List of The Big Bang Theory episodes - Wikipedia

The Big Bang Theory
Title card Genre Sitcom Created by Chuck Lorre
Bill Prady Directed by Mark Cendrowski Starring Johnny Galecki
Jim Parsons
Kaley Cuoco
Simon Helberg
Kunal Nayyar
Sara Gilbert
Melissa Rauch
Mayim Bialik Theme music composer Barenaked Ladies Opening theme "Big Bang Theory Theme"[1][2] Country of origin United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 5 No. of episodes 95 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Chuck Lorre
Bill Prady
Steven Molaro Producer(s) Faye Oshima Belyeu Editor(s) Peter Chakos Location(s) Studio 25, Warner Brothers Studios
Burbank, California Camera setup Multi-camera Running time 21 minutes (without commercials) Production company(s) Chuck Lorre Productions
Warner Bros. Television Broadcast Original channel CBS Picture format 1080i (HDTV) Audio format Dolby Digital 5.1 Original run September 24, 2007 (2007-09-24) – present External links Website

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]

Set in Pasadena, California, the show is centered on five characters: two room-mate geniuses who work at the California Institute of Technology, experimental physicist Leonard Hofstadter and theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper; their neighbor across the hall Penny,Xena: Warrior Princess Seasons 1-6 DVD Box Set, a blonde waitress and aspiring actress. Leonard and Sheldon have equally geeky and socially awkward co-workers and friends Howard Wolowitz, an aerospace engineer and a non-PhD from JPL, and Rajesh Koothrappali, an astrophysicist also working at Caltech. 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 main cast status for a few episodes: Leslie Winkle, a Caltech colleague and, at different times, a lover of both Leonard and Howard; Bernadette Rostenkowski, a doctoral candidate (later doctor) in microbiology, part-time waitress alongside Penny, and Howard's love interest and fianceé; and Amy Farrah Fowler, a neurobiologist whose personality is very similar to Sheldon, and who later becomes close friends with Penny.

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 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 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association 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.

When the third season premiered on September 21, 2009, it 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 in its usual time slot with two back-to-back episodes.[11][12]

1 Production 1.1 Production costs 2 Main cast 2.1 Original 2.2 Additional 3 Elements of the show 3.1 Science 3.2 Sci-fi, fantasy and comic book fandom 3.3 Leonard and Penny's relationship 3.4 Sheldon and Amy's relationship 3.5 Religion 3.6 Vanity card 4 Ratings 4.1 U.S. standard ratings 4.2 UK distribution and ratings 4.3 Canadian ratings 5 Media information 5.1 Episodes 5.2 International broadcast 5.3 DVD/Blu-ray releases 5.4 Online media 5.5 Syndication 6 Awards and nominations 7 The Theorists controversy 8 References 9 External links [edit] Production

The show's initial pilot, developed for the 2006–07 television season, was substantially different from its current form. The only characters from the initial pilot that were kept for the reshot pilot for the series were Leonard and Sheldon (portrayed by Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons respectively). 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 second pilot of The Big Bang Theory was directed by James Burrows, who did not continue with the show. This reworked pilot led to a 13-episode order by CBS on May 14, 2007.[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, math 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.

Barenaked Ladies wrote and recorded the show's theme song, which describes the history of the universe and the Earth since the dawn of time (according to the eponymous theory). Ed Robertson, a 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 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 #6 on a list of television's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers.[28]

[edit] Production costs

For the first three seasons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, and Jim Parsons, the three main stars of the show, received at most $60,000 per episode. The salary for the three went up to $200,000 per episode for the fourth season. According to their contracts, their pay per episode 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]

[edit] Main cast [edit] Original

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 who received his Ph.D. when he was 24 years old. He shares an apartment with colleague and friend Sheldon Cooper. The writers immediately implied a potential romance between him and neighbor Penny, and their sexual tension is a frequently explored drama. 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 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 Leonard, Howard, and Raj. Sheldon shares an apartment with Leonard Hofstadter, across the hall from Penny, and relies on both for advice in social situations. Kaley Cuoco[33] as Penny – The "born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska" 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 during the third season.[34] Simon Helberg[35] as Howard Wolowitz, M.Eng.[36] – He works as an aerospace engineer. He is Jewish,The Pillars of the Earth season 1 DVD Box Set, and lives with his mother. His father left when he was 11, and, to date, he has never learned why. 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 becomes engaged to Bernadette Rostenkowski. Kunal Nayyar[37] as Rajesh Koothrappali, Ph.D. – Originally from New Delhi, India, and works as a particle astrophysicist at Caltech.[38] His family is very well off. He communicates with them 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. His parents, Dr. and Mrs. V.M. Koothrappali, are seen via webcam. During the fourth season, his sister Priya becomes Leonard's girlfriend. [edit] Additional

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 seasons 1–3, starring part of season 2)[39][40] – 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 they both consider each other to be intellectually inferior, Leslie is much wittier than Sheldon, regularly calling him "dumbass", and usually bests him in their repartee. Leslie has had casual sex relationships with Leonard and later Howard. 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.[39] Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski, Ph.D. (recurring episodes 5-14 season 3, starring since episode 4 of season 4)[41] – a young woman who is initially a waitress and co-worker of Penny 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 she and Howard do not get along, as they appear to have 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. Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler, Ph.D. (guest episode 23 season 3 until episode 5 of season 4, starring since episode 8 of season 4)[42] – 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. Once she and Sheldon meet, she becomes, as Sheldon puts it, a girl who is his friend, but not his "girlfriend". Amy Fowler has a Ph.D. in neurobiology. Like Fowler, Bialik has a doctorate in neurobiology; in the season 1 episode "The Bat Jar Conjecture", Raj suggests recruiting the real-life Bialik to their Physics Bowl team. [edit] Elements of the show This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011) This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (February 2011) [edit] Science

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

[edit] Sci-fi, fantasy and comic book fandom

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

Star Trek in particular is frequently referenced and Sheldon identifies strongly with the character of Spock; when he is given a used napkin signed by Leonard Nimoy as a Christmas gift from Penny he is almost overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude ("I possess the DNA of Leonard Nimoy?!"). All four characters can speak Klingon to varying degrees.

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 have dressed up as pop culture characters, including The Flash, Aquaman, Frodo Baggins, Superman, Batman, the Fourth Doctor, Spock, 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 are forced to visit the comic book store dressed as Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl. Sheldon often wears t-shirts depicting the Superman, Flash, or Green Lantern logos.

[edit] Leonard and Penny's relationship

One of the recurring themes 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 briefly date 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.

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.

[edit] Sheldon and Amy's relationship

A new recurring theme is the status of Sheldon and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, Ph.D., is a neuro-biologist whom Raj and Howard found as a possible mate 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 she gains use of her mother's George Foreman grill and isn't bothered about dating).

During the four months of their relationship (taking place off-screen between seasons 3 and 4), they communicated on an a daily basis via text messages, email and Twitter, but never saw each other in person. Despite this, Sheldon does not consider Amy his girlfriend.

In the episode "The Agreement Dissection" Amy, Penny, and Bernadette decide to take Sheldon dancing. Sheldon dances only with Amy which he doesn't 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."

Somewhere between "The Infestation Hypothesis" and "The Pulled Groin Extrapolation" , Sheldon and Amy finally consider themselves to be a couple. Proof is when Amy admits to Leonard she is dating Sheldon, Raj mentions Sheldon dating Amy without Sheldon denying it, and, after Leonard gets back from the co-worker's wedding with Amy, Sheldon hits him and says "She is not for you!".

[edit] Religion

Religion has played a minor role in the series. Sheldon was raised in a fundamentalist Christian household but is currently irreligious. He refers to his childhood as "hell", and a common theme is his constant clashes with his devout mother, Mary, whose creationist beliefs often come into conflict with Sheldon's preoccupation with science. In "The Lunar Excitation", Sheldon mentions his agreement with Mary that he will 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."

Howard and Raj are Jewish and Hindu respectively, and both are similarly semi-observant. Both frequently defy many of the customs and laws of their religion without apparent worry. Notably, both violate the dietary laws of their religions which both they themselves and their friends frequently point out. Both, however, do hold some beliefs of their religion; Raj cites reincarnation and karma, and Howard celebrates at least some of the Jewish holidays.

Neither Leonard nor Penny's religious convictions are made clear; however, Leonard has been shown to celebrate Christian festivals,Suits Season 1 DVD Boxset, or at least to approach them with a less skeptical manner than Sheldon, and Penny has expressed strong belief in ghosts, psychics, and voodoo among others.

[edit] Vanity card

Like all 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.[43]

[edit] Ratings [edit] U.S. standard ratings

The Big Bang Theory has been highly rated since its premiere. During its fourth season, it became television's highest rated comedy, just barely beating out eight-year champ Two and a Half Men. However, in the age 14-49 demographic (the show's target age range), it was the second highest rated comedy, behind ABC's Modern Family. The fifth season opened with viewing figures of over 14 million.[44]

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[45] 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 9.98[46] 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[47] 4 Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 23, 2010 – May 19, 2011) September 23, 2010 May 19, 2011 2010–11 #15 13.14[48] [edit] UK distribution and ratings

The show made its UK debut on Channel 4 on February 14, 2008 bringing in an average audience of 1.0 million viewers. The second episode, shown the following week, also received 1.0 million. For the third episode an average of 1.1 million tuned in. The show is also shown as a 'first-look' on Channel 4's digital offshoot E4, and brings in 400,000 viewers on average. The fifth episode received 880,000 viewers. After the first five episodes, the average number of viewers continues to hover around the 1 million mark. Episode 13 was watched by 1.3 million viewers and was the most watched episode.[49]

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 pm 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 9pm. 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.[50] E4 broke season four after 12 episodes in January 2011. Season four returned on E4 from June 30, 2011 for the remaining episodes.

[edit] Canadian ratings

The Big Bang Theory started off quietly in Canada, but managed to garner major success later on in further seasons. The season 4 premiere garnered an estimated 3.1 million viewers across Canada. This is the largest audience for a sitcom since the series finale of Friends. The Big Bang Theory has pulled ahead and has now become the most watched show in Canada.[51]

[edit] Media information [edit] Episodes Seasons Episodes Originally aired DVD release date U.S. viewers
(millions) Rank 18–49 Rating/Share
(rank) Season premiere Season finale Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 1 17 September 24, 2007 (2007-09-24) May 19, 2008 (2008-05-19) September 2, 2008 January 12, 2009 April 3, 2009 8.3[46] #59[46] 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 10.0[52] #42[52] 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 14.8 #12 5.3/13 (#5)[53] 4 24 September 23, 2010 (2010-09-23) May 19, 2011 (2011-05-19) September 13, 2011[54] September 26, 2011 October 5, 2011[55] 13.2 #13 4.4/13 (#7)[56] 5 N/A September 22, 2011 (2011-09-22)[57] N/A N/A N/A N/A - - - [edit] International broadcast This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2010) 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 Season 5 Fast-Tracked to Mondays 7:30. Formally airing 7:00 Weeknights until Monday 24, October 2011. Repeats air in various timeslots throughout the week often. Previously airing new episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. 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  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 Zee Café Fourth Season airs from 8 June 2011.Monday-Thursday 11pm.  Belgium La Une August 31, 2008 – present 2BE December 21, 2009 – present The dialogue is subtitled.  Bolivia Warner Channel November 2007 – present The dialogue is subtitled.  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 2007–08, 2009–10
2008–09, 2010–present
September 20, 2010 – 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
Teletica November 2007 – present
August 2009 – present The dialogue is subtitled. – Teletica Broadcast Is Latin America Spanish-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.  Denmark Kanal 5 2009 – present The dialogue is subtitled.  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 October 18, 2008 – present
October 5, 2009 – present
January 2011–present The dialogue is dubbed.  Greece Star Channel September 2009 – present Double Episode. The dialogue is subtitled.  Germany ProSieben July 11, 2009 – present[58] 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[59] 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 Zee Café Fourth Season airs from 8 June 2011.Monday-Thursday 11pm  Ireland RTÉ Two July 11, 2008 – present  Israel yes stars Comedy July 2008 – present The dialogue is subtitled.  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[60] Bilingual broadcast, in Japanese and English  Lithuania TV1 February 21, 2010 – present The dialogue is dubbed.  Macedonia Kanal 5 The dialogue is subtitled.  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 Zee Café malta on go stars  Netherlands Veronica March 2, 2009  / August 23, 2010 – present Only about a dozen episodes were broadcast in March 2009, but the series was given a second chance in August 2010. Broadcast after That '70s Show on weekday nights on Veronica TV at 8:00pm. Season 4 will be broadcast every Tuesday at 8:30pm and starts at June 14 and after The dialogue is subtitled.  New Zealand TV2 September 17, 2008 – present Wednesday 8:30pm.[61] Previously aired on Sunday at 7:30pm and Wednesday at 8:00pm  Nicaragua Warner Channel  Norway TVNorge
MAX The dialogue is subtitled. It's also available in HD (TVNorge HD).  Pakistan Super Comedy
Filmax  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.  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[62] 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.  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 and S2 aired. S3 currently playing.  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 ART TV
Zee Café
Warner Channel The dialogue is not dubbed. First three seasons aired until now.  Sweden Kanal 5 The dialogue is subtitled.  Thailand True Series May 26, 2008 – present  Trinidad and Tobago TV6, Warner Channel 2008 – present  Turkey CNBC-e[63] 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 Channel 4, E4, E4 HD, Channel 4 HD Season 4 (E4) January 27, 2011 – present HD feed on E4 and Channel 4. Seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4 already aired. UK broadcast is usually 4 months behind US air date.  United States CBS (orig. network)
TBS (reruns)
National syndication (reruns) September 2007 – present Initial broadcast.  Uruguay Warner Channel
Canal 10 Warner: November 2007 – present
Canal 10:  January 2011 – April 2011 Warner: The dialogue is subtitled.
Canal 10: The dialogue is dubbed.  Venezuela Warner Channel November 2007 – present The dialogue is subtitled.  United Arab Emirates one TV November 2007 – present The dialogue is subtitled. [edit] DVD/Blu-ray releases DVD Name Release dates Ep # Additional Information Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 The Complete First Season September 2, 2008[64] January 12, 2009[65] April 3, 2009[66] 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[67] October 19, 2009[68] March 3, 2010[69] 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[70] September 27, 2010[71] October 13, 2010 [72] 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 will be released on Blu-ray Disc in a 2-Disc Set. Running Time: 472 minutes. The Complete Fourth Season September 13, 2011[73] 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 The Barenaked Ladies, cast interviews with each other and a gag reel. Running time: 529 minutes. Also available in Blu-ray as a 2-disc set, with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the taping of "The Wildebeest Implementation." [edit] Online media

Warner Brothers Television controls the online rights for the show.[74][75] Full episodes are available at tv.com, while short clips and recently aired full episodes are available on cbs.com.[76] They are available on 4OD (UK Channel 4's online service) for a limited time after being shown as repeats.[citation needed] Also in New Zealand episodes are available on TVNZ's Ondemand Service for 4 weeks after airing.[77] Full episodes are also available on Sohu.com.[78]

[edit] Syndication

In May 2010, it was reported that the show has been picked up for syndication by both Fox affiliates and TBS. Broadcast of old shows began airing in September 2011. TBS now airs the series in primetime on Tuesdays and Thursdays and evenings on Saturdays as well as every week night on WPCH-TV in Atlanta, GA.[79] 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."[80] CTV NETWORK in Canada airs broadcast syndication of the first three seasons starting September 7, 2010, weeknights Monday – Friday @ 7:30 pm local time zone one year ahead of US broadcast syndication and four days a week (Monday – Thursday) on Comedy Network.[citation needed]

[edit] Awards and nominations Year Award Show Category Result Recipient(s) 2008 1st Ewwy Awards Best Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated Jim Parsons Best Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated Kaley Cuoco Best Comedy Series Nominated Cast and Crew 2009 61st Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated Jim Parsons Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated Christine Baranski Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series Nominated Crew TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Won Cast and Crew Individual Achievement in Comedy Won Jim Parsons Satellite Awards Best television comedy or musical series Nominated Cast and Crew Best actor in a comedy or musical series Nominated Jim Parsons American Film Institute The best 10 Television Programs of the year Won Cast and Crew 2nd Ewwy Awards Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Won Kaley Cuoco Best Comedy Series Nominated Cast and Crew 2010 36th People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Comedy Won Favorite TV Comedy Actor Nominated Jim Parsons TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Nominated Cast and Crew Individual Achievement in Comedy Nominated Jim Parsons Teen Choice Award Choice TV Comedy Nominated Choice TV Actor: Comedy Nominated Jim Parsons Choice TV Actress: Comedy Nominated Kaley Cuoco Choice Scene Stealer: Male Nominated Johnny Galecki Choice Scene Stealer: Male Nominated Simon Helberg 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Art Direction For A Multi-Camera Series Nominated Cast and Crew Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) Nominated Cast and Crew Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series Won Jim Parsons Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series Nominated Christine Baranski Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series Nominated Cast and Crew 3rd Ewwy Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated Kunal Nayyar Best Comedy Series Won Cast and Crew 2011 68th Golden Globe Awards Best Series – Musical or Comedy Nominated Best performance in a 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 [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.[81] 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.[82]

However, no legal action was required to end production of the other show. 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".[83] The show was cancelled shortly afterwards.[84]

[edit] References [edit] External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Big Bang Theory Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Big Bang Theory Official website Vanity Cards Archive for The Big Bang Theory David Saltzberg's (technical consultant for the show) blog describing the science behind each episode The Big Bang Theory at the Internet Movie Database v · d · eThe Big Bang Theory Episodes · Characters Characters Seasons Notable episodes Chuck Lorre · Bill Prady v · d · eCBS Network programming (current & upcoming) Primetime Daytime Late night News Sports Saturday morning