The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory
Premiere	September 24, 2007
Finale	May 16, 2019
Creator	Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady
Network/Provider	CBS
Style	30-minute sitcom
Company	Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros. Television
Seasons	12
Episodes	279 + 1 special
Origin	USA
Official Twitter	@bigbangtheory feed on X
Official Facebook	TheBigBangTheory on Facebook

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom primarily centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California. Roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper are both physicists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Penny is a waitress and aspiring actress who later becomes a pharmaceutical representive who lives across the hall from them. Aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali are Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic relief with Penny's social skills and common sense.

Cast

Actor	Character	Duration
Main Cast		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Johnny Galecki	Dr. Leonard Hofstadter	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Jim Parsons	Dr. Sheldon Cooper	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Kaley Cuoco	Penny Hofstadter	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Simon Helberg	Howard Wolowitz	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Kunal Nayyar	Dr. Rajesh "Raj" Koothrappali	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Sara Gilbert	Dr. Leslie Winkle	o	*	o						o
Mayim Bialik	Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler			o	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Melissa Rauch	Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz			o	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Kevin Sussman	Stuart Bloom		o	o	o	o	*	o	*	*	*	*	*
Laura Spencer	Dr. Emily Sweeney							o	o	*	o
Orange/Red/o indicates a recurring or guest role during that season. Dark Green indicates top billing during that season.
Supporting/Recurring Cast		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Carol Ann Susi	Debbie Wolowitz (voice)	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*			*
Brian George	Dr. V.M. Koothrappali	*	*	*	*	*			*		*	*	*
Alice Amter	Mrs. Koothrappali	*	*	*	*	*			*
Laurie Metcalf	Mary Cooper	*		*	*	*		*	*	*	*	*
John Ross Bowie	Barry Kripke		*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Christine Baranski	Dr. Beverly Hofstadter		*	*		*		*	*	*	*	*	*
Ian Scott Rudolph	Captain Sweatpants		*	*	*	*	*	*
Wil Wheaton	Wil Wheaton			*	*	*	*	*	*	*		*	*
Brian Thomas Smith	Zack Johnson			*	*			*		*	*	*	*
Joshua Malina	President Siebert			*	*	*						*	*
Aarti Mann	Priya Koothrappali				*	*
Brian Posehn	Bertram "Bert" Kibbler						*	*			*	*	*
Pamela Adlon	Halley Wolowitz (voice)										*	*	*
Rati Gupta	Anu												*

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale				#
CBS
Season One	September 24, 2007	May 19, 2008				17
Season Two	September 22, 2008	May 11, 2009				23
Season Three	September 21, 2009	May 24, 2010				23
Season Four	September 23, 2010	May 19, 2011				24
Season Five	September 22, 2011	May 10, 2012				24
Season Six	September 27, 2012	May 16, 2013				24
Season Seven	September 26, 2013	May 15, 2014				24
Season Eight	September 22, 2014	May 7, 2015				24
Season Nine	September 21, 2015	May 12, 2016				24
Season Ten	September 19, 2016	May 11, 2017				24
Season Eleven	September 25, 2017	May 10, 2018				24
Season Twelve	September 24, 2018	May 16, 2019				24 + 1

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series
• Characters: A listing of characters in the series

DVD & Blu-Ray Releases

DVD

Title			Release			Discs
Season Sets  (Region 1)
The Complete First Season			September 2, 2008	purchase		3
The Complete Second Season			September 15, 2009	purchase		4
The Complete Third Season			September 14, 2010	purchase		3
The Complete Fourth Season			September 13, 2011	purchase		4
The Complete Fifth Season			September 11, 2012	purchase		3
The Complete Sixth Season			September 10, 2013	purchase		—
The Complete Seventh Season			September 16, 2014	purchase		3
The Complete Eighth Season			September 15, 2015	purchase		3

Blu-ray

Title			Release			Discs
Season Sets  (Region A)
The Complete Third Season			September 14, 2010	purchase		2
The Complete Fourth Season			September 13, 2011	purchase		2
The Complete Sixth Season			September 10, 2013	purchase		2
The Complete Eighth Season			September 15, 2015	purchase		2

Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)

Title			Release			Discs
Season Sets
The Complete First Season			July 10, 2012	purchase		5
The Complete Second Season			July 10, 2012	purchase		6
The Complete Fifth Season			September 11, 2012	purchase		5
The Complete Seventh Season			September 16, 2014	purchase		5

External Sites

• The Big Bang Theory Episodes, TV Listings, News, Photos and More at TVGuide.com
• The Big Bang Theory on IMDb