Kaley Cuoco spent over a decade embodying the role of Penny in the hit show, The Big Bang Theory. While the actress enjoyed the success she earned with the longest-running CBS sitcom, not all experiences were positive. One notable example was the storyline involving the Serial Apeist.
The Big Bang Theory | Credit: CBS
Reflecting on the whole sequence, the actress admitted that she found this storyline to be her least favorite part of her time on the show, revealing that despite voicing her concerns to the showrunner, it remained in the final cut.
Kaley Cuoco Opened Up About Her Worst Experience on The Big Bang Theory
Kaley Cuoco’s character in The Big Bang Theory is introduced as an aspiring actress who struggles with limited success. Her acting credits include various advertisements and roles in the Serial Apeist films.
Kaley Cuoco as Penny | Credit: CBS
Season 7 follows Penny reluctantly returning for a sequel to the low-budget film Serial Apeist alongside Wil Wheaton. However, similar to her character, Cuoco also did not have a very pleasant experience filming the sequences.
As per TV Line, the actress reflected on her experience filming the scenes, describing it as her worst experience on the show. The Emmy-nominated actress said,
The worst experience was filming Serial Apeist and getting covered in f–king hair from head to toe — I was like, ‘Really, you guys? This is what’s happening?’
Penny in Serial Apeist | Credit: CBS
The actress also revealed that she expressed her despise for the storyline. And the showrunner Chuck Lorre agreed with her, but he still refused to remove the scenes from the episode.
Chuck Lorre Wasn’t a Fan of The Serial Apeist Storyline Either
Kaley Cuoco believed that Chuck Lorre thought the whole sequence was funny, as she said, “Chuck just thought it was so funny. He loved it. I never understood why.”
Chuck Lorre | Image by Angela George, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
However, The Big Bang Theory showrunner himself was not a big fan of the sequence either. He rather described it as a way to give Penny a moment of small success in her acting career. As per TV Line, Lorre said,
We wanted Penny to have some small success in her from of being a successful actor, but it’s not my favorite episode.
The acclaimed showrunner also admitted that writing scenes where Penny is part of a “bad” show within the show was not their best work.
A still from The Big Bang Theory | Credit: CBS
“Doing a show within a show — writing the ‘bad’ scenes that she’s in an otherwise good show — was not our finest moment,” he said, arguing that the goal of involving the storyline was to portray Penny struggling with her acting career.
However, the showrunner admitted that the subplot fell short of expectations. With the episode hinting that Penny might quit acting sooner, she later finds a new path as a pharmaceutical sales rep in the series.
The Big Bang Theory is available to watch on Max.
