The series' initial pilot, which was developed for the
2006–07 television season, was substantially different from its current form. From the later series, only
Johnny Galecki and
Jim Parsons were in the cast, and their across-the-hall neighbor Katie was envisioned as "a street-hardened, tough-as-nails woman with a vulnerable interior". Katie was played by actress
Amanda Walsh. They also had a female friend called Gilda, who was played by
Iris Bahr. The series' original theme music was also different, using
Thomas Dolby's hit "
She Blinded Me with Science". The series was not picked up, but the creators were given an opportunity to revise it, bringing in the remaining leading cast and retooling the show to its current format. The original unaired pilot has never been released on any official format, but copies of it have circulated online. The second pilot of
The Big Bang Theory was directed by
James Burrows, who did not continue with the show. This reworked pilot led to a 13-episode order by CBS on May 14, 2007. Prior to its airing on CBS, the pilot episode was distributed free of charge on
iTunes. The series premiered on September 24, 2007, and was picked up for a full 22-episode season on October 19, 2007. Production on the series was halted on November 6, 2007 due to the
2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike.
The Big Bang Theory was replaced by a short-lived sitcom,
Welcome to The Captain on February 4, 2008. The series ended up returning on March 17, 2008 in an earlier time slot.
David Saltzberg, a professor of
physics and
astronomy at the
University of California, Los Angeles, checks scripts and provides dialogue, math equations and diagrams used as props. Clips from the finale of the first season, "
The Tangerine Factor", gained popularity on the Chinese video-sharing website
Tudou because of Sheldon's comically inaccurate Mandarin. ==Cast==