TV’s Biggest Comedy Was Almost Completely Different Due To A Casting Mishap

Avid fans of The Big Bang Theory may recognize Sussman’s name from a later credit in the series, as he went on to portray Stuart, the awkward and perpetually anxious owner of the local comic book shop. While things obviously panned out for the underrated actor in the end, this role is obviously a far cry from the massive central character that is Howard Wolowitz. In fact, Sussman wasn’t just one of several actors vying for the part of Howard initially, as the role was specifically written with him in mind.

Sussman originally auditioned for the role of Leonard in The Big Bang Theory before the character of Howard had even been conceptualized. Early versions of the series’ pilot were written to center around Leonard Hofstadter, Sheldon Cooper, and Penny exclusively, before other additions like Stuart, Raj, and Amy Fowler came along. Though the Big Bang Theory producers ultimately felt that Sussman wasn’t right for the lead, they enjoyed working with him so much that they created the Howard character to give him a permanent place on the show.

After receiving the confirmation that he had officially booked the part, Kevin Sussman organized a celebratory dinner, thinking he had finally broken through into a role that would go on to be considered sitcom royalty. In true awkward Big Bang Theory fashion, however, the actor received a call from his agent during dinner, explaining that the contract had fallen through.

Sussman was technically still under a contract with ABC due to his rotating guest role on the short-lived series Ugly Betty. The actor has since explained that ABC producers had already written him out of the show and given him their verbal blessing that he was free to explore new opportunities at the time, so he felt that there would be no legal debacle about joining the cast of The Big Bang Theory.

Instead, execs at ABC decided to be petty, and seemingly intentionally mishandled Sussman’s contract for no reason other than to block his success and jam up the casting process of the burgeoning CBS hit. Depending on who you ask specifically, this contract issue can be seen as a simple oversight or a “jerk move.”

Needless to say, Kevin Sussman was devastated at the time, though his luck has since turned around. Once Simon Helberg booked the role of Howard and Sussman was released from his ABC contract, he was given a chance to finally star in The Big Bang Theory as Stuart.

While the role takes a significant back-seat to the core group of nerds, the role came with a major opportunity down the line. It was recently announced that Kevin Sussman and several of his Big Bang Theory co-stars are on pace to serve as the leads in an upcoming spinoff show, meaning Stuart will finally have his day in the center spotlight.

Source: The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series