TV

The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper originally had a different name


Sheldon Cooper originally had a different name (Picture: CBS)

Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) is the defining character of The Big Bang Theory but it all could have turned out a lot differently – as it turns out the character originally had a different name.

The long-running sitcom followed the adventures of Sheldon and his physicist friends as their new neighbour Penny (Kaley Cuoco) opened up to new ideas.

But it turns out that everyone’s favourite character (don’t lie – you know its true) was only called Sheldon thanks to a last-minute change.

According to Screen Rant, the character’s actual name was Kenny. Kenny Cooper – has a certain ring to it, no?

It turns out, there was a reason for this original name, since the show was going to named after its three leads; Lenny, Penny and Kenny.

This obviously changed a lot in the development process, as Kenny changed to Sheldon, Lenny changed to Leonard and the bosses decided to instead christen the show The Big Bang Theory.

And the rest, as they say, was history. At least they kept the name Penny intact.

With Sheldon instead of Kenny, the show ran for 12 seasons (Picture: CBS)

This isn’t the first we’ve heard about the show’s development process either. Creator Chuck Lorre’s diary notes reveal he had some anxiety pitching the show to networks before it had been commissioned.

‘As I write this I’m moments away from pitching an idea for a new comedy series to the president of CBS, Leslie Moonves,’ the card read. ‘I’ve done this before and it’s always an anxiety-producing experience. Months of work can evaporate in seconds if he does not respond favourably.

‘To make matters worse, I always known when I’m getting a negative response because Les has what poker players call a subtle *tell*. When he doesn’t like something he frowns. Many of the people who work for him are familiar with this tell.

‘When they see it they respond with a tell of their own – they start examining their shoes as if they’ve never seen them before. Anyway, I have to go to a meeting now, keep your fingers crossed!’

However, that’s not the end of the card, with the producer – who’s also responsible for series including Young Sheldon and Dharma and Greg – giving another update just three little dots later.

He added: ‘Okay, I’m back and I think it went fairly well (no perceivable tell). I did made an amateur mistake by telling Les that he and I drive the same cool car, but he didn’t seem to hold it against me.

‘He and his team were courteous, pleasant and appropriately cautious. They ended the meeting by saying they looked forward to seeing a finished script before making a final decision… Hold on, my cell phone is ringing…’

Well, at least we know how that worked out.

The Big Bang Theory is available to stream now via Netflix.

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