The cast and crew of The Big Bang Theory appeared at their fifth consecutive Comic-Con in San Diego last week. The show's discussion panel took place in Hall H, a room with a 6,500-seat capacity, for the first time last Friday.
The panel was attended by executive producers Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Steven Molaro, and cast members Mayim Bialik, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, Simon Helberg and Melissa Rauch. Jim Parsons joined joined the panel via satellite, while Johnny Galecki's was unable to attend the panel due to a delayed flight. The gathered cast and crew answered questions from fans, before one lucky fan was given an out-of-this-world prize.
The panel revealed a few indications of what we can expect from The Big Bang Theory's sixth season. Bill Prady says Howard will be spending the first few episodes of Season 6 in space, but it won't be long until his living arrangement with his new bride come into play. Wolowitz is "torn between two really powerful, strong women who both adore him" Prady says. On the subject of whether having kids could be on the horizon for the newly wedded Wolowitzes, Melissa Rauch joked "With the vocal tone of Bernadette and the Wolowitz family, that baby's cry would break glass".
Chuck Lorre teased that a new relationship for Raj is planned, which apparently came as a surprise to Kunal Nayyar. Talking about the romance, Lorre warned "Don�t cheer yet. Wait til you see it", leaving Kunal Nayyar wondering "I don't know if it is the person or thing he's going to fall in love with or the actual relationship".
Casey Sander may reappear as Bernadette's father this season, with Prady and Molaro both stating their desire to see him return to the show. Talking about Sander's role, Bill Prady said ""He brought a cool intensity [to the role] and we enjoyed that very much". Meanwhile, Kaley Cuoco made the case for her character's mother to finally appear. Speaking about who she'd like to see play Penny's mother, Cuoco said "I've been putting Lisa Kudrow out there to everyone. I think she should be a little younger - like Lisa - kinda trashy and I consider her a MILF and hitting on the guys; that's the kind of character I see, like a cougar".
There was one more surprise in store for the loyal fans gathered at Comic-Con in what surely must be the biggest giveaway ever held at the event. During the show's panel, Simon Helberg was asked if he - like his character - would ever consider a visit to space aboard the XCOR Aerospace's Lynx RLV. Richard Searfoss, a test pilot at XCOR and a former NASA astronaut, appeared on stage to offer the trip to Helberg, who declined the invitation. The show's co-creator Chuck Lorre then suggested giving the trip away to one of the fans in attendance. The lucky fan with the golden ticket was Mercedes Becerra of Paso Robles, California.