What was the Belarusian unauthorized remake of The Big Bang Theory called?

The Belarusian unauthorized remake of The Big Bang Theory was called “The Theorists.”

The series was officially titled Теоретики, which translates into English as The Theorists. It was produced and broadcast in Belarus in 2010 and closely copied the American sitcom’s premise, character types, opening sequence, and—according to reports—near-translated scripts.

The copied characters included counterparts to Leonard, Sheldon, Penny, Howard, and Raj. Chuck Lorre, co-creator of The Big Bang Theory, publicly highlighted the situation through one of his vanity cards and explored possible legal options with Warner Bros.

The production ended without a major copyright lawsuit. Once the actors learned that the show was unlicensed, they reportedly quit, and the producers canceled it. A frequent mistake is calling it The Scientists or The Physicists; those names describe the subject matter but are not the show’s official translated title.