The Big Bang Theory
TV Show • 2007
ReportThe Big Bang Theory is centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, mechanical engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.
This tv show contains 42 potentially triggering events.
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Your Triggers
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9
Unanswered Triggers
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Yes
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0
Yes
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0
Is a woman brutalized for spectacle?
45 supporters
Yes
0
No
0
0
cha0ticneutralsystem
Not graphically but women are harrassed constantly, including married women
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Abandonment
Is a child abandoned by a parent?
22 supporters
Yes
3
No
1
1
sarahtollemache
***SPOILER***
One of the characters is abandoned by his dad in childhood and it is brought up a number of times throughout the show, including finding out that he passed away later in the show and learning about a half-brother from his estranged and recently deceased father…
One of the characters is abandoned by his dad in childhood and it is brought up a number of times throughout the show, including finding out that he passed away later in the show and learning about a half-brother from his estranged and recently deceased father…
1 comment | Add comment
Abuse
Are there abusive parents?
31 supporters
Yes
5
No
0
0
momonowa
Leonard has an emotionally neglectful mother and describes events and feelings from his childhood. Howard has an emotionally incestuous relationship with his mother.
2 comments | Add comment
Is someone stalked?
17 supporters
Yes
6
No
0
0
cha0ticneutralsystem
The boys constantly stalk and prey on women though it’s seen as a joke instead of levitate harassment because they are nerds. They give off “nice guy” energy in a bad way
1 comment | Add comment
Is there domestic violence?
National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233)
52 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Is someone gaslighted?
27 supporters
Yes
11
No
2
0
As above, Sheldon Cooper is constantly laughed at and tricked and gaslighted by his friends.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
6
No
3
2
sarahtollemache
Leonard is emotionally abused by his mother
2 comments | Add comment
Addiction
Yes
5
No
2
Yes
4
No
0
Yes
9
No
0
Animal
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
4
No
1
Yes
2
No
7
Yes
1
No
4
Yes
3
No
0
Yes
1
No
3
Does a pet die?
85 supporters
Yes
3
No
0
-1
Emmaliciouss
Technically yes, but it's just a made up funny story nothings showm
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
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No
5
Yes
6
No
1
Yes
1
No
2
Yes
7
No
0
Assault
Is someone drugged?
17 supporters
Yes
4
No
0
1
Aryn
S1E8: Penny purposely gives Sheldon alcoholic drinks when he asks for non-alcoholic.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is someone beaten up by a bully?
13 supporters
Yes
3
No
0
1
sarahtollemache
I don’t think they’re ever specifically beaten up on the show but they are bullied and talk about being beaten up by bullies when they were younger… There are multiple scenes where they are threatened or emotionally/ verbally bullied…
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
0
cha0ticneutralsystem
The boys prey on women and often time sexually harassed them, a notable example being Raj making sexual jokes toward Bernadette who is married and when she mentions she is uncomfortable he keeps going. The boys are often shown as the victims in the situation even though they are continually harassing women or when the women actually stand up for themselves they are forced to apologise.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
2
No
2
Yes
0
No
4
Bodily Harm
Yes
1
No
6
Are there dislocations?
5 supporters
Yes
5
No
0
0
Penny dislocated her shoulder after slipping in the shower. Her arm looks completely normal, and she just holds it like it's hurt. (I can't remember which episode it was, sorry!)
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone struggle to breathe?
16 supporters
Yes
4
No
0
0
Autienaut
In season 1 Leonard has a panic attack whilst imaging life with penny
2 comments | Add comment
Yes
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8
Yes
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No
5
Yes
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No
7
Yes
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No
7
Yes
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No
4
Yes
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No
7
Yes
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No
7
Yes
0
No
4
Is there a hanging?
24 supporters
Yes
2
No
3
1
Season 9 episode 15. The sentence "I'd like to hang myself from this tree."
Season 11 Finale, Amy's dad mimicks hanging himself because of his overbearing wife.
Season 11 Finale, Amy's dad mimicks hanging himself because of his overbearing wife.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Does someone break a bone?
15 supporters
Yes
6
No
1
0
Emmaliciouss
It's not gorey but yes
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone have a seizure?
4 supporters
Yes
2
No
3
0
Autienaut
At some point sheldon is electrocuted by a safety system and whilst it isn’t a seizure it does look like one
2 comments | Add comment
Is there genital trauma/mutilation?
47 supporters
Yes
3
No
2
0
Emmaliciouss
It's not shown but used as comedy (pulled muscles) and similar things
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
1
No
4
Does someone fall down stairs?
4 supporters
Yes
5
No
0
0
Emmaliciouss
It's not shown
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is there eye mutilation?
59 supporters
Yes
1
No
6
0
Ven
there's a pretty gross pink eye episode
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Yes
0
No
8
Children
Yes
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No
3
Yes
0
No
5
Is a minor sexualized?
61 supporters
Yes
2
No
1
0
Emmaliciouss
Penny has a history of underage sexual behaviour
1 comment | Add comment
Creepy Crawly
Yes
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No
3
Death
Yes
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No
4
Yes
3
No
0
Disability
Yes
1
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3
Is someone disabled played by able-bodied?
15 supporters
Yes
3
No
1
0
cha0ticneutralsystem
Sheldon and Amy are autistic coded, Jim parsons even mentions that he researched autism (specifically Asperger’s which is outdated and offensive) to play Sheldon
1 comment | Add comment
Drugs/Alcohol
Yes
0
No
3
Family
Yes
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No
4
Yes
5
No
0
Yes
5
No
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Yes
3
No
0
Fear
Yes
1
No
3
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
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No
4
Yes
1
No
2
Yes
6
No
0
Gross
Yes
4
No
1
Does someone vomit?
58 supporters
Yes
22
No
1
3
Anonymous
S3 E15 ("The Large Hadron Collision"): Near the end of the episode, there are multiple instances of multiple characters vomiting. Off-screen, but very graphic audio.
8 comments | Add comment
Yes
6
No
0
Yes
4
No
1
Large-scale Violence
Yes
0
No
3
Medical
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
1
No
2
Yes
1
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2
Is there a hospital scene?
7 supporters
Yes
7
No
0
0
-Season 1 Episode 16
-Season 2 Episode 9
-Season 4 Episode 14 & 23
-Season 5 Episode 18
-Season 6 Episode 22
-Season 7 Episode 6
-Season 8 Episode 9
-Season 12 Episode 9
-Season 2 Episode 9
-Season 4 Episode 14 & 23
-Season 5 Episode 18
-Season 6 Episode 22
-Season 7 Episode 6
-Season 8 Episode 9
-Season 12 Episode 9
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Mental Health
Yes
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No
3
Yes
0
No
5
Is autism misrepresented?
20 supporters
Yes
7
No
0
2
cha0ticneutralsystem
Sheldon is the stereotype of savant autistic who is smart but socially inept and often gets away with some really fucked up things because he is quirky. To clarify I don’t think he is actually canonically autistic but coded to resemble autistic people. The actor even said he “studied Asperger’s”, which means the actor isn’t autistic and he used an outdated, antisemetic and ableist model of autism to base his character on and based it around “high functioning” models. Sheldon is also shown to be extremely bigoted, much like the rest of the boys and depicted at asexual and a romantic which is a trope used to infantilise and desexualize autistic people
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
1
No
3
Does someone attempt suicide?
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
50 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
2
No
1
Is there body dysmorphia?
19 supporters
Yes
2
No
3
0
Emmaliciouss
It's not a big part of the show or specifically diagnosed but Amy does experience insecurities
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone say "I'll kill myself"?
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
17 supporters
Yes
4
No
0
0
sarahtollemache
S2
E11
They don’t say “I’ll kill myself” but there is a very specific reference to suicide around the holiday period (Thanksgiving/ Christmas/ New Years) which can be very triggering for people who have been affected by that…
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
5
No
0
Yes
3
No
0
Yes
0
No
4
Is there autism specific abuse?
30 supporters
Yes
8
No
0
1
Sheldon Cooper, who is not named as autistic but who definitely has ASD, is constantly abused and laughed at by his friends and multiple other characters and described as insane and treated as if he is a terrible person.
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone die by suicide?
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
56 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Noxious
Yes
4
No
0
Yes
1
No
2
Yes
3
No
0
Yes
3
No
0
Paranoia
Yes
1
No
3
Pregnancy
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
6
No
0
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
3
No
0
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
0
No
4
Prejudice
Yes
4
No
0
Yes
6
No
1
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
4
No
0
0
Anonymous
A lot of antisemitism with the Jewish character Howard
2 comments | Add comment
Are there "Man in a dress" jokes?
20 supporters
Yes
4
No
2
0
cha0ticneutralsystem
Notably there is an entire repeating thing where they consistently misgender trans people and call trans women and femmes men, one of the only visible trans people in the show is the neighbour Louie/Louise who is a big black muscular masculine looking person with a deep voice wearing feminine things that is made fun of their appearance being the joke and the terminology being inconsistent so we don’t actually know if they are a trans woman or a crossdresser, specifically being referred to as a “200lb transvestite with a skin condition” and mentioning their new neighbour is better who is a pretty presumably vis woman, jokes about characters having ovaries or being women when they are being sensitive, one joke about how Stuart says that penny moaning the wrong name during intercourse is better than hearing “you know I’m a dude right”, Leonard mentions being robbed by a “pre-op transsexual” when talking about bad dates he’s been on, which is also weird that he’s depicted as a fuckboy or sleazy and that only someone like him would actually sleep with a trans body, Raj makes a joke how a woman doesn’t have an adams apple so she has to have been “female her entire life” (which isn’t even true as women of any gender or sex can have an adams apple based on hormones/lack of hormones they had in their body during puberty and hormones/lack of hormones they have now)
2 comments | Add comment
Yes
5
No
1
Yes
0
No
3
Is there ableist language or behavior?
27 supporters
Yes
7
No
1
1
cha0ticneutralsystem
Specifically towards Sheldon and Amy who are autistic coded. “Crazy” and “insane” and “psycho” are also used. A trans woman or possibly crossdresser (it’s never clarified) calls Sheldon crazy and a laugh track happens, the joke being that the person who is crossdressing ironically doesn’t realise that they are crazy or look crazy, which is a double whammy, ableism and transphobia
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is there aphobia?
12 supporters
Yes
11
No
5
4
silencesilence
Sheldon is strongly hinted to be asexual. His friends make fun of the way he doesn't understand sex.
2 comments | Add comment
Sex
Yes
9
No
0
Is someone sexually objectified?
26 supporters
Yes
5
No
0
1
Penny is repeatedly sexualised throughout the show
2 comments | Add comment
Are there nude scenes?
23 supporters
Yes
1
No
4
0
cha0ticneutralsystem
Post-sex shirtlessness but no genitals or boobs that I can remember
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
3
No
1
1
Howard mentions having lost his virginity to his second cousin in multiple episodes
1 comment | Add comment
Sexism
Yes
3
No
0
Spoiler
Yes
0
No
3
Violence
Yes
2
No
3
Yes
0
No
3