In many ways, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), and Amy (Mayim Bialik) are vastly different people on “The Big Bang Theory.” Penny is an aspiring actor who isn’t interested in science and nerdy pop culture. Bernadette and Amy are similar in the sense that they’re both very academic, but their personalities are completely different. However, despite having unique experiences, they all share one interesting thing in common, and that’s ending up in romantic relationships with the first person they ever speak to on the show.
Penny’s first-ever scene on “The Big Bang Theory” happens in the pilot, where she bumps into Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) in the hallway, leading to an awkward introductory conversation between her and Leonard. Similarly, Bernadette’s first on-screen appearance occurs in Season 3’s “The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary,” where she’s introduced as a blind date for Howard (Simon Helberg). Amy, meanwhile, debuts in “The Lunar Excitation” and tells Sheldon that she agreed to go on a date with him as part of an agreement with her mother. Cue every couple going on to live happily ever after.
This common theme shared by the women suggests that their introductions were by design. However, their respective similarities may have been coincidental, as two of the ladies weren’t originally supposed to be long-term characters on “The Big Bang Theory.”
Amy and Bernadette were supposed to be one-offs
When “The Big Bang Theory” debuted, most viewers probably didn’t expect Howard and Sheldon to find everlasting love. After all, the former was known for creeping out most women he came into contact with, while the latter was repulsed at the sheer thought of intimacy and coitus. As such, their future love interests were originally envisioned as bit-part characters, but Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik were too good not to be brought back for more episodes.
In an interview on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” Rauch revealed that she was at the unemployment office one week before being offered the Bernadette part. At the time, she was only supposed to appear in one episode, but she made a positive impression as she was invited back to guest star in a couple more before the show’s creators decided to offer her a full-time gig.
Bialik’s experience on “Big Bang Theory” was similar, as she was also initially recruited for a single episode. However, she showed much potential from the get-go, so Jim Parsons lobbied to keep her on the show. Initially, there were concerns that Amy would be viewed as the female version of Sheldon, but Parsons believed that she could be so much more, and he used his sway to keep her on board. BAZINGA!
