# Big Bang Theory - Unaired Test Pilot Episode



## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

Anybody watch this? It had Amanda Walsh (instead of Kaley Cuoco) and Iris Bahr (instead of Simon Helberg & Kunal Nayyar). The theme music was She Blinded Me With Science instead of Barenaked Ladies.

It's a bit unpolished. Some of the bits get repeated in the aired pilot but some aren't, like the fact that:


Spoiler



Sheldon is much more sexual (e.g. being an "ass man" and enaging Iris Bahr in a bit of "Pon Farr" at a Star Trek convention).


I can see why they retooled though. Amanda Walsh isn't as likable as Kaley and Iris Bahr isn't as funny as Helberg/Nayyar.


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## LifeIsABeach (Feb 28, 2001)

Haven't heard of it, but would be interested in seeing it. Did they show it on tv? Is it available on the network site? youtube?


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

LifeIsABeach said:


> Haven't heard of it, but would be interested in seeing it. Did they show it on tv? Is it available on the network site? youtube?


Ah, such charming naivete!


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Ah, such charming naivete!


I supposed you could just answer the question, but cracking wise was more fun.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> I supposed you could just answer the question, but cracking wise was more fun.


Well, I was hoping he was joking, but if not, it's on bit-torrent.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Well, I was hoping he was joking, but if not, it's on bit-torrent.


Maybe he was but I didn't get that vibe. It's a few other places as well. Didn't know it existed though. I'll get it tonight.


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=Z3VLKA1H


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

scooterboy said:


> http://www.megavideo.com/?v=Z3VLKA1H


Thanks! I didn't know where to look for it either.


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## The Spud (Aug 28, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Well, I was hoping he was joking, but if not, it's on bit-torrent.


The Unaired Pilot that I found on Demonoid is not the Test Pilot that the OP is talking about.


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## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

Leonard had lenses in his glasses, and the reflections were quite distracting, glad they took them out for the real episodes.




phox


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## The Spud (Aug 28, 2002)

Ipso fatso, I drink til I'm flatso


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

I saw a preview episode when working at CBS the summer before the show came out but I don't think it was the unaired pilot but probably the actual first episode of the season.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Yeah never saw that one. Interesting...


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## thewebgal (Aug 10, 2007)

Interesting - I'm a bit too cautious of my privacy to join "megavideo" tho - has anyone found THAT pilot anywhere else?


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## hapdrastic (Mar 31, 2006)

thewebgal said:


> Interesting - I'm a bit too cautious of my privacy to join "megavideo" tho - has anyone found THAT pilot anywhere else?


I watched it there without joining. It took a few clicks of the "play" button and closing of new tabs before it worked, but it did eventually work.


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## ronsch (Sep 7, 2001)

thewebgal said:


> Interesting - I'm a bit too cautious of my privacy to join "megavideo" tho - has anyone found THAT pilot anywhere else?


isohunt.com

That was a hoot...


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## johnperkins21 (Aug 29, 2005)

Wow, I don't think that's a show I would watch. They did a great job in re-tooling it.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Chuck Lorre's comments on the unaired pilot.



> On the evolution of the show, Savage asked about an original unaired pilot. Lorre bluntly admitted "We did the 'Big Bang Pilot' about two and a half years ago, and it sucked...but there were two remarkable things that worked perfectly, and that was Johnny and Jim. We rewrote the thing entirely, and then we were blessed with Kaley and Simon and Kunal."
> 
> As to whether the world will every see that original pilot, maybe on a DVD, Lorre said "Wow that would be something, we will see. Show your failures...


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

johnperkins21 said:


> Wow, I don't think that's a show I would watch. They did a great job in re-tooling it.


agreed, what was interesting is that I watched it and then the original pilot that had about 1/2 of the same scenes, but I saw a lot of what would later become Leslie Winkle in the Iris Bahr character, but by far the one thing that really blew me away was


Spoiler



the issue of Sheldon and sex


 I think the current status on that subject is far better from the character standpoint.

Diane


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## rawbi01 (Oct 13, 2005)

I thought that was very interesting from a "how shows are put together" standpoint. It was cool to see those characters acting in this.


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

From Wikipedia:



> The show's initial pilot, developed for the 200607 television season, was substantially different from its current form. Only Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons were in the cast, and the female lead, Katie, was envisioned as "a street-hardened, tough-as-nails woman with a vulnerable interior".[21] Katie was played by actress Amanda Walsh[22] They also had a female friend called Gilda (played by Iris Bahr). The show's original theme music was also different, using Thomas Dolby's hit "She Blinded Me With Science". The show was not picked up, but the creators were given an opportunity to revise the show, 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 are floating around the internet with various collectors. On the evolution of the show, Lorre bluntly admitted "We did the 'Big Bang Pilot' about two and a half years ago, and it sucked... but there were two remarkable things that worked perfectly, and that was Johnny and Jim. We rewrote the thing entirely, and then we were blessed with Kaley and Simon and Kunal." As to whether the world will ever see that original pilot, maybe on a DVD, Lorre said "Wow that would be something, we will see. Show your failures.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

It's almost disarming to see Jim do that role differently. I'm only a few minutes into it, and it's weird.


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## Enrique (May 15, 2006)

That episode made it look like it was made for the 90's then the 2006&#8211;07 television season. Wow, talk about retro.


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## zuko3984 (May 4, 2002)

Just watched it and have to agree with Chuck Lorre, wow did that suck. Not suprised at all that it was not picked up. In fact i'm suprised that they were given the opportunity to re-do it based on how bad it was. Glad they were though since it is one of my favorite shows.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

Also, Jim Parsons appears to have a bit more hair.


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

It was weird seeing Sheldon act more sexual compared to his asexual behavior.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

zuko3984 said:


> Just watched it and have to agree with Chuck Lorre, wow did that suck. Not suprised at all that it was not picked up. In fact i'm suprised that they were given the opportunity to re-do it based on how bad it was. Glad they were though since it is one of my favorite shows.


Agreed. I'm glad they recast. The girl was too street smart. Would not have been good comic material.


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## jamesbobo (Jun 18, 2000)

For those who want a simple click and watch because I'm too dumb to figure out bittorrent, it's available on youtube.


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

jamesbobo said:


> For those who want a simple click and watch because I'm too dumb to figure out bittorrent, it's available on youtube.


Thanks for the youtube suggestion

Heres the youtube links

*Part 1*





*Part 2*





*Part 3*


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

The megavideo link worked just fine for me and I didn't have to join.

I watched this trying to see how the show would progress and I'm VERY glad they retooled it!


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## jamesbobo (Jun 18, 2000)

By the way, I also like the show in its present form better. Although I think Amanda Walsh could just as well have played Kaley's character. Maybe she wasn't available when they redid the show.
I have my doubts that the CBS censors would have allowed that drawn penis. They give Chuck Lorre enough problems with his vanity cards.
Did anyone think that Sheldon was wearing eye shadow?


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## TIVOSciolist (Oct 13, 2003)

> Although I think Amanda Walsh could just as well have played Kaley's character.


Overall, I liked the pilot and could see why the network thought it had promise. I agree that Amanda Walsh could also have been good on the actual series.


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## robojerk (Jun 13, 2006)

jamesbobo said:


> I'm too dumb to figure out bittorrent


Bit torrent Question.. I need someone to walk me through like I am 5


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Amanda Walsh looked pretty hot in her little mini-skirt.


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## MegaHertz67 (Apr 18, 2005)

Just watched. (thanks for the You Tube links)

I will say there were some funny parts, but it was not too different from 2 1/2 men in the sex content humor. Katie was too hard, crass, and unsympathetic to watch for too much longer. She was hot, but not in the "girl next door" way that Penny is hot.

Having a female in the group could work, but not if there is going to be jealousy screwing with the chemistry. I missed Raj and Wolowitz, and they have been successful bringing in geek girls as part timers without having to have them full time invested in the cast.

This could have worked and been funny, but would not have been the hit it has become.


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## Schmye Bubbula (Oct 14, 2004)

I guess I'm alone in liking it. Didn't think it sucked. Not better than the current incarnation, but almost as good. Like Amanda Walsh much better than Kaley Cuoco. Oh well, there's no accounting for taste.


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## dtle (Dec 12, 2001)

Schmye Bubbula said:


> I guess I'm alone in liking it. Didn't think it sucked. Not better than the current incarnation, but almost as good. Like Amanda Walsh much better than Kaley Cuoco. Oh well, there's no accounting for taste.


I also didn't think it was that bad. My guess is that most people are comparing it with the current incarnation, so it's "bad" against a very good show.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I'm glad they ditched the Gilda character and went with Howard and Raj. They're much funnier.


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## Hunter Green (Feb 22, 2002)

Having read this thread first I was expecting it to suck and instead found it on a par with some of the weaker episodes of the actual show in terms of number of times I really laughed.

In addition to the things other people commented, one thing I noted is how in the actual show, for the first few episodes, Leonard and Sheldon seemed more similar, both of them almost equally far removed from "regular folk" and close to one another. As the first season went by, Leonard was toned down to make him more sympathizable -- he was still entirely a geek and still missed a lot of things, but he was a lot more aware of it, and more often clued in. Sheldon was moved the other way, towards being more alien. But in this pilot, that's already happened. Or maybe it's all in my head.


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## efilippi (Jul 24, 2001)

This is the first time I noticed this thread and am saddened to say that all the links seem to be dead now.


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## jtlytle (May 17, 2005)

scooterboy said:


> http://www.megavideo.com/?v=Z3VLKA1H


Video is gone.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

jtlytle said:


> Video is gone.


Anyone know another site to download this?


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

If you have a demonoid account, here is a link.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

Try these links:

http://depositfiles.com/en/files/4b7omt6v8

http://uploading.com/files/a7e36412/The.Big.Bang.Theory.S01E00.Unaired.Pilot.XViD-P2P.avi/


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Thanks guys, I'll give it a shot.


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## xhale (Dec 29, 2007)

Thanks for the links.


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## Mabes (Jan 12, 2001)

I just heard about this pilot tonight and found this link that works - http://videosift.com/video/The-Big-Bang-Theory-00x00-Unaired-Test-Pilot

I liked it, in addition to above comments about Sheldon, the apartment looked much more like the kind these guys would live in, unlike the professionally decorated place on the real show. And I liked the geeky girl, probably the prototype of the Melissa Gilbert character (who I wish was on more).

But this version would have never made it past a few episodes. One, Amanda Walsh is no Kaley Cuocco, not only in looks but the character wasn't as likeable. And Kaley was well known and brought in a lot of viewers. And while I liked the set, it was probably too dark, even in HD.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Sara Gilbert, not Melissa Gilbert. (They're not related, by blood.. at least one of them was adopted.)


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## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

I, too, missed this the first time around. I like Sheldon more sexual. Makes more sense. He's less autistic.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

Wow, I just caught this today. It's a good thing they revamped the premise, 'cause I don't think a show about a couple of nerds having to sell sperm for dinner would have legs. Not to mention, Thomas Dolby was getting old real fast. Plus, it looks like they were lighting with 40 watt bulbs. Very grim.

Changing the story line to having the girl be a neighbor instead of a live-in, opened up the potential immensely. I don't think street gurl with the squeaky voice would have grown on anybody.

And, how much would have been lost without Wolowitz and Koothrappali?


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

On a semi-related note, the real pilot for BBT happens to be airing now on the syndicates (we get BBT on two diff synds; they air the same ep cycle within an ep or two).

It was... different. Forgotten how much this show has changed over the years. Sheldon was a _very_ different creature. He seemed much more socially aware, while still being somewhat ******-ish. For example, he referred a couple times to Leonard thinking with his penis; not sure 2011 Sheldon would say that. Or even be aware of it.

Another example of a pilot that didn't really hit the bulls-eye, but has since "settled in".


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

Mabes said:


> I just heard about this pilot tonight and found this link that works - http://videosift.com/video/The-Big-Bang-Theory-00x00-Unaired-Test-Pilot
> 
> I liked it, in addition to above comments about Sheldon, the apartment looked much more like the kind these guys would live in, unlike the professionally decorated place on the real show. And I liked the geeky girl, probably the prototype of the Melissa Gilbert character (who I wish was on more).
> 
> But this version would have never made it past a few episodes. One, Amanda Walsh is no Kaley Cuocco, not only in looks but the character wasn't as likeable. And Kaley was well known and brought in a lot of viewers. And while I liked the set, it was probably too dark, even in HD.


I just watched the pilot again. I guess Amanda Walsh must know something of how Pete Best* felt. 

*For those not as old as me, (or not up on Beatles lore), Best was replaced by Ringo, just before they became somewhat famous, back in the day.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Thanks for bringing this thread back up. Somehow, it eluded me the first time. I'm glad I watched, although it sure does magnify how much better the end result has been. There were some funny lines and bits, but it definitely needed a lot more. 

It IS really weird to see Sheldon sexualized. I didn't think he could be creepier. I was wrong. That apartment was dark and horrible.


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## redrouteone (Jun 16, 2001)

Yeah it was weird seeing a sexualized Sheldon. It was like I was looking into an alternate universe.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Still easily googleable, thankfully

http://videosift.com/video/The-Big-Bang-Theory-00x00-Unaired-Test-Pilot


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## Craigbob (Dec 2, 2006)

Count me in as one who liked the unaired pilot as well. 

It was lit way darker than it should have been, but I liked the Gilda character (seemed like a cross between Leslie Winkle and AFF). Katie I think is better looking than Penny, but that could just be my general preference for brunettes over blondes.

Sheldon more sexual..... I don't know, I think it was too jarring. 

I think there was a lot that could have been done with a streetwise girl in th epicture rather then Penny, but I would in no way want her to live with the boys. Too much like a reverse 3's company vibe. But having her in own apt. as the neighbor... That would have been fine. 

I don't see any of the boys falling for her however so the romance angle would have been lost.

If you beleive in Quantum Physics/Multiple universe theory, then there is a parallel universe where this was the aired pilot/concept and the one we know was unaired.... 

Thinking about that for a second and how that could be a very interesting discussion.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Thanks for bumping this thread. I really enjoyed seeing this different take on BBT.



Craigbob said:


> Count me in as one who liked the unaired pilot as well.
> 
> It was lit way darker than it should have been, but I liked the Gilda character (seemed like a cross between Leslie Winkle and AFF). Katie I think is better looking than Penny, but that could just be my general preference for brunettes over blondes.


And yes, I thought Katie was hotter than Penny, but Penny was easier to like as the girl next door. (As a friend.)


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