Michael Ausiello | 22 Sep 2014
Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting (Penny) & Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) Photo: CBS.com
Season 8 picks up 45 days into Sheldon’s head-clearing, cross-country train excursion, and all is not well. “His belongings have been stolen and he needs Leonard to come pick him up in Arizona,” previews showrunner Steve Molaro. Making matters worse, he returns home to an angry girlfriend. “Amy’s not pissed at him for leaving, but she’s certainly not thrilled that when he ran into trouble he called Leonard instead of her.” Leonard, meanwhile, will find that money changes (almost) everything when fiancée Penny puts her failed acting career on hold to work as a pharmaceutical sales rep at Bernadette’s company. “It alters their dynamic because now she’s actually doing well financially,” says Molaro. “It’s a new chapter for her.” Elsewhere, Howard is aghast to discover that Stuart has now become Ma’s permanent caretaker. And expect to see a lot more of Raj’s new girlfriend Emily (Laura Spencer). “We’re going to explore more of her personality,” he teases, “and what she’s really like.”
BONUS SPOILER | A Howard-Bernadette baby will not “be happening anytime soon,” maintains Molaro. “We’re not in any rush to have a baby on the show.
RETURN DATE | Monday, Sept. 22 at 8/7c (CBS)