The Hidden Significance of Big Bang Theory's Broken Elevator You Probably Didn't Notice
Did you notice TBBT's broken elevator was a character in its own right?
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady are known for their single-camera sitcoms, most of which are filmed in studios. This is also how the fan-favorite The Big Bang Theory was filmed, where the characters had dialogues in their apartments, Stuart's comic book store, or the hallways, offices, and cafeteria of Caltech.
Probably the only location where the characters were shown interacting on the move was the stairs connecting floors in their house. The reason why they had to use the stairs was simple — the elevator in the house was always broken.
After the release of the series' finale in 2019, the show's creators and cast attended a fan meet-and-greet at WonderCon Anaheim, where they were asked about why that elevator was never fixed in the show.
'We tried to do [a place where characters could have a conversation] at Big Bang, and it was too much real estate. We started talking about what if they always had to walk up the stairs,' the show's creator Bill Prady shared. 'So we created the stairway.'
Showing characters in motion adds some dynamism to the scene and makes the action look more realistic, which is why the creators wanted to find a space where the Pasadena gang could talk and walk at the same time. It seems that bringing them outside ruined the feel of the sitcom, so the best solution Prady and Lorre found was to break the elevator indefinitely, making the characters use the stairs all the time.
For much of the show's run, the elevator's hidden significance remained largely unnoticed, but in the final episode, the elevator worked again — much to the surprise of the gang and viewers. This was a truly clever and touching move on behalf of the writers, suggesting that life will never be the same for the show's characters who have climbed up and down the stairs for the past 12 years.
And for fans, it also marked the end of the TBBT era — the elevator is finally working, and we must wave goodbye to the beloved characters.
Source: Comic-Con International.