Kaley Cuoco has been busy with plenty of projects of late, including HBO Max’s potentially concluded hit series The Flight Attendant and the upcoming films Meet Cute and Role Play. So busy, in fact, that the former The Big Bang Theory star still can’t believe that it’s only been a few years since the hugely popular CBS sitcom ended, and thinks it's "insane" that more time hasn't passed in the interim.
The Big Bang Theory wrapped up its 12-season run on CBS in 2019, and Cuoco was both lucky and talented enough to line up multiple roles and producer gigs in the aftermath. Her most notable has been Cassie Bowden in The Flight Attendant, which has found much success with only two seasons on HBO Max, where she can also be heard as the titular foul-mouthed semi-villainess in Harley Quinn. The actress spoke to Variety about the live-action series and her career at large, and reflected on how wild it is that we said goodbye to The Big Bang Theory's Penny Hofstadter only three years ago. In her words:
Oh, it’s insane. And it is crazy to think that “Big Bang” ended three years ago — it feels like it ended 20 years ago with how different things are. I’m like, our show is so archaic! We just wrapped that a few years ago — it is really weird to think about! I mean, the beauty is there’s so many more jobs now for people. But there are so many shows, so many great performances, so many great ones missed. So many ones that don’t get recognized. It is really tough. And I don’t take that for granted.
It's basically impossible now for any network comedies to match the success and popularity that The Big Bang Theory earned when it was on, and is actually still earning, considering fans are able to binge-watch with an HBO Max subscription. And in fact, it's the rise in number of high-profile streaming services such as HBO Max that have vaulted the already large number of TV shows into orbit. So when one considers that roughly a bazillion series have come out since 2019, it does make it harder to believe that we're only three years beyond Sheldon and Amy's wedding.
Kaley Cuoco is known for many projects other than The Big Bang Theory and The Flight Attendant, of course, ranging from Bratz to Charmed to 8 Simple Rules and more. She opened up about how some projects don’t get as widely recognized as others, making her all the more grateful and enthused that her darkly comedic streaming thriller took off in such a big way. In her words:
So to be seen through all the noise, and to know how many shows and unbelievable performances there are out there, and to be looked at again and noticed — I don’t take that lightly. I always play like it’s the last game. So this once again feels like the biggest win of all time. I know how hard it is. And it is really, really difficult out there to get some attention on these shows.
It’s definitely not easy finding work after being on a show for so long, even without stereotyping entering into it, but Kaley Cuoco carved her own path in finding the projects she wanted to work on, with the success as the cherry on top. The Flight Attendant has been doing quite well, but with the merger between HBO Max and Discovery+, it’s hard to tell whether The Flight Attendant will get a third season or not. Fingers crossed it gets proper closure in some shape or form.
It was recently announced that Cuoco will star in an upcoming Peacock thriller titled Based on a True Story. The attention-grabbing true crime project will likely soon be building up hype with the actress in a lead role, but it should be interesting to see her in a genre that is a bit different than what we’re used to. That show's story would not factor into Penny's future, I think it's safe to say.
With The Big Bang Theory, The Flight Attendant, and Harley Quinn all streaming on HBO Max, fans are able to get their Kaley Cuoco fix with some of her most successful shows, while Based on a True Story will be heading to Peacock with a subscription.
