While it is clear from his acclaimed performance that Jim Parsons was perfectly suited to playing ’s Sheldon Cooper, one behind-the-scenes detail made his casting even better. In an era when shows like , , and were all experimenting with the sitcom format by playing with its tropes and conventions, became a surprise sleeper hit by going back to basics. Like most of creator Chuck Lorre’s earlier hits,
was a traditional multi-camera hangout show with a laugh track.
This might have seemed comically outdated in the late 2000s, but proved that the well-worn formula still worked. At the height of the show’s popularity, regularly earned over 10 million weekly viewers. This was mostly thanks to the show’s cast, a mixture of relative unknowns and sitcom veterans who proved that chemistry alone could elevate a seemingly simple premise.
At the center of this cast was Parsons, who rose to stardom by playing ’s antihero Sheldon Cooper. Abrasive, obsessive, and self-centered, Sheldon was also hilarious and oddly lovable.
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