Ten seasons in, The Big Bang Theory has long moved past the point where it could cast anyone less than minor sitcom royalty as its cast members’ family and friends. Hence the news today that TV vets Katey Sagal and Jack McBrayer are both getting sucked into the CBS supergiant’s orbit, where they’ll play family members of Kaley Cuoco’s beloved airhead Penny.
Both characters will appear in the show’s season 10 premiere, set for September 19. Sagal will take a break from all the motorcycle ganging and bastard executionering she’s been doing lately to reconnect with her old 8 Simple Rules co-star as Penny’s neurotic mom, Susan. McBrayer, meanwhile, will play Penny’s ex-con brother Randall, described as “cheerful,” as all Jack McBrayer characters legally must.
The Big Bang Theory recently breezed past its 200th episode milestone, but hints have been creeping up that some sort of endgame might soon be in sight for the biggest sitcom on TV. Castmate Kunal Nayyar suggested as much at a convention appearance back in May, relating the possibility to the upcoming expiration of Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, and Jim Parsons’ contracts. But showrunner Steve Molaro seemed confident that the show would continue for the forseeable future, telling attendees at its Comic-Con panel last night, “We don’t really know how long the show’s going to go on for, so I think it’s a little early for us to be thinking about an end point.”