Cringeworthy Big Bang Theory Pairing Even the Show's Producer Hated

The Big Bang Theory had its ups and downs over 12 seasons, but the season 4 cliffhanger definitely takes the cringe crown.

It was the year 2011, and Chuck Lorre (the show's creator) decided to shake things up a bit (our hearts, brains, and souls, that is).

He proposed a change in the group dynamic in the form of Penny and Raj having a fling. Season 4 ends with them in bed (in Leonard's for crying out loud!) together and being busted by others at the end of the episode.

We could have had that unfortunate romance if it weren't for one of the show's writers and producers, Steven Molaro (a huge thanks).

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He didn't like the season 4 finale and spent the entire hiatus upset about the cliffhanger, which eventually led him to Lorre's office where he spoke his mind about it.

Apparently, Molaro was convincing enough (thank God!) about why we didn't need Penny and Raj to become a thing, and Lorre reluctantly gave in.

The show's creator was the one who came up with the idea that Raj suffered from premature ejaculation (as if Raj didn't suffer enough from other things), meaning that he and Penny didn't actually sleep together. What a relief!

In season 5, we got an explanation (well, kind of) for the cliffhanger – Raj told Penny that they "didn't have sex in the conventional sense" (he tried to put a condom on, struggled, Penny tried to help him, didn't help at all, and you guessed the rest).

After that, the weird plot decision was never mentioned again, and we got to see Penny and Leonard get their happy ending (well, Raj couldn't, someone had to).

There you have it, folks. Thanks to Steven Molaro, we didn't have to suffer through this weird pairing.

Though, just imagine if Penny and Raj had slept together. Would it have changed anything for Raj in the long run?

Who knows…