Four years ago, the cast of the Big Bang Theory made their first appearance at PaleyFest. The show didn’t have a big audience, it wasn’t among the top-40 rates shows in America, and Jim Parsons had yet to win an Emmy.
But again, that was four years ago.
The cast of The Big Bang Theory, now equipped with a handful of Emmys and millions of viewers, headed back to the PaleyFest this year to celebrate the shows success.
The Big Bang Theory was the top show in the 18-49 demographic last week and was the second watched show overall with 20 million viewers.
Last week’s first-run “Big Bang” episode topped the list in viewers most coveted by advertisers, those ages 18-49; and it was the second most-watched show overall (behind “NCIS”) with more than 20 million viewers.
So what was their secret to success? According to Simon Helberg, audiences are pretty much forced to watch the show. Re-runs air frequently on local stations and TBS and that, according to Helberg, has drawn in a huge audience to CBS.
Helberg said: “You’re kind of forced to watch the show now. We’re shoving it down people’s throats, and then they’re learning that they love that.”
But syndication may not be the only reason that people are tuning into watch The Big Bang Theory. The show has managed to land some legends in the world of Geekdom. Leonard Nemoy, Stephen Hawking, Buzz Aldrin, LeVar Burton, Neal DeGrasse Tyson, George Takei, and Stan Lee have all made appearance on the show. The Big Bang Theory has also racked up several Emmy Nominations over the years and star Jim Parsons has taken home two Emmy Awards (and one Golden Globe) for best actor.
Despite his Emmy wins, Parsons said that he’s still shocked to hear that 20 million people watched his show.
Parsons said: “There’s something impossible to fathom about viewers and numbers and things like that… I can barely picture 20 people in one room. If you want to say 17 or 18 million, well you’ve lost me.”
Do you watch The Big Bang Theory? Are you surprised that it is one of the most watched shows on television.
Here’s a video of the cast of The Big Bang Theory at PaleyFest.