The original Penny almost contributed to The Big Bang Theory’s cancellation before Kaley Cuoco’s arrival.
Before cementing her stature as one of the beloved figures from the sitcom, Kaley Cuoco’s Penny initially didn’t start off that strong, as she was often considered the least likable of the main gang in the beginning. Interestingly enough, the original Penny, Katie, was proven to be way more unlikeable during the testing, almost leading to the sitcom’s cancellation.
This eventually pushed the network to boot the original actress, contributing to Cuoco’s inclusion in the sitcom, and the rest is history.
Kaley Cuoco’s original Penny counterpart was a disaster in the making
Before the creation of Penny, her gap was originally filled by Katie, played by Amanda Walsh. Although the network did see elements of greatness in the original pilot, her character proved to be the biggest weak link, given her excessive toxicity.
Speaking of the canned episode, former CBS Entertainment chairwoman Nina Tassler added (via CinemaBlend):
There was so much about the pilot that did work. But there were parts of the script that didn’t work, and we had to recast an actress. [Chuck Lorre] is such an extraordinary talent. He had a great concept and wonderful chemistry between the two leads, so I asked him if he would try again.
Fans, who watched the canned pilot, which later leaked on the web, have often chimed in with this sentiment, as on top of being a freeloader, Katie’s character was both manipulative and rude.
Not only Penny was far more humane than her original counterpart, but as the series progressed, her character proved to be one of the best aspects of the sitcom, with her character going through immense emotional growth.
Chuck Lorre acknowledged the network’s complaint
While in any other case, a pilot that is not up to the network’s standards would immediately sustain a cancellation, given Chuck Lorre‘s prowess, CBS was more than ready to give him one more go at The Big Bang Theory. Lorre himself acknowledged the issues with Katie and was adamant about dealing with the excessive toxicity. In the end, the gamble on the network’s part paid off, given the casting of Kaley Cuoco as Penny.
And he immediately said, to his credit, ‘You’re right, I know I can do better. Thank you for this opportunity, and we’ll figure it out.’ Sure enough, he did. Kaley Cuoco joined the cast, and she was the secret sauce. Chuck and Bill Prady delivered a pilot script, and the rest is history.
Although every member of the main gang played their role to perfection, Cuoco was arguably the most impressive, given on what note her character started.
