Don't be afraid to get some smart on you. For those who don't run with the geek pack, watching CBS' Monday-night comedy The Big Bang Theory (9:30 p.m. EST) can cause occasional head-scratching, due to the rampant sci-fi (or sci-fact) references. Since the show features four genius-level dudes (and one very hot, sweet young lady), any given episode features spouting off about everything from sperm donation to Lord of the Rings to comic books to String Theory, usually in highly technical terms.
But the show's hilarious, especially if you knew a similar science nerd (or snerd) in high school or college. Currently in its third season (and racking up some impressive ratings), Big Bang might seem difficult to jump right into, so we distilled the show's three seasons into this handy translator to help you get caught up and spot the recurring geek-centric themes, moments and jokes.
The day jobs
Main characters Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon Helberg) all work as scientists at Pasadena's Caltech university. The show even employs scientific consultants to make sure all of the science on the show is correct (even the stuff on the boards in the backgrounds).
The big words in the episode titles
The title of every episode is a play on some kind of legitimate scientific term, but tweaked to reflect the ep, like last week's "The Cornhusker Vortex," which refers to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the college football team that hottie Penny (Kaley Cuoco) roots for.
The background toys n' comics
You'll notice all kinds of geeky items like comic books, action figures, video games, toys and other paraphernalia in the guys' apartments. Leonard and Sheldon have the DC Comics character Firestorm (you may remember him from latter-day Super Friends episodes) and other action figures on the shelf behind their couch, while Sheldon has a rotating series of comic books framed in his bedroom, not to mention crates of comics and even trade paperbacks on the shelf near his bed. Raj has a red Robosapien in his room. He's a dancing robot toy that was really popular a few years back. You can buy your own here.
Opposites attract
You might be scratching your head at why a stunner like Penny is with a geek like Leonard, but it's been a long time coming. They met in the very first episode and, like any red-blooded male worth his salt, Leonard fell for her. He tried unsuccessfully to get with her throughout the first season until they finally kissed and went on a date. After a quick break-up in the second season, Penny realized she was into our nerdy hero right before he and the rest of the guys headed off to the North Pole for a Caltech experiment. They've been dating throughout the current season, much to the delight of every nerd on the planet.
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Roseanne rollover
Fans of Roseanne will of course recognize Johnny Galecki (remember comic nerd David? Man, Galecki's really branching out), but other Roseanne alums have appeared a few times. Sara Gilbert (Darlene) pops up frequently as a fellow brilliant scientist, Sheldon's nemesis and Leonard's former girlfriend Leslie Winkle. And Laurie Metcalf (Jackie) plays Sheldon's mom, Mary. Hopefully John Goodman will show up, eventually...hell, we'd even be happy to see Sandra Bernhard!
The deal with "bazinga"
Not content to master theoretical physics and a myriad of other subjects, Sheldon has also invented a word and catchphrase in the form of "bazinga." He says it dryly after making one of his "trademark practical jokes." It's even made its way onto Urban Dictionary.
Sheldon's shirts
All the guys have sported their fair share of geeky apparel. Sheldon and Leonard often sport T-shirts with scientific concepts and comic book or TV characters on them. Howard likes to sport geeky belt buckles. You can scope many of them out at SheldonShirts.com, with links on where to buy them.
The Wil Wheaton connection
Season Two gave us our first glimpse of the often-talked about comic book shop the guys frequent. The store looks authentic but lacks any Marvel characters (c'mon Marvel, throw a Spidey statue their way!), sporting mostly DC and Dark Horse comics, posters and paraphernalia. The shop even hosted a made-up collectible card game tournament that pitted Sheldon and Raj against the comic shop employee Stuart and Star Trek: The Next Generation star (and Internet demigod) Wil Wheton.
Sci-fi hottie invasion
Wheton hasn't been the only celebrity visitor to the world of Big Bang Theory. In the Season 2 episode "The Terminator Decoupling," Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles and current Dollhouse co-star Summer Glau had to deal with the guys' pick-up lines while on the same train. Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff is also slated for an episode on Nov. 25th that will put her in Howard's lecherous sights.
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Halo Night
The guys often get together for Halo Night (presumably Halo 3), like hundreds of thousands of people all over the world still playing that game every night. They also play various other real and fictional computer, video, card and board games. Constantly. But it's funny.
Mr. OCD
Sheldon's neuroses aren't limited to just limited social skills. He also eats the same food on the same days, sits in a specific place in every room he frequents and freaks out if any of his many schedules get interrupted.
Rough-and-tumble geniuses
Neither Sheldon nor Leonard had the greatest childhoods. Sheldon was a genius born in Texas who had to deal with a football-obsessed community who didn't understand his brilliance, which probably helped propel him into college at the age of 11. Meanwhile, Leonard's mother, also a scientist, refused to celebrate his birthday because she didn't consider them actual accomplishments.
Penny can get her geek on
While Penny tends to not get sucked in to the guys' geekery, every now and then she acquiesces. In the first season's "The Dumpling Paradox" she kicks Sheldon's ass in Halo 3, and in the second season's "The Barbarian Sublimation" she gets hooked on the online roleplaying game Age of Conan (it's real), going by the name "Queen Penelope."
The "Penny" knocking
Sheldon's repeated "Penny," knock, knock, knock, "Penny" knock, knock, knock, "Penny" knock, knock, knock, is a running gag going back at least a season and probably more. We've even seen it done with a computer when Sheldon couldn't talk.
The Battlestar toaster
In last week's episode "The Cornhusker Vortex," when Leonard comes out in his generic-looking football jersey before heading over to watch the Nebraska game with Penny and her friends, Sheldon is making Cylon toast. Even most non-nerds know that Cylons are killer robots from the science-fiction TV show Battlestar Galactica. This toaster really does exist, it was an exclusive product available at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2009 from NBC (the company that owns Sci-Fi Channel, now SyFy). What you don't see in the episode is that one side of the toast has the Cylon head, while the other sports the popular made-up profanity "Frak off!"
The Batman cookie jar
You can see a Batman jar behind Sheldon while he's making toast. Leonard bought it for Sheldon in the first-season episode "The Bat Jar Conjecture" as a way to soften the blow of telling Sheldon he had been kicked off the Physics Bowl team. From what I hear, it's always stocked with cookies on the set.
Comic Guy crushes die hard
In last night's episode "The Guitarist Amplification," we see the very first encounter between Stuart - the guy who runs the comic shop - and Penny since they briefly dated in the second season episodes "The Hofstadter Isotope" and "The Classified Materials Turbulence." Soon after the latter episode, Penny realized she was into Leonard. It seems that Stuart has had a harder time getting over her than she did him. Just read some Green Lantern, dude.
Not all that Shel-tered
While we've seen hints of Sheldon's odd childhood, we've never seen him get so upset about people fighting like he did last night. We assumed he had things rough because he's a gigantic nerd and not all that nice a person, but it turns out his mom and dad had their fair share of drop-down, drag-out screaming matches that lead to his dad skeet-shooting his wife's collectible plates.