The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory
Title screen
GenreSitcom
Created by
Directed byMark Cendrowski
Starring
Theme music composerBarenaked Ladies
Opening theme"Big Bang Theory Theme"[1][2]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons12
No. of episodes279 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerFaye Oshima Belyeu
EditorPeter Chakos
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time18–22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 24, 2007 (2007-09-24) –
May 16, 2019 (2019-05-16)
Related
Young Sheldon
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Big Bang Theory is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers and head writers on the series, along with Steven Molaro. It aired on CBS from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes.[3]

The show originally centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), both physicists at Caltech, who share an apartment; Penny (Kaley Cuoco), a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's similarly geeky and socially awkward friends and coworkers, aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar).[4][5] Over time, supporting characters were promoted to starring roles, including neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), and comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman).

The show was filmed in front of a live audience and produced by Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Bros. Television. It received mixed reviews throughout its first season, but reception was more favorable in the second and third seasons. Despite early mixed reviews, seven seasons were ranked within the top ten of the final season ratings, and it ultimately reached the no. 1 spot in its eleventh season. It was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series from 2011 to 2014 and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series four times for Parsons, totaling seven Emmy Awards from 46 nominations. Parsons also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Comedy Series in 2011. A prequel series, Young Sheldon, based on Parsons' character Sheldon Cooper, premiered in 2017, with Parsons reprising his role as the narrating adult Sheldon. Another spinoff is in development.

  1. ^ "Big Bang Theory Theme – Single". iTunes Store. October 11, 2010. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  2. ^ "Big Bang Theory Theme". Amazon UK. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  3. ^ "The Big Bang Theory: Cast & Details" Archived May 8, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. TV Guide. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  4. ^ Strauss, Gary (April 11, 2007). "There's a science to CBS' Big Bang Theory". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  5. ^ Pierce, Scott D. (October 8, 2007). "He's a genius". Deseret News. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2008.