For 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory thrived alongside CBS. The sitcom got off to a bumpy start, with the likes of Charlie Sheen ripping on the show during the early stages. However, the cast would develop great chemistry and in truth, the show could've gone on longer had it not been for Jim Parsons' decision to step down.
In the following, we're going to take a look at how much of the iconic sitcom was actually unscripted. As Kunal Nayyar and Kevin Sussman revealed in the past interviews, most of what we saw was all thanks to the writers, and their creativity. However, a memorable scene featuring Sheldon and Leonard went completely off script. Thankfully, the showrunners kept the moment in and in truth, they couldn't have duplicated the result even if they tried for the rest of the day.
We'll take a look at the iconic scene in question and how another popular sitcom also got their motivation for an iconic line through a blooper from one of the cast members.
Kevin Sussman And Kunal Nayyar Revealed There Wasn't Much Improv On The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory was brilliantly written, however, some fans can't help but to think if the actors on the show added to certain lines. Kevin Sussman and Kunal Nayyar discussed this in different interviews. According to Nayyar, there simply wasn't enough time during the shoot to improvise, given how tight the schedule already was.
"I don't -- our tapings are so tight, we have it down to a real science. Plus, a lot of the language on the show is so specific that if you change a word it will mess up the whole speech rhythm. But if we're talking about breaking, I break all the time."
Sussman would also reveal that if a joke didn't land, the writers themselves would be on the ball and quick to change it on the fly before any type of improv would take place among the cast.
“The cast doesn't improvise,” Sussman says. “Because "we don't need to. The writers are so good that if a joke doesn't hit, the writers will converge on the spot and within three minutes have it rewritten—so it is funny," tells Sussman. "The writers on The Big Bang Theory are probably the best in the business when it comes to on-the-spot writing. It's not a single camera show like The Office was. So, everything is very tightly-scored. There are four cameras all going at once, so everyone has to watch where their marks very closely. That doesn't leave any room for improvisation, really."
However, there are certain moments that the showrunners decided to keep in, and one of them turned out to be an iconic scene for the series.
Sheldon's Roommate Agreement With Leonard Took A Twist That Made The Scene Unforgettable
The memorable scene sees Sheldon staying up all night to revise the Penny specific part of the roommate agreement, given that Leonard and Penny got back together... so Sheldon thought.The scene continues with Leonard telling Sheldon that they broke up again, only for Sheldon to launch his papers in the air.
It was at that point in which one sheet of paper falls perfectly onto Sheldon's head. We truly don't know how, but Parsons was able to keep a serious face and stay in character despite the unscripted moment. Credit to Johnny Galecki who also didn't ruin the scene despite the hilarious moment taking place. We can see how it all went down in the video below.
No matter how many times they would shoot that scene over again, such an outcome would never happen again. It was an iconic moment and one that Parsons deserves all the credit in the world for.
Other Sitcoms Also Had Iconic Moments Due To A Moment Of Improvisation
Friends is another classic sitcom that saw several unscripted moments throughout its decade long run. Unlike TBBT, Friends would go off the script a little more, and the showrunners put a lot of trust in their actors who were great in such instances, like Matthew Perry.
However, a certain line took place because of David Schwimmer blooper. There is a backstory to the "I take thee Rachel line."
“We never knew how it was going to end. We struggled with it, we couldn’t figure it out. And then there was one time, at a taping, where David Schwimmer walked in the room. What he was supposed to say was ‘I have the cab waiting downstairs Emily’. But he walked in and said ‘I have the cab waiting, Rachel."
The moment would influence the iconic line, and it turned into one of the most memorable season finales in TV show history.
