It takes a show a while to get the kinks out, and The Big Bang Theory is no exception. Here
are all the weird things you might not have realized about the first episode of The Big
Bang Theory.
The first scene of the first episode of The Big Bang Theory begins with a setting never
seen on the series again and broaching a topic never that's never explored further. Concerned
about growing old before passing on their science genius genes, Sheldon and Leonard
visit a sperm bank, one that only accepts the genetic material of the highly intelligent
and exceptional. While that's very much in character with Sheldon's outspoken vanity
and pride in his superior intellect, it clashes mightily with how he's depicted for most of
the rest of the series, which is someone averse to any and all kinds of sexual and physical
behavior. It's a little weird to see the almost always libido-free Sheldon openly talk about
and be open to providing a sample at a sperm bank. It's even stranger later in the episode,
when the famously awkward Sheldon considers the possibility of coupling up with Penny.
In the same way that Sheldon is more of a red-blooded sexual being than he'd wind up
being for most of The Big Bang Theory, Penny isn't quite right at the beginning of the
show. She moves in across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon, and the former is smitten with
her after their first meeting. Sure, she's conventionally attractive, but Penny is also
very likable. She's friendly, she's bubbly, and she's curious about her new building-mates.
This isn't the Penny that Kaley Cuoco would play later on. Before long, Penny would get
a lot less lively and a lot more cynical. Perhaps hanging out with all those fussy,
exhausting, high-maintenance nerds day in and day out killed her spirit, along with
that tiring job as a chain restaurant waitress and a demoralizing, ultimately failed career
as an actress.
Plus, Penny defies the stereotypical dumb blonde archetype she's supposed to embody
by revealing in the pilot that she's written a screenplay. The idea of Penny's potential
double-threat as a performer and a writer is never mentioned again, and her screenwriting
talents were quickly abandoned.
Maybe the most noticeable thing about the first episode of The Big Bang Theory isn't
what's there but what isn't there...or rather who isn't. Nearly half of the show's core,
long-term cast members weren't yet a part of the series. Kevin Sussman didn't make his
first appearance as sad-sack comic store owner Stuart until the end of season two, Melissa
Rauch didn't join the series as microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski until the start of
season three, and Mayim Bialik didn't portray neurologist Amy Farrah Fowler until the end
of season three. That means none of them show up or even merit a mention in the first episode
of The Big Bang Theory.
That gives the episode a sparse feel. It's just really quiet and simple with only five
main characters. Plus, after so many episodes about romantic entanglements, Sheldon and
Amy, Howard and Bernadette, Leonard and Penny, it's the rare episode of The Big Bang Theory
that isn't entirely about a couple.
The Big Bang Theory could be characterized as a quick-moving, rapid-fire show. The setups
and punchlines come at the viewer fast, as do scene changes with that distinctive transitional
graphic of an atomic model accompanied by a "whoosh" sound effect. Plus, the average
Big Bang episode incorporates a lot of scenes at several locations, generally including
the main apartment set, the one across the hall, some CalTech offices, the cafeteria,
Howard and Bernadette's house, and a few other spots.
However, that format and its fast flow weren't in place in the first episode. The pilot feels
more like a play, clearly separated into three acts and only a handful of scenes, and they're
all about as long as a scene can be in a half-hour sitcom. The episode begins with a pre-theme
song "cold open" that stretches to a whopping six-minute scene. After that, it's on to the
guys' apartment, where the vast majority of the episode takes place.
Based on his behavior in the first episode of The Big Bang Theory, it's hard to get a
handle on Raj Koothrappali. No trace of his future character arcs are present, not his
desire for a grand and epic romance, nor his slow acceptance of his own fate and his move
away from dependence on his wealthy parents. That's because Raj, a main character in most
episodes of The Big Bang Theory, has about two lines in the show's pilot episode.
"Wait'll you see this."
"It's fantastic, unbelievable!"
This is explained away with his early quirk of being too shy to talk to women without
the aid of alcoholic beverages, but still, it's odd and surprising that he barely talks.
Raj even dresses differently, wearing a baseball cap with his regular nerdy outfit.
Although many ingredients that would make The Big Bang Theory such a resounding, long-running
success weren't yet present in the show's first episode, the writers did show some foresight.
Like other situation comedies about groups of young friends, The Big Bang Theory is about
a social group that forms a de facto family, and it evoked that idea week after week by
having the whole gang gathering to eat together, like a family dinner. It was a powerful statement,
and the cast eating takeout with one another became one of the definitive, enduring images
of The Big Bang Theory over the years. It was also the very last scene of the very last
episode of the series, creating a parallel with the first episode, where Sheldon and
Leonard invited Penny into their family by asking her to eat with them.
"Oh, you're inviting me over to eat?"
"Uh, yes."
"Oh, that's so nice! I'd love to."
Plus, in the pilot episode, Leonard watches Penny walk away, and then he proclaims they
will one day have babies that, quote, "will be smart and beautiful" thanks to their meshed
genes. In the finale, married Penny and Leonard learn they've got a baby on the way. Though
Sheldon mocked Leonard for this declaration in the pilot, he uses his Nobel Prize acceptance
speech in the finale to note that his friend was right.
"He said to me that their babies would be smart and beautiful. And now that they're
expecting, I have no doubt that that will be the case."
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
TV shows are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't
miss a single one.