Country of origin United States Original network CBS | No. of episodes 24 | |
Starring Johnny Galecki
Jim Parsons
Kaley Cuoco
Simon Helberg
Kunal Nayyar
Mayim Bialik
Melissa Rauch Original release September 22, 2010 (2010-09-22) – May 18, 2011 (2011-05-18) | ||
The fourth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory, began airing on CBS on September 23, 2010. Season four starts four months after the end of season 3.
Contents
Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik were upgraded to the main cast during the fourth season as Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler. Johnny Galecki submitted the episode "The Benefactor Factor" for consideration due to his nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Jim Parsons won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards for the episode "The Agreement Dissection".
Overview
Penny dates a couple of guys including the dense Zack who likes the "science dudes", Sheldon begins a platonic relationship with Amy, Howard reconnects with Bernadette eventually asking her to marry him, Leonard begins to date Raj's sister Priya, Penny becomes friends with Amy and expresses regret at breaking up with Leonard.
Production
During the season, actress Kaley Cuoco was absent from two episodes after she fell off a horse and the horse accidentally crushed her leg. When she returned to the series, she was shown working as a bartender instead of waitressing at her usual workplace, The Cheesecake Factory, to hide her injury. In January 2011, The Big Bang Theory was renewed for an additional three years; extending it through the 2013/14 season, for a fifth, sixth, and seventh season.
Reception
The fourth season received particular praise for character developments. Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx praised the additions of Bernadette and Amy into the cast, writing that "With Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette promoted to semi-permanent status, the show is now able to spend large chunks of each episode focusing only on the women, and in the process has made Penny a much more well-rounded character rather than just a foil for the nerds". Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club wrote that "Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco's interplay remains the show's secret weapon", and Eric Hochberger of TV Fanatic, who wrote: "Really though, everything about the main story worked amazing. Mayim fits in perfectly in The Big Bang Theory cast and played off of Kaley Cuoco just as well as Emmy Award-winning Parsons".