The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco Reveals Why She Only Rewatches Early Seasons

It’s been over a year since the series finale of The Big Bang Theory, but the popular sitcom has still become beloved among many of the show’s fans. With an impressive run of twelve seasons, there are certainly a lot of episodes for viewers to potentially revisit, all while rediscovering the journeys of the ragtag ensemble along the way. According to Kaley Cuoco, who played Penny across the series’ entire run, there is a good reason as to why she doesn’t rewatch some of the series’ newer episodes — largely for sentimental reasons. During a recent appearance on the Conan Needs a Friend podcast, Cuoco revealed that the latter episodes of The Big Bang Theory still feel too fresh to her, because she associates them with the emotional roller coaster she was feeling as the series neared its end.

“The early episodes of Big Bang – I can’t believe how many different hairstyles I had and all the different clothes,” Cuoco explained. “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.”

Cuoco has been candid about the wave of emotions she felt as The Big Bang Theory neared its end, previously expressing that she would have been on the show for as long as possible.

“I was laughing,” Cuoco previously said of the series nearing its end. “I was like, ‘How are we gonna shoot that last episode?’ I was hoping we were gonna pre-shoot a lot of it ’cause I think there are gonna be a lot of tears. It’s gonna be tough, it’s gonna be a lot of emotions and I love our crew. I just love the people that we’re with every day so, you know, all good things come to an end. Everyone is still madly in love with each other. We’re all OK with the choice. We’ve just grown up together, so it’s our adult decision.”

Cuoco can currently be seen on The Flight Attendant, which was recently renewed for a second season exclusively on HBO Max.