The Big Bang Theory is an American
sitcom created by
Chuck Lorre and
Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with
Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers. It premiered on
CBS on September 24, 2007.
[5]
The show is centered on five characters: roommates
Leonard Hofstadter and
Sheldon Cooper, two physicists employed at the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech);
Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally
geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, aerospace engineer
Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist
Rajesh Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.
[6][7] Over time, supporting characters have been promoted to starring roles:
Leslie Winkle, a physicist colleague at Caltech and, at different times, a lover of both Leonard and Howard;
Bernadette Rostenkowski, Howard's fiancée (later his wife), a microbiologist and former part-time waitress alongside Penny;
Stuart Bloom, the cash-strapped owner of the comic book store the characters often visit, and neuroscientist
Amy Farrah Fowler, who joins the group after surreptitiously being matched to Sheldon on a dating website.
The show, which is filmed in front of a live audience, is produced by
Warner Bros. Television and
Chuck Lorre Productions.
[8] In August 2009, the sitcom won the best comedy series
TCA award and
Jim Parsons (Sheldon) won the award for individual achievement in comedy.
[9] In 2010, the show won the
People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy, while Parsons won a Primetime
Emmy Award for
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
[10]
On January 16, 2011, Parsons was awarded a Golden Globe for Best
Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical, an
award that was presented by co-star
Kaley Cuoco. On September 18, 2011, Parsons was again awarded an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
When the third season premiered on September 21, 2009,
The Big Bang Theory
ranked as CBS's highest-rated show of that evening in the adults 18–49
demographic (4.6/10) along with a then-series-high 12.83 million
viewers.
[11] CBS moved the show to Thursdays at 8:00 ET for the
2010–2011 schedule.
On January 12, 2011, CBS announced that the show had been renewed for
an additional three years, extending it through the 2013–2014 season.
[12]