It can’t be easy to work behind the scenes of one of the longest-running sitcoms in modern television history, because one slip-up can lead up to the Internet talking and creating endless memes. The production designers and producers of The Big Bang Theory didn’t have a chance to take things for granted because from the first episode to the final episode, every detail had to be laid out meticulously.
The show was taped in front of a live studio audience, so naturally, some aspects of filming were quite tricky, especially scenes which needed a lot of running room or were shot in new venues, like hospitals, or restaurants. But even TBBT super fans don’t know some of the behind-the-scenes details and secrets from the series’ long 12-season run.
Jim Parsons Had The Flu During Sheldon’s First Kiss With Amy
Sheldon and Amy’s relationship timeline was complex, but when Sheldon finally committed to her, things changed for the better. Sheldon and Amy’s first kiss was understandably difficult for Sheldon, considering his intimacy issues, but turns out it was quite rough for Jim Parsons, too. During Sheldon and Amy’s first major kiss on the show, Parsons had the flu and was quite sick, according to Cinema Blend.
Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah Fowler) revealed that Parsons was sweating, had a fever, and was not doing so well during the taping. In fact, even Parsons joked that Bialik rinsed with mouthwash a lot, in the hopes that she would kill his germs and not get infected.
The Special Effects In ‘The Proton Transmogrification’
In honor of Star Wars Day back in season 7, the production of The Big Bang Theory got in touch with Lucasfilm to assist with some CGI effects for a scene between Sheldon and Professor Proton.
According to the National Post, the series needed Lucasfilm to recreate “Dagobah, the swampy forest world where Yoda lived during his exile.” In the episode, Professor Proton had passed away and instead of attending the funeral, Sheldon stayed home to nap. It was in his dreams when the recreated scene appeared that special effects with smoke and their lightsabers.
Yes, They Did Eat The Food In All Those Dinner Scenes
The dinner setting was a constant throughout The Big Bang Theory’s 12 seasons. The squad would congregate at Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment for food from Sheldon’s favorite takeout spots multiple times a week. Monday was Thai food, Thursday nights were pizza, etc… Fans often wondered if the cast really ate all those delicious Bangkok dumpling bowls or ramen, and it turns out that they did.
Though they were only seen nibbling during their on-screen dinner, they would all reportedly gorge on the food between takes and give away the leftovers, noted Kaley Cuoco (Penny) to Metro.
How Did They Film Howard In Outer Space?
In season 5, Howard finally makes it to space on a NASA expedition. This storyline made Howard TBBT’s main character because it was the biggest opportunity any of the characters had received. Fans have often tried to guess how the spaceship scenes were shot, considering everything looked so realistic because of the zero-gravity action.
The Big Bang Theory’s production designer, John Shaffner, told Space that he ideally wanted to find a replica of the Soyuz space capsule, which is the aircraft Howard was supposed to be in. But since a replica could not be found, Shaffner and his team collected some original photos from NASA and scavenged parts from an L.A. aerospace junkyard to build a makeshift capsule. Shaffner also revealed that he studied videos from actual space stations and included props that he had found in the shots.
Leonard’s Glasses Have No Lenses
Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter) admitted to the Huffington Post that Leonard wears lens-less glasses on the show. Funny enough, Leonard wasn’t supposed to wear glasses at all, but on the first day of the table read, Galecki told the filming team that he wanted Leonard to wear them.
To make it more functional, he popped out the lenses, and that’s the way it has always been. Galecki revealed one hysterical moment during filming when he accidentally poked his finger through his glasses to scratch his eye, which made everyone on set crack up.
Sheldon’s Tees Are Almost Always Color Coded
According to Looper, Sheldon’s superhero T-shirts are indicators of his state of mind, which is why he is often wearing a Star Trek T-shirt when he’s having a good day, a Flash T-shirt when he’s on a mission, or a yellow T-shirt if he’s nervous about something. Sheldon wasn’t the best-dressed character but he was at least logical.
The color coding is often pretty nuanced, like in season 3 when the guys find the ring from the Lord of the Rings set. Sheldon is desperate to get his hands on the ring and is frustrated when he can’t possess it. For the whole episode, he is seen in a Red Lantern tee. The Red Lantern Corps is a fictional supervillain organization that has appeared in the Green Lantern universe and their power originates in rage. Sheldon was visibly angry the entire episode, as he was beaten up and bullied by his friends and even gave in to his dark side, which makes the T-shirt very reflective of his mood.
One Elevator And One Floor Of Apartments
The broken elevator has often been used as a narrative device in fresh, original ways. But it turns out, there’s only one elevator that was built in the hallway that was used for scenes that were meant to depict different floors. All three floors are actually the same set, just styled slightly differently to look like different floors.
There are two flights of stairs that the cast would go up and down. An entertainment editor actually filmed a short video on YouTube to show viewers where the stairs landed, which proved that the actors just walked the same set of stairs multiple times.
The Historic Reference To Jack Kirby
Where would the show be without its love of comic books? In season 3, during the Stan Lee special episode, Sheldon has to go to court for a traffic violation, and it turned out that the judge who presided over the case was J. Kirby. Eagle-eyed fans noticed on a rewatch that the name was a subtle shoutout to legendary comic book writer, Jack Kirby.
Kirby worked under Lee to create many successful characters, like Thor, The Hulk, and Iron Man. Since TBBT had countless shoutouts to scientists, experiments, theories, and comics, this nod made sense for the show.
The Shoutout To The Show’s Runtime
There’s a reason Sheldon was so finicky about letting Leonard mess around with the elaborate DNA model in their apartment. In the finale episode, the model was accidentally destroyed by Leonard, and he and Sheldon had to spend a massive amount of time reconstructing it. The makers of the show then snuck in a self-reference in Sheldon and Leonard’s bromance scene.
Leonard tells Sheldon that he really enjoyed the last 139 hours that they spent on the model together. Johnny Galecki later revealed that 139 hours is also the runtime of the entire show, since it ran for 12 seasons, and is the longest-running multi-camera sitcom of all time.
The Laundry Detail
A lot has been said about the detail-oriented set of the show in which every prop is significant in some way. But fans have also noticed that the laundry that Sheldon, Penny, and the gang do in the laundry room isn’t just random clothes but, in fact, clothes that were worn in the previous episode.
This is something that’s been quite consistent throughout the show’s run. In fact, if one were to tally the clothes being arranged by Sheldon in the laundry room and play a rerun of the previous episode, they’d find the same items of clothing.
The Live Audience
The Big Bang Theory was taped in front of a live audience and the cast and crew engaged with members of the audience. In fact, Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment and the hallways were a part of the same set, which made it convenient for a live taping.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the live audience would get to see an opening act with Galecki and Cuoco, and before every taping Kaley and Galecki would walk up to the audience and greet them. The live audiences have often referred to their energy as infectious.
