"Took a while to figure out": The Big Bang Theory creators admit to initially miswriting Kaley Cuoco's Penny 

Kalye Cuoco's character Penny is one of the most lively, loved and charming characters of The Big Bang Theory. Considering how she is introduced in the classic sitcom, her role has often been received as the 'goofy blonde' during the initial seasons and even creators have agreed upon the same.

According to co-creator Chuck Lorre's statement on The Official Big Bang Theory podcast:

"We had so many episodes to go before we started to understand that there was a brilliance to Penny's character that we had not explored."

It reportedly took a lot of time for the showrunners to reach to the depths of Penny's character whose portayal was quite 'cliched' at the start of The Big Bang Theory. According to Lorre's statements, Penny's character added a layer of 'humanity' to a group of science geeks which eventually turned out to be a driving force in the plot.

Kaley Cuoco's Penny was initially kind of miswritten but eventually found her true spot in The Big Bang Theory

According to reports, The Big Bang Theory had an unaired pilot which was set to feature Amanda Walsh in the role of Katie who was initially supposed to be Penny's replacement. However, the part was eventually offered to Kaley Cuoco whose "much-needed softness" was predicted to add more value to the show.

The contrast she set with respect to John Galecki and Jim Parsons' characters was absolutely what the sitcom needed. To quote Lorre's exact words:

"They could be as obnoxious — or for Sheldon, as off-putting — as possible, but you forgave them, because there was this kind of childish naiveté."

She has always been a character whose presence not only added a layer of amusement to the show but also added elements of comic relief, even while delivering an angry sequence "it wasn't harsh" on her part. What initially seemed to be "a clichéd character" or rather just a "dumb blonde", the writers sort of didn't pick important elements about her right away.

According to Chuck Lorre's statement:

"We did the very clichéd — in the beginning — goofy blonde who says foolish things. It was a clichéd character, the dumb blonde. We missed it. We didn't have that right away — that what she brought to this story, to these other characters, was an intelligence that they didn't have."

As per the statements by Warner Bros. Television Group's ex-chairman Peter Roth, Penny was always aware of Leonard and Sheldon's geeky-science approach. However, "she was never judgmental" about them and rather received them in a sweet and tender manner.

Penny would often get irritated by their obvious weird science jokes and statements but it's the "sweetness and endearment" in her role that would never oversee the children in Sheldon and Leonard's characters. Their innocence was something Penny always admired even though it appeared that she did not like them.

Penny is a character whose "intelligence about" love and relationships and a sensitive side added a lot of value to The Big Bang Theory. To quote Chuck Lorre:

"A kind of intelligence that was alien to them. You know, intelligence about people and relationships and family."

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Also Read: We might have seen more of Dr. Leslie Winkle in The Big Bang Theory, but the writers had other plans

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