To the uninitiated the Big Bang Theory television show should, most likely, be about the big bang theory, the science of how the universe evolved. But if you are part of the 18 million people who tuned in to view the season finale of this inexplicably popular TV show, you would know that this show has not even the remotest association with the birth of the universe.
Premiered on the American television network, CBS, on September 24, 2007, the Big Bang Theory, created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, has run for a good twelve seasons with 279 episodes, and is regarded as the highest-rated comedy show on TV. The numbers never lie.
Twelve years is a long time and the more than 15 million fans who sit through an episode of this remarkable show had to say their goodbyes when the show’s finale aired on May 19, 2019. The Big Bang Theory is not the stuff for geeks and science nerds alone. Though it does depict nerd mannerism with dead-on accuracy, the show also enjoys viewership from varied demographic groups.
At face level, the Big Bang Theory is pretty much about a group of awkward male scientists and their interactions with the new female neighbour in their apartment building. It portrays the lives of the characters Leonard Hofstadter with an IQ of 173 and Sheldon Cooper with an IQ of 187, who are both best friends and roommates. And not to forget, they are both brilliant physicists working in the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Leonard and Sheldon, together with their friends and fellow colleagues from Caltech, Howard Wolowitz the mechanical engineering and Rajesh Koothrappali the astrophysicist, enjoy their time doing all the geeky stuff, executing projects, watching sci-fi movies, playing Klingon Boggle and reading comics.
They are scientists with smart minds who know, well, everything about the world, and can give more than required information about quantum physics but are utterly useless and rusty when it comes to social interactions, especially ones involving women. But their lives take a dramatic and comedic turn, when pretty Penny, an aspiring actress and waitress at The Cheesecake Factory, moves into their apartment building, just across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon. Free-spirited and motivated, Penny helps the socially dysfunctional egg heads to understand and navigate the social aspects of life.
In its 12 years run, the Big Bang Theory has gone on to garner a slew of awards such as the 2009 TCA best comedy award, seven Emmy Awards and three People’s Choice Awards for favorite comedy. Fans are sure to miss sitting in front of their TVs to chuckle and join Sheldon yell Bazinga! Are you a fan? Let’s see how much you know with this Big Bang Theory movie quiz.