Penny and Sheldon

Beauty and the geeks by Paige Albiniak

As initially conceived, there was no Penny, the lovable girl-next-door on CBS' top-rated comedy, 'The Big Bang Theory.' There was just a super-sarcastic neighbor named Katie who was mercilessly mean to her super-geek neighbors, Leonard and Sheldon.

But test audiences despised that character, and the show's producers went back to the drawing board.

After the rewrite, producers brought back in Kaley Cuoco to read for the role of Penny. Cuoco, who, at the time, was best-known for her role as the eldest daughter on ABC's '8 Simple Rules,' had auditioned to play Katie, but that part wasn't right for her, she says.

"The second-time around, the producers and the network were so on it with me. They told me that Penny had to be wonderful, loving and sweet and the audience had to adore her," says Cuoco, 24.

Cuoco nailed it, getting through the audition process in two days, and today Penny is the glue that holds "The Big Bang Theory" together.

"Penny has always been the audience's point of view and the ambassador into the world of our guys," says Bill Prady, one the series' executive producers.

Penny, an aspiring actress who's waitressing at The Cheesecake Factory, lives next door to two brilliant but socially inept physicists, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons). While most women would ignore guys like this, Penny is "completely wonderful to them from day one," says Cuoco.

In fact, one episode finds Penny applying menthol rub to a sick Sheldon's chest while he begs her to sing "Soft Kitty" to him as his mother once did. She rolls her eyes several times, but she does it.

"Penny handles Sheldon like no one else," says Cuoco. "She's wonderful and sweet, but she also has a backbone. She says what's on her mind."

This season, Penny and Leonard — the less geeky of the two roommates — became a couple. While the pairing seems unlikely, Cuoco says the fans seem to like it.

"I love the Penny-Leonard hook-up. And I love that they didn't wait eight seasons to get them together," she says. "But I have a feeling it won't last. If I were writing the show, I would say that it wouldn't last long."

Conversely, 'Bang' fans want Penny and the socially-oblivious, germ-phobic Sheldon to get together. "It's a very strange idea," says Cuoco.

Asked if a woman exists out there for Sheldon, Cuoco says, "No. Unless it's like a robot that Sheldon builds and can control."

Over the course of her three-season run on 'Big Bang,' Cuoco has become a favorite of geeks who wish someone just like her would move in next door.

"They are a little obsessed with Penny, really," she says. "I have definitely not known any men like this in my own life — these guys are on another dimension. They are full-on brilliant, genius boys."

The California native has been acting and modeling since she was six years old. Her big break came with '8 Simple Rules,' when she had just turned 16. A modest hit on ABC in 2002, the show struggled after star John Ritter died of an aortic dissection just two episodes into its second season.

The show went on for two more seasons without him. "Doing that show for one season with John Ritter is an experience I'll never forget," Cuoco says.

After '8 Simple Rules,' Cuoco played Billie in the eighth season of 'Charmed,' a role she enjoyed, but working on a one-hour drama reminded her why she prefers sitcoms.

"Dramas require 18-hour days where you want to kill yourself," says Cuoco, who is single. "You can have a life while you work on a sitcom, and I'm selfish. I love my life, and I like to do other things besides work."

With "Big Bang Theory" attracting nearly 16 million viewers each week, Cuoco can expect a long-run playing the girl next door. Asked why she thinks the show is a hit, she says, "The characters are really lovable, and the writing is brilliant. The guys couldn't be more innocent, but there's also a little bit of sass to it."

A chat with Jim Parsons by Will Harris

We're going to go on record right now and say that Jim Parsons got the shaft at this year's Emmy Awards. Not that Alec Baldwin isn't great as Jack Donaghy on '30 Rock,' but in the end, he's just another guy in a suit. As Dr. Sheldon Cooper, however, Parsons has taken a character that could've been just another comic book nerd and transformed him into a comedic force to be reckoned with, and he and his co-stars – Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar – have made 'The Big Bang Theory' one of the funniest shows on television. Bullz-Eye's Will Harris chatted with Parsons back in 2008, then crossed paths with him again this summer during the Television Critics Association Awards and floated the idea of doing a phoner once Season Three of 'The Big Bang Theory' had kicked off in earnest, which Parsons assured him would be no problem whatsoever. Still, when the time came to set up the interview, Will decided to refresh Parsons' memory of the evening by sending him a picture from that night. Fortunately, it worked like a charm.

Hi, Will!

Hey, Jim, how's it going?

Very well. How are you doing? Good to talk to you again — and that was a nice picture you sent over! It would've been better without me in it [laughs] but it was still nice.

[Laughs] Well, it pleases my wife to no end that she's got a photo of you and her.

Awwwwwww. Say hello to her.

I certainly will. So it sounds like you've been working hard on the set.

Yes, it's a good time, but it does produce sweat, I'll say that.

So what episode are you guys working on now?

We are — number-wise, we're on number 12, and if I understand correctly, we're going to do 24, so I guess that means we're literally at the halfway point. Christine Baranski will be in this week's episode, which is wonderful. Although she isn't here right now, I think because she's moonlighting with us. She's having to finish out her day job, which I guess is 'The Good Wife' right now, so we'll see her a little bit later. But I think she can handle a slightly abbreviated rehearsal schedule. She knows her way around the block. [Laughs]

Well, I'm actually glad that I'm getting to talk to you this week, as opposed to when we were originally supposed to speak, because now Sheldon has officially gotten to second base with Penny.

Oh, my God! You're absolutely right!

And congratulations on that, by the way.

Oh, thank you, thank you. You know, unwittingly, without actually looking at it, Sheldon grabbed Penny's boob. You're right: second base. Wasn't that a wonderful moment they thought of? I just thought it was absolutely fantastic. I mean, of all the way you can get a man hand's on a woman's flesh — _that_ man's hand on a woman's flesh — they just never cease to amaze me, the writers, with the way they twist and turn him. [Laughs]

And the look on your face was classic.

[Laughs] With the eyes closed and all?

My wife and I also particularly enjoyed the episode because of the joke about the check engine light in Penny's car, because ours has been on for about six months now.

You're kidding me!

I am not.

You know, my car — the power locks have all quit working, so I can manually get in with a key, but only my door. So I can't open any other door, and I've had to take a couple of friends a couple of places, and they've all had to crawl over the console. So I'm no better than Penny when it comes to that, though I guess it's less unsafe, as long as I'm not driving over bridges.

You know, I didn't want to be the one to have to tell to tell you this, but — you're kind of a big time TV star. You can probably afford to hire someone to get that fixed.

I know, I probably could. It really is a time issue. And probably an intelligence issue. I'll bet there's a way I could get it taken care of. Like, I bet someone would pick it up. I'll bet that, in this ideal world, I could probably even get a loaner car for that process. But I simply haven't executed any of that.

Well, I'm sorry that you didn't pick up the Emmy, but I do understand that you're up for a People's Choice Award.

I am! That's very exciting.

Given that everyone I've talked to was excited that I was talking to you, I'm hoping that bodes well for you.

Oh, thank you! Yeah, well, I hope so. I voted myself, and I voted _for_ myself, but I only voted once. I know that you can do it repeated times, but it kind of felt like bad karma to vote for myself more than once. But by the same token, I wasn't going to vote for Alec Baldwin, so, y'know (trails off)

That's admirable restraint on your part.

[Laughs] Thank you.

So I always enjoy the episodes where you team up with Penny, and I understand that, in addition to this week's, there's another one coming up where you teach her physics, or try to, anyway.

[Sighs] Yes. Oh, my God. What a valiant effort. That being said, I completely agree with you, as far as I have as much fun as humanly possible, I think, on this show when they have a heavy Penny and Sheldon episode. And that one — I think I enjoyed the teaching her science more than the hospital one that just aired, actually, although I enjoyed them both. But it was so fun to get to (pauses) Sheldon's not a great teacher, as you can imagine. He doesn't have the patience of Job, and he takes on the airs of being a teacher, but it just doesn't come naturally, I don't think, even though the information does. And to couple with that, as you can imagine, she's just not a good student. She comes unprepared, she can't stay on track, it flies over her head within the first two sentences. But it was so fun, in an "Educating Rita" kind of way.

I understand Kaley Cuoco refers to those episodes as being full of "Shenny moments."

Yes, she does. She's a quack. [Laughs]

I think my favorite episode this season was the one with Wil Wheaton.

Oh! How great was it to have him? That was so fun.

Many of my friends have taken to screaming "Wheaton!" at the top of their lungs, in an attempt to emulate you.

No! [Laughs] He seemed to be completely okay with the fact that his entire name became a mantra of vengeful hate. That didn't seem to bother him. He was so fun to have on the set, and he was such a good guy, just in general, but what a wonderful foil for Sheldon. And it makes such sense, because as a person and as an actor — he was playing himself, though slightly different, obviously — of course Sheldon's the angriest at this human who is so unurtful. There's nothing wrong with Wil Wheaton!

I can only hope that they signed him up for a sequel episode the second the reactions started coming in for that one.

I hope so, too, although they wouldn't tell me if they did.

Yes, I've read that you always feel that you're the last to know anything on the set.

We are the last to know! The entire cast! I mean, honest to God, if you didn't have other actor friends telling you, "I went in to audition for somebody on your show," it'd be a matter of waiting for a script and saying, "Oh, look who's in this episode!"

So who's been your favorite guest star to work with? Not to belittle any of them, of course.

Oh, no, I know, I know. I'm not afraid to answer the question as much as it really is hard. I mean, we have so many talented people, and it's just (hesitates) Immediately, for me, I do — oh, God, they're all so good, but this is a somewhat easier call: the grouping of three previous sitcom women who knew just the ropes so well, Sara Rue, Christine Baranski and Laurie Metcalf. They just took to it, and obviously they would. But they're just so funny, too, and they're just such good actors. They're just so real, and they listen and they respond. But I guess I'll have to be biased, and I'm going to go ahead and have to say Laurie, because she played my mother. I would never want — hopefully, Christine and Sara will never read your article.

I will do my best to keep it under wraps.

Yes, please do. Maybe you could set it up so that you have to enter a secret code to hear my answer. [Laughs] But, no, it really is hard, and I only give her that favoritism because she literally is playing my mother, so I guess that wins. I've said it before, though: the class of guest star we get on this show at times is so — it's such a rewarding thing, you know? It just makes life so fun. It's fun to inject new life into this show, anyway, but when you're able to get someone who is so talented as an actor in general, it's not only a coup for the show and the audience members, but for you as an actor, to get to work with them. It's always a different dance when strong actors come in like that, because they bring their own thing, and you're, like, "Wooooooo!" There's nothing more fun than getting to respond to that, especially with a character that you've gotten to know more and more and more that you're playing. You go, "Oh, this changes things." Sheldon's feelings for Christine Baranski's character, I just love! He loves her! He thinks that is the best mother in the world, you know, that untouching, unfeeling, clinical — oh, my God, he is just tickled by her. And that's so fun, because so few people do I get to respond that way to through him. He's normally — maybe he's been in amazement, like with George Smoot and people like that were on, but for the most part, he considers himself pretty much — I don't want to say above other people, because I don't think he's a snooty man in that way, but he doesn't have time for most people. So to have somebody like that character come on that he feels compels to engage with, that he can't resist but to engage with, is very fun.

I'm still rooting for Leonard Nimoy to turn up on the show someday.

You and me both! I couldn't agree more.

Your reaction when Penny gave Sheldon that Nimoy-autographed napkin…

What a wonderful thing they wrote. It was just unbelievable.

I think it's still one of my favorite moments of all time. In fact, on a Spock-related note, I couldn't help but notice that the goatee that you were sporting during the season premiere…

(cheerily) There you go.

…looked suspiciously like the one worn by Spock's counterpart in "Mirror, Mirror."

Yes, suspicious, indeed! [Laughs] No, you nailed it on the head: that's exactly what it was.

I know that the other guys had some of their own facial hair working when they came back from the between-season hiatus, but you did not. Are you not a fan of the facial hair?

I'll be honest: no, I'm not. Not for myself, I should say. It doesn't bother me at all on other people. But I will say this: if I had a very dark, heavier beard that came in and could get some sort of five-o'clock shadow type thing, I'd actually be pro-facial hair for me, just because it'd be something new and different. But I don't really get that. I just kind of look dirty. There's no definitive "oh, look at that nice five-o'clock shadow." It's more "oh, he forgot to shave." It just makes me look lazy. There's nothing debonair about it. Did you watch the baseball playoffs at all?

Here and there.

Speaking of five-o'clock shadows, Andy Pettitte has the most sculpted five-o'clock shadow. I didn't even think about it until I was talking to Simon (Helberg) when one of the games was on, but I said, "Andy Pettitte has the most definitive line on his five-o'clock shadow." He said, "Yeah, I think that's sculpted."

Yeah, even baseball players need stylists.

I mean, of course they do, but it's just so stupid. It's amazing the level of things that come across my TV that don't occur to me. Like, I still buy into commercials. I know realistically that they're actors, but for some reason, as opposed to a movie or a TV show, where I go, "Whatever," and I can kind of separate myself from them, commercials just suck me in so hard. I'll be, like, "I'll bet you're right: I'll bet that cereal is wonderful!"

Yeah, but they're just not as sentimental as they used to be. In the '70s, you'd be watching a commercial, and you'd be, like, "Aw, look at that: his grandma is so happy that he called her!"

You're right. I remember they used to have — well, Kodak had some very tear-jerking commercials.

I think I asked you this question before, but it's been a season since then: what's your favorite of Sheldon's quirks?

Hmmm. I don't remember what I said before — which is good. (long pause) Oh, God, I guess — I like his cleanliness. It just came up again in a recent episode — well, it hasn't aired yet, but I mention disinfecting the kitchen and bathroom in a very casual way, like, "That's what I did then," and just whatever. And it reminded me of that. I really like that, because… — I understand whereof that comes, you know, but I can't do it. I'm a little too lazy myself. [Laughs] So I really admire his ability to go through on that quirk and actually disinfect the kitchen and disinfect the bathroom. How wonderful. I would love to have a Sheldon around the house to do that!

So when you heard that they were actually going to get Leonard and Penny together, were you skeptical, or did you just leave it the writers' hands, since they've done such good work thus far?

I wasn't skeptical, and there was a level of — well, of course, I did honestly feel that I could leave it in their hands, because I always like what they do, or I'm always entertained by it and I enjoy getting to play it and be a part of it. But I also actually kind of liked it, because — I guess the easy one to look at is that it's like a Ross and Rachel. Or, for me, when I was younger, even like a 'Moonlighting.' And that's fantastic to have that kind of riding along with that tension, but — I don't think that was well suited for us, or even necessarily. And I was kind of _excited_ that they were going to go ahead and say, "Let's explore this." And not in a date, and not in two dates, but — I was just discussing this with a friend of mine, because I really don't know, and I was, like, "I wonder if they're going to be together for all of Season Three." I mean, like, will Season Three be kind of, like, "the season where Penny and Leonard were together the whole time"? Or will it go on longer? I don't know. Or will they be breaking up soon? I think for the first few episodes of the season, every episode that came down, I looked at and wondered, "Is this when they're going to break up?" And I'm only realizing as I say this to you that I don't wonder that at all anymore. I've become so adjusted to the idea of them together, which brings me back to my point about what made me happy: I really like that they decided to play this kind of true to life. Two friends get together, and you're, like, "Oh, that's not going to work," but then six months into it, one Friday night, you suddenly go, "Oh, my God, I'm completely used to them being together! I'm still not sure that it's going to last, but I'm not thinking about it anymore." And never mind the fact that, completely selfishly, it was one more intimate way to get Penny into Sheldon's life, to irritate him just by her mere existence. "Irritate" may not be the right word, but just to, y'know, push a button and force him to deal with her. That's one of her things, I think. She's a force that must be dealt with.

You know, something in this past week's episode that my wife noted: Sheldon peeked at Penny.

Yeah.

Should we take that as a hint that, possibly somewhere in the far future, Sheldon could have a girlfriend?

I think you can take that as a hint, but I'm afraid that it's frustratingly open to interpretation. [Laughs] Looking at Sheldon's sexuality is like trying to read into a Rothko painting. It's just, like, "Do I see a line?" "No." "No? Well, I see something." You know? And I don't know. Chuck (Lorre) always says — well, not always, but I've heard him say more than once, and I didn't think of it this way, but he says, "What is this desire to force Sheldon into something to normalize him?" And I don't think everybody's thinking that way, let me say that first off, but I just thought it was an interesting take on it. As opposed to, "Why don't we see what happens to this guy who has opted out?" And what I think is interesting about that is that, number one, I don't think that people are necessarily ravenous to see Sheldon normalized or brought down to a level or something. I think that it's very sweet, and I agree with people who think it would be. I want Sheldon to feel love, you know? [Laughs] I enjoy it in my life when I feel love, and I'd like him to. And I also think it will one day, fingers crossed, be a wonderful story arc. I would hope that, if that time ever comes, we'll deal with it in the same way they've dealt with the Penny/Leonard thing. I mean, not the same exact relationship, obviously, but in that way of going where it's not a big special episode or something. Or maybe there are a couple, but it's more of finding a way getting through this, him finding his way into this. But as far as the thinking, I had the exact same thought you did, and that's why I say it's impossible to interpret, because I thought, "How interesting that he bothered to look!" But then I thought, "As a scientist, of course he's going to look. It's just one more body to see."

It seems like a relationship would cause him to be torn between wondering the curiosity of "What would this be like for me?" and treating it like a scientific experiment.

I agree with you. I do. And I don't — I don't know if there's any way around that. If we look at Sheldon as a real person for a second and pretend, I just think that — you know, I've always said he would have to be completely frying-pan-over-the-head-walloped to fall in love, and I stick by that, not so much in a comic value way, but — he does seem to have that nature, but, like Chuck says, that's not what he's choosing to do right now. He's choosing to devote himself and his life in other ways, and he finds that he doesn't have the time for that. So I do think he'd have to be hit by a wave of emotion, if you will, or desire in order to be forced into making that choice. But then you have who he is and his nature to look at things through that scientific lens. So — I don't know. That's the other exciting thing about it, because — what a special person it would take to devote themselves to Sheldon, and to accept him for what he was. Not that he's a leper or something [laughs] but he can be so tiring to deal with, and if you were his intimate other, oh, my God, would you have to listen to more workings of his even deeper inner mind? Good criminey!

I know that you guys and your characters don't necessarily cross paths that often when it comes to your tastes, but is there anything that you've discovered as a result of Sheldon being a fan?

Well, the problem is — okay, well, no, I'm not more into science or anything, and I haven't really gotten more into comic books or games or anything. But if I have to be sincere about it, though, I think I've grown a greater appreciation for letting myself enjoy time alone. Because he enjoys it so much, you know? He not only enjoys it, but I think he prefers it. It's easier for him to get things done when he's alone. Other people get in the way. And it's one of the things that I do kind of admire about him. Some people think he's somewhat cut off from society, and I guess that's not always great, but that ability to be content alone like that — I think that's really nice. He's really comfortable with himself in many ways, which is admirable.

There's something I've never asked you about, even though it's a stock question, but, what's your favorite project that you've worked on that didn't get the love you thought it deserved? Because I've never really asked you about anything that you did prior to "Big Bang," even though I know you obviously did do other things.

That didn't get the love it deserved? I've certainly been in things that I wish had never been seen. I feel like this going to be (hesitates) Hmmm. It's a funny question, and I'll say this. Because the first thing I think of — I really thought it would be a play, first and foremost, but I had such a good time with almost every piece of theater that I've done that I have no regrets that things didn't travel farther. They were what they were. So the first thing that I think of is a pilot that I did about a year or two — maybe two years — before I did "Big Bang." It was for CBS, and it was with Jane Krakowski. It was kind of her vehicle, actually, and I enjoyed doing it so much. I played a supporting character – I was a bartender – and I just thought it went so well. Still, if I went back and looked at that pilot, I would think it was a successful pilot. And I think it actually came very close to getting picked up, from what I understand. We were, like, on the bubble 'til up to the 12th hour. That, I thought, would've been a great series. It was about life in a restaurant, and — I don't know. But with that being said, the caveat is that, while I think my feelings are honest about it not getting the love it deserved, it's the living definition of everything happening for a reason. [Laughs] There it is, right there. So that's why I don't shed any tears for it: because I wouldn't be here right now, with any likelihood, had it gotten picked up. And in many ways, this is the most exciting thing that I've ever gotten to be a part of. So anything that would've gotten in the way of this, I have to look back and say, "Well, I'm glad it didn't!"

(Writer's note: If you're wondering, the pilot was called 'Taste,' and it also co-starred Rufus Sewell, late of CBS's 'Eleventh Hour,' Richard Ruccalo of 'Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place' and 'Rita Rocks,' and Lola Glaudini of 'Criminal Minds.')

How have you been enjoying the talk show circuit? Because I've seen you on Craig Ferguson's show, but I know you did 'The Tonight Show' recently.

I just got to do 'Conan, and it was wonderful. I was scared to death of Conan, more than any of them, and I'm not kidding you. I'm always nervous going on any of them, because you never know what's going to happen exactly — although they've all been nice. It's not a matter of that. I don't feel like anybody's out to get me when I go out there. But you just don't know what's going to happen! Like, Letterman's really intimidating, because — well, he's Letterman! There's this stoic, staid thing. But by the same token, you kind of know what to expect from him. And I don't think this is as true for Conan as it was, because I think the format changed a little, and he's on the new show now. It's not the same show, it's a different one, and I knew him mostly from when he was on later, and I just thought, "I don't have a clue what to expect from him…and I mean physically! He may get up!" And Ferguson's wont do that, too, but it's different. It's different! And, oh, my God, I was just, like, "What if I get something on me? I might leave there slimed or something!" But he was so nice. They are all, they really are, but I just found it funny about midway through the interview, thinking, "I can't believe I was worried about this." He just couldn't have been better.

And last one: as you said, you guys are always the last to know, but is there anything about the upcoming episodes that you can speak to that we should be looking forward to?

Are you kidding? [Laughs] As far as I know, we're going to make them. That's about it. No, really, I don't know anything. But we're making a Christmas episode right now. And I thought we were too late. I thought that — well, I don't know what I thought. I just thought we would've done a Christmas one by now. I guess I just wasn't adding up the time in my head well enough.

All right, Jim, I think I've bent your ear long enough…

Oh, I'm so glad we got to talk!

As am I, absolutely. Good talking to you again, and if I don't see you in January, then I'm sure I'll see you in July.

Gorgeous. Thanks again. Bye!

Kaley Cuoco on The Big Bang Theory by Fred Topel

For fans of 8 Simple Rules, the upcoming season is vindication. The show got off to a humble start but has become a staple of Monday night sitcoms on CBS. This season threatens to link Penny and Leonard in a relationship. Kaley Cuoco filled us in the third season scoop over the summer at CBS's fall TV preview party.

How much fun are you having on Big Bang Theory?

I'm having so much fun. It's a great show, it's doing well. How can you not have fun on a hit show? I'm very, very lucky.

With the big group scenes and the dialogue you have, is there any special fun on the set?

I actually prefer [it]. I love when all of us are in the same scenes together. It happens a good amount but not all the time and it makes me really happy, because the five of us just have so much fun working off each other.

How gratifying is it that it became a hit after a slow build?

It was a slow build, yeah. No one liked us at the beginning. They didn't and it's okay. We reeled them in. We brought them to the geek side and now they've accepted us with open arms.

What do you think it was that hooked people?

I don't know. I think they realized it wasn't "cute girl next door to two geeks." It was so much more than that. It was real people dealing with real emotions. I think it's actually really touched peoples' hearts, especially actors like Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki. I mean, those characters have touched people so deeply and they're really sweet.

Any show takes time to build so how do you think it's grown since the first season?

You know, I firmly believe, only because I've been doing this for so long, every show takes three years. 90% of them don't get three years. It just does. It takes a long time to build a community, build a friendship with your characters. It's hard for people to grasp on and make them care about you. We've been lucky enough to get the opportunity but a lot of shows don't get it. I think a lot of good shows don't make it on the air so it's just a process. You have to grow. You have to learn who you are as a character. You're all of a sudden playing a new person with a whole other life.

How has Penny grown since the beginning?

You know, I think they gave her a lot to do second season. She just loves these guys and loves hanging out with them. I think she's kind of becoming one of them which is really sweet and they finally fully accepted her, thank goodness.

And it's not just a cult hit anymore, it's a broad audience.

I still think it is kind of a cult show but it's weird because I have, like, 10-year-olds come up to me and say they love it and then, like, 80-year-olds. I mean, people love the show and every time I think about it, it gives me a chill. It's just really sweet.

What do you think the show did to win everyone over?

It has a lot of heart. People like Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki and the writing that was in season two I think was the best season. It was so good, it was heartfelt. The love between Penny and the guys I think was really heartfelt. I think at first season, no one believed the cute girl was going to like them and all this silly stuff. I think the characters have really grown and they just love each other. It's really nice to see.

You're going to mess with the setup this season, right?

I hear that, yeah. I guess Leonard and Penny are going to date for a little while and I think that's going to put a little jab between the guys and Leonard. I hope our relationship doesn't last long. I want it to kind of go off and come back, how life really is and I think Chuck wants that to happen too.

Have you picked up any geek interests through the show?

No, just a lot of Guitar Hero and Rock Band and I'm getting really damn good on it to be honest.

Are you Expert?

Uh, yeah. Can I play Expert? Can you play Expert?

I'm up to Hard.

I'm pretty damn good. I like to play the drums. I actually like to sing on Rock Band. I prefer to take the mic.

What songs are you jamming on?

You know what? I don't even know half of them. I just read it off the TV and I am awesome. I'm a good reader.

8 Simple Rules was unfortunately cut short. Do you have a sense that this will go for a while?

I'll never have comfort that it's going to go for a while. I think if I did, I think that's the curse right there. I don't trust anything anymore. I just am riding every day like it is because with what happened with 8 Simple Rules it was so insane, you just never know. So I'm just enjoying this as it goes and I hope that we continue as long as we can.

Are you into gadgets?

My new iPhone, I'm obsessed. My iPod. I love all the Mac crap.

When you're traveling, what's the one thing you have to have with you?

Oh, my iPod and my Bose headset because they sound so frigging good. And it's a sign to people to leave me alone. They are so big, they're bigger than my face and it's basically saying, "Get the hell away from me." I love it.

Do people come up to you anyway?

No, they're very nice. They know and I close my eyes like I can't hear anything. You know what I love? I don't even play music. I just keep them on and I'm kind of going like this and nodding my head like I'm listening. Nothing's going on in my ears.

You must have rhythm if you can sell that.

I've got good rhythm.

What do people want to know about the show when they recognize you?

They keep wanting to know, "What's going to happen with Leonard and Penny? Why can't Sheldon and Penny date?" Which cracks me up. That would have to be a nightmare sequence in season nine because they would kill each other. Penny would kill Sheldon.

There's a lot of anticipation for the relationship, yet we all know how it can ruin shows. How do you feel about how it's going to be done?

I don't know. I have such trust in Chuck. It does make me nervous hearing that we're going to date a little bit, but the way I've seen the show go, I don't think it's going to go well so I'm not worried. I don't think the relationship's going to go well. They've got a lot to learn and we've got a long ways to go.

How did you spend your summer?

I traveled a lot and I have horses on a ranch and that's all I did. I rode and it's kind of a curse knowing you have a show to go back to. You just get a little lazy. I'm like, "Oh, I'm going back to work. I don't have to do anything." And I go back on Wednesday [Aug 5] so I'm really excited.

Do you not look for movies to do during the break?

Not this year I didn't, no. I actually said I didn't want to do anything, didn't want to work.

How long have you been riding?

Long time, since I was like 14.

Why is that a passion?

That's the real love of my life. I think in an other life I was a professional. I love it. I love animals and I feel more of a connection to animals than people. It keeps my mind away from all this and everything that's going on here. If you're not connected to your horse, you're screwed so it takes a lot of focus.

Did you have horses from your family before?

My mom grew up with horses and when I turned 14, 15, she's like, "Do you want to take a riding lesson?" I thought, "Oh, gross, dirty." She was like, "Okay." And then I did and now I'm the one cleaning those damn stalls out. You can't get me away from the barn now. It shocks even me. Trust me. I don't know what happened to me. No heels at that place.

Galecki and Parsons talk The Big Bang Theory by Jim Halterman

(Interview from March)

Every season, as some shows like ER are saying their final goodbyes, other shows are gaining momentum and look to be around for many years to come. Case in point, CBS's The Big Bang Theory, the sitcom about the lives and loves of brainiacs working at Caltech, was recently given a renewal for two more seasons. Stars Johnny Galecki (who plays Leonard) and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) took some time out of rehearsals in Los Angeles last week to talk to me about why they think the show has grown in popularity, what they know about Sara Gilbert returning to the show and how theater plays a part in their work.

Congratulations for the two-season pick-up. Does that take the pressure off knowing you're going to be on the air for two more years?

Jim Parsons: I guess it is pressure off.

Johnny Galecki: It's kind of both. I was thinking about it this week. It's so rare for an actor at all to know that they have a job for that long. So we've been doing a lot of celebrating but at the same time I'm so accustomed to looking at the chunk of the calendar and what that responsibility means. With this, you can't do that because it's such a fantastically long span of time. You just have to kind of learn to integrate it into your life. Or integrate life into the job and the responsibility. It's a little daunting at the same time.

Jim Parsons: It's a luxury that very rarely as an actor you get to experience the problems of that much consistent work but it's not just hitting the water. There's a lot of responsibility that goes along with it but it's that kind of responsibility that we all want.

A good problem to have, right?

Jim Parsons: A very good problem to have.

What was it about this past year that saw the show really jump up in popularity. Were you doing anything differently?

Jim Parsons: I'll say first that I think the show is getting better all the time which one would hope when people who are good at their jobs get together and keep working together, one would hope would always happen. On paper, it should be getting better. That said, it doesn't always happen. We're very fortunate to be in a place where I think it is getting tighter, cleaner but funnier. But I think word of mouth, too. I think a lot of people have been telling a lot of people. I hear it all the time. So-and-so told me to watch it. My brother-in-law told me to watch it. That's really a verbatim thing that I've heard ten times or more in the past six months.

Johnny Galecki: I hear that constantly.

Jim, looking at your credits, it doesn't look like you've done a lot of sitcom work. How was it jumping in to the sitcom format?

Jim Parsons: In hindsight, somewhat not that hard, to put it in really bad grammar construction. It's got so many seeds in the same ground as theater, which I had done a lot of and, specifically, I had done a lot of comedy, too. I had been lucky enough to do camera work here and there leading up to this so nothing was completely unfamiliar to me when I got here as far as all that went. And really the biggest part is the theater being the biggest part of my work and, frankly, this work is a live play that we film every week so I was comfortable in that aspect. We've always had a solid group around us both as actors and crew and especially the writers so that's solid ground to be in and it takes a lot of the fear away.

Johnny, after being on Roseanne for so long, how do you think the TV business and sitcom has changed over the years?

Johnny Galecki: I think the business has certainly changed. Everyone has 900 channels to watch now. I mean, just look at the numbers and the number one show pulls maybe 20 million where before it was 30 million only ten years ago so obviously the [landscape] has changed. I don't know that the sitcom has changed too much. Obviously, there are more single cameras now but I don't think the multi-camera format of sitcom has changed much. Like Jim said, it has so many feet in the theater of even hundreds and hundreds of years ago and that's basically what we're doing is trying to put on mini-plays while single cameras are trying to put on mini-movies. And there is a familiarity that the audience has with watching any kind of theater. It's kind of ingrained on a cellular and cultural level. I think that some shows have tried to kind of reinvent the wheel and it just hasn't worked. I mean, its foundation is to a very, very traditional theatrical vein and those shows who have done that, for example, that have changed the cultural landscape like All In The Family, are on a character-based and story-based level but not with bells and whistles or special effects or technology or anything of that nature.

I love all the pop culture references on the show whether it's Summer Glau or Radiohead. Do you offer any of those up or is that all the writers' doing?

Jim Parsons: I have nothing to do with those, I swear to God. [to Johnny] Do you offer anything up?

Johnny Galecki: Not really but it's hard to say and this was the case on Roseanne, too. When writers and actors are working together and you get along, even the briefest of conversations can influence one another. Whether it's them telling me a story about what happened during a cup of coffee and I can integrate that into an idea performance-wise and vice versa. Sometimes things end up in scripts that sound familiar from a conversation but it's very, very casual and done in a way that we're just rubbing elbows, not suggesting a Radiohead joke.

What can you tell me about what's coming up the rest of the season? Anything you can tease our readers with?

Johnny Galecki: I wish. They kind of tease us if anything. They keep all that information very much under wraps.

I went back and watched the pilot and realized the whole dynamic between Leonard and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) has really settled into more of a friendship, at least for now. Is there going to be any progression there?

Johnny Galecki: I think that's the progression in a lot of ways. They've taken a few steps back, or they think they have, but I think that friendship is going to be the foundation for a much more significant relationship than they would have had otherwise where it was really just Leonard's infatuation with her for so long. And even in this friendship, even though she'll give him advice on other women, there are tinges every once in awhile of jealousy on both of their parts. That friendship does become uncomfortable when other people are involved once in awhile. I certainly don't know for a fact but I think she, without knowing, is molding him into the man that she wants and he's slowly, blindly learning that.

As Leslie Winkle, Sara Gilbert is great on the show. Is she going to be coming back?

Jim Parsons: We know her fate about as well as we know the plots. Until we get a script that has Leslie Winkle on it, we have no idea if we'll ever see her again. I don't mean that as cryptic as it just sounded.

What are your plans for your hiatus?

Jim Parsons: The ideal would be to work although I have no set-in-stone plans at this point and then, other than that, if there's an excessive amount of time off I won't really look that gift horse in the mouth either. I'd love to visit my family in Texas and things like that and frankly just get to be for a little while. It's one of the greatest luxuries of this job. I guess if I had my druthers, I'd go ahead and we'd do some work over the break, as well.

Johnny Galecki: Me, too. I just want to work. I'm a workhorse. And if it's not there, then I'll travel around and wander aimlessly and tread water until I get to work again. Very, very healthy. [Laughs]

Going back in your careers, what would each of you call your first big break in the business?

Johnny Galecki: That's so tough. Everything leads to something else, you know? Work always begets work.

Jim Parsons: I'll tell you what, I did do a pilot for CBS and while this wasn't the only thing that helped me along, it was a major help. I did a pilot for CBS four years ago and the pilot didn't get picked up but it was well-received and from that I did this kind-of holding deal with CBS where I just auditioned for their stuff, nothing else, for that pilot season. I did some episodes of Judging Amy related to that and here I am on a CBS show, which I did not under that deal because that's not how the world works. But I think I would be remiss not to mention that there's some sort of connection even though I don't know all the ways that it helped and panned out.

Johnny Galecki: For me it was certainly the Roseanne show. It was such a good show at the time, such a great show, and I mean I figure in the industry it opened many more doors for me than any other jobs. There have been other jobs that have led to other things but I guess I've learned more doing certain things on an internal level. I've never, ever done a job in the last twenty-some years that I felt was a waste of time.

Jim Parsons: Here-here. Agreed.

Best of luck with the show in the next few seasons. I'll be watching as a fan because I think you're both great.

Jim Parsons: Thank you.

Johnny Galecki: Come by the set if you can.

I'm in New York but if I get out to LA, I will.

Johnny Galecki: Yeah, there are airplanes. [Laughs]

She bangs by Ileane Rudolph

(Scanned and typed by pennyandsheldon.com)

Kaley Cuoco finds geek love on The big bang theory

The big bang theory has more Star Trek references than sex jokes, yet the ratings are great. Why?

People just seem to love the characters. it's the little show that could.

Your character, Penny, is the only female regular among a gaggle of guys. Your costar Johnny Galecki told me you love being the only girl and the center of the attention. True?

[Laughs] He said that? Well, that is very true. I do get special attention. The guys are all really smart and funny, and they're very good to me. Who wouldn't love that?*

The show is so smart - is the set full of witty repartee or "Dumb and dumber" silliness?

There's a lot of silliness. We have ping-pong obsession on our set. I'm supercompetitive and no one wants to play with me. Johnny won't play. He's afraid he'll lose to me.

Penny's cute and blonde, but she's not stereotypical, is she?

Not at all. She's smart, witty and loves these guys. The character has really evolved. Two years ago, I autioned for the role and wasn't hired. back then she wasn't so kind to the guys. They rewrote it and now there's not a mean bone in Penny's body.

What happens in this week's episode?

It's a Christmas episode, one of my favorites so far. Penny starts seeing someone [Battlestar Galactica's Michael Trucco] who Leonard [Galecki] has a man-crush on, and he gets a tad jealous. And Sheldon [Jim Parsons] finds out he's getting a Christmas present from me, so he spends the whole show with the other guys trying to find me something. It's really sweet.

Is there a future love connection for Penny and Leonard?

I hope so - but not for a long time. [Executive producer] Bill Prady said this perfectly: Penny is morphing Leonard into the man she wants to marry.

This seems a good time to ask: Are you dating Johnny Galecki?

[Laughs] That's very funny!

But are you romantically involved?

No.

In a recent interview, you brought him up constantly. Why?

Because he's my best friend! I have a lot of love for him.

Are you single?

Yes.

Would you date a geek like Leonard?

Definitely. I'm a comedy girl, so if you make me laugh, I'm pretty much yours.

Jim Parsons praised you for being "mature and as cool as a cucumber before taping." Is he right?

I love Jim so much! We've developed the most hilarious relationship. Jim's dialogue is so difficult that he always has to have his script with him, so he's in awe of me because I don't have to look at my lines.
But I'm definitely the least nervous on set because I almost feel more at home on stage than I do in my own home.

That might be because you've been acting since you were 6 (Northern exposure, My so-called life), breaking through as a teen on 8 Simple Rules. How have you stayed out of the gossip pages and avoided drug busts and drunken escapades?

I did grow up acting, but I never knew it was a big deal. It was just another of the things that I did, like play tennis. I've lived my life exactly the way I've wanted to live it, and I don't need anyone to know about it. Plus, I'm a total loser. I don't know anybody!

You were homeschooled back in Camarillo, California. Didn't you miss prom, mean girls and sex-crazed boys?

Hell, no. I couldn't be happier with not going to proms. I was going to wrap parties - that was more fun.

Any predictions about the show?

Jim and Johnny will win Emmys. I'm 100 million percent sure.

Releasing your inner nerd by Bill Harris

There's no denying Kaley Cuoco is a fine-looking young woman. As a 22- year-old blond California girl, she's the type of person for whom Beach Boys songs were written.

But does that mean every guy who ever has approached Cuoco has been as nervous and awkward as the rapt dudes on her sitcom, The Big Bang Theory?

"There has been a few of them," Cuoco said with a laugh. "But we all have our inner nerd that we're allowed to let free when we watch the show. So it's a freeing show. It makes you feel good about yourself."

If the ratings are any indication, more and more people are feeling good about themselves while watching The Big Bang Theory. The CBS sitcom, which airs on Monday nights, is in its second season and slowly but surely the numbers have been on the rise.

Yes, we all know sitcoms for adults supposedly are dead, and for the most part they are. But notably, The Big Bang Theory comes from the fertile mind of creator Chuck Lorre, who also is the man behind the most popular traditional sitcom of this era, Two And A Half Men.

The Big Bang Theory stars Cuoco, who you may recall from her childhood role in 8 Simple Rules. Here Cuoco plays Penny, who just happens to live across the hall from a couple of brilliant but uber-nerdy young physicists.

One of the nerdy neighbours is Leonard, played by Johnny Galecki, who previously was best known for his role as Darlene's boyfriend David on Roseanne. Leonard has a thing for Penny.

The other nerdy neighbour is Sheldon, played by the hilarious Jim Parsons. Compared to Sheldon, Leonard is George Clooney.

"You want the guys to win, you want the guys to do well," Cuoco said. "And my character is so sweet to them, you just love them altogether."

Leonard and Sheldon usually are hanging out with their two buddies: The creepily smooth-talking Howard (played by Simon Helberg) and the literally speechless-around-women Rajesh (played by Kunal Nayyar). They all are bright enough to be pondering the biggest issues in the universe, but they still set aside one night a week to play video-games, and they get into juvenile arguments, such as when every single one of them shows up for a Halloween party dressed as The Flash.

Penny and Leonard have had some romantic moments, but Cuoco knows the sexual tension between those two characters is at the heart of the show.

"That's why I don't really think our characters ever are going to be together for a long time," Cuoco said. "We have to keep having that awkward, 'I like you, you like me, now I have a boyfriend, now you have a girlfriend,' that whole thing.

"I'm sure they're going to drag it out to the point that you want to kill yourself."

Not literally, we hope. But it certainly would bring a new meaning to The Big Bang Theory.

How to make a Big Bang on a busy monday night by Matt Mitovich

A funny thing happened last week. A quiet little comedy that neither stars Charlie Sheen nor teases us with the identity of a proverbial Mother hit a ratings milestone (9.9 million viewers), putting a certain behemoth of a dance competition to shame in the process. Yep, we're talking about CBS' The Big Bang Theory (Mondays at 8 pm/ET), which in its second season is proving to be one of the most reliable laugh generators on all of prime time.

Of course, that's not to say it's immune to the occasional sweeps stunt. Bill Prady (who co-created the comedy with Chuck Lorre) shared with TVGuide.com a look at how some Top Models get wrapped up in our boy geniuses' world, as well as reveals the show's overall formula for success. (Thankfully, it does not involve string theory.)

Congratulations on the series-high ratings. Is the 10 million threshold in your sights?

I've got to tell you, I was waiting for when we beat Dancing with the Stars in the demo, which we did. That was sort of my goal. And it felt really good!

What's great is that as the series surges, you're not doing anything different. You haven't dumbed it down or "made it more accessible." It is what it's always been.

I think we only know how to do this. [Laughs] It's interesting because the thing we're here to talk about, it didn't start out as, "How can we do a stunt with Top Model?" It was just a storyline we pitched that seemed natural to the characters. We work inside-out that way.

What are the Top Model gals doing, and who are they doing it with?

They are the object of a quest. Penny's television is on the fritz, so she comes next door to see who's being kicked off of America's Next Top Model. When Penny lets it slip that all the women live in a house together, Wolozitz is taken aback. He realizes that once a week, a beautiful girl is kicked out of this house, left with no self esteem — aka the Future Mrs. Howard Wolowitz. [Laughs] So he and Koothrappali use science to try to locate the house, charting star positions and physical landmarks, using satellite photography...

I've always thought it'd be fun if Wolowitz got a steady girlfriend for a few episodes.

He will, at some point. Coming up, he is going to meet a girl played by Sara Rue, and Leonard will steal her away — though he won't mean to do it.

Going into the first season finale, did you have any intention of following through on the Penny-Leonard romance? Or was it always just a tease?

[In an early draft] they did not go out at the end of it, and it felt so unsatisfying. People said, "Careful, there are many sharks waiting to be jumped if they [have a date]," but we felt that if we were honest to the characters, the first time simply wouldn't go well. And they won't try it again for a while. My feeling is that the reality of that guy, with that girl, will start and stop over the years. This is of course the nerdiest writers room in television, and we've all brought our experiences of being nerds who loved pretty girls. What happens is you take a shot, you screw it up, you back off, time passes, you take a shot again... Penny's not yet at the place in her life where she has figured out that the Leonards of the world are better for her than the Biffs. But she'll get there, someday. The thing that was very exciting is that it was Penny's problem [she never graduated college] that prevented the relationship. And once we found out it was Penny's problem, Leonard screwed it up massively. [Laughs]

Fans also love the scenes with Sheldon and Penny. Does that present a tricky balancing act?

When we have a story and it's fun, we do it. [This week] things come to a head between them, and the ending is surprising as to who gets the upper hand and why. It's like an earthquake — you have tremors, an earthquake, and then it's gone for a while.

Sara Gilbert is a regular this season, yet we haven't seen much of Leslie Winkle. Will that change soon?

She's in an episode coming up. Being a semi-regular, I think, is her actual arrangement.

Some fans think Sheldon might hook up with Leslie before Leonard does.

In last week's episode Penny asked, "What's Sheldon's' deal? Is it guys, girls, sock puppets...?" The guys say, "We've been operating under the assumption that Sheldon has no deal." Sheldon is so far away from having any kind of human relationship, I don't think he is a big contender.

Settle a small mystery here: Who's the voice of Wolowitz's mom?

Carol Ann Susi. She's a terrific actress, and we think it's delightful that we don't see her. Carol Ann says [adopting her raspy, accented voice], "I don't have to dress up or put on makeup. This is the best job in television!"

Are we going to meet any more characters' family members this season?

Leonard's mom might come to visit. We're still figuring out what kind of woman she would be. We've established that his father is an anthropologist and his mother is a research psychiatrist. We've often said there's the possibility that Leonard is the least successful in his family. His parents always pushed him toward academic success, whereas Sheldon's parents had no idea what had been born among then. [Laughs]

Your episode titles are all written in the form of a "theorem," "hypothesis," "paradigm"... Any fear of running out?

It was a very big issue at the start of the year, whether we could reuse words. The official belief is that we will reuse them each season — because there aren't 250 different ones.

If you ever want a good groan, check out Knight Rider's episode titles. They all use a pun on the word "night."

As long as they do an episode called "Good Knight, Moon," I'm happy!

15 questions with Jim Parsons by Sandy Deane

1. Why is 'Big Bang Theory' such a hit?

People enjoy watching these characters relate to each other. And it sounds so cliché, but there's something identifiable about them, and this goes right in line with the question that always comes up, "Why is the geek popular right now?" I don't know if the geek is overly popular right now, but the person that I guess that is describing has a very identifiable social weakness; a chink in the armor. They have empathy for somebody who feels awkward socially, maybe, or [is] sticking their foot in their mouth without even knowing it half the time.

2. Do you identify with Sheldon's social awkwardness and neuroses?

Without a doubt. Sheldon makes me feel more sane because he's so over the top. But at the same time, I completely get it. I'm a creature of habit, certainly — maybe more so than others. But one of my favorite things about Sheldon is that the writers have given him the opportunity to say so many things that other people would never get away with...because they have the social commonsense and the social niceties to keep their mouths shut.

3. What's your neurosis; one weird thing that people might not know about you?

Well, the most disturbingly odd thing people wouldn't know about me is — and what's funny is I've dealt with it before in the show — about the sanitization of hands. I have thoroughness in washing my hands sometimes where I really have to tell myself: "You're not about to perform surgery." That's definitely got a touch of the OCD to it. It's certainly given me something to work with as far as dealing with Sheldon.

4. Sheldon has pretty challenging dialogue. Do you understand everything that you're saying?

No, no, no, no, heavens no. I typically understand how to pronounce it, obviously. But I try and get as much of the basic concept down as I can. The AD on the show asked me yesterday — in this episode, I'm having to finish a theorem on a white board and he's like "Do you know what that means at all?" And I said "Well, no." I can't personally tell you if this theory I'm writing on this white board is completely right. They say it is.

5. Will Sheldon finally get a love interest?

I recently read something somewhere that said Sheldon will have a groupie that follows him around, that thinks he walks on water, but he's the only one who can't see it. So I don't know if this leads to love for Sheldon. I find that doubtful. I don't know how he's gonna deal with that.

6. Will Penny and Leonard really make a go of their relationship this season?

Penny and Leonard I don't think will ever find success, no. I know Sheldon thinks it's a doomed situation. Chuck [Lorre] is also my clue for this, who said it's a comedy, this can't work out well. And I think that's how it's panned out so far.

7. The whole cast has great chemistry. Was that instant?

It was a little bit instant. You know, I can take no credit at all for any good chemistry that comes between Johnny and me. While I'm sure it's grown and enhanced as we've worked more together, that was from the very first time we read together. But as far as the whole cast goes, it really has been just such a positive melding of personalities from the very beginning. There's a wonderful professionalism about the cast in general.

8. So, no Shannen Doherty/Jennie Garth behind-the-scenes tension?

There's no drama, no. And God willing — I'm knocking on wood as we speak — hopefully we can make it through this season and more to come without any of that. I would be very surprised to hear of any sort of trouble in that area.

9. Do you guys hang out off set?

We do a good deal, actually. You know, I would say that, and I love my whole cast, but the person I hang out with the very, very most is Simon [Helberg]. He's a very, very sweet, very funny man, and he's really nice to be around.

10. Have you ever had this experience in real life, like the premise of the show, where you become close friends with a neighbor?

No, I haven't, you know, and I've lived in several different places in New York. I do have some nice neighbors now. We've had a sudden crime/mugging spree on our street, which has brought the street closer together in the way that those things do, but no. It's almost more of a dorm situation as far as them all finding each other and being of a similar age group.

11. How does it feel to be a geek sex symbol?

Shocked. That's my first reaction. I'm very surprised to hear this. I can't speak for anything I'm bringing to it. Sheldon needs taking care of in some ways, and I think that maybe it brings out a maternal instinct in somebody to go "Oh, you poor thing!" You know, "If you just had somebody to help you to not say that, or just to whisper in your ear, you know, before you make your next move. We could avoid some of these problems." I don't know. I'm shocked, and I'm also very flattered. That's very sweet.

12. Someone on a message board said you'd be great as the Riddler in the next 'Batman' movie. Have you been made any offers?

Oh! No, I haven't been made any offers. I really like that idea, though. It's never crossed my mind. The Riddler's the one ... he was in the green, right? With the question marks all over him? See, I have no credibility to be playing this part at certain times, do I? Not only do I not know the science, I don't know the comics. Oh, this is the most exciting thing somebody has said in weeks to me. I can't believe it.

13. Will Laurie Metcalf return this season as Sheldon's mom?

I hope so. I loved her being there. I mean, obviously I think she did a wonderful job on the show. She was such a wonderful person to have around the set for that episode. They showed a little gag reel at the end of last season at the wrap party, and she was there during a couple of bloopers and I didn't realize how much I missed just having her around. Even though it was just one episode, she's just such a wonderful presence.

14. And Sara Gilbert is joining the cast full-time, right?

Sara Gilbert has been around for a few episodes already this season, and that's great. Oh, she and Sheldon don't get along. Oof. The Sheldon/Leslie relationship makes Penny and Sheldon look like best friends. It's quite a contrast, I should say.

15. Show creator/writer/producer Chuck Lorre also oversees 'Two and a Half Men.' Do you get enough love from him?

I definitely feel that we get the right amount of love from everybody who is doing both shows. I have never ever felt any sort of like "Oh, they like that show more" or whatever. It's funny when you put it like this. It could, I guess, turn into a sibling rivalry type thing of going...we've only got two parents or whatever, and who loves who more? But I haven't felt that. I hope Chuck makes it for a few more seasons, if you will. That's a lot of back and forth, running two shows. That does not sound easy to me.

The Big Bang Theory creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady interviewed by Matt Goldberg

"Watchmen" wasn't the only packed panel Friday morning at this year's Comic-Con. Making its first appearance at the Con, the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" managed to fill every seat in 6CDEF, signaling a loyal following and excitement over the show's upcoming season, premiering September 22nd. I sat down with show-runners Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady to talk about the show's conception, development, and most importantly, Sheldon's Chinese dining woes.

During the panel, you made a comment about the show, calling the characters "Not geeks but remarkable people." Is that something you were worried about getting a backlash about or did you get some backlash about it?

Chuck Lorre: I was always kind of struggling with labeling the characters in a demeaning way because they're brilliant characters. But I guess "brilliant" isn't as good a word for the media as "geek" and "nerd" but they're geniuses.

Bill Prady: Well I think there are two ways those words are used; one as a self-identification and of pride and then there's a derogatory aspect of it and we never approach the characters with labels. We said let's do a show about these people.

Lorre: They're dimensionalized people. You can't simply say they're a "geek" or a "nerd" and be done with it.

Bringing in the science aspect of the show, how do you balance that with the comedy so that it's not obscure but also accurate enough not to offend those that would be able to spot the inaccuracy?

Lorre: It's a balancing act. There has to be science but there has to be comedy. You don't get the science, you'll still get the comedy. It's like if the show is in Portuguese, you should still be able to laugh. That's the bar you have to jump over as writers.

Prady: In the earlier days, we likened it to the "I Love Lucy" moment where Ricky would rant in Cuban-Spanish and it didn't affect your ability to watch the show.

Where did the original concept come from?

Lorre: We were discussing two different ideas together. One was about a woman who's pretty much getting her life started at the beginning of adulthood. And Bill was talking about the 80s and the genius computer programmers that he was one of. And they were such remarkable characters that it kind of took over and then we said "What happens if we put the two ideas together?" and then I think the big move was to get them out of the computer world entirely and make them quantum physicists. They're not entrepreneurs. They're scientists. That freed us up from a lot of clichés. No pocket protectors!

What did you learn from season one that you're bringing to season two?

Lorre: Penny's a far more formidable character than we gave her credit for when we began the series. The depths of Sheldon's neuroses are endless.

Prady: But I think we found ways to stay true to the characters we established. We learned great things about our performers. To discover that Kunal had the range that he had and that we could build stories around Koothrappali and Wolowitz; that we have some strength on the bench. We don't write away from any performer which is rare in television. We can write for any of them and get great stuff. We learned to listen to the characters. When we got off track and had weeks where he had to do some repair, it's because we had stopped listening to the characters.

Lorre: They're not slackers. This is not "Friends". These are very, very remarkable characters and if we stay true to that then it's quite a joy to be a part of.

Chuck, because you do "Two and a Half Men" as well, do you have to put a different head on to do that show since it's so different?

Lorre: Oh yeah. I have to leave my "Raunch" hat in that office before going to over to the "Big Bang" office. "Two and a Half" is a very different show. It's much more...carnal. It has its own voice. I love that the shows have different voices. On occasion, when a little "Two and a Half Men" leaks into "Big Bang Theory", it is so off and we shoot in front of a live audience, and when that happens, that live audience responds viscerally. "Whoooooa." You know you've made a mistake. We've re-written stuff in front of the audiences; we do that all the time anyway but it's very important to keep things separate.

Is that because people see Sheldon and Leonard as being innocents?

Lorre: They're very protective of them. There was a question about the first pilot and that was the biggest lesson of the first pilot: that Sheldon and Leonard; that the audience felt deeply concerned about their well-being. And that's wonderful. When you create a show with characters that the audience cares for? That's special. That was the reason to try and do it again. We didn't understand that going in.

Did you expect that crowd out there?

Lorre: No. If there had been 400 people out there today, I would have been thrilled. Truly, very exciting.

So you left season one off on a bit of a cliffhanger: Does Sheldon get his Orange Chicken or—[laughter]

Lorre: Well done.

Thank you. But what was a sub-plot in season one between Leonard and Penny, how will that go into season two?

Prady: We talked about nothing else for a while. It seems like the real reality of these situations is that it works, it stops working; Penny's young. Is she ready for that kind of serious boyfriend? Leonard looked at her almost as an object but now you have to deal with her as a complete person with her own complete set of feelings which to the Leonards of the world is somewhat surprising.

Lorre: Her own problems, her own issues. And I think that's going to come up more in the second season; that she's going to become more three dimensional. Her problems are her issues and her insecurities can determine the story as opposed to what one might expect: Oh, he's going to screw it up. Well, we know that. But wouldn't it be interesting if she had her own basket of neuroses that could mess up a relationship.

How do you make sure you don't get too over-the-top with the geekiness? For example, The Time Machine episode could have easily been too geeky, but you kept it balanced.

Lorre: But the episode was about how men get attached to toys and at what point do you put them down? So I think that grounded it and not being one long reference. We were comfortable with that show because it was about a guy who loves the things he collects and then gets called on the carpet by the women he's deeply enamored with and saying "You're a child" and it unsettles him and everything turns upside down. That's what it was all about. It didn't need the Time Machine. But it was really cool. I hate to use the term "stunt casting" for the Time Machine, but is there going to be anything like that in season two like them going to Comic-Con? We would have loved to have done something with Comic-Con. We just didn't have the time. We would have loved to come down here and shoot some scenes down here. How exciting would that be? Maybe next year.

If Leonard and Sheldon did come to Comic-Con, who would they come dressed as?

Prady: They have a deep wardrobe. There would be an argument because Leonard would say "Let's all pick our own costumes," and Sheldon would want some sort of group theme; he would want it "We're all either from the same film" or "We all represent the same idea" like different Star Trek uniforms from different shows or "We're all villains from different things." His compulsion for order and arrangement and his need to impose that on the group would be problem #1 for picking costumes for Comic-Con.

When making geek references on the show, how much of that is trying to tap into the Zeitgeist and how much of it is just personally showing love for a property you enjoy?

Lorre: All of the stuff comes out of the writer's room and half the time we're saying "That's too obscure," At some point you start making the experience not inclusive to people who come from outside this world. It comes up very organically.

Prady: It's tricky because like I'm a big DC Comics fan but it ends at the Silver Age so I've been given a reading list so I can stay current. But there are guys in the writers' room are fiercely current on things like that.