The CBS series “The Big Bang Theory” ran from 2007 to 2019 for a 12-season run jam-packed with nerd culture, hilariously iconic moments, and notable scenes still talked about today. The show then had the even more successful spin-off “Young Sheldon” which detailed the early life of one of the show’s main characters, Sheldon Cooper. The spin-off was incredibly popular, and another spinoff, “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage,” was green-lighted with an expected start this fall. After watching the “Young Sheldon” finale and bawling my eyes out, I decided to rewatch the show that started it all – “The Big Bang Theory.”
While “The Big Bang Theory” has its iconic moments, the pilot was aired nearly 20 years ago. Its humor is era-appropriate, but a lot of it doesn’t hold up to today’s standards of what we consider “problematic.” That being said, I still find it to be an incredibly enjoyable show, and I binge-watched all 12 seasons over the course of about a month this summer. Having previously seen the show, I knew what to expect as far as character growth from each of the main characters introduced in episode 1 and the film analyst in me immediately locked in.
The show starts with a significant moment in the lives of the 4 scientists – the introduction of Penny into their friend group. Penny is one of the only girls in their lives and is single-handedly responsible for the character growth of each of the guys in the group. After watching the pilot, I couldn’t understand why Penny didn’t reasonably run in the other direction after meeting them. She is a 22-year-old waitress at the start of the season, not even a year older than I am right now. Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj are all in their mid-to-late 20s and are in different stages of their lives than Penny. Their lovable, socially awkward dynamic is an acquired taste, but Penny took to it instantly when any reasonable person would have moved out the second their next-door neighbors broke into their apartment to clean it in the middle of the night. It shows the genuinity of her friendships with the four of them and you start to see how their lives change as a result.
The first thing I noticed was how the show immediately sets up Leonard and Penny to be endgame. The iconic line from the pilot, “Our babies will be smart and beautiful,” proves to be true by the end of the 12th season, but it’s not an easy ride to get there. Leonard’s initial attraction to Penny is superficial, and he foolishly follows her every request. He and Sheldon lose their pants in an effort to get Penny’s stuff back from her ex-boyfriend, who she had recently broken up with, a request she makes of Leonard after just a day. Their on-and-off romance is a roller coaster throughout the show and is in line with their character growth. Leonard learns to be more confident and has several other relationships through the show that bring him closer to Penny. Penny, in turn, learns to be more mature and take life seriously. Eventually, they find their way back together, having gone through the necessary life events needed to be right for each other.
It’s not just with Leonard that Penny kicks off their character growth. Sheldon, who is very set in his ways and has constructed his whole life to accommodate his eccentricities, is thrown off by Penny. All of a sudden, there is someone new in his friend group who has upset his routine. At first, he resists Penny’s friendship, but the two form a strong sibling-like bond, and she helps him come out of his shell. As a result of his new open-mindedness, Sheldon meets neuroscientist Amy, who eventually becomes his wife. In a full-circle moment in the finale, Sheldon finally thanks his friends and recognizes their influence on his life in helping him and Amy win the Nobel Prize in physics. His character growth is incredible throughout the show, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Penny.
Howard and Raj’s lives also improve after meeting Penny. In the pilot, Howard is a creepy “ladies’ man” who thinks his geekiness is the reason he’s single. He regularly hits on Penny in the beginning, and she, in turn, puts him in his place. She calls him out for his inappropriate behavior and kicks off a change in him. She then introduces Howard to Bernadette, who becomes his wife and mother of his kids in later seasons. A beautiful moment that truly shows Howard’s character growth is before his wedding to Bernadette when she learns the full extent of his history with women. He apologizes to Bernadette for the man he was before he met her and that she has made him a better man and person. Penny is present for the moment, and you can see the pride on her face at Howard’s growth.
When we first meet Raj in the pilot episode, he’s the most socially awkward of them all. He can’t even talk to women without drinking alcohol beforehand. Because of this, he struggles with self-confidence and loneliness as he watches the rest of his friends start their own lives with their partners. He and Penny bond over similar interests, and he regularly goes to her for advice. It’s Penny who helps him overcome his selective mutism and intervenes when his relationships turn toxic. Even though Raj is still single at the end of the series, he is a far more confident and successful man than he was 12 seasons ago. He gets a new job at the planetarium and actively works to earn his independence from his wealthy parents’ money.
“The Big Bang Theory” is an entertaining and iconic show. It brought a different nerd subculture to mainstream media – bringing us hilarious conversations about Comic-Con, superheroes, video games, and Star Trek. I even started playing World of Warcraft after finishing my rewatch of the series. The show also honestly changed my perspective on the value of science and STEM in our society. Now that I’m a bit older, I found myself being able to follow a lot of the science in the show, and those scientific explanations that are laughed off as “nerd talk” made a lot of sense to me, and I found myself wanting to learn more about them. I think the science curriculum in schools isn’t designed to make us want to pursue science as a career. In fact, by high school, I had decided I was against science as a career path and went towards business instead. If given the opportunity to go back, I might have considered a science-based minor to round out my college education a bit more. As Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler said in her Nobel acceptance speech, “it is the greatest job in the world.”