Forget Sheldon Cooper, This Penny Friendship Means a Whole Lot More For TBBT

Summary:

• Although The Big Bang Theory began with 5 original characters, viewers agreed that Penny was the most relatable of them all.
• As the most ‘normal’ of the group, Penny had to adapt to some quirks in order to build meaningful friendships.
• However, her friendship with Howard was almost jeopardized by his inappropriate behavior from the beginning.

No matter how many people love the original 4 friends of The Big Bang Theory, it's impossible to deny that it was Penny who brought the heart and soul to the show. She was sweet and kind, even if she lacked the intellectual capacity to keep up with her new neighbors. She was quick to charm everyone, including the icy Sheldon.

For many viewers, Shenny's friendship is the best thing to come out of the show, considering how difficult it has been for Sheldon to make meaningful connections and open up to people outside of his usual circle. However, some might argue that there was another friendship that was severely undervalued by both writers and viewers.

Penny and Howard Friendship

Although Howard began the show as nothing more than a creep who should have stayed away from women, his personal development arc was one of the most impressive of any character. Sexual jokes aside, he learned to respect women, came under the influence of his mother, and realized his dream of going into space.

While the most important woman in Howard's life was Bernadette, who eventually became his wife and the mother of their children, Penny was the first to knock some sense into his head.

He has done and said so many disgusting things to her that it would be easy to shut him down and never speak to him again. But Penny fought back and made sure she was heard.

It took Penny a whole season and a half to break and finally say what Howard deserved to hear straight to his face. She might’ve been too straightforward and let her emotions take over, but she wasn’t wrong saying that Howard would die alone if he continued to act like that around women.

And, even though the guys laughed it off, all female viewers of the show cheered out loud behind their screens. Though not many believed something would ever change Howard’s demeanor, he needed to hear the harsh truth.

What’s even more beautiful is a way that The Big Bang Theory managed to save the relationship between the two of them and helped it evolve into a strong friendship over time. A friendship that could’ve never happened, if Howard didn’t push Penny to her limit.

If you want to go ahead and rewatch The Big Bang Theory, reminding yourself of a friendship that Penny and Howard used to have, you can stream the iconic CBS sitcom on Max.