best episodes of The Big Bang Theory poster

Physicists Leonard and Sheldon find their nerd-centric social circle with pals Howard and Raj expanding when aspiring actress Penny moves in next door.

12 Seasons
279 Episodes
Ended
Comedy
episode image The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis
9.1/10 (7467 votes)

#1 The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis

S2:E11

Penny starts dating Leonard's handsome colleague; Leonard and his friends are tortured by Sheldon's obsession with gift-giving etiquette.

episode image The Staircase Implementation
9.0/10 (5698 votes)

#2 The Staircase Implementation

S3:E22

Leonard tells Penny about how he met Sheldon for the first time...and what happened to the elevator.

episode image The Opening Night Excitation
9.0/10 (5683 votes)

#3 The Opening Night Excitation

S9:E11

After more than five years of dating, Sheldon and Amy spend their first night together. Also, Leonard, Wolowitz, and Koothrappali must decide who will take their extra Star Wars movie ticket.

episode image The Bow Tie Asymmetry
9.0/10 (4540 votes)

#4 The Bow Tie Asymmetry

S11:E24

When Amy's parents and Sheldon's family arrive, everybody is focused to make sure all wedding arrangements go according to plan – everyone except the bride and groom.

episode image The Adhesive Duck Deficiency
8.9/10 (5936 votes)

#5 The Adhesive Duck Deficiency

S3:E8

With Leonard, Howard and Raj away camping in the desert, an injured Penny has only Sheldon to rely on.

episode image The Maternal Capacitance
8.8/10 (5334 votes)

#6 The Maternal Capacitance

S2:E15

Leonard and Penny are drawn together after a disastrous visit from Leonard's mother.

episode image The Thanksgiving Decoupling
8.8/10 (5122 votes)

#7 The Thanksgiving Decoupling

S7:E9

Sheldon protests when the gang drags him to Mrs. Wolowitz’s house for Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Penny and Leonard must deal with a mistake from her past.

episode image The Barbarian Sublimation
8.7/10 (5414 votes)

#8 The Barbarian Sublimation

S2:E3

Sheldon creates a monster when he introduces Penny to online gaming.

episode image The Robotic Manipulation
8.7/10 (4987 votes)

#9 The Robotic Manipulation

S4:E1

Penny tags along on Sheldon's first ever date; Wolowitz finds a new use for a robotic arm.

episode image The Scavenger Vortex
8.7/10 (4987 votes)

#10 The Scavenger Vortex

S7:E3

When the entire gang competes in a scavenger hunt designed by Raj, it brings out the best - and worst - in everyone.

episode image The Panty Piñata Polarization
8.6/10 (5107 votes)

#11 The Panty Piñata Polarization

S2:E7

When Sheldon bans Penny from the apartment for numerous minor infractions, she decides to retaliate.

episode image The Lunar Excitation
8.6/10 (4501 votes)

#12 The Lunar Excitation

S3:E23

While Penny worries that dating Leonard has ruined her for normal guys, Wolowitz and Koothrappali search for Sheldon's perfect match online.

episode image The Justice League Recombination
8.6/10 (4623 votes)

#13 The Justice League Recombination

S4:E11

The guys find a "super" use for Penny's new boyfriend, Zack, when they enter a costume contest as the Justice League.

episode image The Tangerine Factor
8.5/10 (5160 votes)

#14 The Tangerine Factor

S1:E17

Penny's break-up spurs Leonard to summon the courage to ask her out, and each goes to Sheldon for advice on their upcoming date.

episode image The Roommate Transmogrification
8.5/10 (4205 votes)

#15 The Roommate Transmogrification

S4:E24

When Bernadette receives her PhD, Wolowitz feels emasculated. Raj and Leonard swap places and Penny does something she's regrets.

episode image The Good Guy Fluctuation
8.5/10 (4732 votes)

#16 The Good Guy Fluctuation

S5:E7

A cute comic book artist puts Leonard and Priya’s relationship to the test, while Sheldon tries to scare the guys for Halloween.

episode image The Hawking Excitation
8.5/10 (4432 votes)

#17 The Hawking Excitation

S5:E21

When Wolowitz gets to work with Stephen Hawking, Sheldon is willing to do anything to meet his hero.

episode image The Countdown Reflection
8.5/10 (4288 votes)

#18 The Countdown Reflection

S5:E24

The fifth season ends with Howard and Bernadette deciding to get married before his NASA mission, causing the gang to scurry into overdrive in an effort to stage the wedding. NASA astronaut Mike Massimino has a cameo as himself.

episode image The Long Distance Dissonance
8.5/10 (3718 votes)

#19 The Long Distance Dissonance

S10:E24

The gang is concerned when Sheldon’s former admirer, Dr. Ramona Nowitzki, resurfaces while Amy is away at Princeton.

episode image The Vegas Renormalization
8.4/10 (4678 votes)

#20 The Vegas Renormalization

S2:E21

Leonard and Koothrappali escort a heartbroken Wolowitz to Las Vegas, and Sheldon becomes locked out of his apartment and must stay with Penny.

episode image The Gorilla Experiment
8.4/10 (4474 votes)

#21 The Gorilla Experiment

S3:E10

Penny gets help from Sheldon in order to understand what Leonard's work is, while Wolowitz develops a jealousy when Leonard starts hanging out with his new girlfriend.

episode image The Einstein Approximation
8.4/10 (4568 votes)

#22 The Einstein Approximation

S3:E14

Sheldon's search for the answer to a physics problem leads him to work at the Cheesecake Factory with Penny.

episode image The Precious Fragmentation
8.4/10 (4473 votes)

#23 The Precious Fragmentation

S3:E17

When the guys find a ring from "The Lord of the Rings" at a garage sale, it threatens to tear them apart.

episode image The Pants Alternative
8.4/10 (4402 votes)

#24 The Pants Alternative

S3:E18

Sheldon's friends come to his aid when his fear of public speaking stands between him and a coveted award.

episode image The Boyfriend Complexity
8.4/10 (4343 votes)

#25 The Boyfriend Complexity

S4:E9

Penny asks Leonard to lie to her father, while Howard, Raj and Bernadette pull an all-nighter at a telescope.

episode image The 43 Peculiarity
8.4/10 (4325 votes)

#26 The 43 Peculiarity

S6:E8

Raj and Howard try to to figure out why Sheldon disappears at 2:45 every afternoon; jealousy arises in Penny and Leonard's relationship.

episode image The Egg Salad Equivalency
8.4/10 (4277 votes)

#27 The Egg Salad Equivalency

S6:E12

When Sheldon is accused of sexual harassment, he ends up getting Raj, Leonard and Howard in trouble.

episode image The Bakersfield Expedition
8.4/10 (4277 votes)

#28 The Bakersfield Expedition

S6:E13

As the guys don costumes and go on a road trip to a comic book convention, the ladies decide to stay home and try to interpret a comic book.

episode image The Romance Resonance
8.4/10 (4334 votes)

#29 The Romance Resonance

S7:E6

Sheldon's latest scientific breakthrough leaves him feeling like a fraud; a romantic gesture between Howard and Bernadette causes Penny to up her game with Leonard.

episode image The Middle-Earth Paradigm
8.3/10 (5581 votes)

#30 The Middle-Earth Paradigm

S1:E6

Penny hosts a Halloween party, putting Leonard, Sheldon, Wolowitz, and Koothrappali through a new test of their social skills.

episode image The Peanut Reaction
8.3/10 (4928 votes)

#31 The Peanut Reaction

S1:E16

Penny wants to throw a surprise party for Leonard, but Sheldon's indulgence at an electronics store throws her off-track.

episode image The Euclid Alternative
8.3/10 (4813 votes)

#32 The Euclid Alternative

S2:E5

Leonard and his friends stage an intervention to force Sheldon to face his fear of driving.

episode image The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation
8.3/10 (4718 votes)

#33 The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation

S3:E1

When Sheldon learns the guys tampered with his expedition data he got from the arctic, he leaves to Texas in disgrace. This results in the guys following him, which threatens Leonard's hope for some romantic time with Penny and the guys' friendship with Sheldon.

episode image The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary
8.3/10 (4444 votes)

#34 The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary

S3:E5

After overhearing that Wil Wheaton is entering a trading-card competition, Sheldon decides to enter it himself. Meanwhile, Penny sets up one of her friends on a date with Wolowitz.

episode image The Vengeance Formulation
8.3/10 (4414 votes)

#35 The Vengeance Formulation

S3:E9

After he's humiliated on National Public Radio, Sheldon vows to destroy Kripke, while Wolowitz tries not to destroy his new relationship with Bernadette.

episode image The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification
8.3/10 (4470 votes)

#36 The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification

S4:E2

Realizing he will not live long enough to download his consciousness into a robot body, Sheldon tries to extend his life span.

episode image The Earworm Reverberation
8.3/10 (3880 votes)

#37 The Earworm Reverberation

S9:E10

Sheldon has a revelation when he realizes why a song was stuck in his head. Also, Amy invites Dave over for dinner despite their previously awkward date, and Wolowitz and Koothrappali become obsessed with a fan of their band, "Footprints on the Moon".

episode image The Big Bran Hypothesis
8.2/10 (6231 votes)

#38 The Big Bran Hypothesis

S1:E2

Leonard volunteers to sign for a package in an attempt to make a good impression on Penny, but when he enlists Sheldon for help, his attempt at chivalry goes terribly awry.

episode image The Pancake Batter Anomaly
8.2/10 (5216 votes)

#39 The Pancake Batter Anomaly

S1:E11

With his friends knowing how sour he acts when sick—and avoiding him as a result—Sheldon is nursed by Penny, who hasn't a clue what she's in for.

episode image The Bat Jar Conjecture
8.2/10 (5097 votes)

#40 The Bat Jar Conjecture

S1:E13

Sheldon finds himself booted from the gang's Physics Bowl team and replaced with Leslie, so he forms his own team, hoping to prove he's superior.

Cast & Chracters

character image Leonard Hofstadter

Leonard Hofstadter

Actor: Johnny Galecki
character image Sheldon Cooper

Sheldon Cooper

Actor: Jim Parsons
character image Penny

Penny

Actor: Kaley Cuoco
character image Howard Wolowitz

Howard Wolowitz

Actor: Simon Helberg
character image Rajesh Koothrappali

Rajesh Koothrappali

Actor: Kunal Nayyar
character image Bernadette Rostenkowski

Bernadette Rostenkowski

Actor: Melissa Rauch
character image Amy Farrah Fowler

Amy Farrah Fowler

Actor: Mayim Bialik

The highest rated episode of The Big Bang Theory is "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis" (S2E11) with a rating of 9.10.

This episode received 7,467 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Matrimonial Momentum" (S9E1) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 4,048 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Tangerine Factor" (S1E17) with a rating of 8.50.

This episode received 5,160 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Fuzzy Boots Corollary" (S1E3) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 5,591 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis" (S2E11) with a rating of 9.10.

This episode received 7,467 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Vartabedian Conundrum" (S2E10) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 4,468 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Staircase Implementation" (S3E22) with a rating of 9.00.

This episode received 5,698 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Cornhusker Vortex" (S3E6) with a rating of 7.40.

This episode received 4,184 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Robotic Manipulation" (S4E1) with a rating of 8.70.

This episode received 4,987 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Bus Pants Utilization" (S4E12) with a rating of 7.50.

This episode received 4,016 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Good Guy Fluctuation" (S5E7) with a rating of 8.50.

This episode received 4,732 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Speckerman Recurrence" (S5E11) with a rating of 7.30.

This episode received 3,907 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The 43 Peculiarity" (S6E8) with a rating of 8.40.

This episode received 4,325 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Date Night Variable" (S6E1) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 4,770 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Thanksgiving Decoupling" (S7E9) with a rating of 8.80.

This episode received 5,122 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Hesitation Ramification" (S7E12) with a rating of 7.40.

This episode received 3,513 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Prom Equivalency" (S8E8) with a rating of 8.00.

This episode received 3,822 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The First Pitch Insufficiency" (S8E3) with a rating of 7.00.

This episode received 3,732 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Opening Night Excitation" (S9E11) with a rating of 9.00.

This episode received 5,683 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Matrimonial Momentum" (S9E1) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 4,048 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Long Distance Dissonance" (S10E24) with a rating of 8.50.

This episode received 3,718 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Cognition Regeneration" (S10E22) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 2,687 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Bow Tie Asymmetry" (S11E24) with a rating of 9.00.

This episode received 4,540 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Athenaeum Allocation" (S11E17) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 2,557 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Imitation Perturbation" (S12E6) with a rating of 8.20.

This episode received 3,248 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Planetarium Collision" (S12E5) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 2,662 votes.

Name Department Job
Ann Shea Art Set Decoration
Francoise Cherry-Cohen Art Art Direction
John Shaffner Art Production Design
Rick Puccio Art Construction Coordinator
Brian W. Armstrong Camera Camera Operator
Jamie Hitchcock Camera Camera Operator
John DeChene Camera Camera Operator
Richard Price Camera Camera Operator
Steven V. Silver Camera Director of Photography
Faye Woods Costume & Make-Up Hair Department Head
Linda Cowan Costume & Make-Up Key Makeup Artist
Sylvia Surdu Costume & Make-Up Key Hair Stylist
Vikki McCarter Costume & Make-Up Makeup Department Head
Alexandra Barbone Crew Post Production Supervisor
David Saltzberg Crew Scientific Consultant
Scott L. London Crew Property Master
Julie Fleischer Directing Script Supervisor
Todd Morris Editing Assistant Editor
John Greene Lighting Gaffer
Andy Gordon Production Co-Executive Producer
Anthony Del Broccolo Production Co-Executive Producer
Bill Prady Production Executive Producer
Charlie Back Production Associate Producer
Chuck Lorre Production Executive Producer
David Goetsch Production Executive Producer
Eric Kaplan Production Executive Producer
Jeremy Howe Production Co-Executive Producer
Justin D. Hetzel Production Co-Producer
Ken Miller Production Casting
Kristy Cecil Production Producer
Maria Ferrari Production Executive Producer
Mary T. Quigley Production Co-Producer
Nikki Valko Production Casting
Peter Chakos Production Co-Executive Producer
Robinson Green Production Producer
Ryan Berdan Production Co-Producer
Shannon Timberlake Production Production Coordinator
Steve Holland Production Executive Producer
Steven Molaro Production Executive Producer
Tara Hernandez Production Co-Executive Producer
Tara Treacy Production Casting
Bob La Masney Sound Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Bruce Peters Sound Production Sound Mixer
Charlie McDaniel Sound Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Adam Faberman Writing Executive Story Editor

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