The Big Bang Theory may have wrapped after the 2019 series finale, but fans haven’t had to say goodbye to its beloved characters just yet.
What began as a show created by Chuck Lorre about a group of nerdy friends has grown into one of TV’s biggest sitcom franchises, spanning multiple generations, genres and now even the multiverse! With the latest spinoff, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, set to premiere on HBO Max on July 23, now is the perfect time to revisit the Big Bang Theory timeline and see where every series fits.
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Which ‘Big Bang Theory’ Show Should You Watch First?
While the timeline starts with Young Sheldon, the best way to experience the Big Bang Theory universe is to begin with the original series. Watching the first series gives you a better understanding of the characters, relationships and references that carry throughout the franchise. After that, head back to Sheldon’s childhood in Young Sheldon, continue with Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and finally dive into the multiverse with Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.
‘Big Bang Theory’ Shows in Chronological Order
- Young Sheldon (2017)
- Georgie & Many’s First Marriage (2024)
- The Big Bang Theory (2007)
- Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (2026)
While we recommend you watch the Big Bang Theory in order of release, it’s still helpful to understand the chronological timeline as you jump into the universe! Here’s a look at every Big Bang Theory show in the order they occurred.
‘Young Sheldon’
Starring:
- Iain Armitage as Sheldon Cooper
- Zoe Perry as Mary Cooper
- Lance Barber as George Cooper Sr.
- Raegan Revord as Missy Cooper
- Montana Jordan as Georgie Cooper
- Annie Potts as Meemaw
Although it wasn’t the first series released, Young Sheldon is where the Big Bang Theory timeline begins. Set in East Texas during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the prequel follows nine-year-old Sheldon Cooper as he skips several grades and attends high school, and later college, years ahead of his peers. As Sheldon learns to navigate life as a child prodigy, the series also explores his social challenges both at school and at home.
Young Sheldon is just as much about the Cooper family as it is about Sheldon himself. From his loving yet often conflicting relationship with his deeply religious mother, Mary, to the sibling dynamics he shares with Missy and Georgie, audiences watch as each relationship helps shape the person Sheldon eventually becomes.
Iain Armitage stars as the young genius, while Jim Parsons reprises his role as the adult Sheldon Cooper and the show’s narrator. Throughout its seven-season run, Young Sheldon featured numerous callbacks to The Big Bang Theory, from subtle references and Easter eggs to long-awaited events that had only been briefly mentioned in the original series.
Young Sheldon comes to a close with Sheldon leaving for Caltech, setting the stage for the events of The Big Bang Theory.
‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’
Starring:
- Montana Jordan as Georgie Cooper
- Emily Osment as Mandy McAllister
- Rachel Bay Jones as Audrey McAllister
- Will Sasso as Jim McAllister
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage picks up immediately after the events of Young Sheldon, following Sheldon’s older brother, Georgie Cooper, and Mandy McAllister as they navigate married life and raising their daughter, CeeCee. The newlyweds have to learn how to juggle work, family and the challenges of adulthood, all while adjusting to life under the same roof as Mandy’s parents.
As Georgie and Mandy settle into married life, the series continues the Cooper family’s story while giving Georgie a chance to step into the spotlight.
Familiar faces like Mary, Missy and Meemaw return throughout the series as it bridges the gap between Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory, showing what happened to the Cooper family after Sheldon left for Caltech.
Following two successful seasons, the series was renewed for a third season, which premieres October 8, 2026 on CBS.
‘The Big Bang Theory’
Starring:
- Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
- Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter
- Kaley Cuoco as Penny Hofstadter
- Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz
- Kunal Nayyar as Raj Koothrappali
- Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler
- Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski
The Big Bang Theory is the flagship sitcom that launched the entire franchise. The series follows the brilliant but socially awkward physicists Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, whose lives are forever changed when aspiring actress Penny moves in across the hall. Alongside their friends Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali, the group navigates their careers and relationships through 12 seasons of unforgettable comedy.
Through the seasons, the show’s world expands to include fan-favorite characters like Amy Farrah Fowler, Bernadette Rostenkowski and comic bookstore owner Stuart Bloom, each of whom become an important part of the group’s evolving friendships and lives.
The characters grow both personally and professionally throughout the series, finding love, advancing their careers and achieving lifelong dreams. As the group grew together, so did the audience’s connection to them, transforming The Big Bang Theory from just another comedy into a heartfelt story about friendship and found family.
The sitcom became one of the most successful comedies in television history, earning 55 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning 10 of them and laying the foundation for an expanding universe of spinoffs.
‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’
Starring:
- Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom
- Lauren Lapkus as Denise
- Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler
- John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke
Unlike the previous spinoffs, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe moves the Big Bang Theory timeline forward rather than backward. Premiering on HBO Max on July 23, the new science fiction series is the franchise’s first true sequel – and its first foray into the sci-fi genre – picking up after the events of The Big Bang Theory.
The story follows Stuart Bloom, the owner of the comic bookstore The Comic Center, after he accidentally damages a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, triggering a multiverse Armageddon that threatens reality itself. Tasked with restoring the universe, Stuart must track down a quantum-interference device that can restore the fabric of reality.
Along the way, Stuart crosses paths with alternate versions of himself, his friends and other familiar Big Bang Theory characters across different realities.
Stuart is joined by his girlfriend Denise, geologist Bert Kibbler and quantum physicist Barry Kripke as the unlikely team races to repair the damage before it’s too late. But true to Stuart’s luck, nothing ever seems to go quite as planned.
While the original series and its prequels remained grounded in reality, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe takes the franchise into new territory, combining the signature humor of The Big Bang Theory with alternate realities and a fantastical sci-fi adventure.
Stream ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Universe on DIRECTV
Whether you’re revisiting Sheldon from the beginning or jumping into Stuart’s multiverse adventure, DIRECTV makes it easy to stream every chapter of the Big Bang Theory universe in one place.
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