Who is Dave Goetsch? Big Bang Theory writer shares how people consider the first six episodes of the sitcom as "just the pilot over and over again"

On episode three of "The Big Bang Theory podcast," uploaded to the sitcom's official YouTube channel on Monday (April 7), host Jessica Radloff welcomed executive producer and writer Dave Goetsch as a guest.

Dave Goetsch reportedly played a key role in the production of The Big Bang Theory, as a writer and producer, for a majority of its 12-season run. Throughout the podcast, he revisits the challenges and successes of early episodes of the hit sitcom.

Jessica and Dave seemingly discuss the initial days of BBT's production, with both individuals agreeing that the dynamic shared between titular characters like Sheldon, Penny, and Leonard, were similar to characters from the 1996 sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun.

Around the 35-minute mark, Dave shares how many people believe that the first few episodes of a TV series should essentially act as the "pilot episode," to reinforce core dynamics of its characters for the audience.

"People sometimes say that the first six of your season one are supposed to be just the pilot over and over and over again. At least like reinforcing those core dynamics, so that episode is very much about the triangle of Leonard Penny and Sheldon," Dave Goetsch states on The Big Bang Theory podcast.

A pilot refers to a test episode, usually the first episode of a television show, created to gauge whether a series will be successful or not.

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"They had to do the pilot twice" - Dave Goetsch revisits the early days of The Big Bang Theory sitcom

While speaking with Jessica Radloff about the dynamic of the sitcom's cast, sharing special praise for Kaley Cuoco, Dave highlights the versatility of Jim Parsons, who played fan-favorite Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory.

Given that the show's inception reportedly drew inspiration from 3rd Rock From the Sun, Dave seemingly compares John Lithgow, a titular character in the 1996 sitcom, to Jim Parsons, stating:

"When I saw Jim I thought "Oh my God this guy is as versatile as John Lithgow" you know. What a dream to write for him and then for everybody in the cast"

Jessica continues by sharing her praise for Sheldon Cooper's incredible design and the writing that well-established him as a memorable character throughout The Big Bang Theory 12 season run.

Dave highlights his theory for why Sheldon Cooper as a character "found his footing" in the early days of the show, stating:

"I have a theory about something that contributed to [Sheldon's character], which is that they had to do the pilot twice. They lived with those characters for 2 years. The first time I heard that I thought that's what they did on 3rd Rock From the Sun. There were two pilots over two years and they even switched networks from ABC to NBC"

Dave explains that by doing two pilots, it gave the writers and producers the ability to "capture lightening in a bottle" because of the opportunity to adjust and get the story delivered to its audience correctly.

The duo also discussed multiple key episodes from The Big Bang Theory, with Jessica exploring the "The Fuzzy Boots Corollary" episode, from season 1, discussing the love-dynamic between Leonard and Penny.

"We have to understand Leonard and then we can't have Leonard date Penny too soon because we need to know how much he cares about her and how he Pines for her and the struggle of it," Dave explained.

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David Goetsch is an experienced writer whose work on The Big Bang Theory, which began airing in 2007, earned him significant industry recognition. Other productions he contributed to throughout his career include 3rd Rock from the Sun and United States of Al.