Cut Pilot Scene Made Big Bang Theory Ending So Much Worse
That gross scene should have stayed in the pilot.
The CBS show about four genius scientists with no social skills and their seemingly normal neighbor Penny took the world by storm in 2007, proving that even the strangest characters can become the heroes of a hit sitcom. And while The Big Bang Theory has always been a family-friendly show, creator Chuck Lorre has had no problem touching on themes of sex and marital problems in the series, while still keeping it appropriate for young audiences.
However, it looks like one scene in the show's pilot episode didn't stand the test of time.
In the pilot, when people were just getting to know Sheldon and Leonard, the two genius friends can be seen visiting a sperm bank, hoping to donate their high IQ genes to future generations and get monetary compensation to pay their high-speed Internet connection bills. Since this scene looks a bit dated today, Lorre and CBS decided to cut it completely for many reruns of the show, which surprisingly didn't affect the episode itself, but slightly ruined the finale of the whole series.
In the 12th and final season of the Big Bang, Penny and Leonard are already married and arguing about having children when Leonard is approached by Penny's ex-boyfriend Zack with a surprising proposition. While Leonard was afraid that Zack was trying to steal Penny away from him, Zack was actually happily married and only asked Leonard for one thing — his sperm.
Yes, Zack and his wife wanted their child to have an IQ just like Leonard's and decided to ask him for such an unusual favor. To Penny's surprise, Leonard agrees, and long-time fans were just fine with that decision because they knew long ago that Leonard didn't mind going through the process and thought donating his sperm would be beneficial for future generations.
However, with that sperm bank scene cut from the show's pilot, new viewers will be just as dumbfounded as Penny when they hear that Leonard agrees to donate sperm to his wife's ex-boyfriend. So it looks like Lorre and his team managed to make the pilot episode more compelling to new fans, but ultimately ruined the show's finale instead.