The Big Bang Theory – the different Penny pilot

11 June 2010 Rob Buckley US TV 6 Comments

Kaley Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory

Not a big fan of The Big Bang Theory, I have to admit. I watched the first episode and then the next two and ended up giving it a 4 on the Carusometer. I hear things have improved, mainly through the removal of the horrific male gaze that plagued the first few episodes, but whenever I’ve tuned in since, although it’s improved, I’ve not been inspired enough to watch it – your mileage may vary.

But once upon a time, it was even worse. There was a pilot for the 2006-2007 season that starred Canadian actress/VJ Amanda Walsh as Penny, rather than Kaley Cuoco (Charmed). There was also a nerdy character Gilda (Iris Bahr) who was later replaced by Sheldon and Leonard’s friends Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar). And the original theme music was Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science”.

Watch it if you dare, after the jump.

Author

  • Rob Buckley

    I’m Rob Buckley, a journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of although you might have heard me on the podcast Lockdown Land or Radio 5 Live’s Saturday Edition or Afternoon Edition. I’ve edited Dreamwatch, Sprocket and Cambridge Film Festival Daily; been technical editor for TV producers magazine Televisual; reviewed films for the short-lived newspaper Cambridge Insider; written features for the even shorter-lived newspaper Soho Independent; and was regularly sarcastic about television on the blink-and-you-missed-it “web site for urban hedonists” The Tribe. Since going freelance, I've contributed to the likes of Broadcast, Total Content + Media, Action TV, Off The Telly, Action Network, TV Scoop and The Custard TV.

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