The Big Bang Theory’s Wasted Penny Plot Highlighted Sheldon’s Biggest Problem

While The Big Bang Theory often mined laughs from Sheldon’s character flaws, one disappointing outing proved that these same traits held back the hit sitcom’s potential. The Big Bang Theory’s entire cast of characters were beloved, and they collectively earned the series a massive fan base. However, as the show continued, it became clear that there was one breakout character. There is a reason that Young Sheldon was The Big Bang Theory’s first spinoff, and it is that Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper proved the show’s signature character. Sheldon was stubborn, self-centered, delusional, and hilarious thanks to these flaws.

By The Big Bang Theory’s finale, the show had shifted its focus away from Leonard and Penny’s relationship and toward Sheldon’s character growth. By Young Sheldon’s series finale, the entire sitcom franchise revolved around the character. This wasn’t an inherently bad thing, since Sheldon was a funny character and he had plenty of comedic potential. However, before the show’s final seasons improved his demeanor, Sheldon underwent an unfortunate character shift. In the latter half of the show’s run, The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon was almost too arrogant to be funny, and this dragged down some episodes that had potential.

Sheldon Turned Down Acting Lessons From Penny

The Big Bang Theory’s Heroine Offered To Help Him Lear

In season 11, episode 6, “The Proton Regeneration,” Sheldon accidentally asks Penny for help with acting lessons when he tries to replace the late Professor Proton. Upon learning that his late childhood hero was soon to be recast in a reboot of the Professor Proton franchise, Sheldon opted to throw his hat in the ring and made an audition tape. The result was an unintentionally disquieting affair that horrified Amy. When Amy enlisted Penny and Leonard to convince Sheldon that he wasn’t cut out for presenting a children’s show, Sheldon decided that he needed acting lessons for the role.

Penny graciously offered to tutor him, leading Sheldon to tactlessly admit that he didn’t want acting lessons from her. This throwaway joke wasted what could have been a great storyline and the rest of the episode instead saw Sheldon accidentally reignite his feud with Will Wheaton by informing him about the reboot. Some of The Big Bang Theory’s most underrated moments were shared by Penny and Sheldon, two characters who had a uniquely symbiotic relationship throughout the show’s run. The unlikely friends always had more to learn from each other, which made Sheldon’s refusal of Penny’s offer more disappointing.

Sheldon Learning Acting From Penny Could Have Lasted Longer

Penny And Sheldon Shared The Big Bang Theory’s Best Relationshi

Admittedly, Sheldon did receive acting lessons from Penny once before and The Big Bang Theory’s creators may have wanted to avoid retreading this familiar path. In season 4, episode 14, “The Thespian Catalyst,” Sheldon reached out to Penny for acting lessons to improve his skills as a university instructor. The duo did some shared acting workshop exercises in this episode, which mined a lot of comedy from Sheldon’s inability to cut loose and Penny’s endless patience with her friend. However, this episode only makes a return to this story in “The Proton Regeneration” better, since the original plot had no definitive ending.

While Sheldon’s best The Big Bang Theory stories always saw him grow, change, or come to see someone else’s point of view, “The Thespian Catalyst” ended with a panicked Penny calling Sheldon’s mother. An acting exercise went too far and Sheldon became lost in the fiction, terrified that he would be sent to the future alone. Viewers never got to find out whether Sheldon applied the techniques he learned from Penny’s lessons or if they worked. As such, “The Proton Regeneration” had a golden opportunity to follow an older, more mature Sheldon as he re-negotiated acting with Penny.

Sheldon Refusing Penny’s Help Highlighted His Worst Flaw

Sheldon Became Even More Thoughtless In Later Seasons

 

Instead, Sheldon simply turned down Penny with a thoughtless insult. This underlined a recurring issue with later seasons of the series, which was that Sheldon became a more mean, tactless version of himself as The Big Bang Theory continued. When the series began, Sheldon was a socially maladroit, self-centered character who struggled but had no interest in improving his interpersonal skills. Over the years, he developed better communication skills thanks to Penny’s patient efforts, eventually allowing him to maintain a romantic relationship with Amy. However, the later season of The Big Bang Theory backslid on this improvement for laughs.

While Kaley Cuoco’s The Big Bang Theory heroine was great, she wasn’t a miracle worker. Sheldon became even more self-important around seasons 9 and 10, although he did grow more thoughtful towards the end of the series. This hurried improvement was largely added to facilitate his finale speech, where Sheldon had a major moment of redemption and selflessly devoted his Nobel Prize to his friends and family for all their tireless support. However, before the last season tried to turn around his character arc, seasons 9 and 10 portrayed Sheldon as the meanest and most self-involved incarnation of the character.

Sheldon’s Professor Proton Audition Story Had An Unexpected Ending

The Big Bang Theory Episode’s Sheldon Story Had A Disappointing Conclusion

After Sheldon turned down Penny as an acting coach, he sought out Wil Wheaton for the same role. This meant The Big Bang Theory’s protagonist was still open to being helped, but refused to take advice from an amateur. This is an unlikable attitude, but it fits Sheldon’s reliance on authority. However, much like Sheldon and Amy’s relationship suffered thanks to his more standoffish, unlikable attitude in seasons 9 and 10, Sheldon’s entreaties to Wheaton ended poorly. Wheaton instead took the role of Professor Proton for himself, leading Sheldon to brand him his nemesis once again after a brief alliance.

In the subplot’s final scene, Sheldon discusses the events with a vision of Professor Proton’s ghost. Even this figment of Sheldon’s imagination didn’t care about his failure to secure the role and instead asked how to go about joining Sheldon’s list of enemies, since this would mean less contact with him. In this scene, it becomes clear that even Sheldon’s imaginary friends are sick of his egotistical attitude and callous cruelty. This grim ending underlined just how much The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon suffered in this era, as the series depicted a version of Sheldon who didn’t even like himself.