The Big Bang Theory (season 3)
The third season of the American sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" was originally aired on CBS from September 21, 2009, to May 24, 2010, with 23 episodes. It received higher ratings than the previous two seasons with over 15 million viewers. The third season saw the first appearances of future main cast members Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski in "The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary" and Mayim Bialik as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler in the season finale "The Lunar Excitation". Christine Baranski was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a  Comedy Series at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards for the episode, "The Maternal Congruence". Jim Parsons won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the episode "The Pants Alternative". Overview. Penny throws herself at Leonard after he returns from three months at the North Pole, and they begin a relationship that lasts most of the season. Penny and Sheldon start a quirky friendship (though she can still annoy him). Wil Wheaton begins appearing as Sheldon's arch-enemy. Howard begins to date Bernadette Rostenkowski. At the end of the season, Sheldon meets Amy Farrah  Fowler. Episodes. <onlyinclude> </onlyinclude> Reception. The third season received critical acclaim. Maureen Ryan of "Chicago Tribune" wrote that ""Big Bang Theory," which is in its third season, is doing many things very right", Alan Sepinwall of "The Star-Ledger" wrote "the Penny/Sheldon interaction was gold, as always", and Ken Tucker of "Entertainment Weekly", who wrote that "what lifts "The Big Bang Theory" into frequent excellence is its one constant from the start: the brilliantly nuanced performance of Jim Parsons". The American Film Institute ranked season three one of the ten best television seasons of 2009