The Big Bang Theory has been known to nab some big guest stars in the past—especially those with ties to the science and science fiction communities. This week, Nathan Fillion was added to the list of famous individuals who can claim cameos on an episode of the hit CBS comedy. To make the episode a little more interesting, the former Firefly and current Castle star will be playing himself.
It’s weird to think of actors popping up as themselves on most shows, unless it is within the context of some sort of convention. However, The Big Bang Theory is all about cameos, and in the upcoming episode Raj and Leonard will actually be out to dinner and will spot a dude who they think is Nathan Fillion in a restaurant. Reports indicate they will spend part of the episode trying to figure out whether or not they should try and take a photo with the actor. While this wouldn’t be a normal occurrence in many places in the country, the gang lives in Pasadena, California, just north of Los Angeles, so a restaurant appearance should fit right in. EW reports the episode will hit the schedule on February 19.
Fillion’s a great fit for the show, thanks to his penchant for choosing projects that have pretty niche fandoms, including but not limited to roles in the Joss Whedon projects Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In fact, Sheldon has proven to be a big fan of Firefly on The Big Bang Theory and back in Season 2, Summer Glau also popped up as herself in the hit series, appearing on the same train as the gang.
These sorts of cameos are a dime a dozen on the show. Sheldon got up to weird hijinks with James Earl Jones in a Season 7 episode of The Big Bang Theory. They even played a doorbell prank on Carrie Fisher. Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is another famous name who has popped up on The Big Bang Theory as himself, correcting Sheldon for a mistake he made in an otherwise brilliant paper. Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff is another popular actress who has appeared on the show. The Big Bang Theory loves cameos like these; regardless, we’re still very excited about the Nathan Fillion appearance.
Currently, Fillion is only signed on for that one-episode guest stint. Still, since The Big Bang Theory has a penchant for signing on famous names for guest-starring roles and cameos, I’d guess the show has plenty of additional guest appearances in its future—especially since CBS signed on for a crazy huge three season renewal order last spring.
You can catch new episodes of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
