The Big Bang Theory debuted back in 2007 and ran for an impressive twelve seasons and 279 episodes before wrapping in 2019. The CBS sitcom was such a hit that a spinoff based on Sheldon Cooper premiered before the original even finished, and Young Sheldon became a huge hit in its own right. Fans of the original will no doubt recall that every episode ended with a vanity card penned by creator Chuck Lorre, and they could range from long stories to brief quips to inside jokes about his shows. So, with the original series available streaming with a Max subscription, let’s take a look at the 32 best Big Bang Theory vanity cards!
"Pilot" – Season 1, Episode 1
Chuck Lorre already had several hit shows to his name by the time he launched The Big Bang Theory, including Dharma & Greg and Two and a Half Men, which also included vanity cards. #182 was for the very first episode of Big Bang, and what better way to launch a new sitcom than by reflecting on past success and cracking a joke about VHS/TiVo?
"The Platonic Permutation" – Season 9, Episode 9
Running for twelve seasons from 2007-2019 meant that the television landscape changed a great deal over the course of The Big Bang Theory, and that included the launch of the streaming service called CBS All Access, which was to be the home of all new Star Trek series. Fans can actually say “R.I.P. CBS All Access” now, as the streamer was rebranded as Paramount+ for subscribers back in 2021.
"The Matrimonial Momentum" – Season 9, Episode 1
Chuck Lorre was a man of few words in the vanity card for the Season 9 premiere of The Big Bang Theory, but included a photo of the writers table. It includes everything from scripts to coffee cups to even some Nerf guns and Pringles. Considering the show would run for another three seasons after the ninth, Lorre’s “Where the magic happens” caption seems apt!
"The Cushion Saturation" – Season 2, Episode 16
Chuck Lorre already had a long career on television by the time the #242 vanity card ran back in 2009, with nearly two decades since ‘90s network show Grace Under Fire premiered as the very first show he created. His note to his colleagues is undoubtedly fun for fans to read; what those colleagues thought might be different.
"The Citation Negation" – Season 12, Episode 9
The vanity card with the photo of Stan Lee alongside the stars ran on November 15, 2018 as a tribute to one of the greatest Big Bang Theory guest stars, as Lee passed away at the age of 95 just days before. It was a fitting tribute to the comic book legend, who was known for his cameos across plenty of projects, including Big Bang.
"The Hofstadter Insufficiency" – Season 7, Episode 1
The Big Bang Theory was nominated at the Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series for four years in a row between 2011-2014, but never won. In the vanity card for the Season 7 premiere, Lorre included a photo of notes for the speech he would have given for an Emmy win, including directions to himself to breathe and not cry, a nod to guest star Bob Newhart, and credit to showrunner/executive producer Steve Molaro.
"The Dependence Transcendence" – Season 10, Episode 3
Early in Season 10, Chuck Lorre took the time to remind fans that the laughs in The Big Bang Theory are recorded live on set in front of a studio audience, not added in post-production. Spinoff Young Sheldon is not filmed in front of a live studio audience, but also doesn’t use a laugh track.
"The Colonization Application" – Season 8, Episode 17
The vanity card tribute to the late Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy aired on March 5, 2015, following the star’s death in late February. It wasn’t the only way that the show honored Nimoy, who was a hero to Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper for his role as Spock. Young Sheldon even mentioned Nimoy in one of its most touching moments.
"The Celebration Experimentation" – Season 9, Episode 17
The Big Bang Theory aired its 200th episode in early 2016, and the vanity card not only celebrated hitting that impressive milestone over the course of nine years, but ended in the perfect way by dropping Sheldon Cooper’s iconic “Bazinga” line. It was Chuck Lorre’s way to express gratitude to fans for keeping the show going strong.
"The Proposal Proposal" – Season 11, Episode 1
With just one season left to go, the vanity card for the Season 11 premiere addressed how far the show had come, including the fact that Melissa Rauch (now star of Night Court) and Mayim Bialik (host of Jeopardy) weren’t even part of the original cast. Fittingly, the episode also featured Sheldon and Amy getting engaged.
"The Hesitation Ramification" – Season 7, Episode 12
Chuck Lorre used #436 at the end of the 2014 episode to credit actress Lexi Contursi, as her role had to be cut for time. The creator took the time to compliment her work that wouldn't be seen on CBS. Interestingly, Penny went through the same arc with NCIS in this episode.
"The Isolation Permutation" – Season 5, Episode 8
There’s no shortage of challenges in producing 20+ episodes per season on network television; for “The Isolation Permutation” in late 2011, that included members of the Big Bang Theory office staff assembling the Lego Death Star. It may not have resulted in raises, but at least they got the vanity card tribute!
"The Bachelor Party Corrosion" – Season 9, Episode 3
Richard Feynman was a real-life theoretical physicist, which The Big Bang Theory established made him a favorite with Sheldon Cooper. The van that the characters used for a trip to Mexico once belonged to the real Feynman, who died in 1988, and the show avoided doing any damage to it.
"The Herb Garden Germination" – Season 4, Episode 20
For some episodes, Chuck Lorre penned long and complicated vanity cards. For others, like the one that aired in 2011, he went for a single sentence. That doesn’t make it any less funny, though!
"The Junior Professor Solution" – Season 8, Episode 2
This 2014 episode revealed that “Rhombicosidodecahedron” is the answer to the question of “Which Archimedean solid has 20 regular triangular faces, 30 square faces, 12 pentagonal faces, 60 vertices, and 120 edges?” Chuck Lorre’s vanity card revealed just what that shape actually looks like.
"The Recombination Hypothesis" – Season 5, Episode 13
The Big Bang Theory hit 100 episodes with this installment on January 19, 2012, and Chuck Lorre celebrated by noting how much happened and changed by the time the sitcom hit triple digits. He even included a shout-out to co-creator Bill Prady and his food journey.
"The Consummation Deviation" – Season 12, Episode 8
Chuck Lorre hit the milestone of 600 vanity cards on November 8, 2018, and he celebrated by posting a behind-the-scenes image of Jim Parsons with Kathy Bates, the latter of whom appeared in the episode as Amy Farrah Fowler’s mom.
"The 43 Peculiarity" – Season 6, Episode 8
Even the creator of multiple hit TV shows can come up empty on a task or two, and that was evidently the case for Chuck Lorre for the November 15, 2012 episode of The Big Bang Theory. In a fun fact from chucklorre.com, this vanity card aired a total of nine times across Big Bang, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, and Mom.
"The Cooper Extraction" – Season 7, Episode 11
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” can be a useful mantra in real life, but Chuck Lorre’s dog in December 2013 evidently never got the message. At least Lorre got the material for a fun vanity card!
"The Convention Conundrum" – Season 7, Episode 14
The Big Bang Theory was nominated for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy for the 2014 Golden Globes, and Chuck Lorre was ready with notes for a speech that would express gratitude and that the sitcom isn’t about geeks or nerds. The Golden Globe went to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Lorre never delivered that speech.
"The Thespian Catalyst" – Season 4, Episode 14
Chuck Lorre wrote a long vanity card in early 2011 with humorous predictions about future technology, complete with a punchline about the end of scripted entertainment. He couldn’t have possibly known about the role AI would play in the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes circa 2023 at the time, but the prediction reads a little differently now than it did more than ten years ago!
"The Jerusalem Duality" – Season 1, Episode 12
One of the earliest Big Bang Theory vanity cards tied back to a true story from Chuck Lorre’s life that inspired Sheldon's story in the 2008 episode. The creator's musical dreams were crushed after a performance by Pat Metheny, leading him to a very successful career in television.
"The Commitment Determination" – Season 8, Episode 24
The Big Bang Theory creator hit another milestone with “The Commitment Determination” in 2015 with his 500th vanity card. He used it to humorously commend himself for writing so many of them over the course of his career, and then ended it with an equation that plenty of people probably also would need help to solve.
"The Bitcoin Entanglement" – Season 11, Episode 9
The vanity cards play very quickly at the end of episodes, and Chuck Lorre used #573 to note that viewers need to hit pause if they want to read his weekly messages. The message starts out seriously, before ending on a joke about him providing a “prime time meditation break.”
"The Stockholm Syndrome" – Season 12, Episode 24
The series finale of The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS on May 16, 2019, and Chuck Lorre chose a very short and sweet message for the vanity card. It was also a bit of a joke, as the card for the penultimate episode that aired before “The Stockholm Syndrome” read “Almost the End.”
"The Clean Room Infiltration" – Season 8, Episode 11
Back in late 2014, Chuck Lorre established that he intended to stop writing vanity cards and trying something new. While the message didn’t come across as a joke at the time, it’s certainly funny in hindsight, as the creator continued writing them and his total is now above 700.
"The Countdown Reflection" – Season 5, Episode 24
Production on the Season 5 finale of The Big Bang Theory was an emotional time for Chuck Lorre. The episode was emotional for the characters as well, as they held hands and watched Howard begin his journey into outer space.
"The Locomotion Interruption" – Season 8, Episode 1
The Season 8 premiere ended with a brief vanity card, establishing that Chuck Lorre had months to come up with the right message. Fans can probably cut him some slack, given all the work that undoubtedly went into launching the new season, and it’s still funny.
"The Deception Verification" – Season 7, Episode 2
The second episode of Season 7 aired just weeks after the 2013 Emmy Awards, where The Big Bang Theory actually picked up the Outstanding Lead Actor trophy for Jim Parsons and Outstanding Guest Actor for Bob Newhart, although Chuck Lorre missed out on Outstanding Comedy Series again. For the vanity card, Lorre simply reflected on the very expensive tuxedo he bought for the occasion.
"The Planetarium Collision" – Season 12, Episode 5
Chuck Lorre celebrated his 66th birthday in October 2018, and wished a happy day and another two decades for himself in the vanity card. The card also aired at the end of episodes of Young Sheldon and Mom that were released on the same night as “The Planetarium Collision.”
"The Romance Resonance" – Season 7, Episode 6
Age comes for all, and that realization evidently hit Chuck Lorre hard in 2013 when he went to see a movie. He may have wanted to sulk after getting the senior discount with no question at the theater, but at least he got a deal - if “somewhat dubious” – on his ticket!
"The First Pitch Insufficiency" – Season 8, Episode 3
Chuck Lorre shared that he loved to watch The Honeymooners as a kid and went on to “steal from classic scenes” from that sitcom. The vanity card's punchline comes with speculating that The Honeymooners probably took it from Laurel and Hardy before them, and Laurel and Hardy probably took it from Greek playwright Euripides more than two millennia ago.
You can revisit all of these vanity cards and more with every episode of The Big Bang Theory streaming with a Max subscription, as well as every season of Young Sheldon so far.
