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Everyone loves The Big Bang Theory, right?
Okay, maybe not everyone – there are always those television snobs who think that any comedy that caters to so many people is too mainstream and unoriginal, but those of us who watch it know that even if that’s technically true, it still manages to make us laugh!
Below are 20 facts about the show that even the most ardent fan might not know – so read on and increase your knowledge!
#20. The initial pilot “sucked.”
The show filmed two different pilots, because even though CBS didn’t like the first one, they flet that the show had potential. The first pilot began with a different theme song and featured Sheldon, Leonard, and two female characters, including an actress other than Kaley Cuoco playing the Penny role. Chuck Lorre thought the initial pilot “sucked” but is open to having the unaired pilot included as a DVD “extra.”
#19. Sheldon wasn’t the first person on set to use the word “bazinga.”
Credit: GIPHY
Writer Stephen Engel used the word as a ‘gotcha’ in a recurring backstage gag involving an old grapefruit in the writers’ room. It eventually made its way to the actual script shortly before the finale was filmed.
#18. He might not actually have a doctorate, but Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper), might be a genius.
When Sheldon plays the theremin, (widely regarded as one of the hardest instruments to play) that is Jim Parsons playing the theremin.
#17. Sheldon Cooper inspires naturalists all over the world!
There is now a genus of rhizostome jellyfish named Bazinga, Sheldon’s favorite word on the show. Sheldon’s catchphrase also inspired the naming of a new bee species in 2013.
#16. Gotta love those Aussies!
Photo Credit: Lumpadoodle
The song Sheldon requests when he’s sick or upset, “Soft Kitty”, is based on an Australian children’s song from Executive Producer Bill Prady’s daughter’s preschool.
#15. Show me the money!
Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco are the world’s highest paid TV actors.
#14. Sometimes reality is at least AS strange as fiction…
Raj’s inability to talk to women except when drunk is based on a co-worker of Executive Producer Bill Prady’s from his days at a computer company.
#13. Chuck Lorre, the creator of The Big Bang Theory, writes odd “vanity cards” at the ends of his shows.
Credit: GIPHY
As the credits roll, a piece of Lorre’s writing flashes on the screen for a second, but with too little time to read them.
#12. Method acting FTW!
Kevin Sussman, who plays depressed comic book store owner Stuart Bloom, actually worked in a comic book store before becoming an actor.
#11. You’re not seeing triple…
Only one floor of the set has an elevator, so all of the scenes filmed in front of it are in the same place.
#10. Namesakes.
The two main characters (Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter) are named after late television producer Sheldon Leonard.
Credit: GIPHY
The man is best known for his work on classic shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show and the The Andy Griffith Show.
#9. It’s opposite day!
Although on the show, Sheldon does not drive, Jim Parsons prefers to be behind the wheel in order to combat his propensity toward motion sickness.
