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For ten years, The Big Bang Theory was one of the most-watched TV shows ever aired.

The show premiered in 2007 and almost immediately wowed audiences with its catchy storylines, jokes, and an incredible cast. The show ended in 2019 after a glorious 12-year run, and it seems most of the cast members vanished from the spotlight. In honor of The Big Bang Theory, let’s take a look at what the show’s cast is doing now.

‘The Big Bang Theory’ almost looked very different

Viewers who’ve closely followed the show for its entire run are familiar with Penny, Leonard, and Sheldon Cooper. However, the show almost had a different look if networks had picked up the original version. For starters, the show almost adopted a Three’s Company type of premise, only that Penny wasn’t in the original pilot.

The original pilot included a female character who was very different from the Penny TBBT fans came to love. Her name was Katie, and she loved taking advantage of her roommates Leonard and Sheldon. The character arc didn’t sit well with most networks, so when the show’s creator got the chance to rewrite the character, he introduced the sweet Penny.

In the first pilot, Leonard and Sheldon invited Katie to live with them after her nasty breakup with her married boyfriend. The invite was fueled by a sexual attraction that both roommates had for Katie. When Chuck Lorre revised the script, he cut out the Katie storyline and introduced fans to Penny, who, although had been dumped, wasn’t by a married boyfriend.

Another significant difference between the characters was that Penny had her own apartment and had the active choice of often hanging out with Leonard and Sheldon. Additionally, Sheldon wasn’t attracted to Penny’s charm and good looks. His ambivalence to Penny’s appearance is usually a running joke throughout the whole show.

Some cast members were kept in the dark about the show’s ending

Cast of The Big Bang Theory
Cast of The Big Bang Theory | Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

After 12 successful seasons, the cast and crew of The Big Bang Theory were ready to call it quits, or so most fans thought. That was not the case, as one cast member revealed that she had been preparing for another season when she was told the show would end.

Speaking to Variety, Kaley Cuoco, who played Penny, admitted that she wasn’t exactly ready to end the show when the show’s lead star Jim Parsons and Lorre ended it. Cuoco said that she found out about the show’s ending in a meeting.

The star revealed that the producers called in the cast members during filming for season 12. Most of the actors thought the meeting was meant to be about the upcoming season. Instead, they found out that the show was coming to an end.

What is the cast up to today

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TBBT might have concluded in 2019, but the actors haven’t disappeared from screens entirely. US Magazine reports that Parsons, who played the lead character, Sheldon, starred in Hollywood, the series’ spinoff Young Sheldon, and The Boys In The Band.

He also lent his voice for various animated projects such as Home. Aside from acting, Parsons has also produced multiple projects such as Call Me Kat. Johnny Galecki, who played Leonard, appeared in The Conners shortly after TBBT ended.

Cuoco landed a starring role in the 2019 film The Flight Attendant, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Mayim Bialik, who played Amy, traded her role on TBBT for another sitcom role in Call Me Kat. Kunal Nayyar, aka Raj, has occupied his time with Trolls World Tour, Criminal: UK, and Think Like a Dog.

Simon Helberg (Howard) took a short break from acting but is scheduled to make a comeback in As Sick As They Made Us while Melissa Rauch has appeared in The Laundromat, Animaniacs, and Robot Chicken.

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