JuicyTalk
The Big Bang Theory might not feel as though it aired too long ago, yet despite having such an immense impact on the sitcom landscape through its unique premise, a harsh reality of rewatching The Big Bang Theory is that it has not always aged well. This makes it the perfect candidate for a future reboot, with the core of the series being a genuinely exciting idea that simply needs the worst moments reworked in order to make the best scenes shine.
The best jokes in The Big Bang Theory still hold up today, and the viewers who were put off by early characters missed the character development that followed over the next seasons, leading to the series having some unexpectedly moving scenes, as all good sitcoms do. While it is unlikely that The Big Bang Theory will be rebooted any time soon, the franchise is far from over, making a hypothetical recast for the current year a fun idea, especially when so many recent actors could do an excellent job.
Asa Butterfield As Sheldon
Asa Butterfield has spent much of his career playing intelligent and emotionally complex characters who have a degree of social awkwardness. This describes Sheldon well, and Butterfield could draw from his experience playing Otis in Sex Education, who shares some of Sheldon’s tendencies, like commenting on things that are technically reasonable but socially disastrous. Sheldon is a polarizing character, with some finding him grating while others enjoy his learning curve. While Jim Parsons’ performance was spot-on, Butterfield would be a good choice to take on the character as he is capable of portraying hyper-intelligence, honesty, and comedy all at once.
Any actor playing an already beloved character must be ready to put their own spin on them without merely copying the original actor’s performance, and Butterfield’s previous characters have given him plenty to work with. He put extensive research into his character in A Brilliant Young Mind, who occasionally resembles Sheldon, and Ender’s Game director Gavin Hood praised his subtlety. With Sheldon being considerably eccentric, Butterfield’s portrayal could be more grounded, leaning into more understated comedy, highlighting the way Sheldon’s face says it all.
Justice Smith As Leonard
With Leonard being the glue that holds The Big Bang Theory characters together, any actor playing him must keep his charm and likability while also conveying the flaws and vulnerabilities that make him less appealing at times. This is a tough balance to strike, but Justice Smith’s best roles have demonstrated these skills. Detective Pikachu and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom see him playing intelligent and analytical characters with an anxious and vulnerable side, while I Saw the TV Glow brings out a more emotive and layered performance.
As some have felt that Leonard is actually the weak link in The Big Bang Theory due to his lack of development compared to the other main characters, a reboot would provide the perfect opportunity to change this, and an actor like Smith is more than capable of portraying an emotional journey. Leonard’s flaws were hidden by the other characters until their arcs allowed them more growth, but Smith’s take on Leonard could keep his neuroticism and self-doubt but allow his confidence with Penny to grow, avoiding unpopular writing decisions like the cheating storyline.
Jack Dylan Grazer As Howard
Some have felt that The Big Bang Theory‘s breakout character should have been Howard, taking into account his redemption arc, multiple interests, and Simon Helberg’s talent for impressions, it is a reasonable take. This makes recasting the character a challenge, especially considering the misogynistic and insufferable manner he displayed in the show’s early seasons, in contrast to becoming the voice of reason in the group by the end. However, Jack Dylan Grazer’s performance as the timid Eddie in IT perfectly highlights his ability to take a character on a journey, with Eddie becoming one of the strongest by the end.
Adding Grazer’s exuberant and fast-talking comedic style as Freddy Freeman in Shazam! to his IT character gives us the framework for him to build his own interpretation of Howard, especially considering the way Freeman masks his insecurities with jokes and humor, just as Howard does in The Big Bang Theory. Howard is a ridiculous character, but he is far from merely being comic relief, and Grazer has the ability to play this well, from his swagger to his ridiculous schemes.
Grace Van Dien As Penny
Stranger Things‘ tormented cheerleader Chrissy won audiences over within a few short scenes. We see her go from being a peppy and popular character surrounded by friends to a terrified young woman who is just looking for reassurance and a friend. Penny might have been dealing with lower-stakes problems than Chrissy, but she often displayed the same lack of confidence, especially when her intelligence was insulted. While The Big Bang Theory originally did Penny dirty by making her one-dimensional, the show more than made up for it by emphasizing her street smarts and business ability.
Grace Van Dien could easily bring Chrissy’s charm to Penny, while carrying heavier plotlines as she did in The Village, playing pregnant teenager Katie. Chrissy and Eddie’s instant chemistry in Stranger Things had fans rooting for the odd couple and as one of the major criticisms of The Big Bang Theory concerns the way Penny and Leonard were mismatched, she and Justice Smith could rewrite their story by making Penny and Leonard a couple for viewers to root for throughout.
Suraj Sharma As Raj
Raj is the most emotional character in The Big Bang Theory, with Kunal Nayyar’s performance usually keeping viewers on his side even at his most outrageous. Raj is often the character who gets laughed at rather than with, and a remake of The Big Bang Theory would almost certainly address this, giving Raj equal comedic and dramatic weight. Suraj Sharma has already demonstrated his ability to carry emotional storylines in Life of Pi, but his role as Sid in How I Met Your Father showed that he do comedy just as well, and still with the same warmth.
How I Met Your Father had Sid as one of the main group of friends without feeling like a token character, which would be especially important in such a hypothetical update as Raj needs to still be believable as a core part of the group as well as an astrophysicist with a romantic streak. Remaking the series would need to involve a move away from the stereotypes associated with the original character, allowing Raj to exist as a funny character outside of these, making Sharma the ideal choice for this new version.
Emma Myers As Amy
Amy Farrah Fowler is a complex character, being independent and true to herself, yet desperate for the life with friends and a boyfriend that she was denied while growing up. Any actor playing Amy must be able to portray her in work mode as well as beside herself when presented with a tiara and still have these scenes feel like aspects of the same person. Emma Myers, having played Enid in Wednesday as well as the amateur investigator Pip in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, could combine aspects of both characters, as they are each similar to Amy.
Amy can appear deadpan at first, and Myers’ spot-on impression of Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday is not far from Amy’s baseline. However, her determination and enthusiasm come out when she is comfortable. Watching her real personality emerge as her story continues is one of the biggest strengths of The Big Bang Theory, and this gives Myers a lot to play with. Her dynamic with Asa Butterfield’s Sheldon would likely make them into a science power couple earlier, which could be exciting to watch.
Annie Murphy As Bernadette
The Big Bang Theory‘s best character arc made its main storyline worse as Bernadette and Howard’s relationship became the central story for quite some time as Howard became a better person. That said, a major and ongoing criticism of The Big Bang Theory is how unpleasant Bernadette grew in contrast. Beginning as a sweet but feisty love interest who saw through Howard’s confident front, Bernadette ended up feeling selfish, and irrational, which did her character a disservice. A remake could undo this by casting Annie Murphy in the role.
It is not hard to imagine Bernadette adopting a signature “ew, Howard!” line like Alexis in Schitt’s Creek (Annie Murphy) when she berates David. Murphy is already an extremely experienced actor with perfect comic timing, but her roles in Black Mirror and Kevin Can F**k Himself combine humor with a more serious twist, which any actor playing Bernadette would need for the show’s darker storylines, like the death of Howard’s mother.
Gaten Matarazzo As Stuart
Gaten Matarazzo is still most associated with his scene-stealing performance as the lovable Dustin in Stranger Things, and he could take this energy to a Big Bang Theory remake, to give Stuart the justice that he always deserved. While the franchise is redeeming Stuart now, the earlier seasons could not appear to work out what to do with him, and he underwent a few personality changes. Matarazzo’s post-Stranger Things experience hosting shows could allow him to put an entirely new spin on the character.
Before apparently losing all of his confidence, The Big Bang Theory‘s permanently-struggling comic book store owner was witty, self-deprecating, and confident enough to ask Penny on a date. A version played by Matarazzo could keep this confidence and the original character’s ability to occasionally outwit Sheldon, while emphasizing his nerdiest traits, especially when going head to head with the rest of the group.
- Release Date
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2007 – 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
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Mark Cendrowski
- Directors
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Mark Cendrowski
- Writers
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Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady
