28 Oct 2014 8:52 PM| Originally Posted on Oct 28, 2014 1t 2:42 MT by Steve Marinucci
The author, the author’s wife Susan, Simon Helberg, David Bedford and wife Alix.Photo: Gay Linvill
Watching a TV show at home is hardly the story of what goes into it, so seeing a taping of “The Big Bang Theory,” the most popular comedy on TV, at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles as the TV on DVD Examiner did while on a recent trip to Los Angeles, was quite an eye opener.
The taping began at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. We were told to arrive by 5:15 p.m. and pulled into the parking garage across the street. Also taping that evening was an “Ellen” show, and the garage was nearly full, but we managed to find a parking space.
We checked in, then were taken across the street to Stage 25 where the show is taped. Other shows by executive producer Chuck Lorre, including “Mom” and “Two and a Half Men” are also taped nearby, as are “Conan” and “Ellen.” We were taken inside. Cellphones were not allowed in the stage area, so we had to temporarily give them up to a security guard, but they were returned after the show.
Mark Sweet, who has been described as the one of the top warm-up comics in the business and also works other shows including “Two and a Half Men” and “Mike & Molly,” settled us in to get ready for the evening with a few gags. He then told the crowd they first would see an episode of the show on the monitors that had not yet aired. We won’t reveal any spoilers, but the main plot centered on Howard and Bernadette. The audience clearly enjoyed it and were ready for what was to come.
The actual taping of the show began. Tuesday is actually the end of the actors’ week for the show. It began the previous Wednesday with a table reading of the new script. Then various rehearsals are held until the actual Tuesday night taping in front of a live audience.