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The series finale of Chuck Lorre’s CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” aptly named “The Stockholm Syndrome,” saw every main character – Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler (played by Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik), Leonard and Penny Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco), Howard Wolowitz and Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz (Simon Helberg and Melissa Rauch), and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) – receive their personal happy endings, although the happiness quotient varied. Johnny Galecki admitted in a post-finale interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 that Leonard and Penny’s ending, where they discover they’re expecting a child, took him by surprise. He also hinted that he didn’t think their relationship would last. Here’s what he had to say:
“The news of the pregnancy took me aback. It didn’t register initially. [Executive producer Steve] Molaro and I had a discussion about the possibility of them not [being pregnant]. Our conversations were centered around relationships, and he shared one from his personal life that he believed mirrored Leonard and Penny’s. We had also broached the topic of pregnancy a few times recently. However, the bigger question was, ‘What do Leonard and Penny have in common? What do they converse about?’ It became easier as they found common ground in the later seasons. But there was a point midway through the series when we asked, ‘Is this [relationship] plausible? Is it realistic?'”
Despite his initial reservations and the heartache of the potential split, Galecki admitted he wanted Leonard and Penny to stay together till the end – which they did. He revealed there were discussions about a permanent breakup. “It would have been devastating if they hadn’t ended up together, but those discussions were years ago. The main message is that these friendships will endure; the writers didn’t want to displace anyone,” he said. “We wanted to assure the audience that these bonds and the love they share persist.”
What were Kaley Cuoco’s thoughts on Penny and Leonard’s unexpected, last-minute pregnancy?
CBS
Johnny Galecki didn’t mention a crucial aspect of Penny’s pregnancy: throughout “The Big Bang Theory,” Penny consistently expressed her lack of desire for children. I confess that I was taken aback – and not pleasantly so – by the reveal of Penny’s unplanned pregnancy (a joke she makes suggests they recently neglected birth control). This surprise was largely due to Penny’s significant character development throughout “The Big Bang Theory.” Initially portrayed as a naïve, vivacious aspiring actress, Penny evolves into a more grounded character, showcasing her intelligence as the series progresses. In the final season, she’s a successful pharmaceutical sales rep with a happy marriage who, based on her statements, chooses not to have children. It’s indeed frustrating that Penny is suddenly given a baby to conclude the series. However, Kaley Cuoco seemed fine with it in that same THR interview (unless she concealed her true feelings).
“I was ecstatic,” Cuoco admitted in 2019. “I didn’t see it coming at all because they’ve been resisting it for so long. I thought they handled it excellently, and I loved the surprise element and how she was trying to process it,” she said. “I believe they’re going to be wonderful parents. They’ve waited so many years, and they’re so relaxed and fun-loving. Or at least Penny is! I think they’d make adorable parents. I can only envision it.”
Johnny Galecki anticipated a darker ending for Leonard and Penny
CBS
A few years after that interview – in Jessica Radloff’s 2022 book “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series” – both Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki agreed that they would have understood if Penny and Leonard had separated… and further corroborated that the option was always on the table. In fact, Radloff reveals that the disputes between Leonard and Penny in the later season were mainly to establish a potential breakup: “As it turns out, the producers were on the verge of having them break up permanently, which is why Penny and Leonard often seemed at odds later in the series.”
“These two individuals have been together for a very long time and it’s incredible how communication can completely break down, even when you know someone so well,” Cuoco reflected in the book. “I appreciated how they questioned each other and had these open discussions about their issues because it demonstrated to me that they still desired to be together, even though they didn’t understand each other at all,” she said. “That’s simply reality. You know someone so well, but you keep missing, and you sometimes just don’t quite comprehend why.”
Galecki revealed that he had numerous conversations with Steve Molaro about Molaro’s real-life relationship with a woman deemed “out of [Molaro’s] league,” which was instrumental in shaping Leonard and Penny’s relationship. “So, in private, we talked a lot about how Leonard and Penny’s relationship should conclude,” Galecki confessed. “They didn’t share enough commonalities. I felt that was very realistic, but in the end, he, Bill, and Chuck decided that it would be too heartbreaking for the audience, and in retrospect, I concur. At the time, I was intrigued by the idea, perhaps because it’s a bit unconventional for a sitcom and would stun people. But the way they executed it was far superior, with Penny’s surprise pregnancy… it was simply magnificent. But I did initially want to conclude it on a darker note.”
You can now stream “The Big Bang Theory” on Max.
FAQs
Did Leonard and Penny split up in “The Big Bang Theory”?
No, Leonard and Penny did not split up in “The Big Bang Theory”. They ended up together and were expecting a baby in the series finale.
Did Kaley Cuoco want Penny to have a baby in “The Big Bang Theory”?
According to her interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kaley Cuoco was ecstatic about Penny’s surprise pregnancy in the series finale.
Why did Johnny Galecki think Leonard and Penny’s relationship was unrealistic?
Johnny Galecki thought Leonard and Penny’s relationship was unrealistic because they didn’t have enough in common. However, he agreed with the decision to keep them together for the audience’s sake.
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