The Big Bang Theory: Season 3

The physics of funny is back for year three! At work, CalTech doctors Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter and their uber-geek pals Howard Wolowitz and Rajesh Koothrapali rule over the rules of the cosmos. At home, however, on the mean streets of Pasadena – whether it's dating or day-to-day survival – the real world conquers them. And with one of the universe's greatest mysteries living next door – an attractive neighbor named Penny – they've got their work cut out from them. Emmy® nominee Jim Parsons stars alongside Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco and more in the third laugh-filled season from creator/producers Chuck Lorre ("Two and a Half Men") and Bill Prady ("Dharma & Greg") that proves the hypothesis that comedy is both an art and a science! See how your comedy IQ measures up.

But make no mistake: Jim Parsons, as Sheldon, drives the show. With Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) grappling with fairly conventional relationship issues, it falls to Sheldon to turn every potential cliché into an opportunity for unexpected lunacy. His combination of ruthless rationality, profound narcissism, and yawning neediness make Sheldon a remarkable comic creation, and Parsons plays him to the hilt. Even funnier than his relentless analytical approach to emotions is when he tries to be more human; his attempts to comfort Penny when she's injured are hilariously unnerving. Watching Sheldon "grow" over the course of The Big Bang Theory's progress is one of the show's greatest pleasures. --Bret Fetzer