Few sitcoms have ever reached the stratospheric success of The Big Bang Theory. The show was one of the most-watched series worldwide for most of its twelve season run and spawned the spinoff Young Sheldon which continues to this day. One of the leads of The Big Bang Theory, Kaley Cuoco, recently explained why she still gets too emotional watching the later seasons of the show.

"The early episodes of Big Bang - I can't believe how many different hairstyles I had and all the different clothes. It's very weird because I'm much more okay watching the earlier seasons as opposed to the most recent ones. The recent ones are still too emotional for me. The early, early ones feel like a different person and a different time so I'm able to watch it and laugh. But the recent ones are tough, it was strange getting out of that and figuring what the next step was going to be. In my mind, I was going to be on it for 27 years."

Kaley Cuoco was a standout character from the show, playing the role of Penny, the pretty but not-too-intelligent waitress who befriends a group of geeky scientists from across the hall of her apartment. The relationship between Penny and Leonard Hofstadter was in many ways the lynchpin for the entire show, and Cuoco's character grew and evolved a great deal across twelve seasons.

As frequently happens with sitcom actors, Cuoco was in danger of getting permanently typecast as Penny from across the hall for the rest of her career. Fortunately, the actress made some smart choices, picking roles in projects that took her far away from Penny and the world of laugh-track-infused sitcoms. In the past, Cuoco has stated that she has made her peace with the fact that nothing she ever does in the rest of her career is likely to eclipse the popularity of The Big Bang Theory.

"That experience - the cast, the amount of time spent together, the pay, the ratings - like, it was nuts, it was unheard of. That was so special and will be a part of my heart for the rest of my life. Nothing will ever compare to that, and I think knowing that helps me separate that from what I'm doing now, which is so different and new."

Since leaving the show, Cuoco has lent her voice to an animated Harley Quinn in the character's breakout hit show. Cuoco's take on Quinn has arguably been even more successful than Margot Robbie's live-action take on the character. Then there is The Flight Attendant, an HBO Max series that was recently renewed for a second season, which sees Cuoco in the lead role of Cassie Bowden, an air hostess who gets entangled in a murder case during work.

Clearly, while Cuoco still feels emotionally attached to the world of The Big Bang Theory that she left behind, the actress has no intention of resting on past laurels. The time may soon come when fans start identifying Cuoco more with one of her new characters than as Penny the ditzy waitress. This news originated at Omny.