Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

The Incredible Shrinking BBT

Reviewed by Michael Reuben September 12, 2016

Season Nine of The Big Bang Theory saw several notable developments, including changes in key relationships, numerous guest stars and the show's 200th episode. But the single most noteworthy event in the most recent season of CBS's venerable comedy has gone largely unnoticed, except for a few fan sites. Current half-hour network shows usually run about 22 minutes in length, leaving eight minutes for commercials, which is already a shorter running time than in earlier eras of TV, when 25 minutes was the standard running time. In BBT's most recent season, however, episode length has steadily shrunk, with many episodes cut down to a mere 18:30 minutes of plot and punchlines, thereby allowing 11:30 minutes of ads and station promotions. If you're like me and DVR the show in order to fast-forward through commercial breaks, you weren't imagining the sensation that you had to hold down the FF button longer this season.

The reflex interpretation of this trend would be to blame CBS for shamelessly squeezing more advertising revenue from one of its prize properties, but the network may not be entirely to blame. The Blu-ray set of BBT's Season Nine includes not only a digital copy, but also an offer with the bold, red-and-black headline: "Get 3 New Episodes with No Commercials". Submit the included code, and you receive the option to stream the first three episodes of the new season the day after they air, without the eleven-plus minutes of annoying interruptions. Of course, if you want to see all of Season 10 that way, you'll have to pay Warner $39.99 for the privilege; so networks aren't the only ones angling to profit from the show's ever-increasing commercial baggage.

Issues of length aside, BBT's Season Nine retains all the familiar qualities that the show's loyal fanbase expects. The Blu-ray extras are a little thinner than in previous seasons, but the audio and video quality remains consistently good.

In the cliffhanger that concluded Season Eight, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco, no longer hyphenated after her divorce) were in the process of spontaneously eloping to Las Vegas following an extended engagement, only to fall out during the drive, after Leonard confessed to "making out" with a co-worker during his Arctic research excursion one year earlier. At the same time, Amy (Mayim Bialik) announced her desire to take "time off" from her often one-sided relationship with Sheldon (Jim Parsons), physicist and nerd egotist extraordinaire. The ramifications of these decisions play out over Season Nine's early episodes, with varying results, some predictable and others not so much.

Raj (Kunal Nyyar), who began the series too fearful of women to speak in their presence unless he was drinking, graduates in Season Nine to full-fledged Lothario, as he continues to date Emily (Laura Spencer), the red-headed doctor with a taste for the morbid, while commencing a romance with the more sweetly ethereal Claire (Alessandra Torresani). But Raj's first loyalty remains to his best friend, Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), who sometimes refers to Raj as his other wife. Meanwhile, Howard and the real Mrs. Wolowitz, Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), finally get comic store owner Stuart (Kevin Sussman) out of their house, which Howard has inherited from his late mom and which Bernadette is determined to redecorate and make her own. While the Wolowitzes squabbled continuously in Season Eight over such classic marital issues as chores and household finances, in Season Nine they seem to be relaxing into a happier state. But then, on Valentine's Day, unexpected developments take them in a new direction (Episode 15, "The Valentino Submergence").

Season Nine continues BBT's tradition of noteworthy guest stars. Leonard Nimoy's son, Adam, interviews Sheldon for a documentary about his late father's role as Mr. Spock—and gets far more than he bargained for (Episode 7, "The Spock Resonance"). British comic Stephen Merchant, co-creator of The Office, provides a memorable turn as Dave Gibbs, a potential new love interest for Amy (multiple episodes). Bob Newhart returns as the late Arthur Jeffries, the scientist whose TV show inspired Sheldon as a boy; now transformed into a glowing Yoda-like figure in Sheldon's dreams, he materializes to offer advice and counsel at a critical juncture involving (among other things) the premiere of The Force Awakens (Episode 11, "The Opening Night Excitation"). Also returning is Keith Carradine as Penny's dad (Episode 3, "The Bachelor Party Convergence"), Laurie Metcalf as Sheldon's strong-willed mom (in multiple episodes), and Christine Baranski as Leonard's ice-cold mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter (also in multiple episodes). A new arrival is June Squibb (Nebraska), who portrays Sheldon's legendary grandmother known affectionately as "Meemau"—and who proves to be a handful (Episode 14, "The Meemau Materialization"). In the season finale (Episode 24, "The Convergence Convergence"), we finally get to meet Leonard's father, Harold (Judd Hirsch), whose arrival opens a new window into the chronically insecure physicist's psyche.

But the most consequential guest star, at least in BBT's pop culture-addicted ecosystem, is TV's original Batman himself, Adam West, who enlivens the show's 200th episode with a surprise appearance at Sheldon's birthday party (Episode 17, "The Celebration Experimentation"). In a memorable scene, West joins Leonard, Raj and Howard in ranking the assorted Batmans of the large and small screen. To no one's surprise, George Clooney always comes last.

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As with previous seasons, Warner has released BBT's Season Eight on two 1080p, AVC-encoded BD-50s. The result, like BBT's visual style, is consistent with prior season releases. The digitally acquired image is sharp and detailed without any harshness, and there are no obvious artifacts in the form of video noise, banding or other anomalies. Blacks are deep and solid, and the bright colors reflect typical TV sitcom aesthetics. The image rarely "pops", but it's never dull. The average bitrate continues to hover around 15.9 Mbps for each episode, which seems to be sufficient given the nature of the material and the quality of the compression work.

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

On the audio front as well, the Blu-rays of BBT's Season Nine are consistent with prior seasons. The 5.1 sound mix, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, remains front-oriented, with audience reaction shading to the sides and a little to the rear. The major use of surrounds occurs during the whirling-atom scene changes and the Bare Naked Ladies theme song that opens and closes each episode. The Star Wars-themed Episode 11 ("The Opening Night Excitation") provides a few opportunities for a more daring audio presence, especially in the thunderous opening, but overall BBT's soundtrack remains focused on the dialogue, which is carefully prioritized over the studio audience reactions.

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• #JustAskBBT (disc1) (1080p; 1.78:1): The cast answers questions posted on its Twitter feed.
• Who Will Get the Couch (5:03)
• If I Had to Go to Mars (7:20)



• The Big Bang Theory 2015 Comi-Con Panel (disc 1) (1080p; 1.78:1; 26:04): This is a writers' panel, led by creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady and current showrunner Steven Molaro. The moderator is Kunal Nayyar ("Raj").



• Love Is Rocket Science (disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 11:31): The cast discusses the significant relationship developments of Season Nine.



• The Big 200! (disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 5:37): Scenes from the taping of, and celebrations for, the show's 200th episode ("The Celebration Experimentation").



• The Big Bang Theory Gives Back (disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 5:08): An introduction to the BBT-funded scholarships for UCLA students studying science, technology, engineering and math ("S.T.E.M.").



• Gag Reel (disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 8:48): This cast thoroughly enjoys their flubs, or at least they know how to put a good face on them (since nearly all occur before a live studio audience).

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The announcement of each new BBT Blu-ray set inevitably provokes complaints at Blu-ray.com that the show is past its prime, ripe for cancellation, etc. The legions of loyal fans who tune in each week and routinely drive the Blu-ray sets to the top of the sales charts would beg to differ. They don't even seem to mind that the episodes are being squeezed down to just over half the show's time slot. At this rate, Sheldon may barely have time to say "Bazinga!" Still, Blu-ray remains the format in which BBT is presented to best advantage, and for fans of the show, Season Nine is highly recommended.