Home

 › 

Entertainment

 › 

The 25 Best Episodes of ‘The Big Bang Theory’

The 25 Best Episodes of ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Published: by

“The Big Bang Theory” first made its way into our hearts (and our living rooms) when the pilot episode aired on September 24, 2007. This sitcom went on to run for 14 years, earning numerous awards in its time on TV.

The series begins when life takes a turn for two physicists, Leonard and Sheldon as a girl (Penny) moves in next door. Throughout each episode, we watch the two scientists, along with their friends, an aerospace engineer named Howard and an astrophysicist named Raj, process life outside their classrooms and laboratories.

Throughout the seasons of the show, we watch a love story develop between Leonard and Penny. Additionally, new characters are added when Howard meets Bernadette, his future wife, and Sheldon is matched on a dating site with neuroscientist, Amy Farrah Fowler. Each character brings their own unique personality to this unlikely group of friends.

This sitcom was brought to life by Chuck Lorre (who’s also known for “Two and a Half Men”) and Bill Prady. “The Big Bang Theory” went on to receive 10 Primetime Emmy awards during its time on the air as well. It also received 69 other wins and was nominated for a total of 254 awards throughout its 12 seasons.

While each episode below generally builds on the one before it, you can still jump in at any time and find comedic relief from the quick-witted characters and storyline. Additionally, the show’s finale which aired in May of 2019 and is ranked below, is known as one of the greatest TV finales of all time.

To determine the best episodes of The Big Bang Theory, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience reception from IMDb. Episodes were ranked based on average IMDb user rating as of March 2024. In the case of a tie, the episode with the greater number of audience ratings was ranked higher. (Here is a list of the best new comedies you can watch right now.)

25. The Gorilla Experiment (Season 3, Episode 10)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,145

24. The Precious Fragmentation (Season 3, Episode 17)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,148

23. The Einstein Approximation (Season 3, Episode 14)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,219

22. The Long Distance Dissonance (Season 10, Episode 24)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 3,429

21. The Roommate Transmogrification (Season 4, Episode 24)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 3,897

20. The Countdown Reflection (Season 5, Episode 24)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 3,987

19. The Hawking Excitation (Season 5, Episode 21)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,136

18. The Vegas Renormalization (Season 2, Episode 21)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,327

17. The Good Guy Fluctuation (Season 5, Episode 7)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,426

16. The Tangerine Factor (Season 1, Episode 17)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,749

15. The Lunar Excitation (Season 3, Episode 23)

The Big Bang Theory | Simon Helberg, Melissa Rauch, and Kunal Nayyar in The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Source: Courtesy of CBS

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,164

14. The Justice League Recombination (Season 4, Episode 11)

The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019) | Christine Baranski and Kaley Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Source: Courtesy of CBS

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,289

13. The Panty Pinata Polarization (Season 2, Episode 7)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,712

12. The Robotic Manipulation (Season 4, Episode 1)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,635

11. The Scavenger Vortex (Season 7, Episode 3)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,658

10. The Barbarian Sublimation (Season 2, Episode 3)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,968

9. The Thanksgiving Decoupling (Season 7, Episode 9)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,755

8. The Maternal Capacitance (Season 2, Episode 15)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,928

7. The Adhesive Duck Deficiency (Season 3, Episode 8)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 5,483

6. The Bow Tie Asymmetry (Season 11, Episode 24)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 4,166

5. The Change Constant (Season 12, Episode 23)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 5,001

4. The Staircase Implementation (Season 3, Episode 22)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 5,296

3. The Opening Night Excitation (Season 9, Episode 11)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 5,317

2. The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis (Season 2, Episode 11)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

  • IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 6,916

1. The Stockholm Syndrome (Season 12, Episode 24)

The Big Bang Theory, "The Stockholm Syndrome" | Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Source: Courtesy of CBS

N/A

  •  IMDb user rating: 9.5/10
  • IMDb user reviews: 10,417
To top