Big Bang Theory Panel at the SDCC
© Robert Trate
SDCC: Big Bang Theory Interviews Part 1
By: Robert T. TrateDate: Thursday, August 07, 2008
The hall was packed, really packed. Which was totally unexpected for a non-genre show at the San Diego Comic Con. Sure the Office writers were there that weekend too but this is a sitcom on CBS and about as far removed from Comic Con as one can be. Or is it? The Big Bang Theory is about two socially awkward physicists, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons), and their life outside the laboratory. They collect comics, action figures, play Halo, quote movie lines and participate in things most people would consider “geeky”. Their life is exactly the way they want it until Penny (Kaley Cuoco) moves in next door. Suddenly Leonard begins to see that there might be more to life than what he has been living.
The reason why the Big Bang Theory was so well received at the SDCC is because those characters are the people that attend Comic Con. There are numerous Sheldons and Leonards walking around. Finally we have sitcom where these guys are the stars and not the annoying neighbor, the really bad blind date or the odd relative that has come to visit.
Warner Brothers brought the entire cast and series writers Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady out to Comic Con. Each was in awe of the crowd and their reception. Their panel revealed some quirky traits to the real personas behind the characters. It also turns out that they don’t look as geeky in real life, well Johnny Galecki doesn’t anyway.
Chuck Lorre (producer and writer) and Bill Prady (writer) said that early on this wasn’t a show about nerdy or geeky people. It was about remarkable people. The first pilot flopped and CBS was gracious enough to let them have another shot at it. Adding Kaley Cuoco as Penny was the key to make the chemistry of the show work the second time around. They also stated that at any time if the characters do anything out of character they’ll rewrite a scene right in front of a live audience. What has been truly amazing for both of them is how protective the audience has become of their characters.
Robert Trate: Do you expect that crowd at the panel?
Chuck Lorre: No. If there would have been 400 people* today I would have been thrilled. This was truly exciting.
*the room was filled to capacity at 2,000.
Robert Trate: At the end of each show you have the Chuck Lorre production notes. My personal favorite is your “soul’s journey” where you write two sitcoms a week that compete with a deaf chick dancing her ass off (Dancing with the Stars). How do you get away with that?
Chuck Lorre: Every one of those things has to go past broadcast censor standards, CBS and legal at Warner Brothers. Lawyers read them. Guys who make $400 dollars an hour go “This is not right” (laughs). There is a lot of give and take on stuff. Some things I can’t put on because they say no, you can’t do that. You know when I put a card up that says tonight’s card has been censored the website gets overrun with hits. It crashed the site one time.
Robert Trate: “The Nerdvana Annihilation” where you use the original Time Machine from George Pal’s movie was one of my favorite episodes. Will season 2 have any “stunt casting” type moments? Will you take the characters to Comic Con?
Chuck Lorre: We would have loved to do something at Comic Con. We just didn’t have the time. Maybe next year, we would love to come down here and maybe even shoot some scenes. How exciting would that be? As far as stunt casting goes, I can’t reveal anything. We do have some wonderful actors lining up to do the show.
When asked about who they thought Sheldon and Leonard would come to Comic Con as they both laughed. Bill Prady said that they have a deep wardrobe to choose from. Sheldon’s compulsion for order and his need to impose that on that on the group would probably create a lot of problems.
When asked about what geeky thing that they own Bill Prady threw his fist straight out and revealed a Green Lantern power ring. Following up a huge laugh from many of the male press one British press woman asked, “What is that?”, illustrating that life does imitate art after all.
The Big Bang Theory is currently in reruns on CBS. It will return with new episodes on September 22nd. The first season will be released on DVD September 2nd.
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