'The Big Bang Theory': Go Behind the Scenes With the Cast on Set (PHOTOS)

Microsoft founder Bill Gates guest starred as himself this season. In the storyline, his company was considering partnering with the pharmaceutical giant where Penny works. “He has great comic timing — who knew?” marvels Johnny Galecki who poses with executive producers Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, Steve Holland, and Steven Molaro, Rauch, director Mark Cendrowski, Bialik, Parsons, Phoebe Gates, Gates, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar and Helberg.

Amy (Mayim Bialik) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) have come a long way since meeting in Season 3. “The biggest shift for them was coitus and moving in together and Sheldon navigating all that,” Bialik says. Now that the pair is married, what’s next for them? “I’m hoping that we’ll just see life,” Bialik says. Teases Parsons, “Do you think Amy will be pregnant?”

Howard (Simon Helberg) drives Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) to the hospital, where she delivers the couple’s second baby, a son named Neil Michael. “Two babies in two years!” exclaims Helberg. Rauch, herself a new mom, says, “The writers have kept the parenthood storyline very real. I think that they’ve tackled the struggles that a lot of new parents go through.”

Parsons and Galecki also spent some time in the car when Leonard drove the BFFs to work. While these scenes tend to be prerecorded, “we try to do as much in front of the studio audience as we can,” Holland says. “So we’ll set up a couple of chairs and a little steering wheel and the cast will reenact it like a little theater scene.”

The set’s family vibe extends from the cast to the crew, including full-time assistant director/part-time director Anthony Rich (with Cuoco). “Anthony has been here since day one,” Holland says. “In fact, most of the crew has been here since Season 1!”

Comedy legend Bob Newhart made his fifth appearance on the Emmy-winning comedy as the now- deceased Professor Proton, Sheldon’s childhood hero. “Whenever Sheldon is in crisis, Professor Proton will appear to him in a dream wearing his Jedi robes to counsel him,” Holland says.