The Big Bang Theory is one of the most popular comedy series of the last 20 years. The quirky nerds have hit the nail on the head and to this day, the characters are solidified in pop culture. However, one of the most important characters regrets how he initially dealt with her.
Which character is it about? Penny is, although not one of the nerds, one of the most important characters in the series. She is not only a counterbalance to the scientists content-wise, but also emotionally. Especially throughout the series, she develops into a multi-dimensional character.
At first, this was not the case. She was rather the cliché of a naive actress who just wants to be famous. This is one of the things that Chuck Lorre, the creator of the series, regrets. He revealed this in a podcast.
She was unfortunately one-dimensional
What does Chuck Lorre say about the character Penny? In the current format The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast (via YouTube), the creator of the series Chuck Lorre spoke with former Warner Chief Peter Roth about Penny and the beginnings of the series. Lorre concludes that he regrets how Penny was written at the beginning:
At the beginning we catered to the cliché: a silly blonde who says dumb things. That is a cliché character, isn’t it? And we neglected it. We didn’t have the knowledge from the start that what she brought to the series and to the other characters was an intelligence that was foreign to [the scientists], you know, intelligence about people and relationships and family.
Initially, there was also a missed opportunity to make Penny the counterbalance to the nerds
, which she later became. She was unfortunately one-dimensional.
But that’s where the advantage of TV series comes into play, which Chuck Lorre mentioned in the podcast: You can develop characters over a longer period and learn what you may have done wrong.
Kaley Cuoco was the right choice
Originally, Penny was supposed to be the character Katie and played by another actress. But the test audiences hated her. In the podcast, Lorre clarifies once again why Kaley Cuoco was so good for the role.
Kaley’s Penny was never critical of the nerds
, she was amused by them. Even when she got angry, she was never harsh or disrespectful. Penny never judged the nerds, who according to Lorre judged her more.
This is also the main characteristic that distinguishes her from the original character Katie, as Peter Roth explains:
There was a sweetness, an affection that she felt towards them, and I believe the audience […] wanted to protect these two boys: The audience wanted to protect these two boys, these two men, these two innocents, and [Cuoco] honored that.
Nowadays, one cannot imagine The Big Bang Theory without Penny. She keeps the madness of the other guys in check and often brings emotional depth and development to the other characters in the series. Instead of a real woman, they originally even planned a robot: The Big Bang Theory: Before the series started, an important character was supposed to be a robot
