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The Best Episodes of The Big Bang Theory Season 3

Every episode of The Big Bang Theory Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Big Bang Theory Season 3!

Physicists Leonard and Sheldon find their nerd-centric social circle with pals Howard and Raj expanding when aspiring actress Penny moves in next door.
Genre:Comedy
Network:CBS

Season 3 Ratings Summary

"The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation" is the best rated episode of "The Big Bang Theory" season 3. It scored 8.3/10 based on 4652 votes. Directed by Mark Cendrowski and written by Steven Molaro, it aired on 9/21/2009. This episode is rated 0.6 points higher than the second-best, "The Jiminy Conjecture".

  • The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation
    8.3/104,652 votes

    #1 - The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/2009

    When Sheldon learns the guys tampered with his expedition data he got from the arctic, he leaves to Texas in disgrace. This results in the guys following him, which threatens Leonard's hope for some romantic time with Penny and the guys' friendship with Sheldon.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: Steven Molaro

  • The Jiminy Conjecture
    7.7/104,248 votes

    #2 - The Jiminy Conjecture

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 9/28/2009

    Leonard and Penny struggle to recover from an awkward first hookup while Sheldon and Howard stake their best comic books on a bet to determine the species of a cricket.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: Jim Reynolds

  • The Gothowitz Deviation
    8.1/104,358 votes

    #3 - The Gothowitz Deviation

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 10/5/2009

    Howard and Raj visit a Goth nightclub to pick up women while Sheldon attempts to build a better Penny using chocolate-based behavior modification.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Pirate Solution
    8.0/104,268 votes

    #4 - The Pirate Solution

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/12/2009

    Raj must find a new job or be sent back to India, but Sheldon has a solution, which leaves Leonard and Penny dealing with Howard as a third wheel.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: Steve Holland

  • The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary
    8.3/104,373 votes

    #5 - The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary

    Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 10/19/2009

    After overhearing that Wil Wheaton is entering a trading-card competition, Sheldon decides to enter it himself. Meanwhile, Penny sets up one of her friends on a date with Wolowitz.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Cornhusker Vortex
    7.4/104,112 votes

    #6 - The Cornhusker Vortex

    Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 11/2/2009

    Sheldon becomes Leonard's teacher in order to understand football, while an incident with flying a kite threatens Howard and Raj's friendship.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Guitarist Amplification
    7.7/104,138 votes

    #7 - The Guitarist Amplification

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 11/9/2009

    A squabble between Leonard and Penny sees Sheldon playing mediator, though out of his own incovenience from the sitiation rather than altruism.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Adhesive Duck Deficiency
    8.9/105,835 votes

    #8 - The Adhesive Duck Deficiency

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 11/16/2009

    With Leonard, Howard and Raj away camping in the desert, an injured Penny has only Sheldon to rely on.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Vengeance Formulation
    8.3/104,351 votes

    #9 - The Vengeance Formulation

    Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 11/23/2009

    After he's humiliated on National Public Radio, Sheldon vows to destroy Kripke, while Wolowitz tries not to destroy his new relationship with Bernadette.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Gorilla Experiment
    8.4/104,411 votes

    #10 - The Gorilla Experiment

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 12/7/2009

    Penny gets help from Sheldon in order to understand what Leonard's work is, while Wolowitz develops a jealousy when Leonard starts hanging out with his new girlfriend.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Maternal Congruence
    8.3/104,315 votes

    #11 - The Maternal Congruence

    Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 12/14/2009

    A Christmas visit from his mother has Leonard discovering she's kept a lot of news from him that she shares with Sheldon and worrying if she'll approve of his romance with Penny.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Psychic Vortex
    8.2/104,230 votes

    #12 - The Psychic Vortex

    Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 1/11/2010

    Leonard is aghast to find out a secret of Penny's: she believes in psychics. Meanwhile, Sheldon tries to assist Koothrappali in picking up a girl at a university mixer.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Bozeman Reaction
    8.0/104,137 votes

    #13 - The Bozeman Reaction

    Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 1/18/2010

    When their apartment is robbed, Leonard and Sheldon turn to their friends to create a state-of-the-art security system.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Einstein Approximation
    8.4/104,500 votes

    #14 - The Einstein Approximation

    Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 2/1/2010

    Sheldon's search for the answer to a physics problem leads him to work at the Cheesecake Factory with Penny.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Large Hadron Collision
    8.0/104,063 votes

    #15 - The Large Hadron Collision

    Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 2/8/2010

    Leonard can only bring one guest on a trip to see CERN's Large Hadron Collider (the world's largest and highest energy particle accelerator) in Switzerland on Valentine's Day.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Excelsior Acquisition
    8.2/104,170 votes

    #16 - The Excelsior Acquisition

    Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 3/1/2010

    Sheldon winds up in traffic court when he gets a ticket because of Penny.

    Director: Peter Chakos

    Writer: N/A

  • The Precious Fragmentation
    8.4/104,406 votes

    #17 - The Precious Fragmentation

    Season 3 Episode 17 - Aired 3/8/2010

    When the guys find a ring from "The Lord of the Rings" at a garage sale, it threatens to tear them apart.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Pants Alternative
    8.4/104,330 votes

    #18 - The Pants Alternative

    Season 3 Episode 18 - Aired 3/22/2010

    Sheldon's friends come to his aid when his fear of public speaking stands between him and a coveted award.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Wheaton Recurrence
    7.8/104,044 votes

    #19 - The Wheaton Recurrence

    Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 4/12/2010

    A fight between Leonard and Penny threatens their relationship, while Sheldon battles Wil Wheaton in bowling.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Spaghetti Catalyst
    8.1/104,054 votes

    #20 - The Spaghetti Catalyst

    Season 3 Episode 20 - Aired 5/3/2010

    When Leonard and Penny aren't speaking, Sheldon goes to extremes to keep them both happy.

    Director: Anthony Joseph Rich

    Writer: Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, Lee Aronsohn, Steven Molaro

  • The Plimpton Stimulation
    8.1/104,335 votes

    #21 - The Plimpton Stimulation

    Season 3 Episode 21 - Aired 5/10/2010

    Leonard and Sheldon compete for the attention of a famous female physicist.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Staircase Implementation
    9.0/105,608 votes

    #22 - The Staircase Implementation

    Season 3 Episode 22 - Aired 5/17/2010

    Leonard tells Penny about how he met Sheldon for the first time...and what happened to the elevator.

    Director: Mark Cendrowski

    Writer: N/A

  • The Lunar Excitation
    8.6/104,428 votes

    #23 - The Lunar Excitation

    Season 3 Episode 23 - Aired 5/24/2010

    While Penny worries that dating Leonard has ruined her for normal guys, Wolowitz and Koothrappali search for Sheldon's perfect match online.

    Director: Peter Chakos

    Writer: N/A