The Big Bang Theory TV Show

Pretty much the last thing you’d expect of a cranium-straining show like The Big Bang Theory is a no-brainer, but correct me if I’m wrong: Its casting of The Daily Show smartass Lewis Black is exactly that.

The Comedy Central hothead will appear in the sitcom’s second episode of the season (airing on Sept. 28) as Professor Crawley, a Caltech entomologist whose life is a shambles. Worse—for him, anyway—it’s a shambles through which Sheldon and Wolowitz are happy to rummage for the sake of settling a bet.

Whad’ya think? Is Black’s guest gig a smarter move on his part or the series’? Sound off below!

The Big Bang Theory will finally make a go of a Leonard and Penny relationship this fall, but things get off to a rough start.

“After two years of foreplay, they finally [have sex] and it doesn’t go so great,” reveals exec producer Bill Prady. “There was so much anticipation that when they finally make it all the way, they have trouble finding their groove.”

They won’t be the only ones going through an awkward adjustment period. “Sheldon does not like waking up and finding Penny in their apartment, which happens in the second or third episode,” says Prady. “And he’s not happy when she makes French toast on oatmeal day.

“But Sheldon believes this is a temporary anomaly,” Prady adds. “He thinks [the romance] will come to an end and everything will be back the way it is.”

Do you agree with Sheldon? Or are you confident that Penny and Lenard have staying power? Comment away!

It’s been confirmed that Leonard and Penny will get together this fall on The Big Bang Theory.

But the relationship won’t exactly go smoothly, as executive producer Bill Prady told Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello in that magazine’s latest issue.

“When they finally [have sex], it doesn’t go so great,” he said. “There was so much anticipation that when they finally make it all the way, they have trouble finding their groove.”

Well, sure. Who among us hasn’t been there?!?

Also, Prady aded, “Sheldon does not like waking up to find Penny in their apartment.”

Here are various clips that we’ve managed to find from the The Big Bang Theory Comic-Con panel.

While not The Big Bang Theory spoilers we were hoping for, Simon Helberg (Wolowitz) discusses the upcoming third season in Ausiello’s latest column on EW.

According to the star, “We are still on summer vacation — we go back August 5 — and I have not seen the first script. I just saw Jim ["Sheldon" Parsons], and he certainly did let on that he knew something. I just assume they will pick up right where we left off in terms of the North Pole… Maybe we needed to eat Sheldon to survive.”

All joking aside, what would the lanky star like to see this season? “It’d be interesting to see [Wolowitz] try to move out [of his mother's basement]. I would also like him to meet his father, and I would like his father to be Ringo Starr. How cool would it be if Wolowitz is the son of a Beatle?”

In much more demanding requests, Helberg wishes, “I would actually like pants I can breathe in and an operational fly so I don’t have to pull down my pants to my ankles every time I need to pee.”

J.J. Abrams may have muscled up his version of Star Trek, but the franchise will always be the domain of such geeks as the California Institute of Technology prodigies on CBS’ The Big Bang Theory.

Exhibit A: The popular YouTube video of Sheldon, played by Jim Parsons, explaining the rules of “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock”:
“It’s very simple: Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock and, as it always has, rock crushes scissors.”

That kind of giddy celebration of the nerd mind has given the program, created by Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre, a steadily growing audience, with promise for more: The show, which netted 9.76 million viewers for its second-season finale May 11, was picked up in March for two more years in a multimillion-dollar deal.

Parsons, along with the show’s other lead geek, seasoned sitcomer Johnny Galecki, met in a fancy diner one afternoon in Hollywood to ponder their luck.

“It’s security I never dreamed I’d be able to say I have,” Parsons says.

Parsons, a native of Houston who was a regular on Judging Amy, is wittily verbose like his character, but he doesn’t pretend to have the scientific aptitude. When asked if he’s learned any new concepts from the show — Schrodinger’s cat, anyone? — he blinks and says, “Learned? More like memorized in less than a week and then promptly forgotten.” Galecki, who’s still fondly remembered as Darlene’s slouchy boyfriend on Roseanne, plays Leonard, the straight nerd to Sheldon’s fussy one. For him, two more years means “so many more lines. It’s not like we get to just sit back now.” Well, maybe some of them do. Listen to Galecki and Parsons talk about costar Kaley Cuoco, who plays Penny, the sweet but dippy waitress next door, and you might believe she has super powers.

“I don’t know how she does it,” Parsons says, “but she always has every single word memorized.”

“She never makes a mistake,” Galecki adds.

Despite the intricate monologues, the stars, in some ways, can put up their feet a bit.

Galecki, for instance, has learned to play Leonard with a little more cool than in the first season.

“I’d watch the show and see moments where I worked some gesture too much or overemphasized my walk. But I realize now that I can just relax into it. It’s all muscle memory now.”

But muscle memory doesn’t make up for a grueling schedule of rehearsal, memorization and rewrites.

“We’re pretty serious about silly,” Galecki says. “We don’t really do pranks on set.”

Is that mood because of pressure from the famously spirited Chuck Lorre? The reigning maestro of the sitcom, with hits including Dharma & Greg and Grace Under Fire under his belt, has been known to clash with TV critics and his leading ladies of yore, such as Brett Butler.

“I’d heard those stories about Chuck too,” Galecki says. “But it’s never been the case for me. He’s working too hard for any of that.”

Lorre, a one-time guitarist for hire, has “this incredible ear,” Galecki says. “He can just hear the beats and inflections of dialogue. I’ll step into his office and he’ll be playing the guitar between writing bits.”

By all accounts, The Big Bang Theory is a harmonious set. In addition to group trips to Comic-Con and the like, the actors sometimes get together or go to see a movie. But Galecki points out that since they got the two-year thumbs up, they’re not hanging out with the same frequency. “We’ve been through the honeymoon period,” he says. “We’ll be riding this wave together for a while.”

THE BIG BANG THEORY:
THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2009!

23 Original Episodes From Executive Producer Chuck Lorre;
Includes Two All-New Featurettes

Burbank, CA (June 2, 2009) - Get ready to laugh your way to the lab as two brilliant roommates conquer the scientific world, but fail miserably in the romantic one as Warner Home Video releases the hit comedy The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season on DVD September 15, 2009 for $44.98 SRP. Timed to coincide with the premiere of the show’s third season on CBS, fans will enjoy watching and laughing as these astronomically funny scientists and beautiful neighbor prove how high their comedy I.Q.s really are.

The science of funny is back! At work, physicists Leonard and Sheldon and their pals conquer the cosmos. At home, real life - from dating to driving - conquers them. This season, Leonard gets a girl. So does Sheldon. (Sheldon?!) Howard drives the Mars Rover into a ditch. Raj woos a terminator. Gorgeous girl-next-door Penny falls under the spell of Age of Conan. And super-smart, überconfident Leslie Winkler reduces mere men to spineless jellyfish. Twenty-three laugh-filled episodes from series creators Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady (Gilmore Girls) and a supremely talented cast show why Big Bang is such a big hit.

From Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television, The Big Bang Theory is executive produced by Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men), Bill Prady (Gilmore Girls) and Lee Aronsohn (Two and a Half Men). The series stars Johnny Galecki (Roseanne), Jim Parsons (Garden State), Kaley Cuoco (8 Simple Rules … for Dating My Teenage Daughter), Simon Helberg (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) and Kunal Nayyar (on stage: Huck & Holden). Already renewed for two additional seasons, and with 22% ratings growth in Season 2, The Big Bang Theory is a hit with critics and fans alike.

“Building on the tremendous DVD success of the show’s first season, we’re very pleased to be releasing The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season,” said Rosemary Markson, WHV Vice President, TV & Special Interest Marketing. “With such an outstanding premise and comically gifted actors, Season Two continues the hilarity and heart of the first season. We expect even stronger DVD sales with Season Two, given the phenomenal growth in the ratings and fan buzz.”

In addition to the entire second season of this smart and charming comedy, The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season contains these brand-new bonus features:

* Physicist to the Stars: Real-Life Physicist/UCLA Professor David Saltzberg’s Consulting Relationship to the Show
* Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis in Relation to the Big Bang Theory: Season Two’s Unique Characters and Characteristics
* Gag Reel

Download Complete Season 2 DVD

The Big Bang Theory has big finale plans in the works. Seriously. Don’t you see the Snuggie on Johnny Galecki (Leonard)? Crazy, right?

The guys are setting out on a summer adventure to the North Pole and leaving their girl Penny behind. You might be asking yourselves how they could do such a thing, but Jim Parsons (Sheldon) said it best when we caught up with him and the rest of the cast on the set.

“I make them an offer they can’t refuse,” teased Jim. “Not that Sheldon’s the Godfather, although I guess in some ways he is the scientific Godfather.”

Keep reading for more on a Leonard-Penny hookup and most importantly, which one of these genius remembered to pack that toasty Snuggie…

Why the North Pole? “Sheldon is invited to go on a National Science Foundation expedition to the arctic, and we go along as his crew,” said Johnny. “There’s a lot of bracing for three months on an ice cube in a hut—with Sheldon.” Sounds kooky.

And the Snuggie? It’s just a thoughtful bon voyage gift from Penny to Leonard.

Speaking of the twosome, what does this mean for possible romance? Johnny tells us, “Leonard and Penny have to say goodbye for the summer, which blindsides them in a way that they didn’t foresee.” Kaley Cuoco (Penny) agrees. “The whole episode Penny’s acting very aloof. We don’t know until the last line of the episode exactly how she feels. She didn’t realize how much she didn’t want him to leave.”

What about life after the North Pole? Kunal Nayyar (Raj) and Simon Helberg (Wolowitz) have some ideas. Kunal’s suggestions? “We’re all going to come back with beards and bloodshot eyes. Raj has become 300 pounds. We’re all going to look like Joaquin Phoenix.” And Simon? “We’ll be wild animals when we get back. Sheldon should have a handlebar moustache, too.”

Kaley’s hoping for some new meat too. “Four new guys, all living with her. Or they should come back and she’s met someone and it is semi-serious.” We’d definitely watch that show!

Now that The Big Bang Theory is coming back for two more seasons, are you as excited as we are to see where things go with Leonard and Penny? What do you think about this North Pole craziness? Let us know in the comments below.

LEONARD AND PENNY RECONSIDER THEIR FEELINGS FOR ONE ANOTHER, ON THE SECOND SEASON FINALE OF “THE BIG BANG THEORY,” MONDAY, MAY 11

“The Monopolar Expedition” - Penny is conflicted when Leonard and his friends decide to spend the summer working - at the North Pole, on the second season finale of THE BIG BANG THEORY, Monday, May 11 (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

SERIES REGULARS:
Leonard…………………………….. Johnny Galecki
Sheldon………………………………….. Jim Parsons
Penny…………………………………… Kaley Cuoco
Wolowitz……………………………. Simon Helberg
Koothrappali………………………… Kunal Nayyar

GUEST STARS:
Mrs. Wolowitz……………………. Carol Ann Susi
Dr. Koothrappali……………………. Brian George
Mrs. Koothrappali……………………. Alice Amter

WRITTEN BY: Eric Kaplan & Richard Rosenstock
DIRECTED BY: Mark Cendrowski

Download “The Monopolar Expedition” Episode

Penny makes a surprising revelation about Leonard on her date with Stuart, on “The Big Bang Theory” Monday, May 4

“The Classified Materials Turbulance” - Things begin to look up for Leonard when Penny makes a surprising revelation on her second date with Stuart. Meanwhile, Wolowitz enlists his friends’ help when he discovers a critical design flaw in his project for NASA, on THE BIG BANG THEORY, Monday, May 4 (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

SERIES REGULARS:
Leonard…………………………….. Johnny Galecki
Sheldon………………………………….. Jim Parsons
Penny…………………………………… Kaley Cuoco
Wolowitz……………………………. Simon Helberg
Koothrappali………………………… Kunal Nayyar

GUEST STAR:
Stuart………………………………… Kevin Sussman

STORY BY: Chuck Lorre & Lee Arohnson
TELEPLAY BY: Bill Prady & Steven Molaro
DIRECTED BY: Mark Cendrowski

Watch “The Classified Materials Turbulance” Online