Summary
WhileThe Big Bang Theorywas incredibly popular, the hit sitcom’s twelve seasons include a lot of great moments that even longtime fans forget about.The Big Bang Theory’s cast of charactershad incredible chemistry and this made the show one of the most successful hang-out shows sinceFriendsended in 2004. WhileHow I Met Your Mother,New Girl, andHappy Endingswere critically acclaimed,The Big Bang Theory’s massive ratings prove that the sitcom was one of the genre’s most popular offerings in recent history.The Big Bang Theory’s finalealone commanded an audience of 18 million.
WhileThe Big Bang Theory’s second spinoff,Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, will be hard-pressed to equal this success,The Big Bang Theory’s popularity doesn’t mean the show always got its flowers. The series was incredibly popular among viewers and, despite earning some mixed reviews early on, largely won over critics in its later seasons. However, a lot ofThe Big Bang Theory’s best moments were forgotten even by the show’s own fan base. These weren’t necessarily the flashiest cameos or the most impressively scripted scenes, but rather character beats that were particularly perfect for the show’s tone.
The Big Bang Theory’s Slow Spinoff Show Development Is Secretly Great News
The Big Bang Theory’s next spinoff is only in “Pre-natal” development according to Chuck Lorre, but this is secretly great news for the hit sitcom.
10Amy & Howard’s Friendship Begins
Amy and Howard’s Shared Love Of Neil Diamond Was A Great Gag
In season 7, episode 3, “The Scavenger Vortex,” the gang annoys Raj by blowing off his murder mystery dinner. In response, Raj decides to plan an elaborate scavenger hunt for the gang, resulting in a handful of unlikely pairings as the friends work together to parse his clues. Since Howard is typically paired with Bernadette or Raj himself, it was a welcome surprise to see him and Sheldon’s girlfriend Amy working together in this episode. In a gag that leaned on the show’s fourth wall, Howard and Amy quickly realized they had never hung out together without the gang.
Howard’s friendship with Amy is one of the funniest encapsulations of the character’s appeal.
In a hilarious twist,Amy and Howard bonded over their love for Neil Diamondwhen Amy discovered he was a rare artist the pair both enjoyed.Howard’sBig Bang Theorycharacterdevelopment was always one of the show’s more impressive character arcs, as season 1’s sleaze became a loving family man by the finale. However, his friendship with Amy is one of the funniest encapsulations of the character’s appeal. Seeing the typically uptight Amy blow off the scavenger hunt to sing Neil Diamond at karaoke was a funny surprise that offered a perfect conclusion to this silly subplot.
9Sheldon Shows Leonard That They’re Not So Different
Sheldon Proved He Valued Leonard’s Friendship Too
Although Sheldon and Leonard were the best of friends,Leonard often resented the sacrifices he made for Sheldon. Despite how much he hated his best friend’s peculiar quirks and obstinate nature, Learned rarely confronted Sheldon about this early on in the series. As such, it was a welcome change of pace when Sheldon pointed out to Leonard that he had made compromises for their relationship too.Sheldon proved Leonard was wrongin the underrated season 8, episode 12, “The Space Probe Disintegration.” While Sheldon’s sacrifices were comically small, they still proved the friendship was more balanced than it appeared.
8Sheldon Accidentally Proves Why Penny And Leonard Work
Penny and Leonard’s Incompatibility Proved An Unlikely Superpower
When Sheldon attempted to prove that he and Amy were objectively better suited to each other than Leonard and Penny, he accidentally ended up doing the opposite. Season 8, episode 3, “The First Pitch Insufficiency,” saw Sheldon claim that Amy and him were more compatible than Leonard and Penny, a fact that led him to conclude they were a better match. While Sheldon was right about the former claim, he was completely wrong about the latter.Penny and Leonard’s main strength was their differences, as the pair managed to fall for each other even though they seemingly had little in common.
Sheldon and Amy’s intense compatibility meant that Sheldon’s love interest slotted into his existing routine.
Leonard and Penny spent years working out how to make each other happy precisely because they never took each other for granted.Leonard and Penny wereThe Big Bang Theory’s better couplebecause, in contrast, Sheldon was comfortable coasting in his relationship with Amy. Sheldon and Amy’s intense compatibility meant that Sheldon’s love interest slotted into his existing routine, meaning he didn’t need to change or grow in the early years of their relationship. Although he eventually did undergo some character growth, this character change was made possible because of the difference in their outlooks, not their similarity.
7Mary (Accidentally) Makes Sheldon Move Out Again
The Big Bang Theory Established A Perfect Dynamic In This Early Outing
Season 3, episode 1, “The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation,” marked a pivotal point in Leonard and Penny’s relationship as Leonard returned from his Arctic expedition and the duo began dating. As such, it is easy for viewers to miss Mary and Sheldon’s best exchange in this outing. However, well beforeYoung Sheldon’s version of Maryfleshed out the character’s backstory,this episode perfectly epitomized Sheldon’s relationship with his mother. When Sheldon sternly noted that evolution wasn’t an opinion but rather a fact, and Mary replied just as sternly that this was his opinion, this set the scene for years of hilarious conflict.
6Sheldon Reveals His Fortress of Shame
The Big Bang Theory Hero’s Secret Hoarding Was A Perfect Character Detail
The later seasons of the series are sometimes seen as lesser outings but some truly classic episodes are hidden in these admittedly uneven outings. Season 9, episode 19, “The Solder Excursion Diversion,” featured a Sheldon character detail that was equal parts poignant and funny. When Amy bought Sheldon a new laptop, she was shocked to discover that her famously fastidious love interest had a secret hoarding problem. Sheldon’s “Fortress of Shame” was a surprise, but it had been perfectly foreshadowed in earlier episodes. As such, the detail felt both believable and unexpected at the same time.
5Stephen Hawking Trolls Sheldon And Leonard
This Reveal Was Hawking’s Funniest Big Bang Theory Cameo
In season 8, episode 14, “The Troll Manifestation,” Sheldon and Leonard become incensed and obsessed when an online troll mocks their latest publication. AlthoughThe Big Bang Theory’s next spinoffmight bring back the original show’s penchant for cameos from the world of science, it would be hard to outdo this outing’s climactic reveal.The revelation that Stephen Hawking was the one trolling Leonard and Sheldon humanized the scientist, proving the late physicist had a sense of humor as well as his renowned intellect. Hawking appeared in the series numerous times, but this goofy villain role was his most underrated cameo.
Many viewers forget that Billy Bob Thornton ever even appeared inThe Big Bang Theory.
4Billy Bob Thornton Explains Why The Gang Needed Penny
Sheldon and Leonard Could Have Been Like Thornton’s Character
On the topic of underrated celebrity cameos, many viewers forget that Billy Bob Thornton ever even appeared inThe Big Bang Theory. To be fair, this might be because the charismatic actor played aggressively against type in his one-episode appearance. In season 8, episode 7, “The Misinterpretation Agitation,” Thornton’s awkward, entitled Dr. Lorvis tries to woo Penny despite her disinterest. This appearance made the episode an underrated classic, as Thornton’s character proved just how much Penny helpedThe Big Bang Theorygang. Without her advice, they could all have ended up as clueless and romantically inept as Lorvis.
3Penny Helps Sheldon Make A Breakthrough
Penny Helped Sheldon Reconnect With His “Rebound” Dark Matter
WhileThe Big Bang Theory’s spinoffYoung Sheldonproved viewers wanted more from Sheldon, the series was never able to replicate his best relationship from the original show. Penny and Sheldon’s friendship was unique among the gang since the pair had so little in common and learned so much from each other. This was best captured in season 11, episode 13, “The Solo Oscillation.” There,Penny helped Sheldon solve string theory while the pair hung out, and she likened his psychics work to an ex. This unlikely source of inspiration proved the duo’s dissimilarities made them a perfect pair.
2"Please Don’t Hurt My Friend”
Sheldon’s Conversation With Penny Was Surprisingly Sweet
In season 6, episode 2, “The Decoupling Fluctuation,” Penny questioned whether her relationship with Leonard was the best thing for the pair. Infamously averse to change, Sheldon thought nothing of entering Penny’s bedroom while she was sleeping to warn her against the breakup. He pointed out that it would inconvenience him since he hates change, only to be shut down by Penny. In one of the show’s most underrated moving moments,Sheldon changed tack by simply asking Penny not to hurt his friend.It was a straightforward, sincere, and unexpectedly poignant moment between the two mismatched friends.
1Sheldon Tells Penny His Birthday
Sheldon Made His Friendship With Penny Closer
AlthoughThe Big Bang Theory’s Leonardwas central to the show’s success, some of the show’s most underrated moments prove its best relationship was platonic.Penny and Sheldon wereThe Big Bang Theory’s best character pairing, as evidenced in season 8, episode 16, “The Intimacy Acceleration,” When Penny and Sheldon attempted a test designed to make two people fall in love, romantic sparks failed to materialize between them. However, Sheldon did blithely reveal his birthday to Penny, something he never told Amy or Leonard before. In this underrated moment,The Big Bang Theory’s antihero finally began to open up.
The seeds of Sheldon’s Nobel acceptance speech were sown back in this season 8 interaction.
It would be numerous seasons before Sheldon thanked his friends and family, admitting that he owed all his success to them, in the show’s finale. However, the seeds of Sheldon’s Nobel acceptance speech were sown back in this season 8 interaction. Much like Sheldon could be unexpectedly generous to Penny when it came to gifts and money in earlier outings, here, his honesty was a gift she didn’t expect and was thankful to receive.The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon was a character with very obvious flaws, but this underrated episode proved that the right friendship could make him and Penny better people over time.
