It’s been over 17 years since The Big Bang Theory premiered, and almost six years since it ended, but the CBS sitcom remains one of the best shows streaming on Max, and its universe continues to expand with a new spinoff. Part of the reason is certainly the fans who continue watching, but it’s also the fact that Big Bang's cast and characters were positively perfect, at least over time. Creator Chuck Lorre previously opened up about the mistakes he made with Kaley Cuoco’s Penny before realizing her brilliance.
While initially serving as just Leonard and Sheldon’s neighbor from across the hall, Penny certainly grew into something bigger than that. And not just because she wound up marrying Leonard later in the series. Lorre spoke about the unaired pilot while on The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast and how they really tried to figure out the characters before officially moving ahead, but it took some time for a lightbulb to go off when it came to Penny’s “dumb blonde” personality:
Even after the second pilot, we had so many episodes to go before we started to understand that there was a brilliance to Penny’s character that we had not explored. We did the very cliché goofy blonde, you know, who says foolish things. It’s a cliched character: the dumb blonde. And we missed it. We didn’t have that right away that what she brought to this story, this series, to these other characters, was an intelligence that they didn’t have, a kind of intelligence that was alien to them, an intelligence about people and relationships and family.
Even though Penny wasn’t intelligent by her friends’ means, she was definitely intelligent in other fields, and she proved to be quite an asset at some points. It also gave Lorre and the writers to really dig deeper into her character and move beyond the “dumb blonde” cliché, proving that she wasn’t inherently dumb at all, just maybe not as smart as others in most areas of educated life.
Which made it all the more fun to see her excel where everyone else couldn’t when it came to pop culture, relationships, or fashion. Plus, she introduced Sheldon, Leonard, and everyone else to a whole new ballgame, even if sports wasn't part of it:
It was built in that the scientists of the show didn’t understand how to be with people. She did. She brought a humanity to them that they were lacking, and that took a while to figure out. Certainly, in the beginning, she was sadly one-dimensional in many ways, but the gift of a TV series that starts working is you get time to learn.
It might have taken a bit for the writers to fully realize what they could do with Penny in the early days — which fans can stream with a Max subscription — but when they started playing to her strengths, it really worked out. As proven by one scene in an episode in which Penny quizzes Sheldon on celebrities and Sheldon quizzes Penny on math and science. Yet another reason why their friendship was certainly underrated, and why Jm Parsons and Cuoco still remain close. But once it was clear that she wasn’t all dumb and not just an aspiring actress, it worked in her favor.
Penny grew into a beloved character and brought the charm and sass when needed, along with the street smarts, and it was all because of Kaley Cuoco. CBS initially hated the original Penny actress, but they knew that there was something special about Penny, all it took was the right actress. Cuoco ended up becoming the show’s secret sauce and it landed her a career-making role, and it’s hard to imagine how different things would be if not only Cuoco didn’t play the part but if Penny continued to be just another dumb blonde.
Whether or not Penny will be making a comeback for the upcoming Big Bang Theory spinoff is unknown, as it would be fun to see her again and see how she’s doing now. At the very least, it’s possible fans will be getting some updates on other characters. For now, though, all seasons of Big Bang are streaming on Max.
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