10 Things You Didn’t Know About “The Big Bang Theory”

The Big Bang Theory is another hit product by Chuck Lorre, who also was in charge of one of the hottest comedies ever on television, Two and a Half Men. While the show is reaching its final stages, the cast is raking in the money with the main characters reeling in $1 million each episode. They’re certainly worth the money, as the show as been such a huge hit that it’s been renewed multiple times for three season contracts. Here are some other interesting facts about the hit CBS show that you probably didn’t know.

Leonard Doesn’t Really Have Glasses

Johnny Galecki doesn’t require glasswear, so generally the frames he has on during filming are real glasses without any magnifying or there’s no glass in them at all.

“Bazinga” Came From Grapefruit

Stephen Engel, one of the writers of the show, coined the “bazinga” term when he pulled pranks on other writers. Jokes would generally involve a taped-up grapefruit somewhere in their offices.

Jim Parsons Hasn’t Watched Star Trek

Despite his character Sheldon being a Star Trek fanatic, the actor hasn’t actually ever watched a movie or TV episode himself.

Raj’s Problems Are Real

The issues of talking to women unless he’s drunk are actually legit, just not Kunal Nayyar’s. It actually came from executive producer Bill Prady.

“Soft Kitty” Is Also Real

Another influence Prady had was a preschool teacher that constantly sung him an Australian song. That’s what Penny sings to Sheldon when trying to get him to sleep.

Howard Is Named After A Real Person

There’s even more that executive producer Bill Prady had to do with behind the scenes. Howard Wolowitz is a real name, and it comes from one of Prady’s favorite coworkers in a previous computer gig he worked at.

Character Names Come From TV Producer

Sheldon Leonard was a famous producer that worked on shows like The Andy Griffith Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. He was the inspiration behind the two main characters’ names.

Both Main Stars Dated In Real Life

Surprisingly, both Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco ended up dating for a couple years when they were apart of the show. To avoid creating drama, they kept it completely secret, but that also was the reason it eventually ended.

Penny Wasn’t Going To Happen

The relationship between Galecki and Cuoco almost never happened. Amanda Walsh was originally in the unaired pilot as the girl next door, and her name was Katie. Other projects kept her from being in the show.

“The Big Bang Theory” Wasn’t The Original Name

It’s a good thing they were able to come up with the clever title. Its placeholder was actually called Lenny, Penny, and Kenny, which sounds like an awful show on MTV.