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 12 Episodes
Season 12 Episode Guide
24 Episodes 2018 - 2019
Episode 1
The Conjugal Configuration
Mon, Sep 24, 201820 mins
Sheldon and Amy are on their honeymoon. The good news for Amy: Sheldon wants to have more coitus than usual and thus what she was expecting despite it being their honeymoon. The bad news for Amy: Sheldon has their coitus all scheduled like he has their entire honeymoon which for her is taking the romance out of it in she wanting some spontaneity. While Sheldon and Amy are away, Leonard and Penny learn that Mr. Fowler has been hiding from Mrs. Fowler in Sheldon and Amy's apartment. In seeing Mr. and Mrs. Fowler in a more up close and personal light, one of Leonard and Penny can't help but wonder if they are just a younger version of a ball-busting wife and a meek timid husband. And Raj has been asked by one of the local news television stations to talk about the meteor shower on the air, to which Howard states that it seems to be the same career trajectory as Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is now a celebrity. As such, Raj places himself on the same playing field as Dr. deGrasse Tyson in throwing down a gauntlet of sorts to his more famous colleague.
Episode 2
The Wedding Gift Wormhole
Thu, Sep 27, 201821 mins
Sheldon and Amy are back from their honeymoon, and are in the process of opening their wedding presents when they come across Leonard and Penny's gift which the card states is the "perfect gift for the perfect couple". The problem for Sheldon and Amy is that they have no idea what it is and don't want to ask Leonard and Penny being their best friends who put so much effort into giving them what they consider the perfect gift. Sheldon and Amy go on a literal and figurative scavenger hunt to figure out what the gift is, which is indeed the perfect gift, at least from Leonard's perspective. Meanwhile, Stuart and Denise have not broached the subject of making out at the wedding, they who are now tip-toeing around each other. Taking a chance, Stuart does ask her out, to which she accepts. In preparing for the date, Stuart goes a little overboard. And Stuart and Denise's date makes Raj come to a conclusion about his life, to which he takes what he believes is the appropriate action.
Episode 3
The Procreation Calculation
Thu, Oct 4, 201820 mins
After completing a survey to find out all they need to know about each other, Raj is going on a date with Anu, the woman his father set him up with. Despite Anu not quite being the type of woman he usually goes out with, desperate Raj may forgo his dream of romance solely to be married. Even before taking some of the survey themselves, Leonard and Penny already know that they are not the most compatible couple. But their answers to one specific question may place an impassable wedge between the two of them. While Penny and Raj turn to Bernadette and Howard with their problems, Bernadette and Howard can't understand why their friends wouldn't just take their sage advice. And now that Stuart and Denise are dating, Howard ad Bernadette aren't sure if they can handle the fact of Stuart having sex in their house.
Episode 4
The Tam Turbulence
Thu, Oct 11, 201819 mins
Sheldon receives a message from his best friend in high school, Tam Nguyen, that he is coming to California to show his son around Cal Tech. Sheldon's closest group of friends wonder why Sheldon has never mentioned Tam before. The reason? Sheldon and Tam have not spoken in twenty years since Tam is now on Sheldon's enemies list, because, according to the list, Tam "knows what he did". As such, Sheldon has no intention of meeting with Tam. Whatever the issue, Leonard, Howard and Raj believe that the reason will be nothing material to any normal person and thus without even knowing what it is, already side with Tam. After going through several channels without finding out the reason, Leonard, Howard and Raj do locate Tam on campus to find out directly from him, Tam doesn't divulge why for a very good reason. They eventually do learn the reason from Sheldon, all his friends try to bridge the gap from Sheldon back to Tam. Meanwhile, Penny and Bernadette decide to do some sleuthing on their own about Anu, who Raj has decided to marry. Much like Leonard, Howard and Raj, Penny and Bernadette decide to take the direct approach in going to the hotel where she works as a concierge to introduce themselves. The resulting dinner that Penny, Bernadette and Anu have together may have some unintended consequences.
Episode 5
The Planetarium Collision
Thu, Oct 18, 201819 mins
Amy doesn't have time to work on super-asymmetry, so Sheldon goes to great lengths to ensure she's available to work with him even it if means accidentally sabotaging her career in the process. Also, Koothrappali doesn't want Wolowitz to join him in hosting a show at the planetarium.
Episode 6
The Imitation Perturbation
Thu, Oct 25, 201819 mins
Halloween is upcoming, and in addition to the guys planning on wearing costumes to work on the actual day, Leonard and Penny decide to host a costume party the following night. Sheldon thinks nothing of Howard's costume, that is until he learns that Howard is dressed up like him. As such, Sheldon gets a view of how others think of him, as an object of ridicule. Because of Sheldon's reaction, Howard decides on a different costume for the party the following night, while Amy is angry at Bernadette for encouraging Howard to make fun of Sheldon. This situation leads to Amy and Sheldon deciding to get back at Howard and Bernadette. The question then becomes how Howard and Bernadette will react to Sheldon and Amy's comeback. Meanwhile, the fact of hosting a Halloween party leads to Leonard and Penny discussing what was their first kiss, it being at the only Halloween party hosted by Penny that she ever invited the guys to when she lived across the hall. Leonard and Penny have quite different perspective of that evening and thus the kiss.
Episode 7
The Grant Allocation Derivation
Thu, Nov 1, 201819 mins
President Siebert has asked Leonard to be in charge of dispersing what little of the administrative funds there are left for the year, Siebert not caring what is done with those funds. While Siebert could not care less, he foisting the job on Leonard solely to get it off his own plate, Leonard takes the job very seriously. Being a scientist, he wants to make the decision as empirical as he can. The decision becomes even harder when he has a shortlist of three, those three individuals, which includes some friends among the ranks, who place more and more pressure on him to come up with a decision that will make at least two hate him, which he could not tolerate in always needing validation in his life. Leonard figures that he has to make the best of a bad situation. Meanwhile, Bernadette is feeling overwhelmed both at work and at home. On the spur of the moment, she decides to tell Howard a little white lie in that she has to work late, while in reality she ends up hiding in the newly built playhouse in their backyard for Halley. This "one hour" little white lie every workday ends up being her sanctuary. But Bernadette may be able to keep her secret from the rest of the world for only so long before unexpected consequences start to emerge.
Episode 8
The Consummation Deviation
Thu, Nov 8, 201822 mins
Raj has announced that he and Anu are planning to get married in India on Valentine's Day 2019. With their wedding approaching, Anu tells Raj that she thinks they should have sex sooner than later to make sure that side of their relationship is compatible, she planning on getting a room in the hotel where she works for the event. A nervous Raj turns to his friends for support on the matter, but old routines may rear their proverbial ugly head in the process. This situation for Raj makes Leonard and Penny reminisce about their first time, they having different perspectives on it. And with Raj stating that he has a good relationship with Anu's parents, Sheldon decides to have bonding sessions with Amy's parents, first with Mr. Fowler before moving onto more difficult Mrs. Fowler. While Sheldon and Mr. Fowler's bonding session gets sidetracked by an easily distracted Mr. Fowler, Amy wants to protect a lie she has been perpetrating about Sheldon and her mother.
Episode 9
The Citation Negation
Thu, Nov 15, 201820 mins
Sheldon and Amy are devastated after learning from a Russian paper that super asymmetry has already been theorized and disproved. Also, ultra-competitive Bernadette asks Stuart's girlfriend, Denise, to teach her how to beat Howard in a popular video game.
Episode 10
The VCR Illumination
Thu, Dec 6, 201820 mins
Amy, and especially Sheldon, are still reeling from learning that their theory on super asymmetry, which Sheldon at least believed was his path to a Nobel, had long ago been disproven and thus will not be his path to a Nobel. As such, Sheldon begins to question what were all his natural instincts which scares Amy as she believes it will only be a matter of time before he starts to question their relationship and marriage. While all their friends try to avoid setting off any triggers to make the situation worse, Leonard believes that two people who Sheldon admires most in the world may be able to help him, one being Beverly and the other being who Sheldon truly believes is the smartest person in the world. It may be some associated items that may help Sheldon the most. Meanwhile, Bernadette learns that Howard had once contemplated auditioning to be a member of the Magic Castle as the Great Howdini, he never went through with it believing he didn't quite have the right stuff to be in the big leagues. Bernadette vows to help Howard achieve this long put aside dream, perhaps with a little ulterior motive on her part and a unique perspective.
Episode 11
The Paintball Scattering
Thu, Jan 3, 201919 mins
The generally positive reviews to Amy and Sheldon's paper on Super Asymmetry leads to a plethora of interview requests, which President Siebert wants Amy to handle in Sheldon not really presenting himself well when it comes to dealing with people. President Siebert is able to convince Sheldon and Amy to this fact. But when the first interview results in a headline that places Amy in the spotlight and Sheldon in the back seat when it comes to the work - the headline no fault of Amy's - Sheldon may have issue not only with Amy handling all the interviews but with Amy herself. Meanwhile, Raj has just helped Anu install a doorbell camera at her place. Keeping a copy of the app on his phone, Raj sees a man who he doesn't know at Anu's doorstep, he with who she seems just a little too "familiar" for Raj's liking. Raj has to decide what to do with this information which amounts to he spying on her. And Denise asks Stuart to move in with her, his reaction being a little less positive than she would have liked or expected. All three of these relationship issues may come to a head at the paintball match Penny and Leonard have arranged for their friends.
Episode 12
The Propagation Proposition
Thu, Jan 10, 201920 mins
In Penny, Amy and Bernadette's girls' night out, they run into Penny's old boyfriend, Zack, who tells them that he has sold his company and retired a wealthy man, but perhaps most importantly that he has gotten married. He invites Penny and Leonard to a get together with him and his wife, Marissa, on their boat. Leonard feels uncomfortable enough as he has always been a bit jealous of Zack if only because he used to date Penny, but even more so now considering Zack's seeming success and financial security. But when Penny and Leonard do get together with Zack and Marissa, Penny may be the uncomfortable one when their hosts tell them the ulterior motive they had in inviting them. Their request may bring Leonard and Penny's relationship under greater scrutiny. And in what was the boys' games night in, the issue of Raj and the seeming end of his relationship with Anu keeps coming up. In thinking about it, Raj wants to get back together with her. In speaking to both Anu and his father, the former who may not have forgiven Raj, Raj may come to a realization about the true nature of him and Anu as a couple.
Episode 13
The Confirmation Polarization
Thu, Jan 17, 201920 mins
Sheldon and Amy "did it" in that their theory on super asymmetry has been confirmed by a pair of experimental physicists, Drs. Pemberton and Campbell with Chicago-based Fermilab, through their own work. President Siebert now believes they may be on track for that much sought after Nobel prize. As a sign to strengthen that thought, Drs. Pemberton and Campbell are on their way to Caltech to meet with Sheldon and Amy. Sheldon and Amy may find that this visit by their colleagues has consequences they didn't consider, and places Sheldon in a potential quandary. Meanwhile, the drug that Bernadette has been working on for three years has finally been approved for production and she wants Penny to head the drug's marketing team. Without telling her, Penny doesn't really want the job. While Penny tries to get out of it, Bernadette tries to manipulate the situation, like she has manipulated situation after situation, to her benefit.
Episode 14
The Meteorite Manifestation
Thu, Jan 31, 201919 mins
Howard and Bernadette's new neighbor, Andy, an otherwise seemingly nice man, has built a porch overlooking their backyard, in combination with his motion activated flood light which has totally invaded any privacy they had in their backyard. Going down to city hall to investigate, they discover that they have to go through a bureaucratic quagmire just to learn if Andy obtained a permit for the porch, and if not a separate bureaucratic quagmire to see if the porch in any way contravenes zoning. They feel at a loss if to proceed until the learn that rule-obsessed and detail-oriented Sheldon loves such bureaucracy and is willing will go through the bureaucracy for them. The tables may be turned when Sheldon discovers something about Howard and Bernadette which could threaten him not only not helping them but their friendship in its entirety. Meanwhile, Leonard is professionally feeling a little left behind, with Sheldon and Amy perhaps on the brink of a Nobel. The latest issue is that Bert has asked Raj for help with a found meteorite, Bert wants Raj's opinion on his suspicion of organic matter contained within. The kicker ends up being when Bert and Raj decide to cut open the meteorite and decline Leonard's offer to use his laser - Leonard believing his option is superior - in favor of Bert's diamond blade circular saw.
Episode 15
The Donation Oscillation
Thu, Feb 7, 201921 mins
Penny tries to seduce an abstaining Leonard to ruin his "donation" for her ex-boyfriend, Zack (Brian Thomas Smith), and his wife, Marissa (Lindsey Kraft). Also, Wolowitz, Bernadette, Anu (Rati Gupta) and Koothrappali turn Koothrappali's canceled bachelor party into a couple's trip aboard the Vomit Comet.
Episode 16
The D & D Vortex
Thu, Feb 21, 201920 mins
To apologize for something bad he inadvertently did on the Professor Proton Show, Sheldon goes to Wil Wheaton's house. In the process, Sheldon discovers that Wil hosts a Dungeons and Dragons game night for some of his celebrity friends, the only one that Sheldon is certain being among those celebrities is William Shatner. As such, Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj do whatever they can to be invited to Wil's next game night, especially when they learn one of the people that attended the one that Sheldon almost walked in on was someone they know that is less than a celebrity. But the issue of being invited by Wil starts to expand when some others within their social circle learn which other celebrities are included that may appeal to other than the nerd senses of Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj.
Episode 17
The Conference Valuation
Thu, Mar 7, 201919 mins
Bernadette and Penny are attending a pharmaceutical conference in San Diego to promote the new drug. Penny is taking the job seriously in wanting to put the company and the drug in a good light. Penny may do too good a job as Danny, the rep for a competing drug company and a person that Bernadette seems to detest, woos Penny to join their company. Penny even talking to Danny may place both her and Bernadette's professional and personal relationships on the line. Bernadette being gone leaves Howard to look after the two kids on his own. Wanting some company, he invites all his friends over for a day of board games. While Leonard and Raj readily accept, Sheldon and Amy, who weren't going to attend because of Sheldon's want not to hang out with the kids, are last minute attendees. The reason for them attending ends up taking over the day, that reason, which may have seemed spontaneous, actually being manipulated by someone for his/hew own ulterior motive, that manipulation which may work just a little too well.
Episode 18
The Laureate Accumulation
Thu, Apr 4, 201921 mins
In the battle for the hearts of Nobel for the work on Super Asymmetry, Drs. Campbell and Pemberton, on a general media tour and posting some self-promoting Youtube videos, seem at least to be winning the war with the general public in their affable, easy-going and non-scientific (not knowing any of the science) nature. To combat Campbell and Pemberton's approach, President Siebert believes they have to approach the problem on the scientific level, getting as many Nobel science laureates on Sheldon and Amy's side as possible. The problem with President Siebert's list of Nobel laureates is that it solely contains the names of people that Sheldon has pissed off in one way or another, primarily in his condescending comments about their work. Sheldon and Amy, or their representatives, have to figure out a way to rebuild the bridges Sheldon has burned with the Nobel laureates. Meanwhile, Halley is at a stage of life where she's afraid of everything. Overhearing a story Howard tells Halley to comfort her, Bernadette, ultimately with Stuart's artistic help, ends up turning that story into a children's book. Although it was meant solely as a gift for Howard, Bernadette and Stuart receive some interest to publish it, which may not sit well with Howard who may be all right with telling the story in private, but may not like being portrayed to the world as "the scared, little astronaut".
Episode 19
The Inspiration Deprivation
Thu, Apr 18, 201920 mins
The concept of what it would mean for women everywhere if Amy were to win a Nobel Prize causes Amy to have a meltdown. Also, Koothrappali and Wolowitz try to relive the good old days after Wolowitz buys a scooter that looks like the one he had years ago.
Episode 20
The Decision Reverberation
Thu, Apr 25, 201919 mins
Leonard discovers that he does things solely to please people - a "satisfizer" in Sheldon's vernacular - with no consideration for what he really wants, which in turn usually makes him miserable. In standing up for what he believes he truly wants, Leonard may have to renegotiate his relationships with the university, with Sheldon and with Penny in particular. Meanwhile, Raj has written a paper in which he does not rule out the possibility of alien life being the cause of something he discovers. In the process, the figurative "world" begins solely to fixate on the alien issue of the paper, he being mocked in the process. Raj has to figure out how to restore his reputation as a serious scientist.
Episode 21
The Plagiarism Schism
Thu, May 2, 201919 mins
Kripke has proof that Dr. Pemberton plagiarized his thesis in college, and Sheldon and Amy aren't sure if they should turn him in or not. Also, Wolowitz is happily surprised to learn that Bernadette wasn't the only waitress at the Cheesecake Factory who had a crush on him back in the day.
Episode 22
The Maternal Conclusion
Thu, May 9, 201920 mins
For Beverly's visit, she has accepted Leonard and Penny's invitation to stay at the apartment with them rather than her usual routine of staying at a hotel, that offer which Leonard may regret in the continuing strain he has with his mother. To Leonard's surprise, Beverly, upon her arrival, seems truly interested in and eager to spend time with him, the criticizing "but" which doesn't seem to materialize. Does Beverly have an ulterior motive in her behavior or has she truly come to see Leonard in a more loving light? Meanwhile, Howard and Bernadette are uncomfortable with how much time Denise has been spending at the house, even when Stuart isn't there. As such, Stuart and Denise try spending a night in at her apartment, even if her "creepy" roommate Mitch is there. And Anu, at a concierge conference in London, telephones with the news that she has been offered a managerial job in London, that job which she is seriously considering. Raj and Anu have to decide what accepting the job means for their relationship.
Episode 23
The Change Constant
Thu, May 16, 201919 mins
Sheldon and Amy nervously await the announcement of the Nobel Prize recipients for this year, with Leonard and Penny by their side for moral support. When the Physics prize recipient is announced, Sheldon and Amy react to the news in unexpected ways, but for different reasons. While Amy is able to overcome her negative feelings with a little help from Raj, Sheldon may be a little more difficult a case in consoling. Meanwhile, Leonard, Howard and Bernadette try to take advantage of Sheldon and Amy's new situation, each in a slightly different way. And something different is going on with the apartment building which may further push Sheldon over the edge.
Episode 24
The Stockholm Syndrome
Thu, May 16, 201923 mins
Sheldon, Amy, Leonard, Penny, Howard, Bernadette, and Raj decide to go away together to attend a momentous event. Sheldon's self-centeredness proves the last straw for many in the group, stirring feelings for returning home. Meanwhile, Leonard and Penny struggle to keep the lid on some big news. For Howard and Bernadette, this trip will mark their first time away from the kids for an extended period of time, leaving Stuart and Denise acting as their sitters. It may be more difficult than they imagined to be away from the kids, especially due to the distance. And Raj, in the absence of Cinnamon (who is staying with Bert), meets a new friend.
