The Real-Life Reason The Big Bang Theory's Penny Is From Nebraska

On "The Big Bang Theory," "Go Big Red" isn't a meaningful phrase to the core group of nerdy friends. But for Penny, one of Kaley Cuoco's best roles, it's an important slogan: The rallying cry for her home team of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Her collegiate sports fandom and Midwest origin are among the ways she stands out from Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and his clique of geeks. Choosing Nebraska as Penny's home state, however, wasn't random. "The Big Bang Theory" executive producer and writer Lee Aronsohn has personal ties to Nebraska.

Aronsohn lived in Lincoln, Nebraska, for two years to be with his girlfriend at the time. So when it was time to decide where Penny is from, he pitched Nebraska because of his familiarity with the place. Penny, however, is from Omaha, Nebraska.

While living in Nebraska, Aronsohn opened a comic book shop called Trade-A-Tape Comic Center. He sold the store in 1977 after he and his then-girlfriend broke up, but it's still running today.

When Penny is introduced on "The Big Bang Theory," she is the girl next door who moves from Nebraska to Los Angeles to pursue acting. By the series finale of "The Big Bang Theory," she has ultimately given up on an acting career and is a pharmaceutical sales representative. Aronsohn stuck around in showbiz, but apart from that, his story played out similarly.

After he closed his comic book store and left Nebraska, the New York native moved to Los Angeles. "The Big Bang Theory" is proof of Aronsohn's Hollywood success, but it's just one credit in a career that goes as far back as 1980. He wrote for "The Love Boat" and "Murphy Brown," among other TV shows, and co-created "Two and a Half Men."

Penny may hail from a different Nebraskan city than where Aronsohn once lived, but his former home still comes up by way of Penny. In the pilot episode of "The Big Bang Theory," she mentions her screenplay about a "sensitive girl who comes to L.A. from Lincoln, Nebraska, to be an actress."