Katey Sagal, Jack McBrayer join Penny's 'Big Bang' family
We're about to meet two more members of the extended Big BangTheory family: Penny's mom and brother, both of whom will appear in the 10th-season opener, Sept. 19 on CBS.
Series producers revealed the casting news Friday at Comic-Con in San Diego.
Sons of Anarchy star Katey Sagal already has practice playing mom to Kaley Cuoco — she did it once before on the ABC comedy 8 Simple Rules, which ran from 2002 to 2005.
Executive producer Steven Molaro told the crowd in San Diego that Sagal had volunteered to play her mom again, so he took her up on the offer. He added that her character, Susan, is a bit neurotic, thanks mostly to her son, whose criminal exploits have often been referenced on the show.
For that character, Randall, Big Bang has tapped Jack McBrayer, who knows a thing or two about playing country folk from his time on NBC's 30 Rock. But Penny's brother is basically Kenneth the Page gone very wrong. Whereas Kenneth refused to drink hot coffee because "that's the devil's temperature," Randall has cooked meth and done a stint in prison.
He did offer a rather Kenneth-esque answer when series regular and panel moderator Melissa Rauch recalled asking him whether he'd ever been in jail: "Recreationally ... I look good in orange. I'm good at making new friends!"