Real Reason The Big Bang Theory Owes its Gargantuan Success to This Controversial Actor’s Sitcom
The Two And A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory were the brainchild of the same person- Chuck Lorre. The American television and film director is a multi-talented personality as he is also a successful producer, writer, actor, and composer too. The 70-year-old director has been the brain behind successful sitcoms like- Young Sheldon. Two And A Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Disjointed, and The Kominsky Method, and movies like- The Luminous, The Lost One, and Nathan’s Choice.
In 2007, producer Chuck Lorre came up with the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The show was based on a group of socially awkward nerds played by actors Jim Parsons and Leonard Hofstadter and their next-door neighbor, an aspiring actor Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco. Based on an out-of-the-box theme, The Big Bang Theory even went on to become a victim of the 2007 Writers’ Strike and almost ended before it could even begin. The show had to grapple with contemporary issues and became a hit after a significant period.
How is Charlie Sheen’s Show Responsible For The Success Of The Big Bang Theory?
The 90s and the 2000s era were the best time for the entertainment industry in Hollywood. Variety of shows dealing with the topics like- Social awkwardness to a group of friends living under the same roof and helping each other in becoming the best versions- everything was a delight to our eyes. Chuck Lorre’s The Big Bang Theory’s first episode was aired in 2007. Over the course of 12 seasons, the show aired 279 episodes, and the CBS show owes a huge part of its success to Two And A Half Men.
The success of Charlie Sheen’s Two And A Half Men boosted the popularity of The Big Bang Theory too. TBBT revolved around social awkwardness with respect to two nerds- a topic that was totally untouched during that time. Though Chuck Lorre hardly understood the concept of the sitcom, he never stopped believing in his team.
According to a member of the Two And A Half Men team, Gemma Baker-
“The thing that was amazing about Chuck was that I didn’t approach him. I didn’t send him my writing. He just happened to notice something in talking to me that made him want to read my writing. And I think for someone who is so successful and busy to not only notice that but then follow through on it, is really incredible.
During the third season, the time slot of both The Big Bang Theory and Two And A Half Men were rescheduled. This led to a huge jump in the viewership of the show with almost 20 million viewers per episode. He even went on to integrate the two shows because Chuck Lorre struggled to manage both shows together. During an interview with the media outlet Variety, the successful director confessed-
“There was a time when I could not effectively run one show. I was overwhelmed and exhausted and stressed out writing and producing one show.”
Two And A Half Men continued for 12 seasons and 262 episodes, and the fans of Charlie Sheen were devastated when he was replaced by the No Strings Attached actor, Ashton Kutcher.
The Big Bang Theory‘s Sheldon Cooper’s Most Striking Trait Was Unscripted
Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Copper is still one of the most iconic characters in the world of entertainment. The nerd-centric show’s most popular character Sheldon Cooper is known for his weird yet likable characteristics and eccentric behavior. One of his most common traits was knocking at the door three times, which was never a part of the script. Producer Lee Aronsohn shared in Jessica Radloff’s The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit, how Sheldon’s most liked trait was not even a part of the script. He mentioned-
“It was just one of those things where the stage direction was Sheldon knocks on the door, and Penny answers. And I just said, “What if he does this?” And I demonstrated that instead of one knock and Penny opens the door, it was three knocks. It showed Sheldon’s obsessive compulsiveness. People like that, like patterns and structure, so we had some fun with Sheldon once that got established.”
He further continued-
“There was one time he knocked on her door twice, and on the second one she opened the door, and Sheldon could just not continue! He struggled and struggled and struggled and finally had to go back to the door and go, knock, knock, knock, Penny.”
Sheldon Cooper’s door-knocking behavior was established in the second season. There was an angle to this trait as during his spring break, Sheldon comes home only to find out his dad hooking up with someone in the house. So, from then onwards, Sheldon vowed not to barge into his room. The spin-off of The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon was a huge hit too.
Source: The Things
