‘The Big Bang Theory’: Keith Carradine to Return as Penny’s Dad

The Big Bang Theory will be saying “welcome back” to Keith Carradine as Penny’s father, Wyatt, for its final season.

The actor will reprise his recurring role during the final episode, with reports saying he will be back “for a moment, anyway.”

“Wyatt is back, for a moment, anyway,” Carradine told TVLine, who first reported the news. He also added there is an “interesting vibe on set” since news of the sitcom coming to an end after its 12th season broke.

The show “has profoundly changed all of [the cast’s] lives, and yet they are all still absolutely delightful,” he added. “And there’s a wistfulness there. I noticed that everyone’s there doing what they have become so expert at. It’s a sense of family.”

Carradine first appeared on the series back in season 4 in the episode “The Boyfriend Complexity,” in which a then-single Penny (Kaley Cuoco) asked Leonard (Johnny Galecki) to pose as her boyfriend while her father was visiting.

Since then Carradine has reprised the role in two other opportunities, most recently in the season 10 episode “The Conjugal Conjecture,” when Penny and Leonard got do-over married.

Details to when in the season Wyatt will show up are being kept under wraps, but we do know the season premiere will be just as start-studded as you would expect.

The episode, titled “The Conjugal Configuration:” will find Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy (Mayim Bialik) still on their honeymoon as Penny and Leonard find out they are very similar to Amy’s parents — returning guest stars Kathy Bates and Teller.

The episode will also feature Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) getting into a Twitter war with special guest star physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

News of the beloved CBS comedy coming to an end first broke at the end of August, with reports saying it was ultimately Parsons’ desire to leave the show that led to its cancellation.

“We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past twelve seasons. We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show’s success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring The Big Bang Theory to an epic creative close,” CBS, Warner Bros. and Chuck Lorre Productions said in a joint statement to Entertainment Tonight last Tuesday.

The final season of Big Bang will premiere on Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET before moving to its regular timeslot Thursday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.