Original The Big Bang Theory Pitch Was a Misogynistic Mess, According to IMDb
We’re lucky that this idea didn’t move past the initial pitch.
Whenever a show becomes as big and beloved as The Big Bang Theory is, it immediately becomes the target of all kinds of speculation and accusations. While some of them are later confirmed or denied by the cast and crew in various interviews and panels, others take on the status of eternal mysteries.
One of The Big Bang Theory's mysteries has to do with the very beginning of the show's pre-production. While we all know the story of how the pilot was rewritten, entire characters were changed, and actors were swapped between roles as they were cast, there is another story that has yet to be publicly discussed by Chuck Lorre or Bill Prady.
However, it still takes its place as part of The Big Bang Theory's trivia on IMDb, which raises the question of whether it is true.
Apparently, the original pitch for the hit sitcom was completely different and would have featured an all-female original cast. It would have included the characters who would later appear on the show as supporting or episodic ones, and Penny (or Katie, as she was in the beginning) would have been leading the gang.
Although the prototypes of the characters would have been the same, the idea of Penny, her lawyer roommate Priya, slightly troubled Missy Cooper, and her scientist friend Beverly leading the show doesn't sound as exciting when you learn the commercial reasoning behind it. Lorre thought that the female cast would help the show sell better than the male cast.
The Big Bang Theory was bad enough when it came to perpetuating gender stereotypes — it would have been even worse if all the main characters had been women. Luckily, we won't get to find out if that's the case because the original pitch was changed to reflect the plot, making it almost unrecognizable.
If you want to rewatch the original The Big Bang Theory series and enjoy the way the journey of Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj alongside Penny turned out to be, you can go ahead and stream it on Netflix or Max.
Source: IMDb