When Johnny Galecki joined the cast of Roseanne to be the love interest for the dour Darlene (Sara Gilbert), I thought they had a wonderful chemistry together. In fact, it was his turn on that show that lead to me ever even tuning into his new hit show The Big Bang Theory. Well, that and the fact that it was populated with people who reminded me more of myself and many of my college friends than I should probably admit.It was quite a treat when Gilbert appeared in three episodes throughout the last season as acerbic Leslie Winkle, intellectual equal to Galecki's Leonard, and just as socially out there. The chemistry between the two was immediate, and I found the dominance she established in their relationship to be a blast. The fact that this nerdy chick was more alpha male than any of the four male leads in the series is brilliant. So Sara Gilbert joining the cast of The Big Bang Theory as a series regular is a great move for the show.
And I think this addition can help what I'm going to call "The Penny Conundrum." Now, I may be the only person who feels this way, but I really don't think the writers are sure what to do with Penny (Kaley Cuoco) anymore. I guess they thought the viewers would latch more onto the mismatch of a Penny-Leonard romantic liaison than the wacky doings of his "brain trust" of Sheldon, Howard and Rajesh. But now that this foursome has practically stolen and taken over the show, Penny has been thrust into a barely utilized sub-plot.
Hopefully, they can evolve her relationship with the other principal cast members, or push forward with a Leonard-Penny awkward romance to keep her relevant, as I think her "every man" perspective is still great fodder for humor. The addition of another female to the regular cast could also help, as Leslie and Penny couldn't be more different, and we could actually see Penny have some jealousy toward Leslie's "friends with benefits" situation with Leonard, such as it is.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-09-2008 @ 12:16PM
Gene Cowan said...
I love the fact that these two actors are both gay in real life, it imparts a special kind of bond between them that comes across on the screen. They obviously share a great friendship and it puts a great spin on their on-screen banter, a sort of "will they, won't they" situation. And of course, it shows what great actors they both are. Love both of them!
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8-09-2008 @ 2:32PM
DanGarion said...
Doesn't appear to be any confirmation that he is gay. Sort of stupid to assume he is because he's played a homosexual in a couple roles....
8-10-2008 @ 1:35PM
Gene Cowan said...
Oops! My bad. I could have sworn I read an article where he came out; sorry for the assumption there. I can't find it now, so perhaps it was all in my head.
8-09-2008 @ 1:34PM
KMF said...
This is great news!
When I first watched the show, I really couldn't have cared less about Penny/Leonard, what I really like is the four guys! Don't get me wrong, Penny is good as a sane foil for these crazy geniuses. I enjoy the show much more when it's centered around the guys and Penny can help out or makes a small appearances.
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8-09-2008 @ 1:23PM
Lenny said...
I'm ecstatic to hear Sara Gilbert will be a regular on Big Bang Theory. You are absolutely right that their chemistry shows on screen and also about the "they don't know what to do with Penny" problem.
Maybe somehow Penny and Rajesh can end up together. That could be good for a few laughs and it would be nice to see the character of Raj get over his inability to speak to attractive women while sober, at least a little bit.
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8-09-2008 @ 1:28PM
mj said...
BBT is a fantastic show, and I did like having a couple of "Roseanne" actors stop by. Leslie is a great character, and it would be neat to see a Leslie/Penny conflict. I do think the Penny character is becoming more like a mom or older sister to the guys, which is actually nice because she is the voice of normality for them. Even Leonard, the closet to normal, needs a boot in the butt once in awhile.
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8-09-2008 @ 1:40PM
Jimmy said...
This is good news. I've slowly become a huge fan of this series and really enjoyed the episodes Gilbert appeared (also enjoyed her appearances on ER). Gilbert was one of the best things about Roseanne and has been under utilized every since. I don't want to even remember Twins!
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8-10-2008 @ 12:39AM
BartmanDK said...
Your not the only one.. Im not really sure what they are going to do with the whole "romance" now that they have gone on a date.. But its not really going to hurt the show becaus most of the fun is out of the "brain-trust" and penny's "normale" ways
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