Reasons Kaley Cuoco Is Basically Ruining 'The Big Bang Theory'
After nine seasons of success, it's time to address a problem with The Big Bang Theory (2007—). Look, it's a sitcom, and it's not trying to be deep. We can accept the fact that the characters aren't that complex and they never really change, except that Kaley Cuoco's Penny has changed, and she's ruining the show. Her character just doesn't make sense anymore, and that's saying a lot considering how simple the concept of this comedy is. Here's why Penny is basically ruining Big Bang.
She's become a typical sitcom wife
There's a trope in sitcoms where some loser guy gets married to a beautiful woman who is way out of his league. It's dumb, because you always end up thinking "she could do so much better than this guy, and they're always fighting, so why does she put up with this?" For a while, The Big Bang Theory was different. The whole point of the show was that super nerdy Leonard was extremely insecure about Penny being out of his league.
The problem is, now they're married, so the show literally got rid of the one thing that made their relationship different. That would be like Lucky Charms getting rid of the marshmallows. Great, now the cereal tastes like cardboard and doesn't include its signature charms.
She's not even the hot one
By this point on the show, every one of the guys has dated multiple beautiful women. Howard even married one. Shouldn't that be kind of a big deal? Every time Raj gets a new girlfriend, and she's as hot as Penny, that should make waves. Everyone should be freaking out the same way they freak out at the thought of Leonard and Penny together. Instead, we've seen Leonard talk confidently to girls as good-looking as Penny (or maybe even prettier, depending on your taste), so at this point, what exactly makes Penny so special?
Based on the show's more recent storylines, when Penny first appeared, the guys should have been like, "Whatever, even though we're supposedly nerds, we still date girls that look like that all the time." Instead, all the men still act super intimidated by her. It's crazy. That would be like having Ant-Man and the Hulk in the same movie, and having everyone say things like, "Hey, stay calm around Ant-Man. That guy's so strong!"
She has no conflict
What exactly is Penny's story these days? She starts out as an aspiring actress, but that doesn't work out, so she gets a regular person job, and now she earns a steady paycheck. It kind of seems like her story is done, right? Why is she even still living in a building with a broken elevator?
It used to make sense that her character hung out with the nerds because they let her eat for free when she was broke. Sure, she liked them, but she clearly had very little in common with them. Now that she has money, shouldn't that change? She still doesn't like the stuff the guys like, so she should just leave already. She has options now!
Penny is now choosing to hang around, so when she makes fun of the guys for being geeky, that just makes her mean. If you don't like video games and comics, Penny, then go do something else. It's weird that you're still here. You're creeping us out.
Her drama is too real for the show
Let's be honest, Big Bang isn't exactly trying to be Shakespeare. It's not even trying to be Seinfeld. It's a simple show with a simple premise and simple characters. It's like fast food entertainment. Occasionally, the show will have to deal with something serious, like the death of a cast member, but for the most part, it's light entertainment.
However, for some reason, Penny's character contends with extremely serious drama. Right before marrying Leonard, the love of her life, she finds out that he's cheated on her. That's an intense emotional crossroads! Meanwhile, Stuart is arguing with Bernadette about whether or not they can afford a custom lightsaber. Penny's drama just doesn't fit the show, and she bringing everybody down with her real-world issues. If it's not the sort of problem that can be solved with a match of Halo, it doesn't belong on this sitcom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ApKUQVYgxY&list=RD4ApKUQVYgxY#t=14
She can't be friends with Sheldon
The funniest part of Big Bang has always been the odd relationship between Penny and Sheldon. They've tried to get along, but they're also openly hostile to one another. Sheldon calls Penny stupid, and she calls out his eccentricities. The comedy comes from watching Sheldon contend with this unwanted person who comes into his life and ruins his routines. He doesn't particularly want her around, but his "friends" keep inviting her to everything.
Fast forward to more recent episodes: Penny and Sheldon are now friends who genuinely care about one another, which makes for terrible comedy. Who wants to watch a show about people getting along? The thing is, Sheldon is still weird and needy. Penny is the one who's changed, and it makes for awful television. Their relationship is now cute, and cute is the enemy of funny.
Nerds are cool now
Has Penny completely missed the last couple of years where geek culture has become cool? Not only that, she's too old to still think smart people are dorks. She's in her thirties, and these guys are all successful scientists. The so-called geeks of the show are actually the opposite of losers. Penny still treats these guys like it's the mid '90s, and she needs to stop. She's just embarrassing herself, and that makes her character come across as shallow and lame. She lives in a world where the debut of a new Star Wars trailer and ticket presale almost crashed the internet. Stop pretending that you don't know what a Wookiee is, Penny! If you really don't know, then you're the weird one.