While The Big Bang Theory was incredibly popular, the hit sitcom’s twelve seasons include a lot of great moments that even longtime fans forget about. The Big Bang Theory’s cast of characters had incredible chemistry and this made the show one of the most successful hang-out shows since Friends ended in 2004. While How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, and Happy Endings were critically acclaimed, The Big Bang Theory’s massive ratings prove that the sitcom was one of the genre’s most popular offerings in recent history. The Big Bang Theory’s finale alone commanded an audience of 18 million.
While The Big Bang Theory’s second spinoff, Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, will be hard-pressed to equal this success, The Big Bang Theory’s popularity doesn’t mean the show always got its flowers. The series was incredibly popular among viewers and, despite earning some mixed reviews early on, largely won over critics in its later seasons. However, a lot of The Big Bang Theory’s best moments were forgotten even by the show’s own fan base. These weren’t necessarily the flashiest cameos or the most impressively scripted scenes, but rather character beats that were particularly perfect for the show’s tone.
10. Amy & Howard’s Friendship Begins
Amy and Howard’s Shared Love Of Neil Diamond Was A Great Gag
In season 7, episode 3, “The Scavenger Vortex,” the gang annoys Raj by blowing off his murder mystery dinner. In response, Raj decides to plan an elaborate scavenger hunt for the gang, resulting in a handful of unlikely pairings as the friends work together to parse his clues. Since Howard is typically paired with Bernadette or Raj himself, it was a welcome surprise to see him and Sheldon’s girlfriend Amy working together in this episode. In a gag that leaned on the show’s fourth wall, Howard and Amy quickly realized they had never hung out together without the gang.
Howard’s friendship with Amy is one of the funniest encapsulations of the character’s appeal.
In a hilarious twist, Amy and Howard bonded over their love for Neil Diamond when Amy discovered he was a rare artist the pair both enjoyed. Howard’s Big Bang Theory character development was always one of the show’s more impressive character arcs, as season 1’s sleaze became a loving family man by the finale. However, his friendship with Amy is one of the funniest encapsulations of the character’s appeal. Seeing the typically uptight Amy blow off the scavenger hunt to sing Neil Diamond at karaoke was a funny surprise that offered a perfect conclusion to this silly subplot.
9. Sheldon Shows Leonard That They’re Not So Different
Sheldon Proved He Valued Leonard’s Friendship Too
Although Sheldon and Leonard were the best of friends, Leonard often resented the sacrifices he made for Sheldon. Despite how much he hated his best friend’s peculiar quirks and obstinate nature, Learned rarely confronted Sheldon about this early on in the series. As such, it was a welcome change of pace when Sheldon pointed out to Leonard that he had made compromises for their relationship too. Sheldon proved Leonard was wrong in the underrated season 8, episode 12, “The Space Probe Disintegration.” While Sheldon’s sacrifices were comically small, they still proved the friendship was more balanced than it appeared.
8. Sheldon Accidentally Proves Why Penny And Leonard Work
Penny and Leonard’s Incompatibility Proved An Unlikely Superpower
When Sheldon attempted to prove that he and Amy were objectively better suited to each other than Leonard and Penny, he accidentally ended up doing the opposite. Season 8, episode 3, “The First Pitch Insufficiency,” saw Sheldon claim that Amy and him were more compatible than Leonard and Penny, a fact that led him to conclude they were a better match. While Sheldon was right about the former claim, he was completely wrong about the latter. Penny and Leonard’s main strength was their differences, as the pair managed to fall for each other even though they seemingly had little in common.
Sheldon and Amy’s intense compatibility meant that Sheldon’s love interest slotted into his existing routine.
Leonard and Penny spent years working out how to make each other happy precisely because they never took each other for granted. Leonard and Penny were The Big Bang Theory’s better couple because, in contrast, Sheldon was comfortable coasting in his relationship with Amy. Sheldon and Amy’s intense compatibility meant that Sheldon’s love interest slotted into his existing routine, meaning he didn’t need to change or grow in the early years of their relationship. Although he eventually did undergo some character growth, this character change was made possible because of the difference in their outlooks, not their similarity.
