What is the Big Bang Theory?

The Big Bang Theory is a theory that explains the beginning of the universe. According to this theory, the universe began 13.77 billion years ago…

Okay, I really have no clue about THAT big bang theory. I do, however, know a little about the other Big Bang Theory – the television series.

Our whole universe was in a hot dense state,
Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started--Wait!
The Earth began to cool,
The autotrophs began to drool,
Neanderthals developed tools,
We built a wall (we built the pyramids),
Math, science, history,
Unraveling the mystery,
That all started with the Big Bang! BANG!

(Barenaked Ladies)

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom that began in 2007 and continues today. It is the stories about a group of geeky, nerdy scientists and their neighbor, a beautiful actress wanna-be. The scientists are all geniuses and the actress is paying her way by being a waitress at The Cheesecake Factory. The sitcom shares the story of their everyday lives.

The main characters are Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, and Rajesh Koothrappali, and their neighbor, Penny. The men are the typical “nerds” and have difficulty dating and in the case of Raj, speaking to beautiful women. Penny finds them fascinating and annoying at the same time.

Sheldon is played brilliantly by Jim Parsons. Sheldon is a much regimented, slightly eccentric, extremely brilliant physicist. He believes that there is no one smarter than him in the universe and will challenge those who think otherwise. He tells people that he has an “eidetic memory” and he never forgets anything, but in the show he has forgotten many things, including his car keys and the names of all of the ladies who have played Catwoman and the titles of comic books he claims to enjoy.

Johnny Galecki plays Leonard, another physicist. Leonard is more personable than Sheldon and much more easy going. Leonard has had an on and off relationship with Penny – a fact that shocks and surprises his friends, but works well for the story. Leonard is the only one that can really get Sheldon to behave, even if he must resort to calling Sheldon’s mother for help.

Kaley Cuoco is Penny, the neighbor whose dream it is to become an actress. She works at the Cheesecake Factory as a waitress, alongside Bernadette, Howard Wolowitz’s wife. Penny was instrumental in bringing the two together. Penny wants a relationship almost as much as she wants to be an actress, and Leonard is the man she wants – at least some of the time. She has had many relationships that don’t work and she always goes to her neighbors across the hall when one fails. She also joins them for take-out dinners and uses their wireless service, much to the chagrin of Sheldon. Sheldon likes Penny because she sings “Soft Kitty” when Sheldon is not feeling well.

Howard Wolowitz is played by Simon Helberg. At the beginning of the series, he was a horrible woman chaser with outdated lines that he thought would impress the ladies. This improved when he met, then married Bernadette, Penny’s co-worker at the Cheesecake Factory. He lived with his mother until after his marriage. You could often hear his mother yelling at him from somewhere in the house. Howard is the least educated of the bunch, only having a Master’s Degree while the others all have doctorates. Sheldon often lets Howard know that he really shouldn’t be a part of their group due to his lack of education. Howard has also been on the space station.

Rajesh Koothrappali is played by Kunal Nayyar. Raj loves the women, as well, but can’t talk to them due to a severe anxiety issue. The only way he can talk to women is if he is drunk. He and Howard are great friends and often do things together, but they also argue a lot. Raj still can’t figure out how Howard ended up married. On one of the funnier episodes, Raj tried an experimental drug to cure his anxiety leading to many hilarious side effects.

Rounding out the regular cast is Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler, Sheldon’s girlfriend and Bernadette, Howard’s wife, played by Melissa Rauch. These two women have decided that Penny is their best friend, going to her for advice with their men, and providing Penny with advice of their own. Amy is very similar to Sheldon, which is why they are so good together. On the other hand, Bernadette is the complete opposite of her husband. She is a devout Catholic and Howard is devoutly Jewish.

There are other characters that appear regularly, such as Wil Wheaton as Sheldon’s nemesis, Wil Wheaton. Wil has tricked Sheldon numerous times, usually involving some sort of contest that Wil usually wins. Sara Gilbert plays a colleague of the men, Leslie Winkle. (On a side-note, Johnny Galecki played Sara Gilbert’s boyfriend on “Roseanne.”) Mary Cooper, Sheldon’s mother, has appeared several times throughout the series. She is played by Laurie Metcalf, (another “Roseanne” alumnus)

If you have not watched the Big Bang Theory, you should start. It is a great television comedy with outstanding acting and a great cast. There are many ongoing jokes and bits that you need to see from the beginning. It’s in reruns on many channels, so it shouldn’t be a problem to catch it from the beginning!