV, STS |
NTV: April 10, 2010 – June 14, 2010
STS: January 24/31, 2011 – Summer 2011 (on hiatus) |
Aired as Теория большого взрыва. |
 Serbia |
B92 |
November 14, 2011 – present[73] |
The dialogue is subtitled. Aired as Štreberi. |
 Singapore |
Warner Channel |
Season 1: April 5, 2010 – present |
|
 Slovakia |
TV Markíza |
August 17, 2011 – present |
Aired as Teória Veľkého Tresku. The dialogue is in Slovak language. |
 Slovenia |
Kanal A |
Season 1: February 23, 2009 – March 20, 2009
Season 2: May 14, 2011-TBA |
Aired as Veliki pokovci. The dialogue is subtitled. |
 South Africa |
M-Net
SABC3 |
|
S1, S2 and season 3 aired, season 4 currently being aired. |
 South Korea |
Qook TV – Warner Show |
Season 1: July 18, 2010 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Spain |
Antena.neox
Antena 3
TNT |
July 18, 2009 – present |
The dialogue is dubbed.
Title Big Bang |
 Sri Lanka |
STAR World (HD) [66]
Zee Café [67]
ART TV
Warner Channel |
Monday-Friday 11 p.m. on Star World Seasons 1–4. |
The dialogue is not dubbed. First three seasons aired until now.[when?] |
 Sweden |
Kanal 5 |
|
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Switzerland |
ProSieben (Germany) |
July 11, 2009 – present[68] |
The dialogue is dubbed. |
 Thailand |
True Series |
May 26, 2008 – present |
|
 Trinidad and Tobago |
TV6, Warner Channel |
2008 – present |
|
 Turkey |
CNBC-e[74] |
September 9, 2008 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 Ukraine |
Inter, MTV |
December 7, 2009 – present (MTV) |
Aired as Теорія великого вибуху, dialogue is dubbed. |
 United Kingdom |
E4 HD (first broadcast and re-runs)
Channel 4 HD (re-runs) |
October 26, 2007 – present |
Season 5 is being broadcast four weeks behind US air date. Second-half began on March 29, 2012, with Episode 99. [3] Re-runs air frequently. |
 United States |
CBS (orig. network)
TBS (reruns)
National syndication (reruns) |
September 2007 – present |
Initial broadcast. |
 Uruguay |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
| Canal 10 |
January 2011 – present |
The dialogue is dubbed. |
 Venezuela |
Warner Channel |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
 United Arab Emirates |
Dubai One TV |
November 2007 – present |
The dialogue is subtitled. |
| DVD Name |
Release dates |
Ep # |
Additional Information |
| Region 1 |
Region 2 |
Region 4 |
| The Complete First Season |
September 2, 2008[75] |
January 12, 2009[76] |
April 3, 2009[77] |
17 |
The 3-disc box set includes all 17 episodes. The one extra feature is an 18-minute short entitled "Quantum Mechanics of The Big Bang Theory: Series Cast and Creators on Why It's Cool to Be a Geek." Running Time: 355 minutes. |
| The Complete Second Season |
September 15, 2009[78] |
October 19, 2009[79] |
March 3, 2010[80] |
23 |
The 4-disc box set includes all 23 episodes. Special features include a Gag Reel, "Physicist to the Stars: Real-Life Physicist/UCLA professor David Saltzberg's consulting relationship to the Show", and "Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis in relation to the Big Bang Theory: Season 2's Unique Characters and Characteristics." Running Time: 481 minutes. |
| The Complete Third Season |
September 14, 2010[81] |
September 27, 2010[82] |
October 13, 2010 [83] |
23 |
The 3-disc box set includes all 23 episodes. Special features include a set tour with Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, an inside look on the third season and a gag reel. This is the first time a season of the show was released on Blu-ray Disc in a 2-Disc Set, in conjunction with the DVD release. Running Time: 472 minutes. |
| The Complete Fourth Season |
September 13, 2011[84] |
September 26, 2011 |
October 5, 2011 |
24 |
The 3-disc box set includes all 24 episodes. Special features include the story behind the show's theme song with Barenaked Ladies, cast interviews with each other and a gag reel. Running time: 529 minutes. Also available on Blu-ray as a 2-disc set, with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the taping of "The Wildebeest Implementation." |
- Despite the third and fourth seasons receiving Blu-ray releases in conjunction with their DVD releases, the first and second seasons were only available on DVD upon their time of release. Warner Bros. has announced that they will be releasing the first two seasons on Blu-ray in the first half of 2012.[85]
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.[86] 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 cameo appearance in the fifth season episode "The Hawking Excitation" on April 5, 2012.[87] In the episode he meets Sheldon Cooper and points out a mistake in his new Higgs-Boson analysis.
Warner Brothers Television controls the online rights for the show.[88][89] Full episodes are available at tv.com, while short clips and recently aired full episodes are available on cbs.com.[90] Full episodes are also available on Sohu.com in China.[91] In Canada, recent episode(s) and pictures are available on CTV.ca.[92] After the show has aired in New Zealand the shows are available in full online at TVNZ's on demand web service.
In May 2010, it was reported that the show has been picked up for syndication, mainly among Fox's O&O group and other local stations, with Warner Bros. Television's sister cable network TBS holding the show's cable syndication rights. Broadcast of old shows began airing in September 2011. TBS now airs the series in primetime on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with evening broadcasts on Saturdays (TBS's local sister station in Atlanta also holds local weeknight rights to the series).[93] 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".[94] CTV holds national broadcast syndication rights in Canada, while sister cable network The Comedy Network holds cable rights.
| Year |
Award Show |
Category |
Result |
Recipient(s) |
| 2008 |
1st Ewwy Awards |
Best Actor in a Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| Best Actress in a Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Kaley Cuoco |
| Best Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Cast and Crew |
| 2009 |
61st Primetime Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Christine Baranski |
| Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series |
Nominated |
Crew |
| TCA Awards |
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy |
Won |
Cast and Crew |
| Individual Achievement in Comedy |
Won |
Jim Parsons |
| Satellite Awards |
Best Television Comedy or Musical Series |
Nominated |
Cast and Crew |
| Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Series |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| American Film Institute |
The Best 10 Television Programs of the year |
Won |
Cast and Crew |
| 2nd Ewwy Awards |
Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series |
Won |
Kaley Cuoco |
| Best Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Cast and Crew |
| 2010 |
36th People's Choice Awards |
Favorite TV Comedy |
Won |
|
| Favorite TV Comedy Actor |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| TCA Awards |
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy |
Nominated |
Cast and Crew |
| Individual Achievement in Comedy |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| Teen Choice Award |
Choice TV Comedy |
Nominated |
|
| Choice TV Actor: Comedy |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| Choice TV Actress: Comedy |
Nominated |
Kaley Cuoco |
| Choice Scene Stealer: Male |
Nominated |
Johnny Galecki |
| Choice Scene Stealer: Male |
Nominated |
Simon Helberg |
| 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series |
Nominated |
Cast and Crew |
| Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic) |
Nominated |
Cast and Crew |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series |
Won |
Jim Parsons |
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Christine Baranski |
| Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series |
Nominated |
Cast and Crew |
| 3rd Ewwy Awards |
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Kunal Nayyar |
| Best Comedy Series |
Won |
Cast and Crew |
| 2011 |
68th Golden Globe Awards |
Best Series – Musical or Comedy |
Nominated |
|
| Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy |
Won |
Jim Parsons |
| People's Choice Awards |
Favorite TV Comedy |
Nominated |
|
| Favorite TV Comedy Actor |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| Teen Choice Awards |
Choice TV: Comedy |
Nominated |
|
| Choice TV: Actor Comedy |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| Choice TV: Actress Comedy |
Nominated |
Kaley Cuoco |
| 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Johnny Galecki |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series |
Won |
Jim Parsons |
| Outstanding Comedy Series |
Nominated |
|
| 2012 |
69th Golden Globe Awards |
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy |
Nominated |
Johnny Galecki |
| People's Choice Awards |
Favorite TV Comedy |
Nominated |
|
| Favorite TV Comedy Actor |
Nominated |
Jim Parsons |
| Favorite TV Comedy Actress |
Nominated |
Kaley Cuoco |
| 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards |
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
Nominated |
Cast |
| Kerrang! Awards |
Best TV Show |
Pending |
|
| Teen Choice Awards |
Choice TV: Comedy |
Pending |
|
[edit] The Theorists controversy
Through the use of his vanity cards at the end of episodes, Lorre alleged that the program had been plagiarised by a show produced and aired in Belarus. Officially titled Теоретики (The Theorists), the show features "clones" of the main characters, a similar opening sequence, and what appears to be a very close Russian translation of the scripts.[95] 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.[96]
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.[97] 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".[98]
- ^ "As sold on iTunes Music Store". http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/big-bang-theory-theme-single/id397826548. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
- ^ "As sold on Amazon.com". http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Bang-Theory-Theme/dp/B0046XP7PA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1314963972&sr=1-2. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ The Big Bang Theory Cast & Details – TVGuide.com. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ a b Gary Strauss (April 11, 2007). "There's a science to CBS' Big Bang Theory". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-11-04-big-bang_N.htm. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
- ^ a b Scott D. Pierce (October 8, 2007). "He's a genius". Deseret News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695216156,00.html?pg=2. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
- ^ Pierce, Scott D. (September 22, 2007). "Yes, it's a 'Big Bang.'". Deseret Morning News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20070922/ai_n20521689/pg_1. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
- ^ "The TCA Awards turn 25 – Sepinwall on TV | New Jersey Entertainment – TV & Film". NJ.com. August 2, 2009. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/08/the_tca_awards_turn_25_sepinwa.html. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "61st Primetime Emmy Awards | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". Cdn.emmys.tv. http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/2009ptemmys/61stemmys_noms.php. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ "CBS opens the new season with a big bang "The Big Bang Theory" Premieres with its largest audience ever and highest adult 18–49 rating". Cbspressexpress.com. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=22817. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "CBS and Warner Bros. Television Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Agreement for "The Big Bang Theory"". The Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/01/12/cbs-and-warner-bros-television-announce-multi-year-broadcast-agreement-for-the-big-bang-theory-406415/20110112cbs03. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ ""The Skank Reflex Analysis" - The Futon Critic - thefutoncritc.com". http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20110818cbs10. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ ""The Infestation Hypothesis" - The Futon Critic - thefutoncritic.com". http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20110822cbs02. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ "Breaking News – Development Update: May 22–26 (Weekly Round-Up)". TheFutonCritic.com. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=05/26/06&id=7165. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ "'Big Bang Theory': 'We didn't anticipate how protective the audience would feel about our guys'". Variety. May 8, 2009. http://weblogs.variety.com/season_pass/2009/05/big-bang-theory-we-didnt-anticipate-how-protective-the-audience-would-feel-toward-our-guys.html. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "CCI: "The Big Bang Theory"". Comic Book Resources. July 31, 2008. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17520. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "CBS PICKS UP 'BANG,' 'POWER' PLUS FOUR DRAMAS". The Futon Critic. May 14, 2007. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7387.
- ^ "Breaking News – Cbs Gives Freshman Comedy "The Big Bang Theory" And Drama "The Unit" Full Season Orders" (Press release). CBS. October 19, 2007. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20071019cbs02. 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. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080220cbs01. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
- ^ "CBS Sets Series Return Dates". http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-cbsreturndates,0,7656374.story. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
- ^ "Production Stops on at least 6 Sitcoms". http://tv.yahoo.com/back-to-you/show/41055/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20071106:hollywood_labor. Retrieved November 6, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ "CBS Picks Up 11 Series". The Futon Critic. February 15, 2008. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080214cbs04. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory: Deal Is Done for Two More Seasons!". http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b103928_big_bang_theory_deal_done_two_more.html. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 18, 2009). "CBS renews 'Men,' 'Big Bang'". Hollywoodreporter.com. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-renews-men-big-bang-80940. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ Crider, Michael (January 13, 2011). "'The Big Bang Theory' Gets 3 More Seasons; 'Raising Hope' Renewed". screenrant.com. http://screenrant.com/raising-hope-season-2-big-bang-theory-season-5-mcrid-96256. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson talks "Big Bang Theory" theme song". November 2, 2010. http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/2010/11/02/barenaked-ladies-ed-robertson-talks-big-bang-theory-theme-song. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
- ^ "Barenaked Ladies Talk about Big Bang Theme Song". April 2, 2010. http://imbatman.org/interviews/barenaked-ladies-talk-about-big-bang-theme-song. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
- ^ Barenaked Ladies. "Big Bang Theory Theme". Amazon Digital Services, Inc.. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XKMQZY.
- ^ Tomashoff, Craig. "Credits Check" TV Guide, October 18, 2010, Pages 16–17
- ^ Lu, Anne (September 16, 2010). ""The Big Bang Theory" Lead Stars Score Big Raise". All Headline News. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7019918690?%22The%20Big%20Bang%20Theory%22%20Lead%20Stars%20Score%20Big%20Raise. [dead link]
- ^ 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. http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/big-payday-for-the-big-bang-theory-stars. 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. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/cast/johnny-galecki. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Jim Parsons". CBS. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/cast/jim-parsons. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Kaley Cuoco". CBS. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/cast/kaley-cuoco. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ "The Robotic Manipulation". The Big Bang Theory. episode 1. season 4. September 23, 2010. 12:24 minutes in. CBS. "I, myself, grew up in Nebraska. Small town, outside of Omaha."
- ^ "Big Bang Theory: 'We didn't anticipate how protective the audience would feel about our guys'." Variety. 2009-05-08. [1]
- ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Simon Helberg". CBS. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/cast/simon-helberg. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ "The Jerusalem Duality". The Big Bang Theory. episode 12. season 1. April 14, 2001. 09:26 minutes in.
- ^ CBS (2007). "The Big Bang Theory Cast – Kunal Nayyar". CBS. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/cast/kunal-nayyar. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
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- ^ 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. http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/01/big-bang-theory.html. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ "Sara Gilbert". Imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004960. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ "Exclusive: 'Big Bang Theory' promotes Melissa Rauch to series regular". Ausiellofiles.ew.com. October 25, 2010. http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/10/25/big-bang-theory-melissa-rauch-series-regular. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
- ^ Michael Ausiello (November 15, 2010). "'Bang Theory' Ups Mayim Bialik to Regular". www.deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2010/11/bang-theory-ups-mayim-bialik-to-regular. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ Watercutter, Angela (September 22, 2011). "TV Fact-Checker: Dropping Science on The Big Bang Theory". wired.com. http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/09/tv-fact-checker-big-bang-theory/. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ^ http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2012/05/04/did-you-notice-sheldon’s-green-lantern-t-shirt-last-night
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- ^ [2]
- ^ Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com (August 1, 2011). "TBS Fall 2011 Schedule; ION Adds Monk, Psych This Month, House in Fall 2012 – SitcomsOnline.com News Blog". Blog.sitcomsonline.com. http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2011/08/tbs-fall-2011-schedule-ion-adds-monk.html. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- ^ Stelter, Brian (May 16, 2010). "'The Big Bang Theory' Gets Syndication Deal". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/arts/television/17arts-THEBIGBANGTH_BRF.html. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
- ^ 'The Theorists': 'Big Bang Theorys big Belarusian rip-off – Entertainment Weekly
- ^ Vanity Card #277 – Chuck Lorre Productions
- ^ STV cancelled the pirated show "The Theorists" (Russian)
- ^ "The Theorists" actors don't want to stay with a stolen project (Russian)
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The Big Bang Theory
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![The Big Bang Theory Season 4 Actor on Actor The Big Bang's Theory of Relativity HD] [CC] YouTub](http://web.archive.org./web/20130729203549im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7o26Ohg9Pdo/default.jpg "The Big Bang Theory Season 4 Actor on Actor The Big Bang's Theory of Relativity HD] [CC] YouTub")
