The Big Bang Theory was one of the biggest sitcoms on cable at one point, inspiring both a spinoff series and various catchphrase t-shirts that felt integral to the years 2007-2013. The group of science nerds was accompanied by the quirky Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco, and the show ran for 12 seasons, which is basically unheard of for a sitcom that isn’t animated.
The series is the inspiration behind the new book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, which was first detailed byVanity Fair and chronicles the show’s varied history, including one terrifying incident that almost caused production to stop together.
During the show’s third season in 2010, Cuoco, an avid horse competitor, was riding on her horse when she fell off, spooking the horse which then landed on her leg. She was quickly rushed to the hospital, where the doctors were not optimistic. “That was the darkest, most frightening time in all twelve years [of the show],” showrunner Chuck Lorre said in an excerpt from the book. “Kaley could have lost her leg. It was a series of miracles that allowed us to get through that and for her to come out the other end of that healthy.”
Originally, doctors didn’t think Kaley would be able to walk for months, and there was a chance she would lose her leg. According to Cuoco, via Vanity Fair and People:
Before I went into surgery, they made me sign something that said, ‘We don’t know until we get in there and see this leg, and it could come out that you don’t have it anymore.’ That wasn’t the case, obviously, but I had to sign something that said, ‘OK, you can.’ Everything ended up fine, and I was up and working a week later, but the doctors acted like I was never going to walk again. It’s still too much for me to go into, and it sounded way worse than it was. And of course, it was spiraling and everyone was freaking out, which I get. It scared people.
Cuoco was back on her feet after only two weeks. She was subsequently written out of two episodes, though Lorre believes that there was a chance that the show would never go on if Cuoco wasn’t on board.
“It was an absolutely miraculous intervention that I ran into Dr. Steve,” Lorre said, referring to the surgeon who helped repair Cuoco’s leg. “Every time I see him, I say, ‘Thank you! You saved Kaley! On a lesser level, you saved The Big Bang Theory!'” And on an even lesser note, he indirectly helped Cuoco get involved withThe Flight Attendant and for that we are grateful!
