The Big Bang Theory: 10 Continuity Errors Fans Found With Penny

The Big Bang Theory is a long-running sitcom that lasted for 12 seasons and became a show with some of the highest-paid TV actors in the world. But any show with over 10 seasons is bound to have its mistakes or continuity issues as the story expands and adds more characters.

One character on TBBT that has a few questionable moments in her storylines is Penny. As a farm girl from Nebraska, Penny moved to California to become an actress when she met Sheldon, Leonard, and co. As fans got to know Penny, more and more about her past didn’t seem to add up.

10 Whatever Happened To Lisa?

Upon first meeting Penny, she claimed she had a sister (Lisa) and a brother (Randall). As the middle child, she escaped Nebraska to make something of herself while her brother got caught up in the wrong crowd and her sister started a family.

But the more Penny began to mature and grow, the less her sister was mentioned. Randall and his addictions were brought up far more often than Lisa and her family. She wasn’t even there at Penny and Leonard’s wedding, leading fans to wonder if the writers just quietly phased out that aspect of Penny’s backstory entirely.

9 What’s Her Dad’s Name Again?

Penny’s family members aren’t popular secondary characters but her dad did pop up in a few episodes. In “The Maternal Capacitance,” Penny tells Leonard’s mom that her dad’s name is Bob. But in another episode, she referred to him as Wyatt.

When “Wyatt” shows up to visit Penny, all is dandy and his odd name change is never brought up. Perhaps it was determined that actor Keith Carradine looked more like a Wyatt than a Bob.

8 How Did Penny Forget Leonard’s Birthday?

When Penny became fast friends with the group, she threw her fair share of parties for them. The same thing occurred down the road when Penny and Leonard started dating.

Oddly enough, in one episode, Penny is using Leonard’s iPad when she gets locked out. Leonard tells her the password is his birthday, which apparently Penny didn’t know. After knowing each other for over five years and dating on and off throughout, how did Penny not realize when Leonard’s birthday was?

7 If Penny Is A Skilled Mechanic, Why Can’t She Fix Her “Check Engine” Light?

Before Penny was doing well financially, she relied on Sheldon and Leonard for Wi-Fi, food, and sometimes money. She had a beat-up car that she used to get her to and from work and auditions, which always had problems. The “check engine” light seemed to always be on— which terrified Sheldon— and she never knew how to fix it.

Penny not knowing how to diagnose car troubles seems strange, since in the past she claims to have “rebuilt an entire tractor engine all by herself” when she wasn’t even a teenager yet. Seems like she’d be able to at least know the root of her car’s issues, even if she didn’t have the funds to actually repair it.

6 Penny Never Brings Up Being A Vegetarian Again After The Pilot

In the first episode, Leonard and Sheldon are coming home from the sperm bank— which also seems very out of character for these two— when they run into Penny. Leonard invites Penny over for dinner to get to know her better and she tells them she’s a vegetarian, although she does admit to eating fish and the occasional steak.

But as the series rages on, Penny’s vegetarianism is never brought up again. It’s odd because the guys are constantly buying her food and it’s never mentioned that she specified no meat.

5 Whatever Happened To Penny’s Community College Classes?

Once Penny and Leonard start dating again, Penny secretly signs up for a few classes at the local community college. She starts slowly with a history class before getting into an acting class and later psychology.

But after that, we no longer see Penny studying or working on her degree, or even mentioning it again. After she quit acting, she dove into Bernadette’s company and that was that. While it’s not completely out of character for her to have dropped out, it likely would’ve been brought up again— and Sheldon would’ve certainly teased her mercilessly for not even be able to hack it at a community college.

4 Does Penny Think Leonard Is Good In Bed Or Not?

Penny and Leonard have always had a roller coaster of a relationship. They were friends, lovers, friends again, and eventually, husband and wife. With a long and complicated history like theirs, fans weren’t sure if they had what it took to make it work. Thankfully, they were solid by season 12.

However, one fan on Reddit found an inconsistency with Penny’s views on Leonard’s “performance” in the bedroom. In season three, Penny called him a “genius” in the bedroom but by season six she gave him the backhanded compliment of saying that he “really tries.” Does this mean their bedroom life got worse?

3 Whatever Happened To Penny’s Screenplay?

In the pilot, Penny told Sheldon and Leonard that she was working on a screenplay about a girl who moved from Lincoln, Nebraska to Los Angeles to become an actress. When her life as a superstar didn’t work out, she resorted to working at The Cheesecake Factory. However, she balked at the suggestion that the screenplay was based on her life.

Writing a screenplay does not sound like something that would interest Penny as we came to know her. Not only would she need to spend time writing it, but she would have to sell it when she was done. With that much effort involved, it seems unlikely that Penny would go through all of that on top of what she already had going on.

2 Penny’s Mother Isn’t Overweight As Sheldon Suggested

In the episode “The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition,” Sheldon tells the group that Penny’s mother was overweight and probably smoked cannabis when she was pregnant with Penny. The odd continuity issues behind Penny’s family seemed to grow when fans finally saw Penny’s mom at her vow renewal. She was a lovely, healthy woman who seemed against cannabis— and everything Penny’s brother did.

1 What Happened To All Of Penny’s Friends?

Before Penny was locked down with Leonard and made Sheldon, Howard, Raj, Amy, and Bernadette her second family, she was the ultimate party girl. She went dancing on the weekends with her girlfriends, she had people over for football games on Saturdays, and she seemed like she had a busy social life.

But as time went on, we stopped seeing Penny’s social life apart from Leonard and company. We barely saw any or even heard mention of Penny’s other friends. It was as if they disappeared and were never a part of Penny’s life to begin with.

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
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Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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