Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
The Big Bang Theory Season 9 Episodes
Season 9 Episode Guide
24 Episodes 2015 - 2016
Episode 1
The Matrimonial Momentum
Mon, Sep 21, 201520 mins
Amy has broken up with Sheldon because she can no longer tolerate his insensitivity to her needs, while Leonard and Penny have moved in the other direction, Penny who can overlook Leonard's admission to making out with another woman in a drunken stupor enough so that they are still proceeding with their Las Vegas elopement. But while Sheldon turns to Leonard for advice and Penny talks to Amy about the break-up, the resulting discussions could affect both the break-up and the wedding. With Leonard and Penny out of town, Amy and Sheldon also turn to others for advice and support - Amy who has been invited to watch a special on-line streamed video with Howard and Bernadette - while Sheldon and Amy have differing perspectives of the phrase "need a little time". Meanwhile, Stuart has the want to do something a little inappropriate.
Episode 2
The Separation Oscillation
Mon, Sep 28, 201519 mins
It's been less than twenty-four hours since Leonard and Penny's wedding and they aren't talking to each other as Penny can't handle the thought that Leonard sees the woman he kissed, Mandy Chow, at work every day. Leonard goes through different thoughts about how to deal with the problem in his personal want to get back together with his now wife. Out of all those thoughts, some which come to him through a nightmare, Leonard decides that he has to speak directly to Mandy about what's going on. Despite Mandy's less than enthusiastic discussion with Leonard about the issue, she at least gets Leonard on a track to understanding the why of what happened between him and Penny. Meanwhile, Amy is as angry at Sheldon as she ever was, largely because she seems to see him more now that they have broken up than when they were a couple. Sheldon dealing with "their baby" on his own leads to different perspectives between the two of them of the future of their now non-relationship. And Bernadette and Raj have differing views of how much information they want from Howard.
Episode 3
The Bachelor Party Corrosion
Mon, Oct 5, 201520 mins
Because Leonard and Penny eloped, neither got a bachelor or bachelorette party before their marriage. As such, Howard and Raj, with Penny's help, kidnap a willing Leonard and a less than willing Sheldon to take them away to a mystery destination for a bachelor party. The plan in general sits well with Leonard, and a little less so with Sheldon, until he learns of some science related aspects to the plan. But all four will have to use a little more science on this trip than they anticipated. With the boys out of town, the girls have a bachelorette party of their own. As Penny doesn't want to go to a strip club, they decide instead to have a girls' night in to talk about their current lives. Penny's marriage to Leonard and Amy's break-up with Sheldon lead to two telephone calls, one which contains a little more information than Penny would have liked, and a physical transformation for a new look.
Episode 4
The 2003 Approximation
Mon, Oct 12, 201519 mins
Leonard and Penny finally move in together leaving Sheldon very upset with this big change in his life and wishing he could go back to a time when he had no emotions in 2003 before he met Leonard. Raj, Howard and Stuart attempt to form a band.
Episode 5
The Perspiration Implementation
Mon, Oct 19, 201519 mins
Bernadette, through a gift to Howard, indirectly gets Leonard and thus the guys to think about getting more exercise in their lives. All things considered, they decide to attend a fencing class led by Barry Kripke, largely so that they can become swashbucklers like their movie heroes without having to break too much of a sweat. Beyond learning the technical aspects of fencing, the guys try to place their own sensibilities on the proceedings, while Kripke himself decides to act upon some information he learns in the class. Meanwhile, Stuart asks Penny, Amy and Bernadette for advice on how to attract more female customers to the comic book store. Stuart may not fully comprehend what they, especially Penny, tell him, as partly demonstrated through a comment he makes to Amy.
Episode 6
The Helium Insufficiency
Mon, Oct 26, 201519 mins
Leonard and Sheldon learn that a Swedish scientific team has read their paper and is trying to beat them in completing the experiment to prove or disprove their hypothesis. Leonard and Sheldon's problem is that they require some liquid helium to complete the experiment, the element which is currently in short supply in the US with their order backlogged by one month. Kripke has a supply but will not give them any of his. Howard knows "someone" who would be able to get them some illegally. Leonard and Sheldon have to decide whether to buy from this black market supplier, with the knowledge that if they get caught it could mean jail and their reputation in tatters. Meanwhile, Stuart has been using a mobile phone app which has resulted in him getting a few dates. Penny and Bernadette think that Amy should use the app herself in moving forward with her love life without Sheldon. Beyond Penny, Bernadette, Howard, Raj and Stuart making Amy's search for true love using this app a party game, Amy seems less than enthused about using the app, but it's not quite the reason they believe it is.
Episode 7
The Spock Resonance
Thu, Nov 5, 201519 mins
Sheldon is excited to learn through his friend Wil Wheaton that Adam Nimoy, the son of Leonard Nimoy, Sheldon's hero, is making a documentary on the character of Mr. Spock, and wants to interview him, as a fan, for the documentary. Sheldon is to talk about how the character of Mr. Spock has influenced his life. Elsewhere, Bernadette wants to renovate the house to make it feel more like her and Howard's home, and not the Wolowitz home. Howard would rather the house remain as it is, the way he remembers it in all his memories, good and bad, especially of his recently deceased mother. Bernadette and Howard each bring in reinforcements to support their side. With both the documentary and the redecorating, certain other issues come to light which change the focus of the tasks at hand.
Episode 8
The Mystery Date Observation
Thu, Nov 12, 201519 mins
Catching Amy kissing another man, Sheldon realizes that Amy has indeed moved on from him. As such, he decides to move on from her. As they were the ones who "found" Amy, Sheldon asks Howard and Raj to find his next girlfriend. After discussing the best approach to the task based on Sheldon's high standards, Howard thinks he has the perfect way to find that replacement to Amy. If all goes according to Howard and Raj's eventual plan, that perfect woman for Sheldon should arrive on his doorstep by the end of the evening. The questions become if any women will show up and if they do if any of them will be who Sheldon was expecting. Meanwhile, Amy is going out on a third date with Dave, the man she has been seeing. She has been short on information about Dave to Penny and Bernadette, so they decide to spy on Amy and Dave's date, knowing the restaurant where they will be dining. What they and their unexpected third see through the restaurant window may not tell the entire story of what is going-on on Amy and Dave's date.
Episode 9
The Platonic Permutation
Thu, Nov 19, 201521 mins
On Thanksgiving, Sheldon and Amy try to spend time together as friends and go to an aquarium, Howard reluctantly agrees to volunteer at the soup kitchen with Bernadette, Raj and Emily, and Penny discovers that Leonard knows more about her than she thought.
Episode 10
The Earworm Reverberation
Thu, Dec 10, 201521 mins
Sheldon doesn't realize that he's humming until Leonard points it out to him. After that, Sheldon, and by association everyone around him, "descend into madness" in Sheldon's words as Sheldon tries to figure out the song which he is continually humming. As he racks his brain, he may or may not realize that the song has some special meaning in his life. Being rejected by Sheldon in her attempt to get back together with him, Amy decides to try another date with Dave despite the disaster that was their last date. He promises to keep Sheldon out of their date this time, which may be easier said than done. And Raj has created a fan page for his and Howard's band, Footprints on the Moon, which has received their first fan, Trent Monaco. Finding out what they can about Trent, they seem more enamored of him than he may be of their band.
Episode 11
The Opening Night Excitation
Thu, Dec 17, 201521 mins
Professor Proton visits Sheldon in a dream and gives him advice about whether to go see the new Star wars film or spend the time with his newly reunited girlfriend Amy on her birthday. Meanwhile, Leonard, Howard and Raj try to decide who will get their extra ticket to the movie premiere.
Episode 12
The Sales Call Sublimation
Thu, Jan 7, 201618 mins
With Amy away at a convention, Sheldon hangs out with the friend with "the best offer", which happens to be Raj who has time booked in the telescope room searching for rogue planets. While Raj initially regrets asking Sheldon to join him, Sheldon does become a useful participant in the process. However, the successful result of their time may cause further problems down the road for the two of them. Meanwhile, Penny is having problems trying to arrange a business appointment to meet with a psychiatrist named Dr. Gallo. Penny is able to convince Leonard to book an appointment with Dr. Gallo pretending to be a patient to lay the groundwork for getting Penny an appointment. Leonard and Penny's resulting time with Dr. Gallo may have deeper implications than they would have imagined. And just as Howard and Bernadette are beginning the process of remodeling the house, Stuart gives them the news that he has found an apartment and will be moving out. Despite Stuart being a thorn in their sides, Howard and Bernadette may get the feeling of being empty nesters once Stuart is truly gone.
Episode 13
The Empathy Optimization
Thu, Jan 14, 201619 mins
Leonard, Penny, Howard, Bernadette, Raj and Emily are all mad at Sheldon because while they all tried to help and comfort him when he had the flu, he treated them all insensitively. Not knowing what he did wrong, Sheldon doesn't understand why they aren't all happy that he is now well. Still angered because of Sheldon's attitude, the six believe they need some away time from him and decide to rent a party bus for a trip to Las Vegas without him. When Sheldon finds out, he wants to go on the trip despite not liking Vegas, yet he still doesn't understand why they haven't invited him. In Skyping to Amy who is still in Detroit on her conference, Sheldon may begin truly to understand from her that he needs to show some true empathy in apologizing to their friends. Although he believes he has worked out scientifically how to be truly empathetic and mean it, he has to convince all six of them that he is being genuine in his apology for them to forgive him and perhaps let him join the party, those six "I forgive you"s which may be a tall order. The situation gets even more complicated with a seventh person thrown into the mix.
Episode 14
The Meemaw Materialization
Thu, Feb 4, 201619 mins
Meemaw comes to visit her Moonpie. In other words, Sheldon's grandmother, Constance, comes for a visit. Although it may seem to Sheldon that her visit is purely a want to spend some time with her Moonpie, it is really to size up Amy. Meemaw has some negative preconceived notions of Amy walking in, which may or may not change based upon meeting her. But if Meemaw's views don't change, Sheldon may be forced to choose between his girlfriend and his beloved Meemaw. In the process, the rationale for that view may also come to light. Meanwhile, Howard and Raj meet Claire, a beautiful young woman, at the comic book store. She is an aspiring filmmaker who wants to pick Raj's brain on science issues for her sci-fi animated children's project. Raj seeks some advice from Howard and Bernadette about whether he should meet with Claire, the issue being the "vibe" Raj felt between the two of them, and whether he should tell Emily about meeting her or meeting with her if he does.
Episode 15
The Valentino Submergence
Thu, Feb 11, 201619 mins
Each couple has its own Valentine's Day plan, which don't turn out quite the way each intends. Leonard and Penny have dinner reservations. It isn't the one hour wait they have at the restaurant despite their reservation that bothers them the most, but rather a comment made by Glenn the Maitre D' to Penny which makes them feel old for the first time. Raj plans on spending the day with Emily, with who he wants to break up as he constantly thinks about Claire. His friends tell him that since he's talked about it for so long that he should just do it and get it over with. What Raj ends up doing in the matter makes for interesting companions for him for Valentine's Day. Sheldon and Amy are celebrating the day by hosting the first ever live streaming of Fun with Flags. Being live, the show takes interesting turns, especially in that they are taking calls from viewers. And Howard and Bernadette plan on breaking in their new hot tub for the first time. Just before they are ready to get in, they spot an animal in it they believe is a rat. What the animal ends up being foreshadows something that is happening in their lives.
Episode 16
The Positive Negative Reaction
Thu, Feb 18, 201619 mins
Bernadette tells Howard that she is pregnant. After the initial excitement, Howard gets an anxiety attack over one issue after another about the problems that will arise in their lives in having a baby. Regardless, Bernadette and Howard tell their friends of the news, Bernadette to the girls and Howard to the guys. Although they concur with some of those issues in trying to calm down both Bernadette and Howard regarding Howard and thus Bernadette's anxiety, they also try to focus on the positives of them becoming parents. On the guys' side, Howard begins to fixate primarily on the money issue, Raj coming up with the statistic that it costs $1 million to raise a child in the Los Angeles area through to college. Through the discussions, will Bernadette and Howard come to a more positive outlook on their new situation when they and their friends come back together as one big group at the end of the night?
Episode 17
The Celebration Experimentation
Thu, Feb 25, 201619 mins
Sheldon's birthday is approaching, and Amy wants to throw him a party despite he not ever having wanted a birthday party in the past. When Amy, Leonard, and Penny learn the reason why he's never wanted a party, they assure him that this one will make up for the disappointments that were his birthday parties when he was a child. In trying to figure out what to get him for a present, Leonard, Howard and Raj decide that what would make up for those childhood party disappointments would be to have a Batman show up, specifically in the form of Adam West. Even with all the details of what Sheldon wants for his birthday, such as a three layer chocolate cake with strawberry frosting, Sheldon will have to overcome a lot of bad memories to make it through what his friends want to be a good party for him.
Episode 18
The Application Deterioration
Thu, Mar 10, 201619 mins
Alpha Emily continues to stalk, hunt and control Rajesh, over the objections of the new blonde barista. Meanwhile, Sheldon, Leonard and Howard REALLY need legal counsel to remind them Howard, on loan to NASA by the university, may not be an employee of the university and/or subject of their extortion of their theory for patent.
Episode 19
The Solder Excursion Diversion
Thu, Mar 31, 201620 mins
Leonard and Howard have started working on the prototype, and accept Penny and Bernadette's offer to help. The boys leave the girls in the lab while they need to go to the hardware store to buy more solder. En route, the boys get lured into a free preview movie screening, about which they plan to lie to the girls why they are delayed. They however text Raj about what they are doing, Raj who has since ended up at the lab himself. Raj has to decide to who his allegiance lies, the boys or the girls. Meanwhile, Amy is trying to convince Sheldon to replace his broken down laptop, which seem to be on its last legs. Sheldon is reluctant to replace it, but he is even more reluctant to recycle it when it does eventually break down, even though the electronics store will give him store credit for it. Sheldon decides to come clean to Amy about why he doesn't want to recycle it.
Episode 20
The Big Bear Precipitation
Thu, Apr 7, 201619 mins
Sheldon has been spending time in the virtual wilderness ever since Amy showed him a scientific study that proves spending time in the great outdoors significantly improves cognitive reasoning. When Leonard and Penny decide to borrow one of Penny's clients cabin for a weekend getaway, Amy is further able to convince Sheldon for them to tag along. Mother Nature prevents them from enjoying the great outdoors as was the intention of the getaway, but it does allow them to examine the state of their collective lives. Meanwhile, Raj has been more committed to the entire process of Bernadette's pregnancy and the whole issue of the baby than Howard. If Bernadette and Howard think Raj's involvement is crossing the boundary, Howard will have to step up to the plate and tell his best friend so,... or does it also mean that Howard has to step up to the plate in other ways?
Episode 21
The Viewing Party Combustion
Thu, Apr 21, 201618 mins
Leonard's mad at Sheldon for having to attend yet another "useless" quarterly roommate agreement meeting, on which Penny falls on Sheldon's side in wanting to keep the peace. Sheldon's mad at Amy for siding with Leonard against him and Penny as she admits she never liked to attend girlfriend agreement meetings. Howard's mad at Raj for continually flaunting the fact that he is dating both Emily and Claire all in form of complaining how difficult it all is. All these disagreements have the potential to come to a head when the gang gets together to watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones (2011) as Stuart is the brunt of yet another prank by Howard, and as further revelations emerge about why Amy sided with Leonard against Sheldon and Penny, and about where Bernadette falls into the complicated relationship between Howard and Raj.
Episode 22
The Fermentation Bifurcation
Thu, Apr 28, 201620 mins
Penny has received tickets to a wine tasting, and has invited all her friends to go with her. Everyone accepts except Sheldon, who has no interest, and Bernadette, who can't drink since she's pregnant. So Sheldon suggests that when everyone else is at the wine tasting, he and Bernadette spend time together doing things for that he normally likes to do and that Bernadette is reduced to now only being able to do since she's pregnant. Bernadette reluctantly accepts Sheldon's invitation. She ends up being surprised by their time together. At the wine tasting, the gang runs into Zack, Penny's old boyfriend who she hasn't seen since before she and Leonard got married. Zack's simplistic way of looking at the world makes for an uncomfortable evening for Leonard, Howard and Raj, the first two who reevaluate working on their prototype for the guidance system, and Raj who is trying to play it overly casual with his date for the evening, Claire, upon her first meeting with his friends.
Episode 23
The Line Substitution Solution
Thu, May 5, 201618 mins
Leonard's mother has come for a visit. While Leonard wants to avoid her at all cost, Penny wants truly to bond with her despite the less than happy relationship Leonard has with her. So it's good timing for Leonard when Raj mentions that there is a special screening of The Avengers (2012) that he wants them all to go to. While Leonard and Howard are up for the evening out to the cinema, Sheldon doesn't want them to go without him, he who promised Amy he would go shopping with her at that time. When Leonard tells him that he can still go shopping with Amy and that they will save him a spot in line, Sheldon balks at the notion, not believing in "cutsies", that is until they mention that people nowadays are hired to do a number of unusual things, such as stand in line for others. Who Sheldon hires is Stuart, but not quite in the way they all had in mind. Regardless, Stuart relishes what looks to be his newfound wealth from these "person for hire" type tasks, while Sheldon still will not tolerate the notion of cutting in line in what he sees as its truest form. With the guys at the movie, Penny decides to invite Amy and Bernadette over for a dinner with Beverley. Penny is hoping that Amy and Bernadette, being more intellectually like Beverley, will help her smooth the way with her new mother-in-law. It ends up being a more difficult task for Penny than she had hoped, but it's an unexpected admission by Beverley which may truly open the lines of communication between the Hofstadter women.
Episode 24
The Convergence Convergence
Thu, May 12, 201620 mins
When she finds out that Beverly was secretly hurt by not being invited to their wedding, Penny makes the unilateral decision to hold another non-legal wedding ceremony to which she and Leonard will invite their closest friends and family, largely to appease Beverly. After Penny is able to convince Leonard to go along with the idea, Leonard makes the unilateral decision to his invite his father, anthropologist Dr. Alfred Hofstadter, a move that does not sit well with Beverly, as she and her ex-husband have been on bad terms with each other since their divorce. Sheldon makes the unilateral decision to his invite his mother to "their" wedding, which could prove to be awkward since Beverly and Mary, in their previous meeting, have shown that they not only don't see eye-to-eye on anything, but that they truly don't like each other. Putting Mary, Beverly and Alfred in one room together is an explosive mixture, but not totally in the way Leonard, Penny or Sheldon would have figured. Meanwhile, Howard has got the guidance system to work. Almost immediately upon that revelation, Howard receives a message from the US Air Force that they would like to meet with him. Beyond the general discussion Howard, Leonard and Sheldon have had about the use of the guidance system and whether they would want it in the hands of an organization that could use it for violent or military purposes, Howard becomes paranoid that Big Brother has been watching his every move, something that Bernadette and Raj try to convince him is not the case, and that the timing of the request was all coincidental. Howard's paranoia takes on interesting proportions, especially as it relates to Penny and Leonard's pre-wedding dinner.
