The Big Bang Theory fans are a force of nature. When it comes to having over 270 episodes in the span of 12 seasons, fans are bound to have their favorites (and least favorites). According to IMDb, fans have rated every episode from season 1 all the way to season 12 using a star rating. The first episode of the iconic series received an 8.3-star rating, and the series continued to get better.
With the help of Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Howard, Raj, Amy, and Bernadette, The Big Bang Theory has been nominated for countless awards and made these stars big names in Hollywood. But what are the best Big Bang Theory episodes?
Updated on January 4th, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs: When it comes to the best Big Bang Theory episodes, fans are ionate about rewatching and sharing their love for it on sites like IMDb. The best TBBT episodes are rated highly due to the storylines or big moments shared. After 12 seasons, there's a lot of episodes for fans to comb through, but the funniest Big Bang Theory episodes stand out among the rest. For fans who looking to rewatch a few episodes instead of the entire series, checking out the highest-rated episodes on IMDb is a great start.
The Roommate Transmogrification - 8.6
The final episode of season 4, 'The Roommate Transmogrification,' saw Raj and Leonard swapping places so that Leonard can spend more time with Priya in Raj's apartment. Meanwhile, Bernadette gets her Ph.D., resulting in the group ridiculing Howard for being the only non-doctor.
Howard struggles with the fact his girlfriend has become the breadwinner and now earns more money than him. After a night of drinking in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment, Raj and Penny wake up to find themselves in the same bed after apparently hooking up. It was one of the worst things Raj and Penny had done. It wasn't until the following episode that fans found out they didn't actually sleep together. Due to the drama between Penny, Leonard, and now Raj, this was a high-rating episode.
Lunar Excitation - 8.6
Fans couldn't help but rate 'The Lunar Excitation' highly because it was the first time fans saw Sheldon entertain a romantic relationship. In the episode, Raj and Howard searched the Internet to see if they could find Sheldon's dream woman. Lo and behold, they found Amy Farrah Fowler. Amy and Sheldon's first interaction was hilarious because they were far more alike than different.
Meanwhile, Leonard is sorting his feelings after a drunken Penny seduced him in the middle of the night. Considering they were broken up, he wondered what their one-night-stand meant to her. Between Leonard and Penny's confusion and Sheldon and Amy's blossoming friendship, it's no wonder why fans have ranked it as one of the best Big Bang Theory episodes.
The Countdown Reflection - 8.6
The season 5 finale saw the much-anticipated wedding of Bernadette and Howard, but the episode is styled with flashbacks as Howard prepares to shoot off into space. In the flashbacks, fans see his wedding to Bernadette and the events leading up to it.
After Bernadette decides that she wants to marry Howard before he goes to space, the group rushes around to make sure the couple has the best impromptu wedding possible. The episode ends with a touching moment of the gang all holding hands while they watch Howard's rocket take off on TV, meanwhile, it cuts to Howard screaming as he ascends into space. Between Howard & Bernadette's wedding and Howard's space expedition, Howard was the main character of season 5's ending.
The Justice League Recombination - 8.7
In season 4's 'The Justice League Recombination,' the guys prepared for a costume contest at the comic book store for New Year's Eve. At this time, Penny was dating Zack but was having second thoughts the more she stayed friends with Leonard. It was clear that she still had feelings for him and was sad he was moving on with life.
Zack somehow invited himself and Penny to the party and Penny wasn't too thrilled about going because of her wavering feelings. Everyone else, however, had a fantastic time at the party because they won the contest! Seeing everyone dressed up, paired with Penny's confusion, making this a great episode at the comic book store.
The Panty Piñata Polarization - 8.7
In the second season, 'The Panty Piñata Polarization' showed Penny and Sheldon going head-to-head. After Penny reaches for one of Sheldon's onion rings, he grows distraught and was fed up with her barging into his life and stealing his food and Wi-fi.
He gives her three strikes and bans her from coming into his home again. From there, the two do everything they can to interfere with each other's lives, while Howard and Raj are busy trying to break into the Penny and Sheldon had one of the best friendships in the series, so this tit-for-tat nonsense they pulled was entertaining to watch.
The Robotic Manipulation - 8.8
Season 4's premiere, 'The Robotic Manipulation,' was a great episode, earning an 8.8. In this hilarious episode, Sheldon and Amy's relationship timeline began when they went on their first date goes on his first date. Penny tags along to make sure they even knew what a date is.
Back home, fans find Howard in a pickle as he used a robotic hand to satisfy himself and the robotic hand got stuck. In a ton of pain, Howard calls his friends to help out, and they ended up taking him to the hospital to find relief. The sheer hilarity of both storylines made this a popular episode with fans.
The Scavenger Vortex - 8.8
The third episode of season 7 was titled 'The Scavenger Vortex' and follows the group as they finally give in to one of Raj's activities. After giving up on his planned murder mystery evening, Raj instead plans a scavenger hunt and paired everyone in teams of two.
After some initial tension of who would be teamed up with who, teams are chosen by the drawing of straws, resulting in some unusual pairings. The unlikely duo of Howard and Amy bond over their love of Neil Diamond, while Leonard gets to see the more competitive side of Bernadette. Bernadette's competitive edge showed that she wasn't as close of friends Raj and co. as she may have thought. Meanwhile, Sheldon and Penny work together, with Penny aiming to prove that she's not as stupid as the rest think. The awkward duos are what made this episode a standout as one of the all-time best Big Bang Theory episodes.
The Barbarian Sublimation - 8.8
As the third episode in season 2, 'The Barbarian Sublimation' deserved a higher rating strictly based on Penny's change of lifestyle. In this episode, Penny is introduced to the world of online gaming, where she becomes so obsessed that she forgets to go to work, shower, and even date.
Since Sheldon is the person who got her into the world of online gaming, he tries his best to break her out of the spell by setting her up on a date. This, of course, doesn't work because Penny was too far gone, she even had Cheetos in her hair. Penny's quick understanding of the game flipped the dynamic of the show to great effect and helped make this one of the funniest Big Bang Theory episodes ever for fans.
The Maternal Capacitance - 8.9
Season 2 gave viewers the absolute gem of an episode titled 'The Maternal Capacitance' where fans were finally introduced to Leonard's mother, Beverly Hofstadter. As a psychiatrist, Beverly analyzes everyone in the episode and it drives many of the characters crazy, giving Penny and Leonard the opportunity to bond over common ground, and a few drinks, and get a little close under the sheets.
Sheldon, on the other hand, finds Beverly delightful and both he and Leonard's mother do their own bonding during her stay. Their bond, however, didn't hide the fact that Beverly was the worst in Leonard's eyes. Beverly's introduction added a unique dynamic to the group, hence the high rating.
The Thanksgiving Decoupling - 8.9
In this episode, the gang decides to have Thanksgiving at Mrs. Wolowitz's house. What was supposed to be a big day of eating and fun turns into a bloodbath after Leonard finds out Penny was unknowingly legally married to her ex-boyfriend Zack for years.
Penny explains the blunder by insisting that getting married in Las Vegas is a "joke," but everyone assures her those marriages are, in fact, real. Stunned, Penny invites Zack to Thanksgiving dinner while Leonard is too busy shading the entire situation, making Penny mad at him even more. Fans couldn't help but think maybe Penny should date someone else if Leonard was going to be that resentful. This realization was highly rated because it threw a curveball at Leonard and Penny's relationship.