The Big Bang Theory was one of the most popular TV shows about a group of awkward physicists whose social skills get tested when a cute neighbor moves into their apartment. Even though the sweet, surprising moments from the series finale occurred six years ago, the beloved series will still live in fans’ memories rent-free for years to come. However, the Emmy-winning TV show almost went by a different name, and its co-creator spoke about how that, thankfully, “lasted for about five minutes.”
It’s hard to imagine The Big Bang Theory not being called as such. That would mean an entirely different theme song by the famed musicians, Barenaked Ladies. In Jessica Radloff’s book “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series” (via TVLine), the show’s co-creator Bill Prady revealed what the original name of the show was, and I’m glad they passed on it:
‘Lenny, Penny, and Kenny’ was the original placeholder title of the show, so Lenny was the Leonard character, and Kenny was the Sheldon character. That title lasted for about five minutes. In fact, my contract says ‘Lenny, Penny, and Kenny’ a/k/a ‘Big Bang Theory.’
That’s insane! I feel like a title “Lenny, Penny, and Kenny” would be more for a kids’ show if you’re looking for a rhyming, catchy title like that. But for a show that’s to appeal to a wider age group, it needs a play-on-words title to describe the mysteries of not only how to navigate life as a scientist, but as a person in general. Not something the short-lived ’90s sitcom Hiller and Diller could have adjusted for.
According to Jessica Radoff’s book, the original concept was going to be about computer programmers. But after reading a book on physicist Richard Feynman, the creators felt that the show would be better if the characters were more wholesome, socially awkward geniuses instead. Through researching a list of scientific phrases, “The Big Bang Theory” was deemed the winner, as it’s a concept all scientists learn about, yet still can’t speak to with certainty.
Behind-the-scenes facts of The Big Bang Theory reveal that the show’s name wasn’t the only thing that differed from the series we know today. The original pilot was described as “just a mess” by showrunner Chuck Lorre, as there was no Raj, Howard, or Penny. They went through a common pilot episode struggle of not understanding the characters yet, or what a woman would be like in Leonard and Sheldon’s orbit.
Leonard and Sheldon’s original neighbor was named Katie, whom the network was not a fan of due to not having a girl-next-door quality. Kaley Cuoco, who was originally rejected as Penny for being too young, ended up being the “secret sauce” the show needed for Leonard and Sheldon to break out of their shells and develop.
It’s such a sigh of relief that the title “Lenny, Penny, and Kenny” didn’t make the cut. Imagine how annoying that would be to keep saying that when referring to the hit series. Plus, then we’d have to call the spin-off series Young Kenny. You can revisit the rightfully named Big Bang Theory series streaming now on your Max subscription.