The Big Bang Theory: Season 3
The Big Bang Theory Season 3 continues the overarching saga across 23 episodes.
Season 3 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Picks up essential narrative continuity directly following the events of The Big Bang Theory Season 2.
- Character alliances, factions, and personal loyalties undergo significant shifts under escalating stakes.
- Addresses unresolved cliffhangers and thematic mysteries introduced during previous seasons.
- Establishes the primary seasonal conflict that drives serialized character arcs toward the finale.
Season overview
The Big Bang Theory Season 3 continues the overarching saga across 23 episodes.
Episode Guide
Season 3 Progress Shield
The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation
Sep 21, 2009
When Sheldon learns the guys tampered with his expedition data he got from the arctic, he leaves to Texas in disgrace. This results in the guys following him, which threatens Leona
The Jiminy Conjecture
Sep 28, 2009
Leonard and Penny struggle to recover from an awkward first hookup while Sheldon and Howard stake their best comic books on a bet to determine the species of a cricket.
The Gothowitz Deviation
Oct 5, 2009
Howard and Raj visit a Goth nightclub to pick up women while Sheldon attempts to build a better Penny using chocolate-based behavior modification.
The Pirate Solution
Oct 12, 2009
Raj must find a new job or be sent back to India, but Sheldon has a solution, which leaves Leonard and Penny dealing with Howard as a third wheel.
The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary
Oct 19, 2009
After overhearing that Wil Wheaton is entering a trading-card competition, Sheldon decides to enter it himself. Meanwhile, Penny sets up one of her friends on a date with Wolowitz.
The Cornhusker Vortex
Nov 2, 2009
Sheldon becomes Leonard's teacher in order to understand football, while an incident with flying a kite threatens Howard and Raj's friendship.
The Guitarist Amplification
Nov 9, 2009
A squabble between Leonard and Penny sees Sheldon playing mediator, though out of his own incovenience from the sitiation rather than altruism.
The Adhesive Duck Deficiency
Nov 16, 2009
With Leonard, Howard and Raj away camping in the desert, an injured Penny has only Sheldon to rely on.
The Vengeance Formulation
Nov 23, 2009
After he's humiliated on National Public Radio, Sheldon vows to destroy Kripke, while Wolowitz tries not to destroy his new relationship with Bernadette.
The Gorilla Experiment
Dec 7, 2009
Penny gets help from Sheldon in order to understand what Leonard's work is, while Wolowitz develops a jealousy when Leonard starts hanging out with his new girlfriend.
The Maternal Congruence
Dec 14, 2009
A Christmas visit from his mother has Leonard discovering she's kept a lot of news from him that she shares with Sheldon and worrying if she'll approve of his romance with Penny.
The Psychic Vortex
Jan 11, 2010
Leonard is aghast to find out a secret of Penny's: she believes in psychics. Meanwhile, Sheldon tries to assist Koothrappali in picking up a girl at a university mixer.
The Bozeman Reaction
Jan 18, 2010
When their apartment is robbed, Leonard and Sheldon turn to their friends to create a state-of-the-art security system.
The Einstein Approximation
Feb 1, 2010
Sheldon's search for the answer to a physics problem leads him to work at the Cheesecake Factory with Penny.
The Large Hadron Collision
Feb 8, 2010
Leonard can only bring one guest on a trip to see CERN's Large Hadron Collider (the world's largest and highest energy particle accelerator) in Switzerland on Valentine's Day.
The Excelsior Acquisition
Mar 1, 2010
Sheldon winds up in traffic court when he gets a ticket because of Penny.
The Precious Fragmentation
Mar 8, 2010
When the guys find a ring from "The Lord of the Rings" at a garage sale, it threatens to tear them apart.
The Pants Alternative
Mar 22, 2010
Sheldon's friends come to his aid when his fear of public speaking stands between him and a coveted award.
The Wheaton Recurrence
Apr 12, 2010
A fight between Leonard and Penny threatens their relationship, while Sheldon battles Wil Wheaton in bowling.
The Spaghetti Catalyst
May 3, 2010
When Leonard and Penny aren't speaking, Sheldon goes to extremes to keep them both happy.
The Plimpton Stimulation
May 10, 2010
Leonard and Sheldon compete for the attention of a famous female physicist.
The Staircase Implementation
May 17, 2010
Leonard tells Penny about how he met Sheldon for the first time...and what happened to the elevator.
The Lunar Excitation
May 24, 2010
While Penny worries that dating Leonard has ruined her for normal guys, Wolowitz and Koothrappali search for Sheldon's perfect match online.