The Big Bang Theory TV Show

Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
How many here watched the Big Bang Theory show about Sheldon and his nerdy friends? There were many funny sketches, true. But there were a number of hidden shall we say Easter Eggs in the show.

For instance, in nearly every show they did, there was a laundry scene where the characters were washing clothes. Do you know where those clothes came from?

I will also give you an easy one. Amy's apartment number was 314. What is the significance of that number?

The gang loved Comicon shows. What comic series did they always use?

There are other easter eggs in the show. Please share the ones you remember?
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Comments

  • I think they watched Star Trek a lot. Was it next generation or was that the one Sheldon didn't like?

    Was Amy's apartment anything to di with Pi? It's the only thing I can think of.

    Cheery son and I love the episode when Leonard and Sheldon sneak in at night to clean Penny's apartment, but I am sure we never joined the dots about any easter eggs!!
  • ChastMastrChastMastr Shipmate
    I’ve actually seen very little of it. I’m assuming 314 is because of pi?
  • Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
    ChastMastr wrote: »
    I’ve actually seen very little of it. I’m assuming 314 is because of pi?

    Like I said, that was an easy one.
  • Elder Son and his nerdy, neurodiverse family used to watch it regularly some years ago, and in spite of them being obviouslykeen to see us leave after our lunchtime visits, I saw enough to get a bit hooked.
    Over the years since then I have watched random episodes of it, but not consistently enough to pick up any themes. Mr RoS does not understand any of it, and usually leaves the room if I put it on.
    I think I have seen most episodes, but not in chronological order, so have only patched it together slowly over several years. There may still be unseen episodes to come, which is what keeps me watching.
  • Don't watch it regularly now but it used to be my favourite show....bought a calendar and a massive poster etc! Never noticed these Easter Eggs though.
  • SignallerSignaller Shipmate
    Watched the whole thing in order after I retired, one show a day. Marvellous. But I don't know the answer to any of those questions.
  • EigonEigon Shipmate
    I haven't seen much of it, but I did like the bit where Sheldon is talking to an action figure of Mr Spock, who he calls Tiny Spock - voiced by Leonard Nimoy.
  • CaissaCaissa Shipmate
    We have been watching it for years. All of the males in the house can quote lengthy amounts of dialogue much to the chagrin of Ms. C. Our eldest son can easily perform Sheldon's monologue explaining rock, paper scissors, lizard, Spock. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Q6-wMx-K8
  • Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
    One point: it was actually a mirror of the show Friends only nerdy.
  • Many of the episodes have scenes with bits of physics written on whiteboards. That's all real. The show hired physicists as consultants to get it right, because they knew they had an army of viewers who would write in and complain if they spotted an error. "Superasymmetry" from the last season is made up, but just about all the other science mentioned in the show is correct.
  • North East QuineNorth East Quine Purgatory Host
    Mayim Bialik, the actor who plays Amy Farrah Fowler, has a PhD in neuroscience in real life.
  • Mayim Bialik, the actor who plays Amy Farrah Fowler, has a PhD in neuroscience in real life.

    I love knowing stuff like this!

    The programme itself is ok, I can take it or leave it, but very much here for ancillary facts.
  • In the UK it was heavily pushed terrestrially at a time when the competition included things like Fresh Meat, which I much prefer.

    But then I’m the UK generation/niche that prefers Coupling to Friends…
  • In the UK it was heavily pushed terrestrially at a time when the competition included things like Fresh Meat, which I much prefer.

    But then I’m the UK generation/niche that prefers Coupling to Friends…

    Coupling is a much underrated show.

    But Big Bang is brilliant.
  • The_RivThe_Riv Shipmate
    I've enjoyed this show every time I've caught an episode. Have never been a devotee, though.
  • Caissa wrote: »
    I don't recall that - so at least one new-to-me episode to look out for.
    Thank You!

  • chrisstileschrisstiles Hell Host
    In the UK it was heavily pushed terrestrially at a time when the competition included things like Fresh Meat, which I much prefer.

    But then I’m the UK generation/niche that prefers Coupling to Friends…

    Coupling is a much underrated show.

    I suspect it's aged really badly though.
  • In the UK it was heavily pushed terrestrially at a time when the competition included things like Fresh Meat, which I much prefer.

    But then I’m the UK generation/niche that prefers Coupling to Friends…

    Coupling is a much underrated show.

    I suspect it's aged really badly though.

    It has. I have all the DVDs and tried to introduce my partner to it a few years back....it was like watching a different show to the ine I remembered so fondly.
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    I was a huge BBT while it was on. Loved all the Star Trek references, and how Sheldon loved Spock/ Leonard Nimoy and couldn't stand Wesley Crusher/ Wil Wheaton.

    (My genius nephew didn't like it because he thought it was making fun of the scientists.)

    My daughter and I still sing Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty to her cats!
  • Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
    Answers to the three questions I raised.

    Amy's Apartment Number was 314, a reference to Pi.

    In the laundry scenes, the characters were washing the clothes from the previous episode

    The characters would wear costumes from DC Comics. When they went to Comicon meetings, they would dress up as members of the Justice League.

    Another set of questions:

    Why did Sheldon often wear the number 73 on his sweaters or shirts?

    Sheldon's last name was Cooper. It is a nod to a certain real physicist, Who is that and what did he develop?

    "Bazinga," was a favorite expression of Sheldon. What was he trying to convey with it?

    How did the cast eat when they were in Penny's apartment?



  • ChastMastrChastMastr Shipmate
    I can answer the last two: Sheldon was basically saying, "Ha! I win! I triumph over someone!"

    And, of course, they ate with their mouths. That one's easy!

    :wink:
  • I always imagine that Bazinga was something like Gotcha!

    Did anyone ever eat in Penny's apartment? I remember Bernadette and Amy visiting, but did they ever eat? I remember all the eating being at Sheldon and Leonard's apartment. I remember Amy and Raj organising celebrations, but were they held at their places? I can't remember now!

    I had wondered whether 73 is an atomic number and my friendly search engine tells me it corresponds to Tantalum, would that be the reason??
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    edited April 30
    ChastMastr wrote: »
    I can answer the last two: Sheldon was basically saying, "Ha! I win! I triumph over someone!"
    I always imagine that Bazinga was something like Gotcha!
    It’s actually neither of those things, though “Gotcha!” is closer. Sheldon, who particularly in earlier seasons had a hard time identifying when someone was being facetious or sarcastic, used “Bazinga!” to indicate that what he had said immediately prior to the “Bazinga!” was a joke.

    Young Sheldon, the prequel to The Big Bang Theory, explained that Sheldon saw a sign for the Bazinga Novelty Company in a comic book store. It had the slogan “If it’s funny, it’s a Bazinga!” Sheldon adopted the word as his signal that what he had just said should be taken as funny, facetious or sarcastic. So, it could mean “Gotcha!” in the sense of “you thought I was serious,” but not in the sense of “I win, you lose.”


  • Gramps49 wrote: »
    How did the cast eat when they were in Penny's apartment?
    Not quite sure what you mean. Are you asking about the seating arrangements when/if they were all eating together in Penny's apartment?
    Otherwise, in the episode I saw at lunchtime, Penny and Sheldon ate seated at a small dining table. Nothing remarkable about that, as far as i could tell.

  • Gramps49 wrote: »
    How did the cast eat when they were in Penny's apartment?
    Not quite sure what you mean. Are you asking about the seating arrangements when/if they were all eating together in Penny's apartment?
    Otherwise, in the episode I saw at lunchtime, Penny and Sheldon ate seated at a small dining table. Nothing remarkable about that, as far as i could tell.

    Maybe that's the point of difference....in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment they always eat on the sofa. No dining table in sight....?
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    How did the cast eat when they were in Penny's apartment?
    Not quite sure what you mean. Are you asking about the seating arrangements when/if they were all eating together in Penny's apartment?
    Otherwise, in the episode I saw at lunchtime, Penny and Sheldon ate seated at a small dining table. Nothing remarkable about that, as far as i could tell.
    Maybe that's the point of difference....in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment they always eat on the sofa. No dining table in sight....?
    There was one episode in season 7—“The Table Polarization”—where the gang, or at least some of the gang, wonder why they never eat at a table. Leonard buys one, but Sheldon doesn’t like change and ultimately gets his way.

    Meanwhile, the table in Penny’s apartment was only big enough for two people.

    Of course, simply eating Chinese takeout in the living room ended up being the last scene of the series.


  • North East QuineNorth East Quine Purgatory Host
    In that final scene, Penny is wearing the same top as she wore in the pilot episode.
  • KarlLBKarlLB Shipmate
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    One point: it was actually a mirror of the show Friends only nerdy.

    It differed though in actually being funny.
  • alienfromzogalienfromzog Shipmate
    KarlLB wrote: »
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    One point: it was actually a mirror of the show Friends only nerdy.

    It differed though in actually being funny.

    Here here!

    And I thought I was the only one.
  • ArethosemyfeetArethosemyfeet Shipmate, Heaven Host
    I found both of them had funny moments but the cringe outweighed the funny so I couldn't watch either of them extensively.
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    KarlLB wrote: »
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    One point: it was actually a mirror of the show Friends only nerdy.

    It differed though in actually being funny.
    A matter of opinion, of course. I found/find them both funny,

    That said, I think it’s an overstatement to say that The Big Band Theory was a “mirror” of Friends. They were both sitcoms with ensemble casts, and the characters were young adults at various stages relationship-wise. But I think it’s a stretch to call that a “mirror” rather than a standard sitcom set-up.

    The interesting thing about TBBT’s ensemble casts is how it grew over the course of the series, and not because of replacements due to death or people leaving the show (like, say, Cheers). New characters were introduced and became part of the main ensemble (Bernadette and Amy Farrah Fowler) or significant ancillaries to the main ensemble (Stuart).


  • CaissaCaissa Shipmate
    My oldest son loves Friends and TBBT.
  • Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
    Note: when they ate together in one of their apartments, they were always eating take out.

    The actor who played Sheldon was Jim Parsons. He was born in 1973. That would make him 52 years old this year.

    Bazinga came from a practical joke one of the crew members played on Parsons. Parsons just kept the expression as part of his character. It was a way of saying what had just happened was a joke.

    Next question: Did Leonard actually need eyeglasses?
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    Note: when they ate together in one of their apartments, they were always eating take out.
    Usually, but not always. Sheldon’s mother would cook for them when she came to visit, and there were at least one or two holiday meals in Amy Farrah Fowler’s apartment with homemade food. And Penny cooked for both Leonard and Sheldon at various times, including Sheldon’s favorite spaghetti with cut-up hotdogs.


  • CaissaCaissa Shipmate
    Leonard needed glasses; Johnny Galecki did not. There is the famous storyline where Stephanie Barnett convinced Leonard to get contacts.
  • Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
    edited May 2
    This was fun. Does anyone else want to get nerdy about a TV Series--or even a movie (my kids used to roll their eyes when I started seeing mistakes in a movie--like in the Oppenheimer movie, the stars and strips everyone was waving in the gym scene had more than 48 stars.)?
  • ChastMastrChastMastr Shipmate
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    This was fun. Does anyone else want to get nerdy about a TV Series--or even a movie (my kids used to roll their eyes when I started seeing mistakes in a movie--like in the Oppenheimer movie, the stars and strips everyone was waving in the gym scene had more than 48 stars.)?

    Nerdy is the essence of my being! But maybe its own thread?
  • CaissaCaissa Shipmate
    I made a mistake above. It was Priya that convinced Leonard to try contacts.
  • Gill HGill H Shipmate
    Like several others on this thread, I have watched some episodes but never followed heavily.

    Some parts haven’t aged well and sometimes it feels like the writers are punching down too much.

    I can’t get past Howard being so skeevy - he does improve but eww.

    I liked Amy when they weren’t making her entire character ‘desperate’.

    I found Young Sheldon much more enjoyable, thanks in no small part to the wonderful Annie Potts as Meemaw.
  • Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
    ChastMastr wrote: »
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    This was fun. Does anyone else want to get nerdy about a TV Series--or even a movie (my kids used to roll their eyes when I started seeing mistakes in a movie--like in the Oppenheimer movie, the stars and strips everyone was waving in the gym scene had more than 48 stars.)?

    Nerdy is the essence of my being! But maybe its own thread?

    Oh, I quite agree. This one has pretty well run its course.
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    Gill H wrote: »
    I can’t get past Howard being so skeevy - he does improve but eww.
    I think the writers recognized the need to dial Howard’s ick-factor way back, and they used the character of Bernadette to facilitate that.

    And yes, Annie Potts is wonderful. (Tangent: When my wife and I were in our late 20s, we took a trip to Hawaii and went to a luau. This was when Designing Women was on TV, and Annie Potts was also at the luau. I was one of three guys picked to go up on stage to dance, and as we started dancing, Annie Potts yelled “Show us your stuff, boys!” I cherish the memory of Annie Potts encouraging me to show her my stuff. :lol: )
    And I should revise something I said above:
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    The interesting thing about TBBT’s ensemble casts is how it grew over the course of the series, and not because of replacements due to death or people leaving the show (like, say, Cheers). New characters were introduced and became part of the main ensemble (Bernadette and Amy Farrah Fowler) or significant ancillaries to the main ensemble (Stuart).
    Cheers may not have been the best example. While Cheers did replace the character of Coach with Woody when Nicholas Colasanto died, and replaced Diane with Rebecca when Shelley Long left the show, the “added” characters of Frazier and, to a lesser extent, Lilith, became part of the main ensemble.

    Perhaps M*A*S*H would have been a better example, where Trapper John was replaced with B.J., Frank Burns was replaced with Charles Emerson Winchester, III, and Col. Blake was replaced with Col. Potter.


  • RoseofsharonRoseofsharon Shipmate
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    Gill H wrote: »
    I can’t get past Howard being so skeevy - he does improve but eww.
    I think the writers recognized the need to dial Howard’s ick-factor way back, and they used the character of Bernadette to facilitate that.

    Can't say it was much of an improvement.




  • AravisAravis Shipmate
    I’ve watched a lot of TBBT but not recently. I’ve just finished the final episode of Young Sheldon - a spin-off which worked a lot better than I was expecting. The child actors (particularly Sheldon’s sister Missy) are extremely talented and believable.
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    Agreed about Raegan Revord, who played Missy. And it was a nice touch that Zoe Perry, who played Sheldon’s mom, is the daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who played Sheldon’s mom on TBBT.


  • TelfordTelford Shipmate
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    One point: it was actually a mirror of the show Friends only nerdy.

    I loathed Friends. I loved Big Bang Theory.
  • I am a fan of Young Sheldon as well. I like that Jim Parsons voices the reflections of Young Sheldon and the child actors are great. I very much like the story art of Georgie and MeeMaw is such a great character too. I think the last two series have been absolutely wonderful.
  • Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
    edited May 4
    In Young Sheldon, Seldon always wore striped shirts, but in TBBT he usually wore DC comic and sci fi shirts. Why the difference? When Young Sheldon first realized he was hitting puberty (he had a pimple on his face), he was afraid of the future. Missy, though, encouraged him to face what was coming, and he started wearing the Flash shirt.

    Another nuance: A thing about the long sleeve t shirts Sheldon would wear under his short sleeve t shirt.

    Sheldon Cooper's color choices in his wardrobe are not random. In fact, they often reflect his mood and personality. Sheldon's most iconic look is a red Flash t-shirt, which is also his most common shirt. This is because he is often upset with having to deal with less intelligent people around him, and in the Green Lantern comics, the color red symbolizes anger.

    Sheldon also wears other colors, including orange, green, yellow, and blue. Green symbolizes courage, yellow symbolizes fear, and blue symbolizes hope. Sheldon's color choices are not limited to these primary colors, as he has also been seen wearing purple, grey, black, and white.
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    In Young Sheldon, Seldon always wore striped shirts, . . . .
    This isn’t accurate, @Gramps49. Sheldon did not “always” were striped shirts, even before he started wearing comic-related tee-shirts. He very often—perhaps more often than striped tee-shirts—wore plaid, collared shirts with a bow tie.

    Did you actually want to discuss The Big Bang Theory in this thread, Gramps, or did you just start the thread so you could provide the rest of us with information and quiz us? Because that seems to be all you’ve done, and I’m afraid a lot of the information you’ve provided isn’t accurate.


  • Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
    When I mentioned stripped shirts, I was thinking plaid but wrote the wrong word. Senior moment. Sorry about that.

    I had thought this thread would have been short lived, but it seemed to take on a life of its own, so I just thought I would add the comment about the shirts.

    Thing about Penny in TBBT was she took on the role of Missy for Sheldon. A number of times Sheldon would tell Penny she was like his sister. One scene I remember well was when Sheldon was getting frustrated because he could not figure out a formula for sting theory. Penny listened to his frustrations, then gave Sheldon a commonsense approach to how strings would cross over, loop around and get tangled. Sheldon suddenly saw a solution to his formulation.

    Whoops, didn't mean to do that.
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