Top 10 Behind the Scenes Facts About The Big Bang Theory
#10: Johnny Galecki Was Originally Offered the Role of Sheldon
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After so many seasons, we all become so attached to the characters that it's hard to imagine any other actors playing any of the main roles on the show. But how it ended up being isn’t exactly how show creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady initially imagined it. In the very early stages of the show’s creation Lorre and Prady knew they wanted Johnny Galecki to be a part of the show, but when they contacted him, it was for the role of Sheldon. However, Johnny felt more drawn to Leonard, and the producers, thankfully, got completely on board. Another fun casting fact is that Kate Micucci, who played Lucy, originally auditioned for the part of Amy.
#9: How Sheldon and Leonard Got Their Names
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The writers have had some fun with the guys’ names over the years, but the show’s creators weren’t thinking about those specific jokes when they named the characters. In fact, Sheldon was initially going to be called “Kenny,” with the series titled, “Lenny, Penny and Kenny.” But then Sheldon Leonard passed away. Leonard was an actor with an impressive filmography who later became an amazingly successful producer on numerous classic TV shows. ” “The Big Bang Theory” creators were fans of his work, and Chuck Lorre decided to honor him via the names of the roommates in apartment 4A.
#8: Scientists Fact-Checked the Show’s Scripts Before Production
The name David Saltzberg might not mean anything to fans of “The Big Bang Theory” but he was a very important part of the team that put together the show. Saltzberg is a professor at UCLA, and he was the man that made sure all of the science on the show was accurate. We’re talking the jokes, the references, even the whiteboards. Yes, all of those whiteboards with the calculations, they were all created by Saltzberg and they were all accurate (well, except for one time, but that was on purpose). He even got a little help from actress Mayim Bialik (xref), who has her PhD in neuroscience and was able to make sure that her character, neuroscientist Amy, was accurately portrayed as well.
#7: Every Bumper Was Different
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It’s fascinating that no two fingerprints are the same and it’s incredible to know that no two snowflakes are alike. But you might be even more amazed to learn that, allegedly, every “The Big Bang Theory” bumper was different. The bumpers are those short interstitial videos of science stuff that play between scenes. And while you probably just assumed they reused the same handful over and over again, it’s claimed that no two are exactly the same. Which... is the complete opposite of Penny’s purse, which was the same style of bag she used from season one, episode two all the way through the entire run of the series.
#6: Leonard’s Glasses Don’t Have Lenses
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We already learned that Johnny Galecki picked the role of Leonard over the role of Sheldon. And as it turns out, he also picked a very key aspect of Dr. Hofstadter’s wardrobe. After rehearsing the pilot episode for about a week, the producers asked Johnny to take off the glasses he was wearing, thinking they were his own. But Johnny doesn’t wear glasses, and had been doing so because he wanted Leonard to wear them. The problem was that on a set with lights everywhere, the lenses could cause unwanted reflections.... especially with Johnny having to look up to the much taller Jim Parsons all the time. So, he just popped out the lenses and that was that.
#5: There’s Only One Set for All Three Floors
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Some of the best moments of the series take place walking up and down the three flights of stairs of the apartment building at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue. But the truth is, there’s only one flight. So, how does that work you ask? Well, the actors walk up (or down) that one flight and then cram into a small space off-camera and the director cuts away. Then they reset at the bottom (or top) again, and after the crew redresses the set to look like a new floor, they continue their walk and their conversation. Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that every floor has the same scuffs and marks on the walls and baseboards.
#4: A Chance Encounter Lead to the Theme Song
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Most of us know that “The Big Bang Theory” theme song is written and performed by The Barenaked Ladies. But how that collaboration came about is a pretty awesome story. One night, Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady happened to be in the audience of a Ladies show when singer Ed Robertson made up a freestyle rap about cosmological theory. The producers loved it and asked him to try writing the theme song. Cut to the day of the conference call with the creators and Robertson still hadn’t written the song, and only decided to do it because his wife encouraged him. So, he wrote most of it in the shower, then afterwards recorded it… and the rest is history.
#3: Address Easter Eggs
We love a good easter egg, and we have two address-centric ones for you. It’s easy to miss, but if you paid attention to the number on Amy Farrah Fowler’s apartment door you would see that she lives in apartment 314. We all know that pi is famously 3.14, and as much as Sheldon loves pi, it only makes sense that the woman he loves would reside at such an address. And what about Sheldon’s arch nemesis/good friend Wil Wheaton? His house number on the show is 1701, which is the USS. Enterprise’s hull number on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” on which Wheaton starred as Wesley Crusher.
#2: Lucy & Ramona Wrote "If I Didn't Have You"
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So, as it turns out, one of the most romantic songs in sitcom history was written by the first girl to break Raj’s heart and the girl who tried to steal Sheldon away from Amy. While “Big Bang” fans know them as Lucy and Ramona, they are also known in real life as “Garfunkel and Oates.” The comedy-folk duo have been writing and performing together since 2007 and even had a short-lived show on IFC that premiered in 2014. As for “Bernadette’s Song,” the duo said that they were asked to include the line about Howard still living with his mom, but the rest was up to them.
#1: There's a Very Different Unaired Pilot
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It seems hard to imagine “The Big Bang Theory” without Howard, Raj and Penny, but that is how the show was originally conceived. There is an unaired pilot episode that was made that featured Leonard and Sheldon but none of the other main characters we know and love. Instead there were two other characters: street-smart Katie and Gilda. Even Sheldon wasn’t the same guy. Rather than dating a girl for years before holding her hand and eventually sleeping together, he hooked up with Gilda at a “Star Trek” convention. Needless to say, CBS passed on it. And we’re glad they did!
