Real Reason Why First Version of The Big Bang Theory Never Saw The Light Of Day
That could be a completely different show.
One of the most well-known behind-the-scenes facts about the production of The Big Bang Theory is that the show had a whole other pilot with a completely different character and a slightly different idea behind it. The pilot is now easily available on the web, but many still wonder what exactly was wrong with it and why it was changed.
One of the most noticeable changes was the character of Penny, who wasn't in the pilot at all. Instead, there was a slightly more assertive and pushy Katie, portrayed by Amanda Walsh, who met both Leonard and Sheldon on the street near their building in a very distressed state.
Although the premise was similar to the beginning of The Big Bang Theory which we all know and love, the focus group did not like Katie enough to keep her on. The show's creators, Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, told EW in a joint interview exactly what viewers didn't like about her so much that the character wasn't just changed, but scrapped altogether.
“She's dangerous in a way and wasn't very nice to the guys. <...> The audience viewed them as children. They were very naive and childlike, regardless of how intelligent they were. They were very vulnerable, and the audience didn't want a toxic presence around them. That's why we rewrote Katie to become Penny,” both writers recalled.
The audience liked Penny much more because they didn't really see any danger in her. Penny seemed just as naive as the boys and had no malicious intent to take advantage of their kindness. Although Amanda Walsh was willing to return as Penny and work on the character, her image was already too associated with Katie, so the new role went to Kaley Cuoco.
While some fans think it was better that the writers chose to listen to the audience, others think they were forced to fit into a more stereotypical box of a female lead in a sitcom. Either way, it was the right choice from a commercial standpoint, as it brought The Big Bang Theory to a point of amazing success.
If you want to re-watch the show from the very first episodes, you can stream it on Netflix or MAX.
Source: EW