From Soft Kitty To Sheldon’s Spot: A Guide To All The Jokes TBBT Got Rid Of

In 2023, the running joke on television is the equivalent of going viral and becoming a social media meme. While it's fun for a week or two, the hype wears off relatively quickly, and people start to get tired of it coming at them from everywhere.

Thanks to the beauty of progress, by that time there was probably another meme that would capture the attention of the masses.

In the 2000s, however, the situation was a bit different. Without TikTok to spread the sound of your favorite character saying the joke around the world in 30 seconds, it was spread by people in their everyday conversations. And then, seeing how popular it was, production studios found ways to turn it into a commercial project.

From posters to T-shirts to parodies to commercials, it was the hilarious and terrifying fate of any successful franchise. The Big Bang Theory 's brilliant one-liners were no different. But the production team and series co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady treated them all differently.

Sheldon’s Favorite Spot

One of the examples of a joke that was hilarious at the beginning of the show, but ended up being non-existent, was the joke about Sheldon's place on the couch.

From the very first episode of the series, viewers learn that Sheldon Cooper is very particular about where he sits on the couch in the living room of his and Leonard's apartment. Unfortunately for anyone who joins their group of friends, this can lead to major conflict. However, as time went on, Sheldon's behavior became less intense.

Also, at some point in the show, he physically moves to another apartment and has to change his attitude. When he lives in 4B with Amy, he doesn't seem to have a special place on the couch or at the table. They seem to trade places just like people do in normal relationships.

Bazinga!

The relationship the team behind the show had with the word wasn't easy. They wanted something catchy to get attention, and they got it. Viewers latched onto the word and blew it out of proportion, making it a huge part of The Big Bang Theory's brand, when in reality it was just nonsense.

This is what series co-producer Steve Holland had to say about the phrase in Jessica Radloff's book, The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series:

“It felt like it was becoming a catchphrase in a sort of not-great way, so we retired it almost entirely. After season four or five, we almost never said it, but it was always the thing that was associated with Big Bang. And sometimes in a detrimental way, because people would use it to mock the show sometimes”.

Soft Kitty

There was also a good reason for this hit song to disappear from the show! While it will now forever be associated with The Big Bang Theory, the almost identical poem was actually written by Edith Newlin, and her children were not happy to learn that their mother's legacy was being used in a TV show without proper rights.

Unfortunately, this discovery led to a lawsuit against the production and resulted in them not being able to actually use the song. No matter how sweet the story behind it was, and no matter how much meaning the showrunners put into it, there wasn't much the crew could do about the law.

The good thing, though, is that after the trial was over and the lawsuit was dropped in 2017, The Big Bang Theory was able to use Soft Kitty again.

Sheldon’s Laugh

This is the only joke in all of The Big Bang Theory that seemingly disappeared without explanation. One of the hallmarks of Sheldon's character has always been his odd yet infectious breathy laugh. Unfortunately, as the show went on, there were fewer and fewer references to this gag, until one day it disappeared completely.

Although many fans admit to missing Sheldon's original laugh, others don't seem to mind the change as much. While the feature was funny, it also felt overdone and could easily become tiresome if the writers kept bringing it back.

This is a joke that was great while it lasted, but was over at just the right time.

If you need a reminder on one of these jokes, or any other hilarious The Big Bang Theory moment, you can go ahead and stream the show on Netflix or Max.

Source: The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series by Jessica Radloff