THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BIG BANG THEORY

    Set in California, the show is centered on five characters: two roommate geniuses who work at the institute of technology,experimental physicist  Hofstadter and  theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper, their neighbor across the hall Penny  an attractive blonde waitress and aspiring actor; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward co-workers and friends Howard Woloitz, an aerospace engineer, and Rajesh, a particle astrophysicist postdoc also working at Caltech. The intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.Three other supporting characters have also been promoted to main cast status for a few episodes,Leslie Winkle, a Caltech colleague of Leonard, Sheldon, and Raj;Bernadette, a microbiology graduate student who works with Penny part time as a waitress and has dated and recently has become engaged to Howard; and Amy Farrah, a neurobiologist who was hooked up with Sheldon via an online dating service (courtesy of Howard and Raj, who were later horrified when Amy turned out to be essentially a female version of Sheldon).