Summary
- The first scene with Penny, Sheldon, and Leonard together is considered the most important moment in the show's history.
- A writers strike actually helped boost the show's popularity early on.
- A scene in the pilot episode featuring a sperm bank was banned from syndication because it didn't fit the characters' personalities.
At various times, The Big Bang Theory could've looked very different. Chuck Lorre even had to fight CBS over the potential firing of a main cast member, who was none other than Kunal Nayyar. Lorre felt it was unfair that Nayyar was judged based on the pilot episode, especially given that he had very little say during the opener.
However, the pilot also had major moments that changed the show forever. We'll reveal which scene Lorre felt was the most important in the show's history. We're also going to reveal other neat facts, which include how a strike helped the show in a major way.
And we'll also take a look at another scene during the pilot that had the opposite impact on the show, so much so that Lorre wanted it to be banned.
Chuck Lorre Called The First Scene With Penny, Sheldon, And Leonard Together The Most Important Of The Show
With the show coming to an end, the Big Bang Theory bosses reflected on the road to the series ending alongside Variety. Although the show was able to enjoy massive success, that wasn't always the case. The initial pilot bombed behind the scenes, and the show was forced to recast and create new characters. The second pilot proved to be effective, and was a major hit with the fans.
Looking back on the first episode, Chuck Lorre still recalls the one scene that changed The Big Bang Theory forever. It featured the introduction of Penny, alongside Leonard and Sheldon.
Lorre reveals, “It was a scene with Johnny, Jim and Kaley. Jim Burrows looked over at me with a big grin on his face. I smiled back,” says Lorre. “What was unspoken between us was that this is really working — beyond our expectations. That’s when I became convinced there was something really extraordinary happening here.”
Fans are in agreement with the impact of the episode moment. In fact, some call season 1 the best season of the 12.
One fan wrote in the comments section on YouTube, "First episodes, no matter the series, are always a jewel, priceless." Another fan wrote, "First season is priceless."
The moment put a lot of major faces behind the scenes at ease, knowing the show had something special. However, co-creator Chuck Lorre would make another major reveal. Lorre told Variety how a certain strike ended up helping the show's popularity early on.
Chuck Lorre Revealed That A Strike In Hollywood Helped To Boost The Big Bang Theory At The Start
The Big Bang Theory was off and running. However, there was one major issue, the writers strike in 2007-2008. Once eight episodes of the show wrapped up, the series needed to take a break.
Although this sounds disastrous and like a momentum killer, it proved to be the exact opposite of the series. Lorre revealed, “CBS ran those eight episodes over and over again,” Lorre recalls. “I didn’t understand it then but they were allowing the audience to binge those eight episodes.”
Co-creator Bill Prady would also agree that fans getting to see the same episodes over again actually helped the show.
“Somehow we magically learned a bit about the show by getting that kind of weird break that normally doesn’t happen in the first year,” he says. “We had that odd interregnum that let us think a lot about it.”
The first season was a major highlight, and that held true for the pilot episode. However, Lorre wasn't content with every scene in the first episode. One in particular was removed from syndication.
Chuck Lorre Wasn't As Fond Of Another Scene In The Opening Pilot
Let's be honest here, there wasn't anything really wrong with the sperm bank scene between Sheldon and Leonard to open the show. However, the biggest problem proved to be that Sheldon and Leonard look to be completely out of character during the scene.
Chuck Lorre especially took note and, in his view, the show really starts when the two meet Penny for the first time, who had just moved in across the hall.
Jim Parsons admitted he wasn't bothered by the scene Chuck Lorre banned from the reruns, but understood why it was left out.
"At the time, the sperm bank scene didn't bother me. Looking back, it was out of place, but there was no way for the producers to know..."
"Nobody knew who Sheldon was yet, so the live audience accepted it for what it was. But it is confusing information now, and I get why Chuck took it out of syndication because the episode is much stronger and more special without it,” he explained.
Ultimately, everything worked out, and the contributions made by Penny ended up changing the show for the better.
