Season 7

Season 7 of The Big Bang Theory was confirmed on January 12, 2009, alongside Seasons 5 and 6. It started airing on September 26,
 * 2013 on CBS in the United States and Canada, and October 14th, 2013 in Australia. It aired in the UK on October 31, 2013 on E4.

As of September 2013, it has been announced that the series will be renewed for an eighth season. The cast is beginning salary negotiations for future seasons.

Due to contractual obligations, the three main cast members (Parsons, Galecki, and Cuoco) will receive $350,000 per episode in the seventh season, increasing their salaries an additional $50,000 per episode from season 6.

The writers began working on Season 7 in mid-June. The filming of season seven episodes began August 20, 2013. (tvtickets.com)

The season premiere in the US and Canada included two thirty minute episodes back to back both broadcast on September 26, 2013.

As of March 2014, The Big Bang Theory has been renewed for a further three seasons. Taking the total number of seasons, current and future, to ten seasons. This news was celebrated by an Instagram post from Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting of a picture of her and her co-stars Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons (http://instagram.com/p/lcvNPJuWaR/)

Spoilers and initial plot descriptions are being posted below. Many of these have aired in the US, UK and Canada, and some have aired in Australia.

Cast

 * Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter
 * Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
 * Kaley Cuoco as Penny
 * Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz
 * Kunal Nayyar as Rajesh Koothrappali
 * Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz
 * Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler

Spoilers

 * This season will feature a further 24 episodes, adding the total amount of episodes for the entire series up to 159. (Season trend)
 * Raj will be able to talk to women this season, but will not be very good at it. (Season trend)
 * Amy will continue to push Sheldon toward a physical relationship. The writers stated in a recent interview: "It's always a possibility for them to eventually have sex." (Season trend)
 * Even though Penny and Sheldon will become closer in this season, Amy will not get jealous. She does not see Penny as a threat though she is jealous of her friendship with Sheldon. (Season trend)
 * The writers still haven't decided which of the guys will get tenure at work, but we shall find out. (Season trend)
 * There will be NO Howard/Bernadette baby this season. (Season trend)
 * Leonard will start out the season still on Stephen Hawking's expedition ("on the boat"), but will return quickly after the season starts. (aired, S7E01)
 * Penny will miss Leonard much more than he misses her. (aired, S7E01)
 * Bernadette and Amy will take a trip together without Penny in the first episode. (aired, S7E01)
 * Penny and Sheldon will become closer during Leonard's absence, but the relationship will stay strictly brother/sister. The writers say Penny is a "motherly figure" to Sheldon. (aired, S7E01)
 * Leonard enjoys his time on the boat and is taking his separation from Penny well. (aired, S7E01)
 * Regina King will make another guest appearance in the first episode as Mrs. Davis. (aired, S7E01)
 * Amy and Howard will spend time together for the first time. (aired, S7E03)
 * Leonard's mother will to return in the fourth episode via a call. (aired, S7E04)
 * Sheldon will tell some of Amy's colleagues that they have a good relationship and that he spanked her. (aired, S7E05)
 * makes a guest appearance in one of Sheldon's dreams. (Filmed for S7E06, but cut when aired)
 * Sheldon will have a big break through in his work that lifts him to another level and he has to deal with it, which he's not comfortable with. It's not exactly what he had been hoping for. (aired, S7E06 and S7E10)
 * will return as Professor Proton in two more episodes. (one have been aired in S7E07; another filmed) Professor Proton and Leonard and Bill Nye the Science Guy and Sheldon will team up and face off against each other. (aired, S7E07)
 * Penny is going to set Raj up with one of her friends, Lizzie. (aired, S7E08)
 * Per a writers' room photo, there will be a holiday episode listed as "Happy Thanksgiving, Hard"; different final title. (aired, S7E09)
 * Penny finds out that she is married. (aired, S7E09)
 * and from the Star Wars franchise will make a guest appearance together. (aired, S7E14)
 * The episode will take place on a train. (aired, S7E15)
 * There will be a Shamy kiss. (aired, S7E15)
 * Mary Cooper is returning when Sheldon visits her. (aired, S7E18)
 * Professor Proton is going to pass away. (aired, S7E22)
 * Leonard and Penny's engagement. (aired, S7E23)