Overview

One of the most popular sitcoms of all time, The Big Bang Theory takes this classic TV show formula and adds a nerdy twist to it. Its unique take on the genre has resulted in it becoming an enormous success even to this day, with millions watching the series on various streaming sites every year. It’s gotten so popular that it has its own spin-off series called Young Sheldon, which expands the storyline for those who are die-hard Big Bang Theory fans.

The Big Bang Theory has acquired its fair share of awards, including Favorite Comedy during the 2010 People’s Choice Awards. The show went on to win more People’s Choice Awards in 2013 and 2016, landing a second Favorite Comedy award as well as a Favorite TV show and Favorite Network TV Comedy.  Jim Parsons, who plays the series’ main character, has also won quite a few awards, such as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Premise

The Big Bang Theory revolves around a group of friends and roommates, with Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) as the main character. Sheldon and his roommate/best friend, Leonard Hofstadter, work as physicists at CalTech, and hang out with their friends Howard and Raj during their downtime. The show is heavily inspired by “nerd culture”, and most of the main characters in the show exhibit some of these personality traits – such as being a big fan of comic books, science and video games.

The story also delves into the genre of romance, with Sheldon meeting a charming woman named Penny who lives across the hall. Leonard soon finds himself pursuing her no matter how many times she rejects him or something goes wrong between them. Overall, The Big Bang Theory explores the funny, quirky, and borderline awkward situations that “nerds” typically get themselves into.

Cast and characters

• Johnny Galecki – Leonard Hofstadter
• Jim Parsons – Sheldon Cooper
• Kaley Cuoco – Penny
• Simon Helberg – Howard Wolowitz
• Kunal Nayyar – Raj Koothrappali
• Melissa Rauch – Bernadette Rostenkowski
• Mayim Bialik – Amy Farrah Fowler
• Kevin Sussman – Stuart Bloom
• Carol Ann Susi – Debbie Wolowitz
• John Ross Bowie – Barry Kripke
• Laura Spencer – Emily Sweeney
• Wil Wheaton – Wil Wheaton

Filming locations

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom, and as some of you already know, sitcoms don’t exactly need expensive sets or exotic film locations to work. In fact, most (if not all) sitcoms are filmed within a single studio to save money and minimize production costs. It isn’t that cheap of a tactic either, as you’re most interested in the interactions between the characters as opposed to the set itself.

As you may have guessed, The Big Bang Theory has its episodes filmed in a single studio – Stage 25 at the Warner Brothers Burbank Studios in Burbank, California, to be exact. From its premiere in 2007 all the way up to its finale in 2019, the series has been filmed in this location.

Trailer

The Big Bang Theory has a total of 12 seasons – that’s a lot for a TV series. The show was first aired way back in 2007, at a time when the Internet wasn’t as popular as it is today. Perhaps this is why The Big Bang Theory’s official trailer only has a measly 1,177,000 views despite it being uploaded back in 2012. Trailers weren’t as mainstream as they are these days too, which explains the relatively low view count.

The trailer begins with a slideshow that displays one of Microsoft owner Bill Gates’ famous quotes: “Be nice to nerds. Chances are, you’ll end up working for one.” The slideshow then presents a few logos of some of the biggest tech companies at the time, including Yahoo!, Google, and YouTube. The trailer then gives us our first glimpse of The Big Bang Theory, where we can see both Sheldon and Leonard talking to a doctor, with Leonard giving her the answers to her crossword puzzle.

It is here where we can see the charm of The Big Bang Theory – its dialogue. After the short skit with the doctor, Leonard and Sheldon begin talking about selling their sperm to a “high IQ sperm bank.” When they get home, the trailer introduces us to Penny, Leionard’s love interest. Penny is shown as someone with a completely different lifestyle from Sheldon’s or Leonard’s. Having a meal at Sheldon’s apartment, the three talk about their favorite foods, with Sheldon using verbose and complicated words as part of the gag.

Production

As mentioned earlier, The Big Bang Theory was filmed on one of the stages at Warner Brothers Burbank Studios. The show itself was produced by Chuck Lorre Productions, as well as Warner Bros. Television. The show was distributed through Warner Bros. too – Warner Bros. Television Production, to be exact. The Big Bang Theory was originally aired on CBS, and its spin-off show, Young Sheldon, has had mild success thanks to the main show’s popularity.

Unlike many TV shows, The Big Bang Theory isn’t available on US Netflix, which has upset many fans. Warner Bros. has closely kept rights to the show to themselves, and they plan on keeping it that way by having it only available through their services. If you have CBS All Access, you can watch all seasons of The Big Bang Theory. An alternative to this would be HBO Max, which is another subscription-based streaming service for HBO shows, including The Big Bang Theory.

Episodes and reception

With almost 700,000 ratings on IMDb, The Big Bang Theory still manages to maintain a rating score of 8.1. That goes to show how popular the series is, especially for those die-hard fans. While there have been plenty of critics, the show remained one of the top ten most popular television series for many years. It claimed the number 1 spot during its 11th season. The show actually had a very slow start for a sitcom due to its niche appeal, but it quickly gathered momentum from its third season onwards.

Despite its age, The Big Bang Theory is still loved by millions of fans worldwide. It pioneered a new age of comedy and explored a unique take on “nerd” culture.