Why The Big Bang Theory Scripts Leave No Room For Actors To Improvise

If there's one thing fans love about sitcoms, it's unscripted moments. Scroll through the comments section of the “It's Always Sunny” YouTube video and you're sure to see someone pointing out how Rob McClenny looks. Trying not to break into that one shot, or how that one actor's line was actually made up on the spot so the confused reactions of the other characters were real.

There's no such fun in “The Big Bang Theory,” which operates in a format that leaves little room for the actors to mess up. “'Big Bang' is very tightly scripted. “It's basically like shooting in a theater because we're shooting in front of a live audience,” said Melissa Rauch (who plays Bernadette). 2016 interview. “I love it, but you don't want to mess up what they're writing, because it's almost like this beautiful concerto, you don't want to mess up a note.”

It's a respectful approach, similar to how “Friends,” “Cheers” and most traditional sitcoms operate. The “curb your excitement” strategy encourages the cast to riff as much as the fans want. Leave each other and see what kind of comedic gold comes out of it, and that kind of approach is mostly possible because there's no studio audience laughing at every joke and slowing things down. The over-improv style can lead to unpredictable episode runtimes; It's fine on HBO, but not so much on network TV, where there's a strict 30-minute time slot and expected commercial breaks.

Although the cast of “Big Bang Theory” sticks strictly to the script, there are a few small moments scattered throughout the series where things don't go as planned, and we see the cast (and audience) reacting to these. Delightful curves. There's a small moment in season 4 where Sheldon (Jim Parsons) throws a wad of paper in the air in frustration, only for one paper to land on his shoulder and sit against his head for the rest of his lines. It certainly wasn't scripted, but it served to further underscore Sheldon's anger; He is so angry with Leonard that he doesn't even notice the paper.

It doesn't sound too exciting, but the show follows the script so tightly that it's still one of the most notable surprises for the cast. There are a few other minor improvements — guest star Wil Wheaton once surprised people by showing up in a Spock uniform, for example, as Stuart (Kevin Sussman) improvises a quiet “I love you” line to Penny in Season 3 — but viewers will spur-on anything the cast does on this show. They rarely get the impression that they're doing -the-moment. For that kind of experience, “Curb,” “New Girl,” Reno 911!” And shows like “30 Rock” are definitely must-sees.

A show's expertise in sticking to the script and always being in character is commendable. Where once the cast of “SNL” has broken into every other sketch, the appeal of artists bursting into their own jokes is starting to wear a bit thin. As artists think they are so special, they don't need to try. Critics may say what they will about “The Big Bang Theory,” but each actor's characterization throughout the show is impressive, including several comedic sequences worth noting.