SDCC17 Big Bang Theory Panel: Live Blog

The Big Bang Theory was recently renewed through Season 12, and CBS executives say they wants the show to go on even longer.

At the Hall H panel to open Friday of San Diego Comic-Con, the cast and crew were on-hand to discuss what is, was, and will be for the franchise that helped push geek culture to the mainstream when it was uniquely debuted nearly a decade ago.

*10:00 am PT*

Hall H is flooded with people. The line was around the convention center, up one side of the pier-walk and down the other. Today is going to be an insane day for Hall H/ SDCC 2017 attendees and BBT is kicking it off.

Cast is here … for the 10th time!

• Johnny Galecki
• Kaley Cuoco
• Kunal Nayyar
• Kevin Sussman
• Trio of writers and trio of producers

11th season premiere is on Monday, Sept. 25 at 8pm on CBS Nov. 2 before moving to the Thursday timeslot.

* 10:05 am PT* Rolling sizzle reel for Season 10.

* 10:11 am PT* Sizzle over, here comes the cast!

Galecki looks homeless…. Kaley looks stunning… Kunal and Kevin having fun with this whole thing!

Hosting the panel, Riki Linghome and John Ross Bowie.

“What was the mood like when Sheldon proposed?”

Kaley, “I take polaroids of all the magic moments on the set and so we were all behind the camera before the scene, and I started crying when it happened, even though I knew it was going to happen.

Kunal, “I was crying, too… we were all crying.”

Kaley, “Seriously we were all crying and so it was a really special moment for us.”

The writers have questions for hte cast, now.

“Do the actors change in front of each other?”

Three long, awkward, “Ummms….” (so, yes)

* 10:19 am *

Kevin Sussman, seems genuinely similar to his character. It is pretty hilarious.

“I have the mind of a spaghetti strainer,” he says, as the writers joke that he doesnt know who they are… which it seems like he genuinely doesnt!

FAN Q&A

Moving away from the panel talk and lining up to the audience. 

“I work with kids with special needs, Speechless is a special show, so thank you… my question is: Has Penny ever thought of a maiden name for yourself?”

Kaley, “In my head, I have one, but now I am Hofstedder. So it is like Cher at this point. So, Im not telling.”

“What was your journey like going from Temple University to this?”

“I played a terroritst on NCIS and then I booked the Big Bang Theory. So my range is incredible.”

“Kaley your reactions are hilarious… are your screams genuine?”

Kaley, “Every reaction on this show is genuine… I dont really read the script and just go for it.

“I dont think when something that is funny going on, I dont think if I am not laughing, so I have natural laughs on the show. I am entertained by the people and the moments.”

* 10:28 am PT*

“What do you guys geek out to?”

Kunal, “Star Wars.”

Kevin, “Board games.”

Kaley, “Horses.”

Johnny, “Really, anything that is your passion is cool to geek out on.”

“Are there pranks on set? Or surprises you plan for each other?”

Kaley, “Our gag reels are very funny, the Valentines Day Episode for Season 6 and the scene was us fighting (Johnny) and so we thought it would be funny if we took it way too far and Johny would punch me for the gag reel. And set it all up and called makeup to get extensions so that it would freak everyone out… and so we did it, but I fell over and the chair flipped over and hit me in the head, but we didnt know it did anything, and so Johnny kept going with fake punching me. And then when we came up from it my head was busted open and my real blood was everywhere and everyone was panicked. So then I had to go get stitches and we had to reblock the shot. So if you watch the show, I am faced in another direction because I had stitches.”

“Is there anything you want to have happen to your charcter next season?”

Johnny, “I dont think that way. I have trust in the writers. Things are going so well, so they have it in their head, who am I to change it.”

Kunal, “We dont get the script until Tuesday before we shoot on Wednesday and so it is like Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, when we get to see it and then go shoot it. We trust the writers completely.”

“Which has been your favorite episode?”

Kaley, “I still like the scavengar hunt show. It was really fun and we all worked together and so it is great fun when we do those big group things.”

Kunal, “I liked it when the three guys got high in the desert. I got to make fun of Johnny’s American accent.”

He does a killer American impression. For a few lines. 

“What guest star gave you  fanboy moment?”

Johnny, “Bob Newhart for me.”

Kevin, “When I first came on the show, I met Will Wheaton, who I was a huge fan of. So I tried to play it off, but within minutes of meeting him he was teaching me card games. And then years later when Adam West was on set, Will Wheaton the whole time, was talking about how it was to be in the same room with Adam West. Then I got to see him go over and do hte thing I did to him, ‘Oh, Mr. West….’ ….”

Kunal, “I got to make out with Danica McKeller from Wonder Years. And when I was in New Dehli I had been nervous about my first kiss and so then I thought about it just like Kevin and Whinney, and so then in real life, well real Big Bang life, I got to kiss her. And then she was pregnant nine months later. Just facts.” 

 

 

 

 

MORE FAN Q&A

Writers telling stories about other guests and Adam West. 

* 10:47 am PT*

“I know you guys have been playing these same characters for awhile, who would you switch to if you could?”

Kaley,  “Id like to switch with Cinnamon. It is so spoiled.”

Kunal, “Kaley, she gets the cutest outfits. Itd be nice not to wear four layers.”

Kevin, “Id like to be Walowitz. It is hard being the third wheel. Id like to be the man of the house.”

Johnny, “I dont want to say anything like this because they are all so good, but I thought Kevin would make a good Leonard.”

“Do any of the stories from the story, come from your real lives?”

Awkward silences… 

Writers chime in and say that some of the stories, like sleeping in the crib, were real.

Kevin, “The online dating stuff… was when I was actually doing the online dating.”

* 10:52 am PT*

“What is the most memorable scene… and if you could redo it, would you?”

Kunal, “Any scene I am in I see of me I think… Im so fat, Im so stupid, Im such a shitty actor. So I would do most everything again.”

Kaley, “For me it is an archive of hairstyles, and I think, what in the hell. I have had a lot of hair styles. And some I regret and some I … yeah, regret.”

 

YOUNG SHELDON!

CBS has recently ordered Young Sheldon to series, but The Big Bang Theory spin-off may have more in common with its predecessor than you realize.

The show follows Sheldon Cooper at the age of nine, when he begins his high school career. Following Sheldon as a child means fans will get to see a lot of Sheldon’s mother, who has become a favorite character for audiences.

So, Mary Cooper will be a main character in Young Sheldon. Actress Zoe Perry will be portraying her. This is where everything gets interesting.

Zoe Perry is the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf – the actress who plays Mary Cooper on Big Bang. That’s right, Sheldon’s mom is being portrayed by a mother and daughter. 

How cool is that?!

The family ties go even deeper than that, as Perry has also appeared in vital roles alongside her father. 

Many will recognize the actor Jeff Perry as Cyrus on Scandal. Zoe played his rival on the show, getting the chance to square off against her dad. She’s had acting ties to both parents, although the couple split up in 1992. 

For Zoe, playing Sheldon Cooper’s mother shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, she’s had a lifetime of practice.

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