The Prestidigitation Approximation
🎞️ S4 E18 ✅ Mild

The Big Bang Theory

Is The Big Bang Theory S4 E18 OK for kids?

The Prestidigitation Approximation

Leonard must choose between new girlfriend Priya and his friendship with Penny. Meanwhile, Howard drives Sheldon crazy with a magic trick.

📺 Where to watch

Netflix, HBO or Disney+ — catalogs differ by country.

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🛒 Where to buy

Digital seasons or a box set to keep.

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Content guide

👊 Violence
💋 Sex
🙊 Language
⭐ Overall

Mild — okay from about 10+

The Big Bang Theory S4 E18, “The Prestidigitation Approximation”, scores 2/5 for violence, 2/5 for sex and 2/5 for language, for an overall kid-rating of 2/5 — Mild — okay from about 10+. Leonard must choose between new girlfriend Priya and his friendship with Penny. Meanwhile, Howard drives Sheldon crazy with a magic trick.

Across the episode we counted 10 flagged moments in 6 themes: Sex & hookups (2); Nudity & bodies (1); Affairs / cheating (1); Violence & injury (1); Swearing (4); Racism & slurs (1). Every moment below is either a direct quote from the episode transcript or a short description of what happens on screen, so you can decide before you press play.

Parents need to know

Age 10+

Racist language, language, sex talk in live-action sitcom.

Parents need to know that The Big Bang Theory S4 E18, "The Prestidigitation Approximation", is a live-action sitcom episode. The series is known for more innuendo than the science jokes suggest, but rarely explicit. Scores low: the strongest thing we found is racism & slurs (explicit, in dialogue). Violence is mild but includes Raj says, "Son of a gun, you’re blowing my mind!". Sexual content is mild but includes Penny says, "I’m not going out with him. He can sleep with whoever he wants"; Penny says, "He was gonna throw it in the washing machine with his Spiderman underwear. That’s our…". Some mild language appears — for example, Penny says, "She seems really sweet. Believe me, you do not want to take that for granted. There are…". This episode includes racism & slurs — for example, Leonard says, "Is it racist that I took you to an Indian restaurant?". Every flagged moment below is a direct quote from the transcript or a short description of what happens on screen.

Watch for — every moment, theme by theme

Sex & hookups 2 moments

How Sex & hookups shows up in The Big Bang Theory S4 E18:

  • Caution
    Penny I’m not going out with him. He can sleep with whoever he wants.
  • Mild
    Leonard Hey, if you can find a book called weird sex with white boys, I’d be okay with that.

Nudity & bodies 1 moment

How Nudity & bodies shows up in The Big Bang Theory S4 E18:

  • Mild
    Penny He was gonna throw it in the washing machine with his Spiderman underwear. That’s our Lenny, huh?

Affairs / cheating 1 moment

How Affairs / cheating shows up in The Big Bang Theory S4 E18:

  • Caution
    Sheldon I do. You just happen to have caught me on a break. Oh, let me see those cards.

Violence & injury 1 moment

How Violence & injury shows up in The Big Bang Theory S4 E18:

  • Caution
    Raj Son of a gun, you’re blowing my mind!

Swearing 4 moments

How Swearing shows up in The Big Bang Theory S4 E18:

  • Caution
    Penny She seems really sweet. Believe me, you do not want to take that for granted. There are a lot of bitches out there.
  • Caution
    Leonard Yeah, bitches are the worst.
  • Mild
    Leonard Holy crap, are you connected to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory?
  • Mild
    Penny Okay, I’m not moving anywhere. What the hell is this all about?

Racism & slurs 1 moment

How Racism & slurs shows up in The Big Bang Theory S4 E18:

  • Too much
    Leonard Is it racist that I took you to an Indian restaurant?

What to watch in The Big Bang Theory · Season 4 guide

Watch With The Kids · Your kids — your rules! · Informal parent guidance, not an official rating.