Episode Guide :: Season 5

• 501
  The Skank Reflex Analysis September 22, 2011
• 502
  The Infestation Hypothesis September 22, 2011
• 503
  The Pulled Groin Extrapolation September 29, 2011
• 504
  The Wiggly Finger Catalyst October 6, 2011
• 505
  The Russian Rocket Reaction October 13, 2011
• 506
  The Rhinitis Revelation October 20, 2011
• 507
  The Good Guy Fluctuation October 27, 2011
• 508
  The Isolation Permutation November 3, 2011
• 509
  The Ornithophobia Diffusion November 10, 2011
• 510
  The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition November 17, 2011
• 511
  The Speckerman Recurrence December 8, 2011
• 512
  The Shiny Trinket Maneuver January 12, 2012
• 513
  The Recombination Hypothesis January 19, 2012
• 514
  The Beta Test Initiation January 26, 2012
• 515
  The Friendship Contraction February 2, 2012
• 516
  The Vacation Solution February 9, 2012
• 517
  The Rothman Disintegration February 16, 2012
• 518
  The Werewolf Transformation February 23, 2012
• 519
  The Weekend Vortex March 8, 2012
• 520
  The Transporter Malfunction March 29, 2012
• 521
  The Hawking Excitation April 5, 2012
• 522
  The Stag Convergence April 26, 2012
• 523
  The Launch Acceleration May 3, 2012
• 524
  The Countdown Reflection May 10, 2012

Season Recap

The Big Bang Theory's fifth season sees more charcacter development as Sheldon settles into his relationship with Amy, Howard and Bernadette's wedding approaches, and Leonard and Penny restart their relationship.

The season starts with Penny and Raj dealing with the aftereffects of their night together. Leonard comes to terms with Priya's decision to move back to India, deciding to try make their relationship work long distance. Howard's pending nuptials suffer a change in trajectory when Howard's asked by NASA to go into space. Leonard realizes he can't have a meaningful relationship with Priya long distance and breaks things off.

In the show's one-hundredth episode, Leonard and Penny decide to start things up again and enter a new "beta test" stage in their relationship. Howard prepares for his space voyage and marriage to Bernadette.

In the fifth season finale, Howard and Bernadette decide to get married before Howard goes to space. The couple decide to get married on the roof of the guys' apartment building and have all their friends officiate the wedding. After the wedding, Howard blasts off into space as his wife and friends watch on TV back in the apartment.

The Big Bang Theory's fifth season contained twenty-four episodes aired between September 22, 2011 and May 12, 2012. During the season, The Big Bang Theory became the #1 sitcom on U.S. TV and was 8th most watched TV program. The Big Bang Theory entered syndication during its fifth season.