Kaley Cuoco’s portrayal of Penny in The Big Bang Theory was pivotal to the sitcom’s success, but co-creator Chuck Lorre admits that perfecting the character took time.
As part of the launch of The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast on March 17, Lorre joined former Warner Bros. Television Group chairman Peter Roth and host Jessica Radloff to discuss the evolution of the beloved series. One key revelation was how different the original unaired pilot was featuring two female characters in place of Penny. The decision to replace them with a single character played by Cuoco ultimately reshaped the show.
They could be as obnoxious, or for Sheldon, as off-putting as possible, but you forgave them, because there was this kind of childish naivete. The magic of Kaley was, Kaley’s character — as we figured this thing out on the fly — was amused by them, was not critical. If she got angry, it wasn’t harsh. The audience really responded to that.
Lorre said (via People)Advertisement
[Penny] was never judgmental about these characters. She was bemused by them. In fact, they brought more judgment to her than she did ever of them. And I thought that was also an important difference between the character of what Penny brought versus the character of what Katie brought in the original unaired pilot.
Roth added
Penny’s Role Took Time to Develop
While Penny’s presence helped establish the show’s dynamic, Lorre acknowledged that early episodes leaned too heavily on stereotypes. Initially, Penny was written as a “goofy blonde who says foolish things.” Over time, however, the writers recognized the deeper intelligence she brought to the series.
It’s a clichéd 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.
Lorre admitted
Penny’s social skills and emotional intelligence balanced out Leonard and Sheldon’s academic brilliance, adding a depth that audiences connected with.
She brought a humanity to them that they were lacking. And that took a while to figure out. 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.
Lorre continued
With nine seasons and a lasting cultural impact, The Big Bang Theory remains one of television’s most successful sitcoms. The series is currently streaming on Max.
Source: CBR