The running gags in The Big Bang Theory include many stunts and dialogues that repeatedly come up in the episodes.
Stunts[]
- Getting mocked for his lactose intolerance and being short.
- His inability to understand sarcasm or irony.
- Sheldon's spot on the couch.
- Sheldon's Knock, knocking 3 times, saying the name of the person addressed, and repeating it twice after.
- His blaming others for things going wrong that he has done.
- His incessant rants.
- Someone asks Sheldon "Why?" and others get upset since Sheldon has been given an opening to deliver a long explanation.
- Someone sings "Soft Kitty" to comfort Sheldon when he is sick, or vice versa.
- Sheldon getting restraining orders, especially from his favorite celebrities and famous scientists.
- Embarrassing Amy and Penny.
- His constant asking questions about the food he's being served. Most of the time, Leonard gets it wrong with one detail.
- People saying that he is insane and Sheldon telling people he is not crazy because his mother "had him tested" (as a child).
- Sheldon changing the wi-fi password to something that references Penny's freeloading on it.
- He is an unintentional jerk to everyone.
- Says “BAZINGA” when finishing a joke.
- She gets promiscuous and morally loose when she drinks. In addition, she turns to alcohol immediately when about to deal with a ridiculous situation (i.e. when dealing with Sheldon).
- Her anger.
- The "check engine" light in her car until she gets a new car.
- Her lack of education and awareness of not graduating community college.
- Her sloppiness.
- Using her "charm" to get by not paying for things and for getting free meals
- Her maiden name unrevealed
- She is occasionally mocked for her many boyfriends
- Asks Sheldon why he thinks something, which is met my a “No No No Don’t” by the rest of the gang
- He gets mocked for not having a Ph.D., especially by Sheldon.
- His sleaziness (until he got married).
- Doing/eating un-kosher things, despite being Jewish
- His peanut allergy
- His selective mutism, until the end of the episode "The Bon Voyage Reaction":
- Being forced to whisper things into someone's ear (usually Howard's) when he's near a woman (usually Penny).
- He gets drunk to overcome his selective mutism but ends up saying very inappropriate things.
- Going against Hindu traditions, including eating beef
- Having a bit of a feminine side
- His close relationship with his dog, Cinnamon
- His depression and loneliness
- He often has a lack of revenue in his store
- People are unable to identify his age
- Everyone is constantly forgetting him
- Monkey references and comparisons.
- Girl crush on Penny.
- Romantic frustration with Sheldon.
- Her short temper and aggressive nature.
- Her competitive side.
- Her high-pitched voice (which Howard has mocked)
- Her sounding exactly like Howard's mother when she yells or gets angry.
- She is constantly made fun of for her height.
- She always yells from off-screen.
- Her face is never visible.
- Her interest in horror and gore-themed content
- Has rather questionable tattoos
Leonard and Sheldon
- Sheldon taunting Leonard with "The Roommate Agreement".
- Sheldon putting himself into Leonard's romances, much to his dismay
- Sheldon and Leonard preferring each other's mothers for a mother and getting along better with each other's mothers than their own respective ones.
Howard and Raj
- They seem as though they are a homosexual couple, but aren't.
- Being so close, that Howard is able to feel whenever Raj is in trouble, and vice versa
Leonard, Penny and Sheldon
- Leonard and Penny acting like Sheldon's parents.
- Sheldon blaming Leonard for first speaking to Penny when she moved in the building in the Pilot episode.
- Awkward silence while walking up the stairs.
- Running down the stairs.
- Common elevator complaints
Kripke
- His perverse nature
- His speech impediment
- Sheldon's rivalry with him, which Kripke surprisingly wins most of the time
Others
- Shot of a front door while a character abruptly exits with someone screaming "Get out!"
- People getting the door slammed in their face.
- Colonoscopies are frequently mentioned.
Dialogs[]
- "Bazinga!" - Sheldon
- "Once again, you’ve fallen for one of my classic pranks. Bazinga!" - Sheldon
- "Here we go..." - Multiple users (usually followed by one of Sheldon's "psychotic rants")
- "Holy crap on a cracker!" - Penny
- "Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!" - Leonard
- "HOWARD" - Mrs. Wolowitz
- "Rats..." - Sheldon
- "I'm not crazy/insane. My mother had me tested." - Sheldon
- "In what universe..." - Multiple users
- "...jibber jabber..." - Multiple users
- "...offer them a hot beverage." - Sheldon
- "Oh not this again." - Sheldon
- "Oh balls!" - Penny
- "Oh (my) God!" - Penny
- "...on purpose." - Multiple users
- "Sweetie..." - Penny
- "That's the spirit" - Leonard
- "There, there." - Multiple users
- "This may be the wine (magic potion) talking..." - Multiple users
- "What the frak?" - Howard
- "You're in/That's my spot." - Sheldon
- "You're welcome." - Multiple users (said before he thinks someone should say "Thank you".)
- "Your check engine light is on" - Sheldon/Amy/Beverly
- "...rat bastard..." - Penny/Amy
- "...hippie-dippy..." - Sheldon
- "...batcrap crazy..." - Multiple users