The Big Bang Theory is close to getting its third spinoff series, and while it’s not official yet, the untitled show has added three members of the original show to the cast. That includes Brian Posehn’s Bert, Lauren Lapkus’ Denise, and Kevin Sussman’s Stuart, and it will be fun to see how the show brings fans into their lives and what they are doing now in the new spinoff. We wanted to take a moment to shine a spotlight on Bert specifically though, as he is one of the most entertaining and beloved characters outside of the main cast in the original series, so if you aren’t familiar with some of the best Bert episodes in The Big Bang Theory, we’ve got you covered right here.
Posehn first appears as the character during season 6 in the episode titled The Contractual Obligation Implementation. During this episode, Bert’s name is never said, but the character appears and interacts with Raj, though Raj actually insults Bert after he asks if he can join Raj’s date with Lucy. Raj shoots down the offer and then tells him to go climb up whatever beanstalk he crawled down from. The name Bert does appear in the credits though, and thus a fan favorite was born.
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Bert and Amy
Bert returns in season 7 in a memorable episode titled The Occupation Recalibration, and ends up in a storyline with Amy. This is actually where Bert is introduced formally to Howard and Raj and the audience by Amy, and his role in the Geology Department also comes into play after he gives Amy a piece of black quartz as a gift and then sets about telling a joke that Howard ruins.
Howard tells Amy Bert likes her, and Amy then reveals that Bert brings her a different rock every day. They have a conversation later where Amy tries to let him down gently but it ends up in what he thinks is a date, and Howard and Raj agree to try to talk to him and figure a way out of it. That leads to a delightful moment where Howard and Raj are heading to the rock and mineral show with Bert, and while he’s over the moon, they are hilariously not.
The Party No-Shows
One of the most unforgettable Bert episodes takes place in season 10 in an episode titled The Dependence Transcendence. This is when Bert throws a party at his apartment, but when Penny and Amy arrive an hour late, they realize no one else has shown up. Bert starts to clean up and then asks Amy not to tell anyone that the party didn’t go well since she is the coolest girl on campus, which surprises both Penny and Amy. Bert also says that Amy makes Sheldon cool simply because she’s dating him, and this sets the tone for the rest of the episode.
We then get some hilarious moments between Penny and Amy as Amy discovers how much of a trendsetter she is at the university, and when Penny asks about Leonard, Bert says he’s okay since he tricked a hot girl into marrying him, though Penny says it was more like he wore her down. Penny grows to appreciate Bert as well, and after she tells him a geology joke, Bert says they need to leave because he’s in love with both of them now. The episode is a great showcase of who Bert is and his oddball charm and is a must-watch ahead of the spinoff.
Successful Bert
While Bert has always been good at what he does, he hits a high note in his career in the season 10 episode titled The Geology Elevation. In this episode, Bert wins a MacArthur Fellowship grant worth $500,000, and this sends Sheldon into a fit of jealousy, and one great scene has everyone watching Sheldon as he reads through Bert’s paper that won the grant, and it only gets worse when Sheldon actually has to give Bert credit for knocking it out of the park.
Sheldon’s dealings with jealousy are comedy gold, as he consistently makes his life worse every time he tries to do something out of anger or frustration at Bert, and he eventually comes around thanks to a chat with Penny. Unfortunately, the peace doesn’t last long after a congratulatory effort from Sheldon ends with Bert telling him he’s going to nominate Howard for a MacArthur grant. This leads to Sheldon getting injured once more when he punches a fountain, though the best injury might be when he tried to hit Bert with a Captain Kirk karate chop, and it all ends with Bert and Sheldon going to see Ellen, showing that when Sheldon and Bert collide, great things happen.
The Meteorite
In the season 14 episode titled The Meteorite Manifestation, it’s actually Leonard causing all the chaos instead of Sheldon for once. Bert and Raj are inspecting a meteorite in the lab, and Leonard asks if he can cut it open with his snazzy new laser. Bert and Raj decline though, leaving Leonard a bit annoyed that no one wants to use his new laser.
Leonard can’t seem to let it go either, and he tries to take the meteor from Bert’s lab. After he finally gets the quite heavy meteor to his lab Bert and Raj confront him, but he still manages to cut it open. That unleashes a purple light that then zaps Leonard, and after his eyes turn purple Leonard turns into a crazed zombie that attacks and bites Bert and Raj. It’s all a dream of course, but when Leonard tells Bert about the dream Bert hilariously takes it as a compliment that Leonard attacked him first.
Simply Bert
While Bert is only briefly in the season 12 episode titled The Inspiration Deprivation, his appearance is the epitome of who Bert is, and thus needed to be included. Howard ends up seeing a scooter that reminds him of one he used to have, and he ends up buying the scooter, but reveals he’s keeping it at work so Bernadette doesn’t find out.
It doesn’t take too long for Bernadette to discover that he did indeed buy a scooter (thanks Raj), and after they get to the bottom of why he wanted it in the first place, Howard sells the scooter to Bert. Bert then gets into an accident with the scooter right after, which is hilarious in and of itself, but somehow Bert turned that negative into a positive by getting the phone number of the nurse who helped him in the hospital. That’s just quintessential Bert right there.
Which Bert episode is your favorite? You can talk all things TV with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
