The Big Bang Theory Turns 15: The 20 Best Episodes To Stream On HBO Max
In honor of The Big Bang Theory's 15th anniversary, TVLine this week is revisiting network television's longest-running sitcom — beginning with the 20 best episodes.
Trust us when we say that compiling the following list was no easy task. There were, after all, a whopping 279 (!) installments from which to choose. That means that the following picks represent less than eight percent of all episodes aired — so be prepared to see some of your favorites excluded.
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We should also note that the following episodes are not ranked; the half-hours we chose are listed in original airdate order — and all are available to stream on HBO Max (sign up here).
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As you'll see, the following list strays from any one type of episode. What you'll find is an eclectic bunch focused on different fan-favorite pairings, including Leonard and Penny, Sheldon and Amy, and Penny and Sheldon. There's also a wedding, a trip to the emergency room, a Nobel Prize acceptance speech and an unforgettable holiday gift exchange.
Keep scrolling to see which episodes made the cut, then hit the comments and tell us if you agree (or disagree) with our choices.
'The Big Bran Hypothesis'
Season 1, Episode 2
Original Airdate: Oct. 1, 2007
The one where... obsessive-compulsive Sheldon convinces Leonard to help him clean Penny's apartment while she's asleep. The episode establishes Sheldon's difficulty detecting sarcasm.
'The Peanut Reaction'
Season 1, Episode 16
Original Airdate: May 12, 2008
The one where... Penny attempts to throw Leonard a surprise birthday party but gets sidetracked by Sheldon; Howard relies on a peanut allergy to keep Leonard out of the apartment.
'The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis'
Season 2, Episode 11
Original airdate: Dec. 15, 2008
The one where... Penny gifts Sheldon a napkin with Leonard Nimoy's DNA. He reciprocates with an unforgettable hug.
'The Maternal Capacitance'
Season 2, Episode 15
Original airdate: Feb. 9, 2009
The one where... Leonard and Penny get drunk and fool around after a disastrous visit from Leonard's mother. The episode marks Christine Baranski's first appearance as Beverly.
'The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary'
Season 3, Episode 5
Original airdate: Oct. 19, 2009
The one where... Sheldon goes head to head with Wil Wheaton in a Mystic Warlords of Ka'a tournament; Penny sets up Howard with microbiologist (and fellow Cheesecake Factory waitress) Bernadette.
'The Adhesive Duck Deficiency'
Season 3, Episode 8
Original airdate: Nov. 16, 2009
The one where... Sheldon escorts Penny to the emergency room after she dislocates her shoulder in the shower; Leonard, Howard and Raj accidentally get stoned in the desert.
'The Einstein Approximation'
Season 3, Episode 14
Original airdate: Feb. 21, 2010
The one where... a sleep-deprived Sheldon drives himself mad trying to figure out the answer to a physics problem. He winds up building carbon atoms in a children's ball pit.
'The 21-Second Excitation'
Season 4, Episode 8
Original Airdate: Nov. 11, 2010
The one where... the guys camp in line for a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark (featuring 21 seconds of never-before-seen footage!); Penny has Amy and Bernadette over for their very first girls' night.
'The Recombination Hypothesis'
Season 5, Episode 13 (100th episode)
Original Airdate: Jan. 19, 2012
The one where... Leonard offers Penny a spur-of-the-moment invitation to a romantic dinner for two, marking the unofficial reunification of the series' original central couple.
'The Werewolf Transformation'
Season 5, Episode 18
Original Airdate: Feb. 23, 2012
The one where... Sheldon's life is turned upside down after his barber gets sick (see: bongos). If only he had access to his haircut records...
'The Closet Reconfiguration'
Season 6, Episode 19
Original airdate: March 14, 2013
The one where... Howard considers whether or not he should open a letter from his estranged father. In the end, his friends detail six potential versions of the letter, without revealing which version is the real one.
'The Proton Resurgence'
Season 6, Episode 22
Original Airdate: May 2, 2013
The one where... recurring guest star Bob Newhart makes his debut as the host of Leonard and Sheldon's favorite childhood TV show, Professor Proton.
'The Love Spell Potential'
Season 6, Episode 23
Original airdate: May 9, 2013
The one where... the ladies join the guys for a night of Dungeons & Dragons; Sheldon and Amy get "intimate."
'The Scavenger Vortex'
Season 7, Episode 3
Original Airdate: Oct. 3, 2013
The one where... Raj devises a scavenger hunt for the entire gang, which brings out the best (and worst) in everyone. The episode features some rare character pairings, including Leonard and Bernadette, and Neil Diamond superfans Howard and Amy.
'The Convention Conundrum'
Season 7, Episode 14
Original Airdate: Jan. 30, 2014
The one where... Sheldon tries to start his own Comic Con and spends a wild night with Darth Vader himself, James Earl Jones. Fellow Star Wars vet Carrie Fisher also makes an amusing cameo during a game of Ding-Dong Ditch.
'The Prom Equivalency'
Season 8, Episode 8
Original Airdate: Nov. 6, 2014
The one where... the gang throws their very own prom on the roof; Sheldon tells Amy that he loves her for the first time.
'The Opening Night Excitation'
Season 9, Episode 11
Original airdate: Dec. 17, 2015
The one where... Sheldon skips out on Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens to be with Amy on her birthday; the recently reunited couple has coitus for the first time.
'The Birthday Synchronicity'
Season 10, Episode 11
Original Airdate: Dec. 15, 2016
The one where... Bernadette gives birth to Halley, who sounds an awful lot like Mrs. Wolowitz when she cries.
'The Bow Tie Asymmetry'
Season 11, Episode 24
Original airdate: May 10, 2018
The one where... Sheldon and Amy get married in front of their friends and family, in a ceremony officiated by Mark Hamill; the couple reaches a scientific breakthrough in Amy's dressing room.
'The Stockholm Syndrome'
Season 12, Episode 24 (series finale)
Original airdate: May 16, 2019
The one where... Sheldon and Amy win a Nobel Prize in physics for their theory of super asymmetry; Sheldon uses his acceptance speech to pay tribute to his chosen family.