In 2007, The Big Bang Theory debuted on CBS.
But the sitcom didn’t explode in popularity
until reruns hit syndication. Since then,
its season premieres have routinely ranked
near the top of network TV ratings, and reruns
dominate the list of most-watched cable shows.
But for any shows this huge, there are bound
to be some big bangs behind the scenes, too…
The Pilot Reconceptualization
The show that's aired for nearly a decade
is very different from the original pilot.
Jim Parsons as Sheldon was originally a horndog.
His character was changed to someone mystified
by romance:
"I have seen 6 women naked. Some of them weren't
even relatives."
Kaley Cuoco’s Penny was also absent. Instead,
the attractive neighbor was the unfriendly
Katie, played by Amanda Walsh. Johnny Galecki
as Leonard wore suits instead of hoodies.
And there was one other change: the theme
song was Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With
Science." CBS passed, but asked creators Chuck
Lorre and Bill Prady to rework the show and
submit another pilot. They did, adding an
original theme by Barenaked Ladies, and made
it to air in 2007.
The Bernadette Vocalization
Bernadette's mousy, high-pitched voice, and
loud moments of screaming rage, don't come
naturally to actress Melissa Rauch.
"She said I'm a wonderful girl and that you're
lucky to have me."
"Where are you going?"
"To the toilet, is that ok with you?!"
Although she doesn't sound like Bernadette
in real life, Rauch took her inspiration from
a source close to home: her own mother:
"They'll say things like, 'I went to the grocery
store and I had to return something and they
sent me to three different counters. It was
a real circle jerk!'"
The Paycheck Extortion
In 2014, production of the show's eighth season
was delayed due to contract re-negotiations
between the cast and Warner Brothers. Ultimately,
CBS renewed the show for an unprecedented
three seasons, keeping it on the air through
2017. Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, and Kaley
Cuoco each secured a salary of $1 million
per episode.
Meanwhile, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar
re-negotiated their new contracts collectively,
ending up with salaries of around $750,000
per episode. A settlement was reached the
day before their old contracts expired, but
the duo would've reportedly been written out
of the show if they hadn't accepted the deal.
The Relationship Obfuscation
Kaley Cuoco has often appeared in tabloids
due to her brief marriage to tennis player
Ryan Sweeting. Still, she avoided the spotlight
during her previous relationship, even though
it was with a noteworthy co-star. Cuoco and
Johnny Galecki dated from 2007 to 2009 and
kept it a secret from not only the media,
but from the Big Bang cast and crew:
"We totally fell for each other and just really
wanted to keep it as close to ourselves as
possible, and we had an amazing relationship."
The Mayim Bialik Manifestation
In the 2008 episode "The Bat Jar Conjecture,"
Sheldon quits the group's physics bowl team.
Raj aims high in his suggestion for a replacement:
"You know who is apparently very smart is
the girl who played TV's Blossom. She got
a PHD in neuroscience or something."
"Raj, we're not getting TV's Blossom to join
our Physics Bowl team."
That actress is Mayim Bialik, who later joined
the cast as Amy Farrah Fowler. Also under
consideration for the role was actress and
musician Kate Micucci. She was edged out for
the part, but producers liked her so much
that they wrote her in anyhow, as Lucy, the
extremely introverted woman Raj briefly dates.
The Soft Kitty Misappropriation
"Soft kitty warm kitty little ball of fur.
See that's where you would come in."
Co-creator Bill Prady says he heard Sheldon's
special calm-down song at his daughter's preschool.
Assuming it was public domain, he added it
to the show, where it's been used multiple
times and on Big Bang merchandise.
In 2015, however, the family of a teacher
named Edith Newlin sued CBS. Allegedly, the
show lifted lyrics from Newlin's 1937 song
"Warm Kitty." The main difference? The original
1937 lyrics switch the first two lines from
the song we now know and love. This whole
thing could make for one rich kitty...
"Happy kitty sleepy kitty purrr purrr purrrrr!"
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