Unscripted Moments That Were Left in The Big Bang Theory

Unscripted Moments Left in The Big Bang Theory

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Unscripted Moments Left in The Big Bang Theory

For this list, despite the fact that “The Big Bang Theory” was a very tightly written show and there wasn’t a lot of improv going on, we’ll be looking at those times when the actors, or a piece of paper, reportedly did things a little differently than planned.

There’s no script for the comments, so feel free to improve your thoughts below!

#8: Kaley Cuoco’s Tears

Apparently, actress Kaley Cuoco was the big cryer on set. Our sweet Penny would tear up from laughing, but was also known to cry during emotional scenes, and not just her scenes either. It’s been said that her eyes would even water behind the scenes while watching other actors in moving scenes, like when Sheldon proposed to Amy. Word has it she wasn’t the only cast member to do so, too! Now, obviously there were times when the writers asked for the water works. However, the buzz around the water cooler is that in many of the teared-up Penny moments the tears weren’t part of the script, with executive producer Steven Molaro even recalling that Cuoco’s unintentional crying has added poignancy to scenes.

#7: Cracking Up

“The Big Bang Theory” made us laugh and cry, and apparently it did the same to the actors. We already discussed Cuoco’s unscripted tears, and now it’s time to get to all those unwritten laughs. While they may not have been scripted, the laughs weren’t necessarily out of place. When a friend says something funny, you laugh, so it makes sense when characters do the same on a comedy show. It happened more often as the sitcom went on and the actors got more comfortable with their roles, but it’s hard to believe that Leonard’s prolonged giggles throughout playing “Emily or Cinnamon” were merely scripted for Johnny Galecki to play. Just watch as the actor’s face turns red on more than one occasion as he tries to keep the laughing to a minimum.

#6: A Page from the Roommate Agreement Lands Squarely on Sheldon’s Shoulder

Remember when Penny got Leonard to pretend that they were back together to make her father happy? And remember that they don’t let Sheldon in on it, so he writes up a new Penny-specific section of the roommate agreement? Now watch what happened when Leonard told him that they had broken up again. Okay, so while we don’t have any proof that this moment was unscripted, we feel pretty safe putting it on the list. And you know what? If it was written that one single piece of paper was supposed to float down and land on Sheldon’s shoulder, and actor Jim Parsons was able to nail this on purpose, then we will give him a standing ovation and happily post a retraction.

#5: Wil Wheaton in “Star Trek” Uniform

Wil Wheaton had many great moments playing a fictionalized version of himself, but one of the best has got to be the time he showed up at the “Star Wars” premiere in a “Star Trek” costume. And according to Wil, the idea to come out in “full Mr Spock gear” was a complete improvisation. None of the cast or crew knew he was going to do it and only a few of the writers were made aware of it beforehand, so the hysterical reaction you hear isn’t just from the studio audience. As Wheaton said, “When you can make the crew laugh. When you can kill the crew on a sitcom, it feels really, really, really good. It's like hitting a home run.” Wil definitely hit a home run that time.

#4: Stuart Saying the “L” Word to Penny

Unlike other characters on the show who grew and evolved over the course of the series, Stuart seemingly went in the other direction, regressing from confident artist to sweet, desperate loser. And it all began with an unscripted “I love you” to Penny in season three. And no, it wasn’t Leonard’s unreturned words of adoration. It was the quietly mumbled “I love you” Stuart expressed to Penny when she and Leonard came to the store to find Sheldon. The writers hadn’t written that line in the script, but they really liked how it turned out when he said it. And according to actor, Kevin Sussman, “after that moment, they started having me back, and I noticed that they started having the character of Stuart sort of regress.”

#3: Kaley Cuoco’s Broken Leg

No, we aren’t talking about the time Penny fell in the shower. We’re talking about the time Kaley fell off a horse. Some fans might be aware that Penny is the only member of the original 5 to have not appeared in every episode. That wasn’t how the writers originally planned it, though. Penny had to be written out of the 5th and 6th episodes of season four after she had a horse riding accident and broke her leg. But although it was definitely a tough time for Cuoco, the accident worked out well for Penny as it got her a promotion from waitress to bartender - so that they could film her without showing the bottom half of her body upon her return.

#2: Bernadette's Voice

One of Bernadette’s most memorable traits was her high-pitched voice, but you may remember that it wasn’t always that high. When we first meet Bernie on her date with Howard, her tone is much more normal - and it isn't until a few appearances later that her voice has made the noticeable climb up pitch mountain. So, what happened? Well, this wasn’t the writers doing, it was actress Melissa Rauch who brought that voice to the table as a way to add a “fun trait” to the character. And she didn’t have to look far to find it either. According to Rauch, the voice is very similar to that of her mother, “except without the Jersey accent.”

#1: The Spanking

Watching Sheldon put Amy over his knee and spank her is one of the great Shamy scenes of the entire series and it’s also one that we weren’t originally supposed to see. In the original script, Sheldon still punishes Amy, but the act takes place off-screen with the camera instead cutting to “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” monkey shots. We’ll admit that monkeys acting like people is funny, but not as funny as seeing our uptight Sheldon putting hand to booty and seeing Amy’s perfectly enjoyable reaction… which might not have been as much “acting” as you think. As Jim Parsons said of his co-star Mayim Bialik, “You have no idea how game this one is for that!”