• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Reason elevator remained broken for all 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory

Home> Entertainment> TV

Published 16:08 22 Jan 2025 GMT

Reason elevator remained broken for all 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory

There's a smart reason behind the broken elevator in Leonard, Sheldon and Penny's apartment building

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair

Featured Image Credit: E4

Topics: TV, Big Bang Theory, Entertainment

Joshua Nair
Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

X

@joshnair10

Advert

Advert

Advert

There's a very interesting reason behind The Big Bang Theory's broken elevator, and why the writers didn't bother to fix it until the end.

The American sitcom ran for a total of 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019 on CBS, giving actors such as Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons their breakout roles on TV.

But along with its nerdy subject matter, The Big Bang Theory is known as one of the most beloved comedies of the 2000s, with tiny details that make it so easy and fun to watch.

One of these small details was to do with the broken elevator - or lift for us Brits - in Sheldon (Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), and Penny's (Cuoco) apartment building.

It's an ongoing gag that the elevator doesn't work, and as Penny and the two boys live on the fourth floor, we often follow the gang up and down the stairs while they have conversations about a number of topics.

Advert

The gag produced a number of memorable scenes, whether it be characters being forced to reconcile, a nervous Leonard running into Penny in the early seasons, or Sheldon bugging the characters with his eidetic memory.

Well, it turns out that the broken elevator was added on purpose to highlight more personal moments with the characters as co-creator Bill Prady revealed all at WonderCon.

Many hilarious scenes could come about organically as a result of the stairs (CBS)
Many hilarious scenes could come about organically as a result of the stairs (CBS)

"One of the things you need is a place for characters to walk and talk." he said (via Fandom Wire). "When Chuck Lorre and I had worked on Dharma and Greg we had this outside street set where characters could have a conversation. And we had it because it was an unused stage at 20th Century Fox where we shot Dharma."

Prady continued: "We tried to do that at Big Bang and it was just too much real estate and we started talking about, ‘What if they always had to walk up the stairs?’

Advert

Yellow caution tape could be spotted across the elevator from the pilot episode of the sitcom, confirming this train of thought.

In Season 3 Episode 22, titled The Staircase Implementation, it turns out that in an experiment gone wrong, resulting in an explosion after Sheldon places the apparatus in the elevator where it explodes, is the reason behind the broken elevator.

The conversations between characters in the scenes going up the stairs were often more casual too, and helped viewers connect more with them on a personal level, while building relationships between characters.

Who knows if Penny would have ended up with Leonard if not for those stairs?

It's almost as if the broken lift was another character on the show (CBS)
It's almost as if the broken lift was another character on the show (CBS)

Advert

In the penultimate episode of the show's final season, the lift was fixed, with Penny popping up to the fourth floor in front of Sheldon and Leonard, to their shock.

Showrunner Steve Holland revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the revelation brought on a 42-second applause from the audience before Cuoco's line.

However, the stairs were not as loved by the actors on the show, as Kunal Nayyar revealed to the Channel 4 Sunday Brunch show (via The Independent) that it was tiring to shoot those scenes.

Nayyar explained: "The way it works is, you go down the stairs, and then they yell, ‘Hold.’

"They change the scenery from, like if the apartment says 1a, it suddenly says 2a or 3. They change the set so it looks exactly like another floor.

Advert

"You run back up the stairs, that go nowhere, and then you walk back down as if it’s a new floor," he revealed.

That does sound ridiculously long-winded, to be fair - but it's all worth it for us viewers, eh?

  • Heartbreaking reason why Jim Parsons left The Big Bang Theory after 12 seasons
  • Hollywood star nearly played Penny in Big Bang Theory as Kaley Cuoco revealed she was initially rejected for the role
  • Jim Parsons gives definitive answer after being asked whether he would return for Big Bang Theory
  • Kaley Cuoco addressed incredible amount of money she was paid for final season of The Big Bang Theory

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
  • 5 hours ago

    Woman who partied with Noel in the 90s reveals what the Oasis brother is really like

    She says things changed around 1997

    Entertainment
  • 5 hours ago

    Lad with Oasis ticket reveals hilarious way he's going to wind up 'proper fans' at the gig

    This will really drive long-time fans wild

    Entertainment
  • 5 hours ago

    Black Sabbath fans shocked as Game of Thrones legend Jason Momoa joins moshing crowd at final gig

    He was specially recruited to be the compère at Villa Park, Birmingham, this weekend

    Entertainment
  • 5 hours ago

    Fans divided over 'terrible' Oasis show as first gig revellers complain 'they just play song after song'

    Probably tweets you wouldn't want to tag Liam in...

    Entertainment