"The Big Bang Theory": Counting Catwomen

I'm very glad to welcome "The Big Bang Theory" back to my Monday night routine.

CBS laffer's sophomore season opener, "The Bad Fish Paradigm," took a few minutes to get going with the yucks, but when Jim Parsons' Sheldon started folding, and re-folding his laundry in the scene with Kaley Cuoco's Penny, all was right with the show.

The seg really took off for me in the scene with Sheldon as he tries to bunk for the night with Simon Helberg's Wolowitz. (Helberg was very funny in his brief role in "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." Hopefully we'll see more of Moist in the sequel.)

The rapid-fire riffing on Sheldon's favorite Catwomen (No. 1: Julie Newmar; No. 2: Michelle Pfeiffer; No. 3: Eartha Kitt: No. 4: Lee Meriwether; No. 5: Halle Berry) and his "X-Men" character preferences reflected the oddball side of the show that grew on me like a fungus last season.

All in all, a fun, if not uproarious, opener penned by scribes Dave Goetsch and Steve Molaro (from story by co-creator/exec producer Bill Prady), and helmer Mark Cendrowski.

Welcome back, boys. And I say that as a Pasadena City College alum -- no kidding.