Yes, The Big Bang Theory thrived for 12 seasons, however, the show potentially could have looked very different. Kate Micucci who played the role of Lucy, was once considered to be Amy Farrah Fowler.As we'll reveal, the same held true for Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco and Simon Helberg, who almost missed out on their roles. Now for this particular theory, it is important to keep an open mind. IMDb Trivia is written by fans and usually checked, however, at times, it isn't always valid. This particular theory was never reported by Chuck Lorre or anyone on The Big Bang Theory, so let's take it as an interesting rumor. According to the IMDb Trivia, The Big Bang Theory was almost flipped upside down, with an entirely different cast and look.
The Big Bang Theory Cast Almost Looked Very Different At The Start
Oh, how different things could have looked on The Big Bang Theory. In truth, each character has a unique audition story and that starts with Jim Parsons as Sheldon. Several actors would read for the role, and according to Chuck Lorre, his initial impression of Parsons was that his audition was way too polished...
In the eyes of the showrunner, Jim could not replicate this performance. Thankfully, he gave Parsons another audition and it became clear, he was the perfect person for the role.
Kaley Cuoco got turned down initially for being too young, while Simon Helberg was not crazy about the idea of auditioning for the show, given that he was also turned aside the first time around.
He said alongside The Hollywood Reporter, "I read Big Bang the year before — they shot it twice — and read it the first year. I thought, "Why are they doing this again?"
He continued, "My agents had to talk me into going."
Thankfully, he did exactly that, as Helberg got the role and turned into one of the funniest acts of the entire show as Howard.
According To IMDb Trivia, Chuck Lorre First Pitched The Show For Adults And With A Female Cast
Again, a disclaimer here, this interesting fact was never shared by Chuck Lorre himself or any producer/creator on The Big Bang Theory. So let's take it for what it is worth.
Real or not, it is interesting point that really makes one wonder what the show could have looked like. According to IMDb Trivia, the goal at the start was to create a more mature audience and that would have been done thanks to a different looking main cast.
"When Chuck Lorre first pitched the show to the studios, he intended for it be an adult version of the show as seen today. In the hopes of attracting as many male viewers as possible, he wrote the show with an all female cast."
The characters were also going to look very different, according to the trivia fact, "The female characters associated with the male main characters reflect the original characters' personas: Sheldon (Jim Parsons) was originally Missy (a tall, attractive brunette from Texas, who lacked intelligence), and lived with an older woman named Beverly (an intelligent scientist from New Jersey, who took advantage of her roommate."
The trivia fact also seems to suggest that Penny would live across the hall... but this hurts its credibility whether it is true or not, given that the Penny character was not part of the show at the start... Instead, Katie was initially considered.
Katie Was Set For The Big Bang Theory At The Start Over Penny
In a matter of a year, things changed in a drastic way for The Big Bang Theory. Kaley Cuoco had auditioned for the role of Katie, one she didn't get for looking too young. Just a year later, she went back to the audition room, this time trying out for the role of Penny.
"Then, a year later, I heard they were doing it again, and they brought me back in to read for Penny," Cuoco revealed.
The concept for Katie was much different, the character was quite harsh in comparison to Penny. Ultimately, it was deemed that Leonard and Sheldon would not associate with such a person and instead, they would hit it off with someone like Penny, who had a softer side and as we saw in the pilot, would approach the two calmly and with caution.
The decision proved to be correct, Penny over Katie any day!
