Why The Big Bang Theory's Original Pilot Gave Penny A Different Name

"The Big Bang Theory" has been an insanely profitable franchise for CBS, having spawned 12 seasons and 2 spin-off shows ("Young Sheldon," "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage") in the process. But as is the case with most cable television success stories, its fate lies upon the reception of its pilot episode. You need a good hook that could reel viewers into wanting to spend time laughing with these characters every week. Series creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady had some of the right elements in place for the show's first pilot, but there was no way "The Big Bang Theory" would have amassed its legacy had it been aired.

There were a number of bizarre choices in that unaired pilot, as laid out by /Film's Nina Starner, that signal a very different kind of sitcom from the one we ended up getting. Among one of the most notable changes is that of the female lead. Before Kaley Cuoco was brought onboard as Penny, the sweet midwestern actress from across the hall, the role was initially tested with Amanda Walsh as Katie, an unhoused cosmetics saleswoman with a sardonic edge.

The problems lied less with Walsh's performance, which could possibly work if it operated from within a sitcom with a crassier bent to it, but the character herself. Katie's abrasiveness caused test audiences to not only endear themselves to the innocence of Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki), but it pretty much killed interest in the show's prospects.

What's even weirder about Walsh's character is that Katie was, amusingly enough, originally named Penny, but the higher-ups at CBS objected.

In an excerpt from the tell-all book, "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," author Jessica Radlock reveals that Penny was the always the first name choice for the female lead until CBS informed them that it would be a conflict on interest (via The Hollywood Reporter):

"The character's name was originally Penny ('Sheldon and Leonard encounter this woman on the street; she's a lucky penny,' Prady explains), but at the time, CBS had another pilot in contention with a character called Penny and asked Lorre and Prady to change it to something else. They obliged. But even with a new name, the character of Katie was nothing like the character of Penny that audiences would come to know and love."

After some digging, I couldn't really pinpoint which pilot CBS was referring to with that name, which goes to show which series ultimately had the greater cultural impact.

It's not really fair to judge someone based on their name, but in the context of the unaired "Big Bang" pilot, Penny doesn't exactly suit this character as written beyond Prady's trashy joke. Katie more appropriately fits the brashness of Walsh's performance. Penny, however, fits considerably more with Cuoco, whose bubblier persona makes for an overall kinder presence. It's no wonder the name was changed back when the character was heavily re-tooled for the pilot that did make it to air.

Sheldon saying "Katie" when knocking at her door doesn't have quite the same ring to it. There's an alternative universe in which Walsh got a second chance to play Penny as the more light-headed manner that launched Cuoco to stardom, but that's the unfair nature of Hollywood. Thankfully, Walsh doesn't have any hard feelings about the experience.

Every episode of "The Big Bang Theory" is currently streaming on Max.