Chuck Lorre’s Big Bang Theory universe has tons of celebrity cameos throughout the original sitcom and its prequel spin-offs. Of course, considering the series mostly centers on a group of oddball geeks, these minor guest stars typically include famous nerd-culture heroes like Star Wars’ Mark Hamill, comic-book legend Stan Lee, and Trekkie Sheldon’s favorite half-human, half-vulcan on the USS Enterprise, Leonard Nimoy. While there are plenty of funny and sentimental special appearances like these, not many stars have been brought back to play multiple roles.
One of those lucky few is famous comedian and silent-performer, Teller of the magic duo Penn and Teller. In the main series, Teller takes on the role of Amy’s father, Larry Fowler, along with acting icon Kathy Bates as her mother. The two make for a hilarious pair as Sheldon tries to bond with them both on the show, but there’s one problem with it: Teller also plays a completely different character on the prequel offshoot, Young Sheldon. In the past, showrunners have notoriously played around with the franchise’s canon as more and more spin-offs are in development, but do Teller’s separate guest roles actually make sense within it?
Magician Teller and ‘The Big Bang Theory’
The Penn and Teller world-famous act is known for mixing magic and comedy, with Penn bringing on the sarcasm and the ever-silent Teller responding with a perfectly-timed side eye. The pair have had long careers as entertainers, hosting several television shows like Penn & Teller: Fool Us, which was a long-standing reality series documenting their search for the next best aspiring magicians who could pull off a trick without the duo being able to guess how it was done. The two have also made guest appearances here and there throughout their careers, but the most notable for Teller is his role as Amy’s dad, Larry Fowler, in The Big Bang Theory.
Fowler comes into the story near the show’s finale, right before Sheldon and Amy tie the knot. Sheldon, who’s desperately trying to bond with his soon-to-be father-in-law, gets frustrated when Fowler becomes obsessed with Howard’s magic tricks. Considering Howard only performs some beginner stunts, like making a whistle “disappear” and the classic separating-rings trick, Fowler’s enchantment with it all is hilariously ironic given his lifelong profession. Although audiences would need to recognize Teller in order to understand this underlying gag, Teller’s abundant comedy prowess still made for a hilarious addition to the show’s goofy cast of characters.
Penn & Teller Both Appear in ‘Young Sheldon’
Following Teller’s cameo in the original series of The Big Bang Theory franchise, both he and his showbiz partner Penn guest starred in the spin-off prequel, Young Sheldon. Despite Teller’s previous part as Larry Fowler, his return wasn’t a role reprisal.
In the Season 5 finale, Penn and Teller respectively played “Acne” and “Pus.” No, these aren’t just unfortunate nicknames for their characters. The duo were portraying personified pimples on teenage Sheldon’s (Iain Armitage) face during puberty. They bring on the annoying and often embarrassing side to growing up. While the casting is on the grosser side, especially after they get popped, Penn and Teller’s comedic talent fits into the show perfectly as a painfully relatable adolescent experience.
The wild idea came from showrunner and co-creator Steve Molaro. Despite Teller’s previous work on the franchise, it was Penn who was his first zit pick. However, while talking with Cinemablend, Molaro explained how he eventually cast the pair together: “When we landed on Penn, he seemed so perfect [for Acne], and it’s hard not to think of Teller when you think of Penn. Once Penn agreed to do it, we circled around to say, ‘How would you guys feel about doing it together, as Acne and Pus?'” Luckily, in the end, the magic duo were really into it, and their antics made for a hilariously memorable episode.
Does Teller’s Double Role Make Sense?
When it comes to reappearances and recasts, especially related to large franchises, fans always notice and question how they tie into the overarching narrative. So, Molaro wasn’t surprised when viewers began wondering about Teller’s Young Sheldon character’s connection to Amy’s dad, especially after seeing zero nods towards the other character in the episode. In an interview with TVLine, he addressed the issue head-on, explaining that the two roles have nothing to do with each other. Thus, there is no underlying connection between Teller’s characters at all. Also, since the harbinger pimple personas are technically imaginary, their simultaneous existence is totally plausible.
Overall, showrunners have no problem playing around with the Big Bang Theory canon, seeing double-dipping in the cast as no big deal. In fact, actor Melissa Tang (Beginners) has been cast in three different roles across the expanding franchise as Mandy Chow in Big Bang Theory, Ms. Fenley in Young Sheldon, and Jackie in Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage. So, as the sitcom saga continues, we may just see Teller return to portray another character before all is said and done.
