Suddenly excluding a main character from a TV series isn’t a common occurrence, especially for those with ensemble casts, but sometimes showrunners don’t really have a choice. Unfortunately, while hit sitcom turned franchise The Big Bang Theory was airing its fourth season, its writers were confronted with such a decision, unexpectedly needing to pivot around Kaley Cuoco’s temporary absence as Penny.
The series mostly relies on the chemistry between its starring friend group to succeed. Without Sheldon’s antics and mishaps, fans wouldn’t get Leonard’s hilarious annoyance. Without Raj’s endearingly shy and sarcastic humor paired with Howard’s inappropriate jokes, the latter character would’ve come across as grating. And without Penny’s confidence and social skills, there wouldn’t be the personified glue that holds them all together. Including everyone was essential in keeping the characters compelling enough for audiences throughout the show’s run.
There were two full episodes without Penny early on in Season 4 of The Big Bang Theory. The character was absent in Episode 5, “The Desperation Emanation,” and Episode 6, “The Irish Pub Formulation.” Luckily, despite Penny and Leonard’s ongoing will-they-or-won’t-they storyline throughout the series, they weren’t dating at this point. Had they been together, it would’ve been even more difficult for showrunners to explain why Penny was noticeably missing.
Then, in “The Irish Pub Formulation,” the writers set Leonard up again. This time, fans saw him develop a new, secret relationship with Raj’s sister, Priya. The couple got together behind Raj’s back, which allowed the story to focus on the betrayal between friends, so leaving out even the mention of Penny wasn’t completely outlandish. However, since she appears in every other episode in the series, the sudden absence was still hard to miss.
