‘The Big Bang Theory’ And ‘Friends’: The Crossover You Never Thought You’d See

The Big Bang Theory is arguably the most successful and popular sitcom in modern times. But, rewind 20 years and that title would undoubtedly go to Friends. In fact, many Friends fans are grateful that The Big Bang Theory was created to fill the void that the end of the 10 year run of Friends left in their lives. Metro commented that both shows have “near identical formulas,” which lead to them often being compared to each other.

Penny and Leonard are often considered to be the modern day Ross and Rachel, with Friends‘ coffee shop Central Perk being replaced by a comic book store in The Big Bang Theory.

James Burrows shares his secrets on cast chemistry & more after decades of TV directing https://t.co/5B99h2uGYT pic.twitter.com/NUINumPRmd

— Variety (@Variety) February 17, 2016

Given that many people who loved Friends are the same people who are currently addicted to The Big Bang Theory, what would happen if the two worlds collided? Metro pondered that question in detail in a recent article, and came up with the some interesting pairings. While some of these seem strange at first, the reasoning behind them makes a little more sense once the various characters are considered.

First, Metro paired Monica with Sheldon, arguing that their controlling, obsessive personalities are so similar that they would be a match made in heaven.

Chandler and Bernadette were also matched. Big Bang Theory fans know that Bernadette “has a thing for geeky, awkward men,” while anyone who’s ever watched Friends would recognize that Chandler needs to be with someone with a stronger personality than his.

As for Rachel, she was paired with Leonard. It was guessed that Leonard’s mom would have treated him to a personal shopping session at Bloomingdale’s in New York City, and Rachel happened to be his personal shopping assistant. With The Big Bang Theory‘s Leonard often being compared to Ross from Friends, it seems natural that Rachel’s fated pairing with Ross would transfer to Leonard in a Big Bang Theory/Friends crossover.

With Rachel off the market, Ross needs a new fashion-obsessed former cheerleader, so of course Penny is the obvious choice.

Here’s who would date who if Friends and The Big Bang Theory crossed over https://t.co/jnapjzx0gO via @MetroUK pic.twitter.com/TpUY3mqkBF

— Ben Nicholls (@Benjaminicholls) February 16, 2016

As for Phoebe, the folks at Metro paired her up with Raj. It is thought that they would spend a lot of time playing the guitar, and would be kindred spirits given that they both come from vastly different backgrounds to the rest of their respective groups of friends.

The real laugh, though, comes from the pairing of Janice and Howard. According to Metro, The Big Bang Theory‘s Howard fits perfectly with Janice because Howard is still under the illusion that he is good with women, and Janice still hasn’t figured out that she has the most annoying laugh in the world.

Spoiler Alert!

Back to the real world of The Big Bang Theory, in this week’s episode Howard finds out that he is going to be a father with Bernadette revealing her big secret: she is pregnant with their first child. In true Big Bang Theory style, Bernadette lets Howard in on her secret via a good old-fashioned Post-it note scavenger hunt.

TV Line reveals that Howard is initially overjoyed at the idea of becoming a father, but his excitement turns to worry and anxiety. He starts to ponder whether he and Bernadette are ready to be parents.

Of course, it is Sheldon’s reaction that is the most comical in this important episode of The Big Bang Theory, as he spends much of the episode worrying that a new baby on the scene will put a damper on some of his favorite “sacred group traditions,” such as the group’s weekly video game nights and regular trips to the comic book store.

Meanwhile, all the talk of babies gets Penny and Leonard speaking openly on the topic, and the pair both agree that they are not ready for the responsibility of parenthood. Amusingly, they reached the decision by realizing that they both still take extreme satisfaction in drawing on Sheldon’s face with magic markers, which they interpret to mean that they are not responsible enough to tackle parenthood.

The highlight of this Big Bang Theory episode is surely the moment when Sheldon discovers that Howard and Bernadette’s baby was conceived on his bed.

[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]