Jennifer Aniston Vs. Kaley Cuoco: Who’s The Better Sitcom Star?


Jennifer Aniston’s portrayal of one of the most iconic characters in TV history has earned her the unofficial nickname of sitcom queen. It’s a fair title; she did spend ten whole years of her life playing the vain fashionista Rachel Green on the hit 90s sitcom Friends. But in recent years, a younger actress has emerged to challenge Aniston for her throne.

Three years after Jennifer officially retired her iconic TV role, an obscure actress by the name of Kaley Cuoco entered the comedy scene as Penny on the geek sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Since the pilot, the actress has come a long way. Just recently, The Inquisitr reported that Cuoco, together with Jim Parsons (Sheldon) and John Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter), have successfully renegotiated their per-episode salaries at a whopping $1 million. Jennifer Aniston and the gang had the same salary on their last season.

The physical and personal similarities between Jennifer Aniston and Kaley Cuoco’s characters have often caused fans of both shows to compare the two, and consequently, the two actresses who portray them. Jennifer made the quirky, suburban-turned-city gal diva a popular TV trope, while Cuoco experimented with the role and added her own “naive girl” flavor to it.

So who does it better? Jennifer or Kaley?

As Entertainment Wise puts it, both actresses are “blonde, cute, funny, likable girls-next-door known for playing, well, blonde, cute and funny girls-next door.” However, when character depth is factored in, Aniston definitely wins the round. Jennifer’s character clearly evolved throughout the seasons. The helpless suburban trophy bride Aniston introduced in the earlier season magically turned into the independent fashion executive she became to be during the latter years, wowing fans over the seamless transformation.

Meanwhile, critics of TBBT think Penny has yet to accomplish the same seven seasons into the show. Aside from the occasional out-of-character nerdiness, Penny hasn’t significantly grown over the past seven seasons. In the TBBT subreddit, fans have complained about the blatant lack of growth. Redditor Redhawk911 wrote:

“I still enjoy the show pretty much, but I think that when it comes to characters and growing them as persons, the writers are pretty bad.”

To be fair, part of what makes Big Bang an awesome show is Penny and the striking contrast she provides to the whole geek setting. The only-non-scientist of the group, the blonde Nebraskan gives the gang a sense of reality while all others are huddled into their strict and geeky academic lives.

The debate is still on, and you get to decide! Who’s the better sitcom star? Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel or Kaley’s Penny? Write your comments below and tell us what you think!

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