Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) are perpetually low on funds, so they periodically donate to the local sperm bank for additional money. After their last donation they are headed for their favorite Indian restaurant when they see a young woman sitting on the curb. They overhear her conversation with her mother.
The girl, Katie (Amanda Walsh) is crying and appears to be down on her luck. Leonard invites her to have dinner with them. Katie agrees. During dinner they learn that Katie found out her boyfriend was married so now she has no place to go. Leonard tells her that they have a spare bedroom. He invites her to stay with him and Sheldon for a couple days until she can get back on her feet.
At the apartment Leonard’s co-worker Gilda (Iris Bahr) shows up. When she sees Katie, she lets her know that she is interested in Leonard. Katie assures her that she is not a threat. Still, Sheldon and Gilda are not thrilled that Katie is staying in the apartment. Katie’s lifestyle clashes with the guys’ causing problems.
“The Big Bang Theory” was an unaired pilot created in 2006 that was directed by James Burrows. The pilot was turned down. Creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady had to rewrite the entire show in order to get it accepted. The original pilot was totally different from the new and improved show. The only things that stayed the same were Parsons and Galecki as Sheldon and Leonard and the name of the show. Even the music was changed.
The first pilot did not have Howard Wolowitz or Raj Koothrappali. The female character Katie was edgier than and not nearly as likable as Penny. In the first pilot there is also a character named Gilda who is a friend of the boys. Her character would eventually be the basis for Leslie Winkle.
Although Leonard’s persona and demeanor were similar in both pilots, Sheldon was totally different. Sheldon’s childlike interpretation of life and his plethora of neuroses and personality quirks are absent in the first pilot. In the first pilot Sheldon discusses sex, has even had sex, and donates sperm. The new and improved Sheldon lives in a sociopathic world of his own and through the ten seasons of the show you get to see him grow and develop. He is uninterested in sex until he meets and develops his relationship with Amy. In the first pilot he is just socially awkward and pathetic.
Some of the jokes used in the first pilot do transition to the eventual show. It proves that the characters are just as important as the humor. The Katie character was rude and quite often mean to the guys whereas Penny actually likes them and expresses patience and mild humor at their quirks and naivety. The original pilot is darker and a little on the depressing side when compared to the eventual show.