"It's one of the luckiest things," said Simon Helberg, who plays Howard Wolowitz, an engineer who fancies himself a Casanova. "We have a shorthand with each other. There's no tension. There's just honesty, and it doesn't feel competitive."
If they were a family, Galecki and Parsons would be the parents, Helberg the protective older brother, Kunal Nayyar the picked-on middle child and Cuoco would be the smart-aleck little sister who gives them hair styling tips before a Times photo shoot.
"It was so cute," Cuoco said. "I love these boys more than anything. This is the best environment for me: me and a bunch of men. It doesn't get any more fun than this."
Many of the show's laughs revolve around obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is where Parsons comes in, playing Sheldon, a character bound to become classic. Sheldon's obsessive-compulsive personal routine, his penchant for condescending soliloquies and meticulous takeout food ordering, combined with his hypochondria and lack of social filters, exasperates his friends daily.
"The thing about Sheldon is that he can't exist without Leonard," said co-creator Bill Prady ("Dharma & Greg"). "Unless you show that somebody is capable of loving him, and Leonard clearly does, unless you show that somebody in the world is capable of putting up with him, why would you as a viewer put up with him?"
Put up with him? Fans adore the theoretical physicist/child prodigy who is completely clueless about how high-maintenance he is. That paired with Parsons' impressive comedic delivery and ability to memorize polysyllabic jargon is the reason the character was the first to break out.
"He has long monologues of these remarkable quantum theorems that you can barely pronounce let alone get out of your mouth," said Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television, which produces the show. "I remember the first time I saw him, I thought this man is a phenomenon."
Even when it's not scientific, Sheldon is long-winded, which is Parsons' favorite part of playing him, even though it can be maddening learning Sheldon's lines.
Sheldon when receiving a holiday gift: "You bought me a present? Why would you do such a thing? I know you think you're being generous, but the foundation of gift giving is reciprocity. You haven't given me a gift. You've given me an obligation. The essence of the custom is that I now have to go out and purchase for you a gift of commensurate value and representing the same perceived level of friendship as that represented by the gift you've given me. Ah, it's no wonder suicide rates skyrocket this time of year. Oh, I brought this on myself by being such an endearing and important part of your life."
