The Big Bang Theory

Leonard and Sheldon are physicists sharing a flat in Pasadena. Their friends Howard and Raj are regular visitors; Penny, an aspiring actress, is the new neighbour across the hall. A quiet evening can become an argument about science, dating or precisely where someone is allowed to sit.

Jim Parsons makes Sheldon's certainty and elaborate routines very funny, while Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco give him two very different people to contend with. Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar are excellent together as Howard and Raj. Amy and Bernadette, played by Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch, bring more friendships, arguments and competing ambitions into the group.

I highly recommend The Big Bang Theory if you're looking for a funny, welcoming sitcom with a cast you can spend a lot of time with. The science and pop-culture references give it flavour, but the real attraction is watching these particular people try to get along. You don't need to understand an equation to enjoy someone being spectacularly unreasonable about a takeaway.

Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, the completed series has twelve seasons and 279 episodes, originally broadcast from 2007 to 2019. Read my full review for more on the cast and comedy. Young Sheldon follows Sheldon's childhood in Texas.